Mortal Kombat - Smoke Ch. 02

Before I can respond to his humorous realism, however, I'm shocked into complete stillness. His eyes, always that delicious chocolate brown, have shifted once again. Although they're still mostly their usual dark color, I can see tiny threads of silver within his iris, thin streaks of bright metal swirled within a rich coffee background. His other half has made his own presence known, but he's not ready to take the reigns just yet. That enenra is watching me, listening in on our conversation, but not showing himself completely. Sneaky little bastard.

I watch as Smoke's eyes close, and he laughs softly to himself. "I know. He's been with us the whole time. I've warned him to stay out if it, but he's a curious one. Around you, he can't help himself."

I nod and bit my lip, watching him closely. "Just keep him controlled."

His eyes open again, still swirled with silver but warm and inviting. "I will. He'll keep his mouth shut."

I smile back. He's more than I'll ever deserve, but I'm not one to back away from something I truly want. I can live without a Coach bag or a pair of Jimmy Choo heels, but this man is meant for me. He and I, being a Gravedancer and him being half enenra, are connected in a way that mortals could only wish for. And I'll be damned if any other woman tries to get in my way of claiming him.

The intercom chimes, and the captain alerts us that we'll be landing in New York shortly. I nod to Smoke, who returns the gesture and spins around to sit in his seat again. I tighten my seatbelt and settle in for the plane's descent. Just as the plane starts to dip down, I hear a sharp, panicked intake of breath. I peer through the space between the seats and watch as Sub-Zero's hands tighten on the hard armrests. I watch Smoke as he reaches over and places his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to calm him.

I sigh and reach my hand through the seats, resting my hand on Sub-Zero's shoulder as well. I can feel his shoulder rising and falling rapidly, his breathing uneven and shaky. I feel bad for the guy, honestly. The poor guy's so freaked out by flight he can barely stop hyperventilating.

A Lin Kuei assassin afraid of heights. Who knew?

"It's okay," I whisper. "You're' fine. This is the last descent we have to make. Ten more minutes and we'll be in new York."

"I know," he replies, his voice shaky. "I simply hate being inside this thing. I feel trapped."

I laugh and pat his shoulder. "You never have to do this again, I promise."

He sighs heavily and the worst of his shaking disappears. I smile and pull my hand back, exhaling heavily when the plane starts to descend. A few more minutes and then we'll be in New York, searching for the rest of Stryker's group and trying to get me adjusted to Raiden's way of fighting. I can only hope that the rest of their team is as accepting of me. From simple knowledge about the tournament, I know that Kung Lao is a Shaolin warrior; they're not the worst of the people to despise my race, but they still don't like us.

I lean my head back against the chair as we drop lower and lower, contemplating my life choices so far. These three men, who I barely know, have entrusted me to help save the world. They've put their faith in a twenty-two year old Necromancer who has no experience saving anyone from a threat like this. They've told me who they are, what they do - hell, the two Lin Kuei even took off their masks in front of me – all in the hope that I can help them win this.

They want me, they need me, and they have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. I am a Necromancer with a proud family history, but I've only raised the dead a few times, and I've never pulled a soul from a living person. They're trusting me with a lot of responsibility here. Not that they're making this any easier. I'm forced to work with mentally unsteady cop, an overly-suspicious Cryomancer and an painfully attractive, emotionally scarred man with a salivating enenra attached to his soul. We're a rag-tag crew of misfits, but I'll work with what I can.

We're either the best team Earth could ever have and we'll win this fight without breaking a sweat, or we're all nuts.

* * *

Again, sorry about the wait. I'll post chapter 3 as soon as possible, but with my school and my work it may take some time. Bear with me on this. I love this series and I want to write these stories, but some things in life (like a Bachelor's degree) have to come first.