Ｖａｌ'ｓ.ＳＡＭＰＬＥＳ - - DNP

You stalked me didnt you?

You cant run away from me!	35.3%	[ 12 ]
Nope. 'course not. /cough	17.6%	[ 6 ]
Just whoring around. >3	47.1%	[ 16 ]
Total Votes:			[ 34 ]

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Curiosity killed the cat.

Belle Malory had always been a curious girl and despite the fact that she’s recently turned eighteen, her curious streak never died. Some would say that such a trait is not proper for a young lady like her, but it wasn’t as if she could help herself. Unknown things makes her giddy to no extent, and the satisfaction she gains upon finding something out by herself is something she likes so much, even if her little adventures prove to be a bit troublesome.

There had been nothing as of late to trigger Belle’s curiosity as her life seemed to turn dull and repetitive. Invitations, parties, dancing, and getting used to society were what occupied Belle’s current life. Honestly speaking, she was bored. Everything that took place around her was predictable and nothing fun every happened anymore. Perhaps it was because she was officially regarded to as adult, and therefore it’s almost a sin to have fun. She was feeling choked in more ways than one. She wanted something new. Something exciting. Something unexpected.

Beware for what you wish for, you might just get more than you asked for. It was a saying that Belle could’ve gotten good advice from.

The Malorys are quite the well off family, though not extremely rich or famous. Belle’s mother had decided not too long ago that she wanted to host a party out of nowhere, there wasn’t an occasion, she just wanted to throw a party for the sake of throwing one. Belle’s father on the other hand, thought it was a good idea for welcoming a family friend who he invited to stay for some time with them. Belle however, thought everything was unnecessary. Parties always consisted of empty conversations and endless dancing, both she didn’t do well with as she easily gets bored and tired. She would’ve been a bit more interested on their guest if only she didn’t assume that her father’s friend would be someone as old as him. Now maybe if his father’s friend has a son or daughter she can get along with.

Oh, how mistaken she was.

Edgar Sullivan was not what she expected. He was a lot younger than she expected, perhaps somewhere around his twenties, but still, that’s twice as young as her parents’ ages. And she had to admit, he was attractive, very much so despite the typical combination of blonde hair and blue eyes. There was an edge to his appearance that tugged at Belle’s curiosity in an almost unhealthy way. There wasn’t much interaction between the two of them even during the parties that her mother had. He attended them of course, seeing as it took place at their own house and since he was staying with them, but the smiles she caught from him, which unfortunately was almost never directed at her, seemed to be all show. Almost as if he was just doing it to be polite. She didn’t miss the meaningful glance directed at him by several of the females in the room during parties however, and she had to scoff at it. She understood why. He just seems to have an effect on ladies, and most often than not, Belle believe he enjoyed the attention.

But why did he act as if he didn’t know about her? Not that she was yearning for his attention or anything. She was simply curious. She was always curious anyway.

But there was something else. Edgar, despite staying in their place, rarely ever comes out during the day, it was another reason why Belle didn’t have enough chance or time to talk with him. He always stayed in that room of his, never coming out, not even for meals. She thought it was impolite of him, but her parents didn’t mind, telling her that he’s always been like that. Belle often found herself confused. So what was it really? Was he against socializing or not? If he isn’t, then it didn’t make sense that he’d put up an appearance at parties but wont in private. Its not as if dealing with her family is worse than having to deal with a party full of guests. Maybe he was just a womanizer. Maybe that’s why he bothers to actually come out during the parties at night.

Again another but. But if he is indeed a womanizer, why did it seem as if she was nonexistent to him? It was not as if she wasn’t attractive anyway. Was she too young for him? Well, it wasn’t as if she wanted him to get interested on her, it was more of her vanity refusing to admit that she just isn’t attractive for him. Or maybe, he was just respecting her as the daughter of the house. Well yeah, it didn’t seem that proper to hit on the daughter of the house you’re visiting anyway.

Goodness, she wanted to know so much about him! And it wasn’t entirely because she was simply interested, it was more of the fact that it seemed to be out of her reach that fuels her need to find out about more.

The situation she had been waiting for presented itself to her in a perfect manner, in fact she couldn’t ask for more.

One night she found herself unable to sleep and decided that she could spend some time in the receiving room of their house, she loved reading by the spacious fireplace. The weather was turning cold after all. Belle had settled on the rug in front of the fireplace, lying down on her stomach to read when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Surprised that someone was still awake at such a time, Belle scrambled to sit up and straighten the wrinkles on her night dress, only to blush in embarrassment upon realizing who had seen her, her father and Edgar. She didn’t dare glance at Edgar, too embarrassed to find out what kind of expression he had on his face. Her father however, was obviously displeased at her attitude. By all means, a lady like her should be in bed, not acting like a child by settling in front of the fireplace without a care in the world. Belle couldn’t help but feel defensive, how was she to know they had plans to go out at such a late hour?

“I'm sorry father, Lord Sullivan. If you will excuse me—“

“Belle, sit down!”

Belle was already standing up, tugging her clothes snugly around her in a poor attempt to look presentable when her father’s sudden command sent her sitting back down on the rug with a pout, her blush raging on harder at being scolded in front of their guest. She was too busy dealing with the humiliation she currently felt that she didn’t have any idea of what she just showed her father and their guest. The light silk of her dress was almost translucent against her body when she stood before the fire, unknowingly treating both males to a clear silhouette of her body. Her father cleared his throat again in discomfort.

