Chapter 16:

Laxus slunk deeper into the hot spring, feeling his knotted muscles begin to loosen. He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned his head against the back of the cool, wet stone. He sighed through his nose. After today's events, he needed some alone time. The Dragon Slayer felt jumbled up inside— proud of his victory for Fairy Tail, of beating his father, but also torn by guilt for imprisoning Ivan. His body took a hard hit or two battling his father. Two large purple bruises blossomed on his chest and left forearm. But most concerning was his right arm, where he smacked Obra during the fight with Raven Tail.

He raised his right arm and opened and closed his fist, trying to feel a spark. Nothing came off of his fingertips- no magic energy flowed past his shoulder. Laxus furrowed his brow and tried to push lightning out of his hand- to overcome the blockade in his arm. The muscles felt sore, like his magic energy was simply too tired to make it past his bicep. Laxus clenched a fist and hit it against the stone in frustration. Looks like Obra was the one to attack Wendy and Lucy, but damn his power felt similar to Abi.

Whatever. Not his concern right now. He closed his eyes and submerged underwater.

The hot water swirled around him, buffering all other outside noises. In the pool, the only thing Laxus could hear were his thoughts. And they were racing after today's events. It was easy to look at things on the surface, to disregard his father as a traitor to Fairy Tail and feel satisfied in beating him. A part of Laxus felt a perverse joy in humiliating his father after everything that man put him through. His chest burned with anger and the lacrima inside him pulsed at the very thought of his old man. Yet, sadness and guilt also accompanied those feelings of anger. Understanding, even. A part of him wanted to punish his father further- a different part wanted to save him.

Ivan's words still bothered him. "The Lumen Histiore is one of Fairy Tail's darkest secrets. Someday you're going to learn that first hand… and then you'll know what your family really is."

Laxus meant what he said— Fairy Tail had become his family over blood. But he wondered just what truly happened between Gramps and his father… was this the incriminating information? In any case, Laxus had to trust his grandfather and the First Master. According to the Mavis, the Lumen Histoire wasn't evil. He had to believe them.

Vibrations above the surface made Laxus open his eyes underwater. He surfaced and let out a deep exhale. The dragon slayer ran a hand through the wet hair on his face and plastered it back out of his eyes as he scanned the room. The steam was heavy in the underground hotsprings, but it seemed the only thing that opened and closed was the door.

Laxus sniffed and only picked up a faint trace of scent before it disappeared. Probably just his imagination. The Dragon Slayer lowered his head against the cool stone and felt the water droplets slide off his head onto the floor. It made a soft pitter-patter sound. He focused on the tracking spell Freed casted earlier and felt that Abi was far away. Good. That woman was bad for his blood pressure.

But why was she here? Abi was still a problem, but it appeared she was playing her own game, independent of his father. It was not a comforting thought. Maybe she was just a thief with some niche magic. A moment when he faced his father flashed in his mind.

"Since you've been askin' me so many questions, Pops, I got one if my own. What's your deal with Abi?" Obra's pet jerked his head up at the mention of the thief's name. Laxus narrowed his eyes. However, Ivan genuinely laughed, "Do you mean that little Praesidio girl? Don't tell me you care for her. I took you for misguided, Laxus, not a fool. Her reasons for being here are unknown to me… Blood and self above all else— that's her kind's code. Blood and self."

What was a Praesidio, anyway? Abi could absorb magic and, in turn, her blood was concentrated magic. She emitted a little amount magic energy, and for the most part wasn't morally awful. Yet, the thief was clearly running from someone. And everyone kept acting like whatever she was, was some big deal. Why? For a temporary power-up?

It doesn't matter, Laxus thought to himself, she's not my problem. He rubbed his eyes and grimaced. The moment when they first escaped the palace in Edera flashed in his mind. The Dragon Slayer wondered—not the first time—how the night could have gone differently. He imagined feeling her lithe body pressed against his— of tasting her on his lips. He could almost smell her right now- a soft scent of spices, sweat, and Abi drifting across his tongue.

