Hearing Ace finally admit his role in her father's downfall, Sonia and Scratchifer let out a low, threatening growl, their gazes locked onto him with pure hostility.
Ace, unfazed, smirked and taunted, "What? You wanna have a go, mutt?"
Sonia's eyes flashed with rage, informing him "You lowlife! How dare you insult a C.I.B. agent in training? For your offense, by the power vested in me by the state I sentence you to death," Her nails extended three inches in an instant, their razor-sharp edges gleaming under the setting sun as she lunged, aiming straight for his neck.
But just as her claws were about to draw blood, Matthews caught her wrist in a firm grip.
"I like that you are adapting to your new title," Matthews said, her voice calm but commanding. "But he's a trainee too. And I don't tolerate infighting among my people."
'Her people?' Ace nearly scoffed.
He wanted to emphasize that he had no interest in joining the C.I.B. but decided to postpone the discussion until later—maybe when Mrs. Martins was in a better mood. He wasn't afraid to use Ava to deal with her if necessary.
As much as Ace loved his country, he had no desire to be roped into some organization's power struggle, especially one that wouldn't benefit him in any way.
Reading the reluctance on his face, Matthews tried to sweeten the deal to tempt him informing him, "You'd receive priority training and never have to worry about resources again."
Ace arched a brow, "Awesome. Where do I sign?" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Before Matthews could respond, Sonia scoffed. "Could you be more fake?"
Ace turned to her, finally deciding it was time to put her in her place. "What is your problem?" he asked coolly, his eyes narrowing.
He wasn't just calling her out—he was setting the stage. If he played this right, he'd chip away at her legitimacy, making it easier to slip past any little discrepancies down the line.
"My problem? You guys!" Sonia snapped, her voice rising with frustration. "You're so entitled! The C.I.B. is practically drooling over you, while my father had to—"
"That's enough, Sonia!" Matthews cut in sharply, her voice laced with authority causing Sonia to stiffen.
Sonia stopped biting back the rest of her words, but the anger in her eyes burned brighter. It infuriated her how effortlessly Matthews had just handed Ace a spot in the C.I.B., when her father had to sell his soul to secure the same opportunity for her. She had nowhere to vent, no one to blame except Ace. And she knew better than to direct her anger at Matthews.
Matthews had to act—seeing Sonia was about to spill classified information. Worse, she was dangerously close to revealing her true identity. Guild Leader Everhart was her hidden ace, and Matthews wasn't about to let him be exposed just because a teenager couldn't keep her emotions in check.
For a moment, she studied Sonia with a mixture of disappointment and scrutiny. Was this really someone raised in the 'World of Curses'? Right now, Sonia is acting more like a spoiled brat than a battle-hardened curse user.
Maybe it was her father and guild members' unconditional love that had made her spoiled her rotten. It was clear from how Astrid, a cold-blooded killer, treated her with tenderness. Or maybe… it could also be the arrogance that came with her immortality making her reckless.
"So, are we doing this?" Ace asked, his gaze shifting between Mrs. Martin and Delores. These two were the only ones experienced and strong enough to take part in this hunt.
He had already done enough to chip away at Sonia's credibility in Mrs. Martin's eyes. If he kept targeting her at every turn, she'd eventually catch on to what he was doing—and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Yes," Matthews confirmed with a nod. Then, turning to Lola, she added, "This hunt should be worthy enough for her to draw her first blood."
Ace blinked, taken aback.
"What?" he asked, genuinely surprised. He had thought it would be just him, Matthews, and Delores participating in this hunt, but Lola? That was a shock.
From the prowess she had shown in her fight against Sonia, he knew she was strong. But being strong and being ready were two entirely different things. She had no real experience as a curse master, and bringing her along on a hunt against the S.S.S. would only make her a liability. He hated thinking of a friend that way—but facts were facts.
"Don't underestimate our Lola," Janice said, ruffling the girl's hair with a proud grin. "She'll become the strongest curse master our country—no, the mortal world—has ever produced." Lola shyly looked down, her cheeks flushing at the praise.