“Edgar and I will be going out tonight. Your mother had already retired to her room, as I expected you to be as well, but as it is... just head to your room, understand? I shall speak to you tomorrow in the morning.”

“I understand, father.”

“Well off you go now.”

Belle nodded stiffly and held the book she was reading earlier tightly against her chest as she stood up quickly and disappeared up the stairs as fast as her feet could carry her without warning, her cheeks still burning from embarrassment. The red head didn’t bother to turn on the lights in her room when she entered as the moon was bright enough that night to shed a small amount of light in her room. Throwing her book on her bed, she walked out to her balcony and watched as the carriage, she assumed, that her father and their guest rode in disappeared into the night, going off to God knows where.

“I guess I should go to sleep now that I'm alo—“

Alone.

She’s alone! Her mother was asleep. A grin came on Belle’s lips as an idea formed in her mind. It was perfect. She didn’t even spend five minutes in her room when she exited it again, walking down the corridor in hurried, purposeful steps, still, she took care to stay quiet. She had already assumed that most of the household were asleep in their beds, but there are a few who still stayed up late, and with what she was planning, she didn’t want to be seen by a single servant.

It didn’t take long for her to reach one of their guestrooms, but this one was currently used by Edgar. Her heart pounded against her chest wildly as she held the door’s knob in her hands. Not giving herself a chance to back out or even talk sense into her head, Belle turned the knob and pushed the door open, surprising herself for a moment upon finding that it wasn’t locked. But she wasn’t going to start complaining. Feeling just a little bit guilty, Belle slipped herself inside Edgar’s room and closed the door behind her with an inaudible click.

Belle didnt bother to turn on the lights, she wasn’t going to risk being found out, it was a good thing that the moon decided to be helpful by pouring in a faint light inside the room to allow her easy movement inside. The room was neat, the bed made, papers stacked on the table provided for their guest. For a moment, she just stood there, taking in how a male’s room looked like. She wasn’t allowed much in her father’s study, but she remembered books and scattered papers. Her father, busy as he was, didnt have much free time to fix his papers, often times, he had to ask Belle’s mother where certain papers were since she was the only one who was allowed to keep the study neat, rarely were servants allowed in the study alone.

What was she looking for anyway?

Belle moved about the room, running her fingers over the few books that were on the desk. Curiosity led her to take one and flip through it only to see numbers and figures inside it. A bank account? The girl shrugged and placed it back on top of the stack from where she got it. She had no interest in his money. She reached the bed and smiled mischievously. Was it possible that Edgar was keeping a diary or a journal? He seemed secretive enough to. If so, where would he keep it?

She checked the small drawer beside the bed but found nothing there, just random items. She next pulled the covers off his bed lightly and checked under his pillows, but somehow she doubted she’d find anything at such an obvious hiding place, going further, she checked under the bed itself. Nothing. Belle was slowly getting frustrated, such a secretive man must keep something worth discovering. After fixing his bed again, Belle sat on it for a while, thinking. Maybe, since he didnt believe someone would actually sneak into his room, he thought he had no need to hide it? Leaving the bed, she returned to his desk and sat in front of it. She looked through the drawers first. Nothing there, just pens and such, the usual things one can find on a working desk. She went through his papers and found nothing, they were simply correspondence to whatever company he has connections to and Belle wasn’t concerned with that. She wanted to discover something more personal than just business correspondence. She went through his books a second time. She found three account books among the bunch and put them aside, she never did liked numbers. The rest of his books were exactly that, books. Philosophy, language, and history? Funny, who’d like to read about history in their free time? Groaning, Belle pushed them all back and pouted. She had no idea how long she had been trying to unearth something interesting but still, she stayed empty handed. She wanted to give up.

Maybe she was just being too hopeful, too bored. Maybe there really was nothing interesting about Edgar and she was only fooling herself because she wanted to alleviate her boredom. Sighing, Belle fixed the items on his table, hoping to God he wont notice anything unusual. She was just about to leave when her eyes fell on his closet. She expected that there would be nothing but clothes in there, but would it be possible that there was something else? Maybe a box of somethings, letters, photos, maybe his journal? Well, she was already in his room and she doubted she’d have another chance at sneaking inside, might as well turn his room inside out when she’s able.

Walking over to his closet, Belle pulled the doors open and was welcomed by Edgar’s clothes. Shirts, ties, cravats, suits—well the usual stuff, but she ignored that as she looked for something else. She looked through the folded clothes, hoping to discover something in-between. Goodness, he had so much stuff in his closet. Finally, Belle felt tired of continuously lifting his clothes only to discover nothing. Either Edgar was too clever or he really had nothing to hide. She had to give up. Grumbling, Belle returned his clothes and smoothed them before dragging herself out of the room, however, a sound halted Belle in her tracks, and she knew if she had the chance to look at herself in the mirror, she’d find herself void of color. The front door had opened and she could hear the voices of his father and Edgar. Sweet Mary! They had returned and she didnt even hear them! As if she needed assurance, she went to the window and checked outside, indeed, the carriage was there. Was there enough time? Belle went to the door in hopes to somehow return to her room undetected but she found herself too late. She pressed her ear against the door and could hear footsteps coming closer. This was Edgar, she was sure, for her father’s study was in the other direction. Surely, she would be seen if she exited the room then. There was only one choice left. She had to hide in his room until he falls asleep. Without thinking, she returned to the closet and thanked the heavens that it was big enough to hide her. She stepped inside hurriedly and pulled the closet doors close, not even daring to leave a small crack from where she could peek out of. She didnt even think that he might open the closet if he decided to hang the clothes he wore. Belle could only pray that she wouldn’t get caught and that Edgar would be too tired to change his clothes or notice anything strange in his room.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Benjamin Devon, commonly known as Jack, grunted in his sad-excuse of sleep as he rolled over on his bed and pushed himself on a sitting position at the edge of his bed, one hand brushing his untidy hair back away from his face. Jack had just recently turned twenty-two, just a week ago in fact. But despite this, he was already a captain of his own ship, the Weeping Siren, for at least a year now. Dont mistake his ship as something used in trades with other countries or for delivering goods. He manuevered a pirate ship under disguise. Truth is, Benjamin Devon is someone who had a title of his own in the upper society in London. An aristocrat, one may say. A man of two personalities. In order to keep his name and as well as a spot at the docks, Jack had to play a dangerous game by walking within the thin line that divides his nobility and his life as a pirate. On land, he’s a respectable gentleman while on sea, he’s a ruthless man, driven by his ambitions and nothing else. On the sea, Jack knows no restraints and limits. On the sea, he can temporarily free himself from the suffocating bonds of what is expected of him as a gentleman.

