Page 25 of Ace's Ascension

“I fight for a living. The only time I feel alive is when I’m in The Cage and it’s either me or my opponent, fighting until the death. That has been the only time I let any emotions out. It’s the only time my body has come alive until I met you.

“I was fourteen when it happened. It was late at night and my little brother, Spencer, was in a mixed martial arts class I signed him up for. I went to the store and was returning when a group of teenage boys cornered me in an alley. I knew I was fucked when there were eight of them and one of me. The things they did to me were unspeakable.” I swallow hard and take a deep breath. I need to keep going and get this all out.

“You don’t have to tell me, Justin.” Liz’s voice shakes with every word while her grip tightens around my waist. Anyone else, I would recoil from their touch, but not her.

“I need to though. It will help you understand why I do the things I do and why staying with me will drag you into the darkness, but I can’t let you go. I’ve got a taste of your light and I can’t let it go.” I stand up and start pacing along the beach, looking for the right words. Once I find a way to tell her the next part, I stop and fall to my knees in front of Liz. I still can’t look her in the eyes, so I keep them fixed on the sand near her little blue painted toenails.

“The leader and one other held me down while the rest yanked off my jeans and all eight of them took turns using me for a punching bag and raping me. It went on for what felt like hours until I passed out from the pain. Spencer’s teacher found me and took me to his apartment above his studio where we stayed until I healed. I told Spencer some assholes beat me up, he still doesn’t know to this day what they did to me. I learned how to fight once I was healed and not afraid of my own shadow. Ilearned to channel everything inside of me and only use it in the ring. I push all the pent-up rage, aggression and fear down deep until I can’t hold it in anymore and the only way to push it back down again is to rip someone’s head off. I’m afraid of someone touching me. Even by accident, a brush of a hand or a shift of a leg brushing against mine sets my skin on fire and I flip out. Only four people can get away with touching me without sending me into a fit of rage. Spencer, Kayne, Rooster and now you.

“Liz, I have avenged every single one of those motherfuckers, except the two that held me down and now I can’t find them. I brought six of them into The Cage and killed them. I lured them in and snapped their necks. But the worst part about it? I’m not even remorseful they are gone and I won’t stop until the other two are found and handled the same way.” I take a chance and look into Liz’s bright blue eyes. They’re filled with unshed tears and when she blinks, they fall down her cheeks. “Can you handle knowing you're sleeping with a killer?”

Liz’s fingers rub along her crystal necklace while tears fall from her eyes. I’ve made her cry and that breaks my heart. “I can handle it. Can you?”

Her question throws me off for a second. “What are you talking about?”

“There is a reason we are so attracted to each other Ace and it’s not because I’m someone new you found. Our souls are the same and they connected the moment you found me on the side of the road. You might think I’m a light in a world of darkness, but I’m not. I have darkness inside of me, begging to come out. Begging to be let free. My darkness is reaching out to yours.” Liz climbs to her knees, so we’re face to face. She releases her crystal and cups both of my cheeks staring into my eyes. “Set me free, Ace.” She whispers against my lips.

Liz’s mouth crashes onto mine and the beast inside of me takes over devouring every inch that she is giving me.

Chapter Fourteen

Liz

“Set me free, Ace,” I whisper against his lips. My mouth crashes onto his in a heated kiss. Our bodies are flush against each other. I pour everything I’m feeling into this kiss. Every touch, every breath, every word spoken between us over the last few weeks pours out and my body comes alive. Our souls connect on a deeper level.

Ace pulls away first, panting heavily. “That’s not the reaction I thought you’d have.”

He moves a stray piece of hair from my face and his eyes never leave mine. A smile graces his handsome face, showing off his beautiful white teeth and it takes my breath away. I inhale and exhale a few times, my chest heaving, until I get myself under control. I don’t know what to say to everything Ace has confessed to me, but he’s staring at me like he’s waiting for something.

Before I can answer him, Ace’s phone vibrates in his pocket, breaking the spell we’re under. He pulls it out and reads the message. “Shit, we’ve got to go. Are you good?”