Ace and Sonia exchanged wide-eyed glances. That was a bold claim. But what really caught their attention was how neither Matthews nor Delores refuted it. That meant there might actually be some truth to it. Their gazes snapped to Lola, now studying her intently. Trying to figure out her strengths and secrets.
"Alright, Janice, teleport us there," Matthews ordered, having decided to hunt down an S.S.S. member when she got the opportunity as it would serve as a strong warning for other organized curse criminals reminding them not to think of themselves above the law.
Janice shot her a look of pure disdain as she did not plan to use her precious teleportation curse tool over this. Not a chance. That thing had a 12-hour cooldown, and wasting it on hunting the S.S.S.—which could go south fast—wasn't a logical decision.
Subtly touching her left earring, she retrieved a canoe-shaped curse tool which materialized on the floor. It wasn't big—fit for two people comfortably, four if they all squeezed in back-to-back. Pointing at it, she said, "You guys take the canoe. I'll go with Delores."
Matthews eyed the small vessel, then the three people she'd have to cram in with. She raised an eyebrow, demanding, "You don't have anything bigger?"
"Nope," Janice said, folding her arms. "But it'll be more than enough with Lola's innate curse tool." She and Delores waited expectantly for Matthews to withdraw her Dusk Dominion.
Ace was stunned. Everyone was coming? He could understand Sonia tagging along—she was unkillable—but Lola and Janice? With their strength levels, they were just liabilities.
Then, out of nowhere, a strange, instinctual tingle ran down his balls, serving as a sharp reminder not to underestimate Janice. He flinched, unconsciously covering his groin, though it was pointless. Janice's emerald ring curse tool didn't specifically target that area… it was just an unfortunate side effect. And suddenly, he wasn't so sure about anything anymore.
Before he could dwell on it, Lola's voice cut through his thoughts. "Guys, don't resist!"
Ace turned just in time to see Lola wearing her plush innate curse tool—an oversized humanoid dinosaur costume with her face in its mouth. The head of the costume acted as a helmet, and before he could process what was happening, its mouth suddenly expanded wide enough to fit two people inside.
His vision went dark as the gaping maw swallowed him whole. He tensed instinctively but forced himself to relax. He trusted Lola and the others… he just really hoped this wasn't about to be the worst decision of his life.
"Let's go," Lola said, patting her belly with her small, skinny dinosaur arms.
Matthews didn't move immediately. Instead, she hesitated for a moment staring at Lola's costume's comically large belly before asking, "Are they okay in there?"
"Yes," Lola nodded, then added, "I should check on them before they panic and do something stupid. So, please take care of me." Without waiting for Matthews' response, she hopped into the back seat of the canoe-shaped curse tool. Once she got comfortable, she sank into her costume, disappearing as its jaw snapped shut, as if the plush had gone into sleep mode.
"Wait…" Matthews started to say, wanting to ask more questions, but she trailed off as Lola fully vanished inside the dinosaur suit along with the others.
"Quit staring at the damn plush and get moving," Janice snapped, crossing her arms. Matthews was still standing there, dumbfounded, gaping at the oversized dinosaur plush as if at a total loss for words. The reason she was so out of it was that this was the first time she had seen a nonstationary curse tool that could store a living person without harming them.
Snapping out of it, she shook her head, climbed into the canoe, and took control, feeding her curse energy into it while withdrawing her Dusk Dominion. In a fraction of a second, Delores scooped up Janice on her innate curse tool and carried her out of the resort, speeding toward the highway resort Ace had mentioned.
Halfway through the route, she noticed they were not being followed, so she slowed down slightly, allowing Matthews to catch up.
But Matthews wasn't alone.
Standing atop Lola's massive dinosaur plush was a child—one whose eyes gleamed with an unsettling wisdom that only came with age. It was Evil Eyes.
Fixing his gaze on Janice, he spoke calmly. "Young Miss, next time, please remember to inform me if you're heading out."