Chapter 6: HQ
Reese's POV
The chill of the mountain air bites at my skin as we're led into the boys' HQ. It's cold, but it's a blessing after the beating we just took.
A natural spring here is the only thing making this place bearable. I sink deeper into the warm water, letting it ease the tension in my muscles.
"Ugh, what a humiliating defeat," I groan, the weight of our failure hitting me all over again.
"Yeah, we almost died out there," Ophira adds, her tone distant as she surveys the group. Her eyes land on Valerie, who looks... like she's not all here. "But looking at Valerie's state right now, I'm pretty sure she died and came back to life."
I'm not sure why Ophira is being so casual about this. We all almost died, but I don't feel like joking about it. Still, the sarcasm in Ophira's voice stings.
"Hey, stop that, Ophira," Yasha snaps, her eyes sharp with concern for our youngest sister. "That was pretty traumatizing for us, especially with Paicey almost dying out there."
Ophira just shrugs, submerging herself deeper in the water as though avoiding the tension in the air. "But thank goodness the boys saved us," she adds, her voice softer, more wistful now.
"Hey, did you know that the boys were the same as us?" I ask, my voice suddenly serious. I turn to Yasha, narrowing my eyes. "Yuan's your boyfriend, so he wouldn't keep a secret like this from you, right? Did you know they have magical powers like us?"
Yasha's eyes widen in disbelief, her mouth opening in a rush. "What? No! How dare you accuse me, Reese? I was as shocked as you all are!" She's defensive, and I can't help but feel a flicker of doubt. I want to believe her, but it's hard to ignore the strange feeling that I'm being kept in the dark.
"Hey, stop accusing each other," Gaia says, her voice calming, almost motherly. "Paicey hasn't woken up yet, and here you are arguing."
I wince at the reminder of Paicey, our youngest, who's still out cold. Worry tugs at me. "Yeah, I wonder if Paicey is alright," I mutter, my voice softening with concern.
"I shouldn't have let her use her magic like that," Gaia murmurs, a shadow of guilt crossing her features.
I shake my head, trying to calm her. "Hey, none of that was our fault. Maybe we were too—"
"Don't talk like that," I cut in, my voice firm now. I sit up straighter, meeting each of their eyes. "We've been doing this job since we were born. This is the first time we've been defeated. We can't lose hope. We need to get back to the way we were before, strong and together."
"But, Reese—" Valerie starts, her voice hesitant, unsure.
"No," I cut her off. "We shouldn't have let Paicey use her magic like that. Remember what happened in our past life—"
"Girls," a voice calls out from the edge of the spring, interrupting me. Raiden. He's standing there, looking unbothered. "I've put some clothes here for you. You can use them once you're done bathing."
"Thank you, Baby," I say, trying to lighten the mood, but I can't help the tinge of awkwardness that crawls up my neck. I hear him laugh from the other side before footsteps retreat into the distance.
Ophira, always one to pry, asks the question I knew was coming. "Hey, are you two really dating? We were shocked you announced it at dinner earlier."
I sigh, rubbing a handful of water over my face, trying to calm the sudden heat in my cheeks. "Well, you heard him earlier. We aren't dating yet," I say, my voice sharp to cover the flutter of nerves in my stomach. "Anyway, let's go. Any more talk about this and we'll go over our heads."
Yasha nods, her expression pained. "Yeah, I'm kinda dizzy now," she says, swaying slightly as if she's about to faint.
"Wait, are you okay, Valerie?" Bailey ask immediately, concern filled her voice. She reach out to steady her, and Valerie leans into her for support.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Bailey," she murmurs, trying to wave off my concern. "It's probably just the pain from earlier and using my magic too much. I'm not used to it."
Bailey help her to her feet and we head toward the changing room. Thinking back on a still unconscious Paicey. A knot tightens in my stomach, but I shake it off. We've been through worse already.
Once inside the changing room, I quickly change into the clothes Raiden left us. My mind is still spinning from the chaos, from the battle, from the boys, from everything that's been happening. I need a moment to breathe, to settle myself. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.
After changing into the clothes Raiden left for us, I walk into the living room, feeling a strange mixture of exhaustion and unease. The boys are scattered around, enjoying some midnight snacks, but the atmosphere shifts the moment we enter. Paicey is sitting on the couch, looking much better, thank goodness. The sight of her smiling brings a tiny sigh of relief from me. I'm glad she's alright.
Raiden, who's sitting across the room, stands up as soon as he sees me, his eyes immediately locking onto mine. "Kitten," he says, his voice low and smooth as he strides over to me. He places his hands on my waist and leans in, whispering seductively into my ear, "You look so good in my shirt."
I feel a blush creeping up my neck, but I quickly cover it up by pushing his hands away, my heart racing in a way I can't explain. "Thanks," I say briskly, before turning towards Paicey, hoping my flustered expression isn't too obvious.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" I ask her softly, concerned. She just smiles and nods at me, though I know why she isn't speaking right now. Every time she uses her powers, her voice is temporarily taken from her. It's a consequence we've all grown used to, but it still worries me. I wish she didn't have to push herself so hard.