Grabbing his boots, Jack pulled them on, not bothering to tie them up properly. In fact, he didn’t even bother to dress properly, there was no need after all. He shoved the ends of his breeches into his boots and pulled on a shirt, not caring to button it up either. He wasn’t in the mood anyway, blast it, he was woken up by the same nightmare that plagued him for years, and until now, he still failed to deal with it properly.

“Captain.”

Sharp green eyes settled on the man in front of him. It would’ve been a strange sight for some random onlooker, to see someone older than Jack regards him with obvious respect. Jack gave the man a nod of acknowledgement and spoke gruffly, his throat still rough from having only woken up.

“Is the Lady ready? I believe I made it clear that I want to leave before sunrise.”

“See, there’s a bit of a problem.”

“Blast it. What now?”

“One of our younger crew was a bit.. foxed last night at a local pub. And he’s the one in charge of our rations for this trip.”

“God damn it Matt. Dont tell me you charged him alone for this job? And a newcomer!”

“No Jack, of course not. But without his share, I don’t think we’ll have enough.”

“Then go yourself! I'm giving you an hour to gather as much as you can, and don’t even bother fetching that brat. I refuse to still be around when the town wakes up.”

“Of course.”

It was turning out to be a bad day for Jack. Grumbling, he dismissed the older male and walked over to the several barrels that were placed by the dock where he settled for a smoke. He needed to calm down. It was never good to depart on a foul disposition. He inhaled once and sighed, tasting a slight hint of mint that came from his smoke as he closed his eyes while the morning wind ruffled his hair in an almost playful manner.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

“Please sit Ms. Alexandrov. Matthias, thank you for collecting her.”

She hadn’t even spent three minutes in the White Room and already a command was issued to her. Mikhaela wouldn’t complain though as she willingly sat down on the single chair that was situated in front of her, however, the moment she sat down, it felt as if she was in front of a jury, and the only conviction they were to pass down on her was the news of her death. Mikhaela shook her head. She was being too intimidated, but can one blame her? She was basically summoned in front of the seven archangels who technically held the entire world in their hands. She didnt stir as she felt Matthias’ presence behind her, but instead of being comforted, she felt cornered.

During the short time of silence that she obviously had, she studied the seven archangels before her. Their faces were not known by common humans, but hunters like her knew at least their names and their territories. The High Council was made by four males and three females. One by one, she attempted to identify them. Seated at the furthest left was a relaxed male, his eyes glinting with curiosity as he stared upon her, even offering her a cordial smile as he caught her staring. The Archangel of Australia, Kristoff, she was sure, as he was often labelled as the friendliest among the Council. Beside him was another male, one with a dark, disinterested look on his face, as if he would rather be out doing something somewhere rather than sit there, he wore a mask of indifference. Nikolai, the Archangel of Russia, Mikhaela believed, was the brooding one. His sharp facial features were clearly Russian with his dark gold hair and darker eyes. Then next to him was—Sweet Holy Mother of God! Mikhaela was still reeling from the visual shock when she realized who the woman was. Selena, the Archangel of whole Europe. Here was the woman who inspired the images of every goddess of love in the history of man, she who brought men down to their knees with one look. She was beautiful beyond belief, indescribable with words, perfection given form. She was exotically beautiful with her olive skin, her hair seemed to glow with the golden color of the sun, and her eyes—oh dear lord, her eyes were impossibly bright greens, even from afar, Mikhaela could see her eyes. She was a woman made for worshipping adoration.

Wait—Mikhaela’s mind snapped at that very wrong train of thought. To be worshipped? She had never thought of any of the Council as someone worth to be worshipped. Fighting a frown, Mikhaela concluded that Selena was messing with her mind. So she wanted to be worshipped? Hah!

As if hearing her thoughts, Selena’s ruby red lips curled in the corners before she gave Mikhaela a slight nod of acknowledgement. The archangel was mocking her!