The sound of something sliding into the water made his eyes snap open. Laxus raised his head off the stone; his eyes glowed with electricity, bracing for a fight. What he saw made him nearly groan aloud.

Was this real?

Abi sat directly across from him, mist swirling up around her body. The room was hot enough they could not see each other well, but it was clear she was equally naked as he. This was the first time he had ever seen her hair down—although mane might have been the better word to describe her thick blonde tresses. Her hair was brushed back from her face and cascaded behind her shoulders, like she had just taken a shower. Her pale blonde hair in front covered her very topless breasts, and she smiled when they made eye contact. Her copper skin had a dewy sheen over it.

Abi smiled; she knew exactly the effect she was having on him.

"Hi." She purred. His nostrils flared. He tried to cool the electricity cackling in his veins- water was a dangerous place to be with him. Especially her. Especially now. Abi put her arms up on the pool edge, keeping her chest barely below water. The dragon slayer grunted and folded his arms.

"Didn't see you after my match." He glared, trying to gain some footing in this dynamic. Abi pulled a strand of hair over her shoulder and twirled it around a finger. "Thought I'd wait to congratulate the champion 'til he was alone."

Annddd there it is. No way she'd come on so strong without an ulterior motive. Laxus lowered his eyebrows and stared pointedly at her face. He could dream about her innuendo later. "Sure. Why are you really here, Abi?"

She tossed the strands of hair aside and shrugged sinfully. It took all his willpower to not look down.

"I went to go see Raven Tail in jail."

The Dragon Slayer tried to keep his tone casual. "Oh?"

"Mm-hmm," She nodded, then she frowned. The thief folded her arms and pouted. "Obra was completely unresponsive, and your father made it seem like I was missing something very obvious."

Abi paused, but he remained silent. She sighed and continued, "What happened under Ivan's illusion? I need you to tell me everything about your interaction with Obra."

Laxus shrugged, and said, "I'll tell you… if you tell me what you were doing underground today."

Surprise graced Abi's face for a brief moment, and then her eyebrows seamlessly arched upward. She smirked. She held up a hand; it lacked the usual charm ring. "It took me a while to figure out your boyfriend put a tracking spell on my ring this morning. Smart. You've got a very impressive Runes Mage for a friend."

The Dragon slayer shrugged again, not rising to her dig. He had enough of fighting today. "I figured you would've sensed it if Freed put it on your clothes."

"You figured right." Unease flickered in Abi's eyes. Yeah, I'm learning how you operate. She was silent for a few moments.

"You remember how Ximus wanted to find the morphos lacrima?"

Laxus' expression sharpened in interest, like a cat watching a bird through a window. The thief swallowed and continued slowly, "The Royal Advisor, Darton, commissioned every royal family to quietly gather them over the past seven years. Ximus was acting on his orders. The morphos lacrimas…" She paused, choosing her words carefully. "…I think they're how the Magic Games are able to operate with so much power." Like summoning Pandemonium today.

He nodded, "Makes sense, but what's that got to do with you?"

"The energy is being focused in the underground tunnels, specifically beneath the castle. It's super faint and comes and goes, but I can feel his- it's power." Laxus's eyes narrowed. 'His?' Abi averted her eyes quickly. "Today, I found where they're keeping seven morphos lacrimas."

That got his attention. Realization dawned on Laxus's face. "You're going to steal the thing powering the magic games?"

Abi scowled, "Well, when you put it like that…" She put up her hands. "Look, I'm not the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, but I have a right to those lacrimas. More than the King does."

C learly, her words were not persuading Laxus. He raised his eyebrows. She put up her hand. "Let me try again. Look, the kingdom is stealing magic power from everyone in the Games. There's almost a million people here. There's no way that amount of magic energy only goes towards Pandemonium. They're using the energy to power something else... like a weapon."