"Care to explain why you girls were at that area earlier?" Raiden suddenly asks, sitting down on the couch opposite us, his gaze intense. "Why were you guys fighting Selene earlier?"
I freeze for a moment, but then my mind clicks into place. Business Reese. I release Paicey's hand and sit up straight, facing him. "Why do you care?" I ask, my tone cool and professional. We're not about to go into a casual conversation about that.
"We just wanted to know what brought you there," Raiden replies, his voice calm, but there's a glint of something behind his eyes. "We were just eating dinner earlier, and you all went out. Then we saw you at that scene where Selene was."
"And?" I shoot back, crossing my arms. The tension is thick, and I can tell he's not about to let this go.
"You left us in your house, and we found out you were battling a witch. Don't we deserve an explanation from our girlfriends?" he adds, his eyes slightly narrowing. I can feel the weight of his words.
Yasha looks guilty, and she opens her mouth to explain, but I cut her off. "Shush, Yasha," I say firmly, before turning back to Raiden. "Fine, we owe you an explanation about that," I agree reluctantly, but then I look directly at him, my voice sharp. "But don't you guys also owe us an explanation?"
The room falls silent. No one speaks for what feels like an eternity, and I can tell that everyone is waiting for someone to break first. I meet Raiden's eyes, and we just stare each other down, neither of us willing to budge. Then, unexpectedly, Raiden starts laughing. I blink, confused by his sudden shift in mood.
He leans back in his seat, still chuckling. "Fine, I guess no one amongst us will explain," he says, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "So let's play."
"Play?" I echo, still trying to make sense of what's going on. "Play what?"
"One truth, two lies," he grins, clearly pleased with his idea.
"What?"
"We tell each other one truth and two lies, and the others have to guess which one is the truth," he explains, looking at me like I should have already known the rules.
"Sounds interesting," I murmur, though I'm still a little unsure. "But what if one of us fails to guess the truth?"
Raiden shrugs, leaning back lazily. "Then whatever the winner said, the loser will do. And in my case, if I win, you'll have to explain why you were there earlier and why you have magical powers like us."
I groan inwardly. "Fine, game it is," I say after a pause.
I look around, and it seems everyone's on board now. The only problem is, who goes first?
"You go first, Babycakes. Ladies first, always," Raiden teases, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"No," I reply instantly, rolling my eyes. I spot a coin on the table and use my powers to pull it toward me. "My power is telekinesis," I mutter, flipping it into the air, catching it, and then flipping it again. "Heads or tails?"
"Head," Raiden says confidently.
I reveal the coin in my hand, and it lands on tails. "So you go first, Babycakes," I say with a grin.
He looks unimpressed, but then his eyes light up as he thinks. "Alright, let me think." He's silent for a moment before he announces, "Okay, first, we've been doing this job for 18 years now. Second, my power is telekinesis. And third, that was the first time we've been defeated."
I pause, considering the options. But as I glance at Raiden, I notice the smirk on his face. I guess that's a clue, but I'm not sure which one is the truth.
Raiden's voice breaks my concentration. "Come on, Babycakes, all of those options seem true," he whines. "But I think it's the second one. You use that earlier when you got that coin off the table."
My heart skips a beat, and I immediately feel a flicker of panic. I didn't expect him to guess right. But then, to my relief, I smirk. "Close, but you're wrong," I tease, taunting him. "I thought you were a businessman."
I look over at Bailey, who's standing nearby, and I nod at her. "Could you produce water for me, Bailey?"
She looks confused but follows my instructions. As soon as the water's in her hands, I manipulate it with my powers and make it float toward Raiden. The boys who are nearby jerk back, clearly afraid of getting wet, and I can't help but laugh.
"My power isn't telekinesis," I say, still laughing. "How obvious would that be?" Raiden huffs in frustration, but I can tell he's trying to hide a smile.
"And since this wasn't part of the game," I continue, "I'll tell you what my real power is…"
I trail off as Raiden pushes back his hair, and for a brief moment, I feel the heat flood my cheeks. Why is he doing this? I can't even think straight. The sight of him — and his confident, carefree attitude — is enough to make me forget everything around me. And then, as if on cue, Raiden takes off his shirt. I swear I see him smirk as he strips down, the boys groaning in envy.
I feel the heat rise in my face. I look around and see all my sisters staring at him. It's like a wave of jealousy washes over the room. Even Yuan gets up and drags Yasha away, clearly unable to keep his cool.
I gulp and quickly look away, feeling suddenly very exposed. My heart races as my thoughts spiral, and I can't shake the feeling that all eyes are on me now. The tension is unbearable, and it's all because of him.
"Great. Just what my dignity needed—abs carved by the gods and me staring like a deer in headlights."