Clenching her fists tightly on her lap, Mikhaela tore her eyes away from Selena and to the next archangel, the one who sat in the middle, the one who sat directly in front of her, the one who is the reason for why she was in the room. Gabriel, the Archangel of New York and the whole of North America, as well as the archangel who led the entire Council. His hair and eyes were pure black, but even that is a tame word for it, it contrasted his skin greatly, eternally fair and unblemished. His posture exhumed calm and patience, of vast experience of power, but despite his cordial facade, his eyes were cold, colder than Matthias’ even. This man can turn the world upside down and inside out in a whim, all with just a single word if he chose to. Suddenly, with a burst of clear realization, Mikhaela realized why Selena was seated where she did. Mikhaela didnt doubt it one bit that the female archangel had appointed herself Gabriel’s right hand. On Gabriel’s other side was the archangel whose territory was the southern part of the country. Alexander, the Archangel of South America, had a kind face, albeit seeming a bit weary. He was the only one who didnt stare at Mikhaela as much as the others, in fact he looked downright troubled. Seated next to Alexander was a small woman who looked to be the youngest among them. With her obvious asian features, no one would doubt that this was the Archangel of China and a part of Asia. She was talking silently to Alexander, but as if feeling Mikhaela’s gaze on her, Xian Li turned her eyes on Mikhaela as well and smiled a small apologetic smile which made Mikhaela wonder. What was she apologizing for? Archangels don’t apologize for their reasoning are absolute, at least that was what the majority believed. Maybe it wasn’t apologetic but pitying. Did she pity Mikhaela? That would make more sense than the apology Mikhaela thought she saw. Last but not the least, on the furthest right sat the Archangel of Egypt and the other half of Asia, Malika, the Queen of the Desert. It was obvious that this dark-skinned archangel is a warrior. Tales of her ruthlessness in her territory have circled around for centuries. She ruled with fear upon her land, and with the way she now stared—no, glared—at Mikhaela, it left no place for any doubt when it comes to the truth of the stories surrounding her. There was no need for last names. When youve lived as long as the archangels in the High Council, such an inconsequential thing fades away eventually. All of them were impossibly beautiful, ageless, youthful and, at the same time, ancient. Her toes inside her shoes curled. She wanted this meeting to be over as soon as possible.

“Thank you for arriving at such short notice, the both of you.”

As if she was allowed to do otherwise? If only she knew she and Matthias shared the same thoughts then. Nevertheless, she bit on her tongue and kept silent for she knew how much her mouth can get her in trouble from time to time. Usually, she wouldn’t restrain her outspoken personality, but in front of the Council, everything must be in place. She would even ignore Selena’s obvious mockery of her. She cared more for her life than to openly argue with the Archangel of Europe in front of the rest of the Council, but that didnt change the fact that her dislike for the impossible beauty was increasing by the minute.

“I’m sure you’re wondering about this particular job. It is of high importance and a lot of people’s lives are at stake.”

Mikhaela nodded slightly, finally donning on a professional look as she did every time her hunt was to be discussed. She didnt doubt what Gabriel said, about this job being of utmost importance, unlike the other hunts made by lower angels to hunt wayward servants and whatnot. If something bothered the Council, it bothered the public as well. Mikhaela cant help but feel proud that she was picked by the Council, but it also made her worry due to obvious reasons. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

“Am I going to hunt a rouge angel?”

“No.”

The hunter blinked in surprise, usually, angels were given to her as assignments due to her hunter-born ability to be able to individualize the angels’ scents and be able to track them within wide ranges. But if it’s not an angel she was summoned to hunt.. Mikhaela frowned, not at the Council but at herself. She was confused.

“Not an angel. A human? But that doesn’t make sense why you'd want me--”

“Try again.”

Of course it wasn’t human, Mikhaela knew that. If they wanted to hunt down a human, it would make more sense to send out angels themselves as it would make the job a hell lot easier. But Mikhaela didnt really have any other choices to pick from—well, there was one more but that was impossible. They couldn’t possibly expect her to.. No. That was impossible. There was no way. Her heart pounded violently.

“Not human....Not angel...I'm not sure where you're going with this....”

“Masters, if I may?”

“Go ahead Matthias.”

She held her breath.

“We're to hunt down an archangel.”

”WHAT?”

She didnt want to believe it. They cant possible expect her to—an archangel! She didnt even know there was another archangel in existence aside from the seven in the Council. Mikhaela’s outburst surprised even her for she was known to hold her emotions securely in check, rarely does she have outbursts, but damn it all to hell, this piece of news was worthy of such an outburst. She didnt realize that she shot out of her seat when she felt the pressure on her shoulder, causing her to actually wince upon realizing it. Not fighting against it any longer, she allowed herself to fall back down on her chair weakly while throwing a glance at Matthias. He openly glared at her making her want to laugh. His first show of emotion and he was pissed at her. Finally calming down—at least in the outside—Mikhaela tried to shrug Matthias’ hand off her shoulder. Such strength. If she was a normal human, she was sure Matthias would’ve crushed her shoulder. But she would welcome a crushed shoulder more than she would her current assignment.

“I-I’m afraid you’re hiring the wrong per-”

Blast it! Mikhaela Alexandrov do NOT stutter! She clenched her fists again and took a deep breath, her jaw clenched. She really was shaken up by the information of hunting an archangel.

“Are you saying the Council is wrong?”

Mikhaela’s head shot up, her eyes wide. “No, but—“

“Good, then it’s decided.”

She gritted her teeth. She really had no chance of backing out of this one. She promised Regan that she would try, but her unknown questioning of the Council’s decision of hiring her was the first and last straw. She felt the warning in Gabriel’s inquiry about whether they made a wrong decision. The High Council never makes any wrong decisions, but at the moment, Mikhaela was seriously doubting it. Not that she was going to voice it out loud. But there was one thing she couldn’t keep silent anymore. She was going to take the assignment, but she needed to know.