“Are you?” I counter.

“I…” Ace trails off, staring into the cloudless blue sky, the waves lap at our bare feet. He shakes his head, “Yeah, I’m good. I’ve had that bottled up inside of me for so long, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” Ace leans in and gives me another kiss on my lips. “Let’s go home.”

“Home,” I respond.

Ace stands and holds out a hand. I grab it and he lifts me to my feet. Threading our fingers together, we walk back to his bike. We grab our socks and boots and put them on before Ace helps me with the helmet. His fingers brush against my cheek, sending a shiver down my spine and a need burning between my legs.

“Ace,” I kiss his fingertips. The rising sun reflects in his whiskey eyes staring into mine. “I don’t think any less of you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault and you didn’t instigate or encourage those fuckheads. If anything, I’m in awe and wish I had the courage you have when I needed it the most.” My right thumb runs along a jagged scar on my left wrist, covered with a tattoo of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

“What happened to you?” Ace asks, leaning his forehead against mine.

I open my mouth to answer him when his phone goes off again. This time it’s an incoming call and not a text. Ace pulls away, exhaling a harsh breath and takes his phone out of his pocket. I miss his warmth already. “We will continue this, Liz.”

He answers his phone in a gruff tone. His nostrils flare before his eyes land on me and he smiles, while I patiently wait for him to finish his call. “Got it. Be there in a couple of hours.” Ace hangs up and shoves his phone into his pocket. “That was Rooster. We really need to get back.”

Ace straddles his bike and lifts the kickstand. I rest my right hand on his shoulder and put my left foot on the peg beforeswinging my leg over the seat and settling in behind him. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean my head against Ace’s back. He starts his bike, the vibrations thrum through my body. I close my eyes as Ace takes off and think about everything he has told me. Then I think about what I need to tell him. Will he be able to protect me once he hears my secrets about why I’m two thousand miles away from home? Will Ace be able to understand my heritage and accept me for who I am? Will he throw me away like yesterday’s garbage or will he fight for me? Will he run away in fear or will he stick around and help me? I’ve been at this for so long on my own, I don’t know how he will react. My own twin betrayed me when I needed him the most. Will Ace do the same?

I contemplate how much I’m going to tell Ace and by the time we pull into the Clubhouse driveway, 2 hours later, I’ve decided to tell him everything. Ace pulls into what I’ve discovered ashisparking spot between two bikes and he turns his bike off. The engine ticks in the quiet morning. With my mind made up, I climb off his bike on shaky legs and a sore ass and wait for Ace to do the same. He helps me remove my helmet and sets it on the seat of his bike. Ace grabs my hand and we walk up the concrete slab to the wrap-around porch.

“Ace, there is something I need to tell you.” I pull on his hand to make him stop walking.

Ace turns and looks down at me with fear and concern in his smoldering gaze. “What’s wrong, Liz.”

“I…” I inhale a deep breath and release it before speaking, staring down at the wooden floorboards instead of at Ace. “My brother killed my Memaw, then, when I found out the truth, he tried to kill me and make it look like a suicide. Then my parents didn’t believe me, so I left and ended up here, two thousand miles away from home.” I ramble, trying to get everything out. I take another deep breath. “And my Memaw is Madeline LeRoux, Queen of Louisiana Voodoo and she was a powerful Voodoowitch. I don’t have the ability to do half of what she could, but I do have some of her talents and I’m not going to stop practicing my heritage.” I snap my mouth shut and wait for Ace to reply.

Ace lifts a hand and pulls my chin up, forcing me to look into his beautiful eyes. There is no annoyance or fear. Their depth brings me love and understanding. “That’s a lot to unpack. First of all, I’m never going to make you stop doing what you love, if it brings you peace. Secondly, I’m sorry about your Memaw and third, I’m going to kill your brother.” The anger in those last six words makes my heart skip a beat. I’ve never had anyone defend me the way Ace has since the moment he found me stranded on the side of a back road in the middle of BFE.

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