But as he watched her flip through the pages, he noted just how beautiful she was when she wasn’t shaking in fear. Her blue eyes were large and seemed to be almost animated as she blinked. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, with a small jawline and slender lips, and a small pointed nose. There was no denying it, Natalie Clements was absolutely stunning.
She spent almost twenty minutes reading through the books, moving them across the table and scribbling into a notebook beside her.
As she looked up, she locked eyes with Axle. He heard her breathing stop as she gasped, frozen in place. He smiled at her, waving awkwardly across the table. She got to her feet and began walking away as quickly as she could. Axle got to his feet as well, following her to the bathroom.
He listened as she went into the women’s, hearing the heartbeat of only one other person inside the place. He slowed for a bit, waiting until the woman stepped out. Then, looking around to see no one was watching, Axle sped through the door and was inside the stall where Natalie had entered, locking the door behind her before she even realized what was happening.
Before she could scream, his hand was over her mouth, stopping her scream. “Alright look, the nearest person is about twenty feet away from us, and these walls are thick, and the door is shut. Your voice will carry about half that distance if I let you scream at the top of your lungs. So, can we take it back to what we discussed?”
Natalie nodded, and Axle took his hand off her mouth slowly. His fingers lingered for a moment, noticing just how soft her lips were. Axle paused for a moment, looking at her mouth, and then at the woman.
He flashed a smile. “Now, I thought we had an agreement on the way things were supposed to be. What are you doing here?”
Axle thought Natalie would quiver in fear, mumbling a response, but instead she responded with confidence. “You’re some sort of monster, and you expect me to just sit and pretend like it doesn’t exist?”
Axle raised an eyebrow. “Oh, well, you see, if you keep looking, I want you to know that you’re going to get in too deep. And Natalie Clements, you will not be able to recover from what you uncover. I suggest you stay away from this. Honestly, all I’m doing is for your own good.”
“I can’t just sit on that, I need to know what else is out there. I know I might be wrong, but if you’re going to stop me, you’re going to have to kill me,” Natalie replied, gritting her teeth.
“Nat, you need to understand, you’re putting yourself in trouble, trying to uncover things you cannot even start to understand.”
“Then tell me!” she yelled, pushing against him. Her hands barely shoved him, and Axle shook his head.
“No, the more you know, the more trouble you can get in.” He paused, looking at her. They were mere inches away from each other, with Natalie pressed up against him. “Trust me, Nat, you don’t want this. I’m sorry for what happened, but understand that I’m doing this to keep you safe.”
“I don’t want that, I want answers. I don’t know who you are, or what you are. I will not stop until I get answers!” Natalie continued.
Axle paused for a moment, wondering what he should do. She had deduced that he wasn’t going to kill her, which had made her a lot bolder. “What are you going to do if I tell you?”
She opened her mouth to speak, and then paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. Axle watched her closely and she let out a breath. “Why don’t you want to tell everyone?”
“There are things that don’t need to be known by all of humanity. If they find out, it’ll destabilize the balance of everything. We have to keep it secret,” Axle replied. “Which is why you have to keep it secret.”
Axle reached up to grab Natalie’s arm, and grabbed the bangle she wore. Just as he touched it, he felt a stinging hot sensation on his palm. He quickly pulled away, holding his arm up to his face. He turned back to the bracelet, looking at it as it glowed. The purple aura that emanated from it seemed to come from deep within it.
Axle didn’t notice where the aura had emanated from. He thought it was Natalie herself. She wasn’t just human, there was something else about her. It was the only explanation. He deduced that the feeling was some sort of instinctual defense system she had.
There was a chance that Natalie was a paranormal, or had some paranormal traits. But there was no telling what it was. Axle had completely missed the bracelet, believing Natalie to be the source. He reached for his phone and pulled it out, “We have to get to Bingwen.”
“Who?”
“He’s going to explain all of this, but for now, I need you to come with me,” Axle replied, and sighed when he realized that the call didn’t go through.
“Come with you? I have work. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Axle shook his head, knowing just how defensive she could get. He couldn’t carry her out of the building without causing too much drama, and so he would have to let her work on her own terms. He let out a sigh, the issue with the woman was getting out of hand.
“Alright, but as long as you agree to keep things on the low, and I’ll come find you later.
She stared at him uneasily, but nodded her head.
“On one condition.”
“What?” Axle asked, frowning.
“You tell me everything I need to know.”
Chapter 6 - Natalie