“What if I fail?”

Gabriel’s eyes were sharp when they met Mikhaela’s blue ones, causing the female to shiver. No human ever had the chance to stare straight into Gabriel’s eyes, it simply isn’t done, but at that moment, Gabriel locked Mikhaela’s gaze on him. Time stopped for Mikhaela until the Archangel of New York decided to speak.

“Do not fail Alexandrov.”

It was almost as if Death himself whispered in Mikhaela’s ear, she was almost sure then, whatever happens, whether she succeeds or not, she was going to end up dead, and that was if Gabriel was feeling kind. Maybe he’d torture her first in plain sight of the public and leave her there to die. No one would dare to help her. No one would dare question Gabriel’s passing of judgment—

”Come along Ms. Alexandrov, we’d best prepare now.”

Mikhaela was shaken out of her thoughts when Matthias pulled her up to her feet roughly and out the room. There was no need for goodbyes from either group for Gabriel’s last words were exactly those. Last words. Mikhaela was just about to open her mouth to argue or rant or scream, anything to let out her frustrations when Matthias grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of there, paying no heed to her complaints she hissed through gritted teeth. As much as she wanted to scream, she wouldn’t dare make a scene just outside the room where the Council stayed.

“Matt—hey! What’s gotten into your angel brain!?”

Gabriel, of course. It would seem that she wasn’t the only one freaked out by the Archangel of New York.

Mikhaela found herself being dragged again, causing her to slightly stumble behind Matthias in order to keep up with the angel’s long strides. She was shoved back into the elevator and out again after it brought them to the floor just directly below the floor where the meeting was held. She was still not given a chance to speak as Matthias resumed his dragging her and this time, leading her to a room, his office she assumed. Glad to be finally out of Matthias’ hold, she quickly stepped into the room and sat down at the nearest chair to her, but it didnt even take at least three minutes when she shot off the chair and started pacing around in circles in the middle of the room, rubbing the spots where Matthias held her earlier. But Mikhaela can only keep silent for so long. In fact, she was seething. Not even caring if Matthias had closed the door, the hunter released her frustrations through gritted teeth, her clenched fists and trembling body showing how much effort she was exerting to not shout.

“That’s it?! No name, no picture, no information at all about my target? The High Council cant possibly expect me go around blindly do they? But then again, nothing’s impossible now, after all, I, poor human that I am, is hired to hunt an archangel! Archangel!”

Mikhaela huffed and walked off to the window and looked out, trying to calm herself down. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths while trying to convince herself that there was something reasonable in her current arrangement. As it is, she was still having mixed emotions. Half of her proud, her other half enraged. But she was also feeling strangely tingly, excited. This was the kind of hunt that made legends out of hunters like her. But then again, to be a legend, one has to be dead.

Her mood suddenly spiraled down.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Fire and ice.

Lacie Valentine flinched slightly in her sleep, her eyes fluttering open slightly, taking in her surroundings before closing them just as quick, resuming her appearance of being asleep. Truth be told, Lacie had always been a light sleeper since she was taken into the institution where she was kept in for about three years. Some can call it paranoia but for the young girl of sixteen, it was her merely being alert. Now it wasn’t as if her companions, Lyss and Gev, weren’t doing a good enough job of protecting her, in fact Lacie was quite satisfied with the way they covered up for her, treated her as their own little princess. It stroked her vanity perfectly, she would’ve purred if she was able to.

She kept up the act of sleeping, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to return to sleep anytime soon. By god, it was an act of grace when she managed to fall asleep when she did a few hours earlier. She was uncomfortable and hungry. She hated that they were reduced to this when she knew that it wasn’t necessary to. Whose idea was it to leave the inn they last frequented so soon? Or—was it so hard to stop by another two so they could rest comfortably in an inn? Lacie would give anything for a warm bed right now. At the moment, all she had was Lyss’ coat and Gev himself for warmth and comfort, it was the best they could give her right now when it comes to comfort. That doesn’t mean Lacie was satisfied though. The biting wind decided to blow then, causing the girl to shiver and pull Lyss’ coat closer against her small body, trying to curl up as much as she could to warm herself. A cough left her lips before she could even stop herself. Reaching for her toy, she pulled Bubun closer and stuffed her face into it. At least Bubun managed to smell good despite everything.

The nightmares were returning, waking her up from her already poor sleeping habits. Old memories that never failed to yank Lacie away from the faux peace that she found from time to time. Lacie didnt know why it still bothered her to witness that dream over and over again, the night when fire and ice erased everything that came before the present Lacie. It rewrote her entire being. Fire burned everything that she was, and ice covered everything as if to keep her old self, her past, forever from her reach. It shouldn’t bother her anymore, but bother her it did. But if she was to be honest to herself, the biggest thing that bothered Lacie with her dream was witnessing again and again the frozen scream on her mother’s face. And she was the one who forever etched the horror in her mother’s face. Her father’s accusing stare, she could care less about.

God damn it.

She thought three years in that institution cured her of caring for anyone else. No. She doesn’t care anymore. She shouldn’t. It was her past and it’s over and done with, there was nothing she could do to put things back the way they were, if she even chose to.

Lacie never shared her thoughts and her nightmares with her two companions even when she they asked her about it during the rare times that she woke up screaming. She never told them anything.