The Dragon Slayer snorted and rested his arms against the pools' edge. "All I'm hearing is that you— a kleptomaniac— are going to steal an object that has amassed seven years of magic energy from millions of people." He snorted. "Yeah, what could go wrong?"

Abi glared and folded her arms. She pressed her lips together and remained silent. Laxus flexed his shoulders and sat up a little higher in the pool. Her eyes flicked down to his tattoo and back up again. The Dragon Slayer started connecting some dots.

"You know, I've heard that the Grand Magic Games releases a power signature shockingly similar to Zeref. So, there's clearly something going on beyond your adorable little morphos lacrima theory, and it ties to Zeref."

All the color drained from Abi's face at the mention of the ancient wizard. She still said nothing. The dragon slayer leaned forward and tilted his head to the side. "You know something, don't you?"

Her eyes regarded him cooly and an arrogant look came over her, "I know a lot of things, Sparkles. But I told you what I was doing underground, so it's time for you to pay up."

Laxus scowled. "Fine."

He pulled his shoulders back a bit and couldn't stop the bitterness coming out of his voice. It still stung realizing that his hunch of Abi and his father's alliance was wrong. "My pops was here for Fairy Tail. He knew you were a Praesidio but said he didn't need you. Then Obra went to drain me, but I smacked him. And that was that. Crumpled over until the guards took 'em away. Then, his little pet ran off."

Abi's brow furrowed. "His little pet..?" Laxus placed his left hand on his right bicep and opened and closed the hand, trying to summon any type of magic energy through it. The arm felt numb, like it had fallen asleep. Pins and needles pricked at his shoulder socket; the lightning tried to— unsuccessfully— spread down his arm. He grit his teeth and growled beneath his breath.

Abi was suddenly sitting beside Laxus, laying her fingertips lightly over the hand on his arm. "What happened here?"

A little coil of energy sparked from where she touched him, and Laxus turned to look down at her in surprise. He cleared his throat, "It's where I hit Obra."

The thief narrowed her eyes and put her other hand atop his right wrist. She turned open his hand and traced her fingers over his palm. The sensation tickled and Laxus frowned, suppressing his internal discomfort as Abi traced over a callous.

"Strange…" She mused, and sat back. The blonde woman knit her eyebrows together and stared at his arm; he could almost see the wheels turning in her brain. Laxus started to pull his hand back, and Abi's teal eyes flashed up at him in annoyance. She moved with him and her side now pressed into his as she examined her arm. Laxus was suddenly very aware of how close she was to him. And how naked. He tried to cool his thoughts and exhaled through his nose. Then—fuck— Abi traced the contours of his forearm with her fingers. The Dragon Slayer could feel the little tendrils of her magic probing his skin from her hand, like she was scanning for any magic energy.

Abi made her way up his arm, till she reached his shoulder. His magic surged at his socket, like her hand attracted the energy like a magnet. Then, she moved past his shoulder, onto his pectoral and placed her palm on his tattoo. The water on her palm sizzled at her touch and— before Laxus could stop it—electricity jumped onto her hand. It shocked her and she sucked in a breath, pulling her hand back in surprise.

"Sorry," He muttered and leaned away from her. Abi furrowed her brow and studied her palm, which was reddening from the shock.

"Your magic energy isn't like everyone else's."

Laxus shrugged. He could feel her smooth body with the motion. He didn't scoot away. "It's Dragon Slayer magic."

"No shit, I can recognize Dragon Slayer magic. It's volatile and old, but yours is… weird. I can't put my finger on it. It's old, but it isn't."

"Why do you need to know?"

"Well, if you want me to repair your arm… I need to understand your magic."

Laxus pulled his arms across his chest, away from her. "If I needed your help, I would have asked, Klepto."