She felt it when Gevaudan stirred a few steps beside her and she kept a passive face, pretending to be asleep for she knew he was going to check on her. He always did. She didnt move when he placed the blanket on her again, warming her up slightly which made her relax, damn if it wasn’t a cold night. In fact, the forest floor was wet and filthy. Gev didnt stay long with her, moving away again after making sure the blanket was snug around her. Lacie would’ve tried to go back to sleep but found it impossible as not even half an hour later, an argument broke out between Lyss and Gev.

Lacie didnt want to listen in, she didnt want to watch either, if she had her eyes open then, she would’ve rolled her eyes at the two. She didnt know how they managed to think that she’ll be able to sleep through such a racket, but nevertheless, she didnt as much stir at the noise. She didnt want to be a part of it. She’ll wait until its over. Apparently, Gev had had it with this deplorable state they were in and decided to make an outlet out of Lyss. Poor guy. If Gev is the brawls, Lyss was the brains, and right now, against Gev’s rage, Lacie doubted there’s much Lyss can do against the beast. She sighed inwardly. She was hungry and it would seem that there wouldn’t be anything to eat, and for the sake of life itself, Lacie was done with eating animals that could barely pass as food. Heck, she believed the food from the institution was better, and that was saying something.

Lacie sat up then, gathering the blanket on her lap while she kept her eyes half lidded, giving her a perfect look for someone who had just woken up, and to at least make it more convincing, she yawned. Her stomach growled then, her hand falling down to her stomach as if to settle it. Her eyes went to where Lyss and Gev stood, not registering any surprise at all.

“Hungry. Lala wants a bath.”

The girl sniffed, not realizing how much she did want a bath until she said it out loud. She felt filthy and it made her shudder. Her dress was ruined as well, making a pout appear on the girl’s lips. She pushed herself up on her feet and stumbled over to Lyss where she wrapped her hands his wrist, proceeding to tug at him, whimpering. As for the evidences of the earlier argument, Lacie promptly ignored it and proceeded to act as she usually would.

“Lyss! Tooown! Lacie wants to go to town!”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Mikhaela was still fuming and it was a good decision on Matthias’ part to let her be, allowing her to regain her composure with the short silence that followed her little outburst. She had managed to shock herself with how she reacted earlier, Regan would be surprised, Misha, who never batted an eyelash even in the years she worked for the guild had lost her composure in front of the High Council. Regan was the only person who Misha was comfortable around to drop her guard, the only person who ever managed to witness how Misha can really get worked up sometimes. Damn if the High Council didnt manage to screw her to hell and back with as much of a glance.

“First of all, my name is Matthias and you will call me as such.”

Tearing her eyes away from the view in front of her, Mikhaela turned to look at the angel. She didnt speak, not that she could even if she had something to say. She was treated to the unfurling of Matthias’ wings. As usual, an angel’s wings were truly majestic, no matter what color they may be. They weren’t always white, other had patterns, different colors, unique to an angel as a thumb mark is unique to a human. Matthias’ wings were a gentle cream and as he flapped them gently, it let out a sound as soft as a sigh, a sound Mikhaela can only associate with wings and she cant help but covet them, silly human that she is. If someone offered her wings just then, she might just sell them her soul.

To be able to fly, what an amazing gift.

Mikhaela had fought with several angels before, as it was inevitable in her line of job, but she never had the time to look back and admire their wings. During a confrontation with an angel she hunted, their wings were a distraction and were nothing but trouble. She had to admit, now that she’s finally had the chance to stare at an angel’s wings, they were truly beautiful. But this was not the time to admire Matthias’ wings, she frowned and clenched her fists tightly, fighting against the unholy urge to touch them. She was almost grateful when the angel spoke and distracted her from the beauty of his wings. It was so unfair that such a person was given those beautiful wings. Wow, she just sounded bitter, didnt she? He was as rough as his wings looked gentle. But then again, life was rarely ever fair.

“Secondly, the High Council is far too important to be handing out simple information about our target, I must say, I’m highly unimpressed so far Miss Alexandrov. Within a few minutes of speaking with the High Council, something no human has done in over a century, you practically sign our death warrants. By yelling, of all things.”

Rolling her eyes, Mikhaela ignored his words. He need not say it out loud. Mikhaela had already called herself all kinds of idiot for acting like she did earlier that his words sounded less harsh than it should’ve been. Truth be told, Misha was disappointed in herself as well, especially when she herself knew what she was capable of. She acted very much like a novice hunter sent on her first hunting job.

“Not only that, you missed very important key information that I gave you to see whether or not you were as smart as your Guild claims you are. Why would a high class angel be present to a sitting with the High Council unless he was somehow involved? Or better yet, the fact that you missed the numerous times that this angel commented in plural form about this particular task. Maybe if you had noted that I will be present on this task also, you might have stopped to think that perhaps I have all of the information needed instead of simply ranting loudly and rudely in the confines of my office.”

Now that struck a nerve. But since she was no longer under the intimidating presence of the Council, Mikhaela had managed to keep her emotions in check, instead even finding it in her to respond in a sarcastic way that could match even Matthias’ obvious displeasure with her.

“First of all, Matthias, I really hope you didnt assume that I gave you a nickname. Good lord no. If you would only spend some time to think about it, you cut me off before I even managed to fully say your name. Remember? After all, you dragged me out of that room, into the elevator and out again, and into this room. May I point out that it was very rude of you? And very pushy too.”

Leaving her spot by the window, Mikhaela walked over in front of him and placed both hands on the desk, leaning down enough to level her eyes, the usual deep sapphires darkening to a darker shade of midnight blue, due to her unpleasant mood, with his before resuming her little speech. She didnt sit. She was still too restless to sit down just yet.

“Second, I'm quite sure you know, since you do seem to work directly under the Council, that their presence is completely astounding. You can hardly blame me for not paying attention to you when the entire Council is seated in front of me. And well, since youre so knowledgeable, partner, then pray, tell me the information you have on our target so I can finally leave this building and do whatever it is I'm supposed to do. Cause the sooner I'm done with all this, the sooner I can get rid of you, because let’s face it, we didnt get off on the wrong foot, we just generally don’t like each other very much, so it wouldn’t make any sense if we pretend that we can start all over in hopes of a better relationship. If that doesn’t make this whole hunt any more unpleasant, I don’t know what would.”

She lips had unknowingly curled into a very amused smile as she finished talking, her eyes returning to its usual sapphire blues as her mood lifted. She actually felt good! She could almost laugh at it all. Matthias’ attempt to insult her had given Mikhaela the outlet she needed to voice out her frustrations, in fact, her shoulders felt lighter now.

“Ah. Thank you for that, Matthias.” Mikhaela chuckled lightly at the irony of it all and sat down on the chair set in front of his desk. “Now, about our target, if you please.”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

He had always been watching her. Always. From the day she was born until today. He watched her grow from infancy to adolescence to adulthood. The twenty years he spent with her were but a blink in his own life, but that was what made it so precious.

He had always been with her, watching over her, and that is what pained him the most, even though it shouldn’t. To watch over her was the only thing he could do, sure he could give her a nudge from time to time, a hint, but that was all he could do. She had been through much, and as much as he wanted to keep her away from those experiences that were less than pleasant, he couldn’t. She didnt deserve the life she lived, no one did. But Gabriel always reminded the likes of him to not be attached to their subjects, as human life is so fleeting, and always whenever a Guardian gets attached to his or her subject, it ends horribly. They were only there to watch over, to give occasional nudges and hints, but to never interfere directly with fate. When the time comes, the humans they watch over will die, and they will be given a new human to watch over, they didnt need to linger on thoughts of those who had already passed away, they need to move on cleanly and efficiently in order to watch over their current subject with their whole being.

Nikolai was Faina Solovyova’s appointed Guardian Angel, not that she knew. No matter how much Nikolai wanted to tell her, to make himself known, he held himself back, both for his and her sake. Nikolai had always been soft hearted, but she was the first human that he had who had such an awful life, it pained Nikolai to see her struggles, if only he could take it all away. He knew it wasn’t his fault that Faina ended up the way she is, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t trying, in fact, he had been warned by Gabriel numerous times already whenever he came too close to going against fate. He didnt understand why Faina had to go through such hardships, he tried asking, but Gabriel kept on telling him that it wasn’t his place to understand.

That day started as it would usually. Faina’s brother came to her, asking for food, and it squeezed Nikolai’s heart painfully when he saw the looks on the siblings’ faces, one pitiful, the other desperate. Nikolai had always been present with Faina, obviously in his spirit form. The angel glanced at the mother of the two, bedridden, awfully sick. He knew she wasn’t his concern, but Nikolai found himself time and again asking why she wasn’t relieved of her illness yet, one way or another, again his answer was the same. He didnt need to know.

“You don’t need to do this Fasya.”

Nikolai sighed, of course she couldn’t hear him. He knew what she was thinking. Stealing for her had become as essential as breathing. She believed that it was the only way they could survive, her and her family. But there was so much she could do, so much. She didnt need to resort to such sinful means. Nikolai was horrified when Faina stole her first. He didnt believe the girl would actually take her thoughts seriously. And then it started to get worse. One thing led to another and now here she was. She was living a dangerous life, one that balanced at the tip of a knife. Nikolai glanced at Faina’s mother before following the girl out the door.

He kept on talking to her, pleading, hoping he could reach her subconscious and turn her about. Nikolai stopped beside her when she did, his impossibly bright blue eyes were shadowed with concern as he studied Faina’s face. He reached out a hand and brushed it against the girl’s temple, brushing a few strands of her hair away from her eyes. For the girl, it was probably just a soft breeze that touched her face.

“Fasya, no! Turn around!”

The blonde-haired angel gritted his teeth in exasperation as he watched Faina helplessly. She was heading toward her target, and he knew, with her small stature, that she doesn’t seem a threat at all to anyone, she was clever, yes, but she never had the look about her that would otherwise make other people wary of her. He wasn’t complimenting her though, such things about the girl didnt deserve compliments, not when she was using it for her wrongdoings. It was only during these times when Nikolai refused to follow her, whenever she stole from someone, he stayed and watched from afar. Nikolai turned his face away as Faina did her act, however, he realized it later on that turning her eyes away from Faina was a mistake. A sharp intake of breath and the accelerating of her heart was all it took for Nikolai to be alerted. Faina stood there with the man that was originally her target, though the angel could see that that was no longer the case. His own heart thudded against his chest, this was dangerous, that much he knew.

“Faina. No, no no no—I told you! Why must you keep on risking yourself like this?”

So much pain. He could do nothing but glare at the scene that was unfolding before him. His Faina, the girl he watched over for her entire life, was being violated in front of his own eyes, and he could do nothing but watch. He rushed beside Faina when she was tossed into a back alley. They were surrounded, she was surrounded.

“We watched you a few times and enjoyed your little amateur thievery but we are bored now. Unless, you can provide us a new entertainment….”