Abi arched an eyebrow and folded her arms, inadvertently creating cleavage, which drew the blonde man's eye. Laxus sighed before he could control his mouth and said, "I was a pretty weak kid, so my father forced a lacrima down my throat to make me stronger. That's what makes me a Dragon Slayer."

Abi opened her mouth, then closed it. The Dragon Slayer averted his eyes and looked at the far stone wall- he didn't want to see her pity.

"That's fucked up."

Laxus shrugged and stared at the stone through the steam. "Not a big deal. I'm stronger than him now, and everyone knows it after today."

"Doesn't make it suck any less." Laxus heard Abi open and close her mouth again, hesitating before stating: "When I was a kid, my dad always hired mercenaries to go after me to see if I could survive. He'd constantly put me in situations where I had to put myself first. His training made me strong, but it doesn't make the emotional damage any easier."

Laxus's looked at Abi in surprise. She didn't meet his gaze; her eyes remained trained on his arm.

"I can fix your arm, but Obra's magic… it's like mine, but not. It's more complex."

The Dragon Slayer narrowed his eyes, "Think he's a Praesidio?"

Abi didn't answer. She just studied Laxus for a moment; he found her calculating gaze unsettling. She put her hands back on Laxus's arm and placed his palm on her collarbone, just beneath the leather-bound teal amulet on her neck. His thumb went under the amulet, and as soon as the charm left her skin, a spark jumped between the pad of his finger and her wet skin. She lightly pressed her fingertips against the teal charm and closed her eyes.

The water in their pool started bubbling. The hot spring steam cleared around her and stones began to tremble. Suddenly, the leather corded necklace on her clavicle glowed brightly, and invisible, bottomless tendrils of energy curled around Abi. Every time Laxus had interacted with this woman before, he couldn't feel any magic pressure.

This was different.

This was ancient power.

It wasn't overpowering like Natsu's; it was all-consuming in the most literal sense. Laxus tried to pull away, but Abi kept his hand secure on her neck; her grip was ironclad. Pins and needles trickled through his arm- the sensation burning and uncomfortable. Laxus grimaced and let out a low growl.

A dark power emanated from Abi, seeming to deafen everything around her. The magic power was absorbing all energy and sounds. The veins on her hands began pop out and glow white. It was like an ancient chasm opened up and sucked all life inside Abi's skin. Was this her true magic power? Laxus felt his electricity try and pull out of his pores, towards her. Abi willed the magic to stay beneath his skin and travel, slowly, down his right arm. Inch by inch, a pins-and-needles sensation filled his arm as his power returned. He grit his teeth and clenched his other hand tightly. This was not a pleasant sensation.

As Abi reached his hand, she turned his palm over to face the ceiling. The remnants of Obra's magic were now entirely contained in his hand. Laxus furrowed his brow in discomfort as Abi placed her hand over his palm and slowly began to raise her hand. She slowly pulled the nullifying magic out of his skin. It was like pulling needles out of his pores. The dark magic swirled in a contained ball in Abi's hand, and the Dragon Slayer gasped as the full feeling of magic returned to his entire arm.

The Praesidio held the magic in her hands and opened her eyes. Her irises were completely absorbed by her magic energy. As Obra's magic energy began to dissipate into the air, Abi's teal eyes also emerged slowly. The intense, dark energy disappeared.

Sound returned, and they were once again surrounded by the quiet noises of water lapping against stone. Laxus exhaled; he flexed and clenched his fist before looking at Abi. His arm felt back to normal, but what just happened?

Abi remained transfixed on the spot where Obra's magic power was once coiled. Laxus furrowed his brow, and waited for her to snap out of it. She didn't, so he put his large hand over hers. Abi lurched at the contact and jerked her head up in surprise.

"That was…" Laxus didn't know what to say.

"Some parlor trick, huh?" She said with a nervous smile. This is your magic, he realized. Laxus remembered the first time she displayed magic in Edera. He couldn't feel a shift in magic at all; it a was silent and subdued use of magic energy. This was different. Abi touched her amulet; it must mask her power. The Praesidio pulled her hands away from him; she scanned the eyes were skittish, like she seemed liable to bolt at any movement.

For some reason, Laxus found himself wanting her to stay. He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced. Clearly, she needed to settle down; he was an awful person at comforting people. The only thing that came to mind:

"Thanks, Abi."

She flinched and looked at Laxus in surprise. The panic started to fade in her eyes and she took a few, deep steadying breaths. Abi smoothed her pale blonde hair over a couple times and looked down. "Sorry, I don't ever do that sort of thing."

"What? Is using your powers something Praesidios can't do?"

Abi frowned and grew very still. Laxus didn't think much of it. He sunk lower in the water and stared at the wooden beams above; the dragon slayer tried to think of something to comfort the woman. Suddenly, Laxus found the Praesidio pinning him against the hot springs' edge with her hand around his throat, the other digging into his shoulder. Her eyes blazed gold with power and she bared her teeth at him. Laxus's eyes widened in surprise and he grabbed her thighs, which straddled him. Gods, she was so naked.

"I should kill you right now. You know far too much."

He snarled at Abi and kept his magic under control, "You are the most confusing woman I have ever met."

If he shocked her in this water, she would absolutely die. She must have a death wish. Her fingernails dug into the Dragon Slayer's throat a little more. Laxus felt his canines elongate in his mouth and he struggled to repress his instincts. But Abi wasn't using her powers, either. Laxus found himself staring at the teal amulet and then looked back up at her enraged face.

"Abi," Laxus ground out between his teeth, "What the hell are you doing?"

The Praesidio's eyes were conflicted. She didn't really appear to want to hurt him, but it was also clear that Abi had no idea how to back off. Her hand loosened around his throat and moved to press against his chest.

"Laxus, I…" Her other hand moved up and touched his lightning shaped scar lightly. A spark jumped between his skin and the pad of her finger. Something shifted in her eyes—it wasn't animosity or distrust. The air grew heavy between them, and he felt a pull towards her. As if his body had a mind of its own, Laxus found his hands starting to slide up the sides of her long, smooth thighs. Abi's deep teal eyes looked into his. She moistened her lips again and leaned forward, tilting her head to the side.

"You, Dragon Slayer, make me very irrational," Abi breathed against his lips. Laxus felt himself smile, despite himself. He swiped his tongue across his bottom lip. Finally, something they could agree on.

"Likewise, kepto."

He parted his mouth and pulled Abi closer. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she smiled slightly as she moved forward to kiss him.

Suddenly, the thief jerked to the left. Laxus found himself with a mouthful of hair, holding a trembling woman in his arms. Abi gasped for breath loudly next to his ear, her entire body tense. Her nails bit into his shoulder and her muscles spasmed. Laxus tensed, remembering what happened outside the gates of Edera. However, she wasn't sucking his magic energy this time… but something was happening.

"Abi?" His voice was calm as alarm coursed through him. Did he just electrocute her? She pushed away from him, her coppery skin slick from water. The thief scrambled off of him and out of the hot spring. "I have to go," she managed to blurt out. The blonde woman grabbed her towel and pulled it around her body.

"Meet me at the arena tomorrow— noon!" Abi told him as she ran out of the room, leaving Laxus utterly perplexed. The Dragon Slayer surged up out of the pool, then stopped. It would not look good for Laxus to pursue a panicked naked woman out of a hot spring. Besides, Abi wouldn't tell him what was going on, either way.

And so, an angry, confused, and sexually frustrated Dragon Slayer sighed through his teeth and slipped underwater.

Anndddd it won't be that easy, Laxus.

So, Abi's motive/ reason for the games has been revealed, and she and Laxus almost gave in to sexual tension. But it won't be that easy, and it will not be smooth sailing for their relationship in the next few chapters.

More truths and lies will be revealed. Stay tuned and get excited!

R&R