Nikolai understood the look in his eyes and he swore his heart would’ve stopped beating right then. Horror filled his entire being. Mishandling Faina was one thing, but fully violating her? Before his very eyes? Nikolai’s body trembled in rage. He could so easily break the bones in their body and make them beg for forgiveness. He would do so for Faina, he would do anything for her. It was during these times when he could only watch that pained the most, but Nikolai was about to reach his limit. It took all his effort not to interfere. If he did..

“How about it little girl? We’ll pay nicely.”

‘God, Allah, Buddah and any other supreme beings and even angels, I HATE YOU ALL.’

The angel flinched, pained, at the girl’s silent exclamation. He couldn’t blame her though, he never could. He always justified for her, always made excuses. He couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t watch. He wanted to cry, he knew she wouldn’t, he would cry for her.

“God, please forgive me.”

Offering a silent, yet quick prayer, he turned to Faina and willed with all his might that the girl heed him this time.

“Close your eyes little one, I’ll end it all.”

That was it. He would risk his everything for her, this little girl, this human whose life is but a mere second for him. He thanked all angels and God himself when Faina closed her eyes when he placed his hands on her eyes. It wouldn’t do well for her if she saw.

“Get OUT! All of you, BEGONE!”

The rage exploded from Nikolai as he exposed himself to Faina’s assailants and stretched the full length of his wings as he exposed himself before them. His wings could’ve been made from light alone with the way they shone, possibly blinding the men before him. They wouldn’t see him though, could only see the unexplained brightness and the voice which echoed everywhere yet coming from nowhere.

It surprised even Nikolai upon realizing what he did. The only thing he meant to do was show himself in his human form and chase them off, away from Faina, but he ended up revealing his divinity before them. It only took Nikolai a split of a second to transform himself into his human image, leaving a slight glow on his skin, if only as proof of his true nature. But he could care less about it now, Faina was safe. He could’ve wept for joy, the consequences of his actions would inevitably come later on, but right now, Faina’s safety overwhelmed Nikolai’s entire being.

“Little one, I'm here. I'm so sorry—Fasya, please forgive me. I’ll keep you safe.”

Nikolai pressed his lips against the girl’s forehead and gathered her in his arms gently yet firmly. He was sure once she gets over the shock, dealing with her wouldn’t be so easy, but he wouldn’t let go even if his life depended on it. He was finally able to hold this girl in his arms. Finally. He could’ve fallen and it wouldn’t have mattered at this moment.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

“Out again, my Lord?”

“It would seem like it Michael.”

Honestly speaking, Benjamin, or Jack—as he is commonly known—would rather not go on a date with this certain lady he was to meet for lunch. But he had no choice, he was planning to see this through. Hatred and desire for revenge were what brought Benjamin Devon to this part of London. For years he sought out the man who killed his mother and ruined his family, and now that he’s finally located him, nothing could’ve stopped Jack to exact revenge as he saw fit.

It was a living nightmare, what happened to his life and family because of George Brightmore. His family lived in peace until George came. His mother, Rachelle, and George were childhood sweethearts, expected to marry, but George disappeared and married someone else to save his family’s company by marrying a rich lady. Rachelle was broken hearted, but at least she managed to live on, to move on. She met Jack’s father and married him, led a happy life and had two children, Jack himself, and his younger sister Maria. And then George appeared, telling Rachelle that he wanted her back. Jack didnt understand it then, why he would do that, as they both had their own families already. But nevertheless, the idea that George loved her still made Rachelle depressed. In fact she was so depressed that she no longer cared about her family, not about her husband or her two children. She fell ill and despite the efforts of Jack and his father, Rachelle had no motivation, no will to live on. She died a year after George’s appearance. Ever since then, Jack swore to seek out George and ruin him, one way or another.

Here is where George’s daughter, Mikhaela Claire Brightmore, steps in. Jack wanted to ruin her as George ruined his mother. He wanted the girl to fall in love with him, only to desert her afterwards. Maybe he’d even go as far as marrying her, under a false name, and disappear from her. It seemed like a good plan to Jack after seeing how much George loved his daughter. Her pain will be his pain. It wasn’t fair that Rachelle’s family had to suffer so much while George and his daughter lived such happy lives.

But wooing Mikhaela has proven to be quite the feat, it had been months since Jack first approached the girl despite his dislike of her. She was only passing fair in his eyes, calling her pretty would be a generous compliment, even her body held no interest for Jack. If there was anything about Mikhaela that would interest Jack, it would be her eyes and her attitude, which she only gave him glimpses of. Mikhaela was no timid lady, she had obvious fire, Jack could see it in her eyes. However, spending too much time with her was starting to become increasingly dull and eventful. Jack wouldn’t have minded if he saw no attraction from Mikhaela’s side. Damn if he didnt have an effect on her. He knew he had at least some effect on her, with the way she stared when she thought he wasn’t paying attention, or the blushes that he brought out from her. The girl was playing hard to get and it was pissing him off!

Jack’s green eyes darkened considerably as he stepped into his carriage to meet Mikhaela. Perhaps the reason he still hadn’t manage to grab Mikhaela for himself was because of his restrictions on his own abilities to charm females off their feet. Females threw themselves at Jack at any age, though of course the younger ones flirted with their eyes along with beguiling smiles hidden behind fans, scoundrel that he is, Jack never touched innocents with plans to ruin them. He played, yes, but never compromised an innocent. He had no plans to be tied down to anyone, and compromising an innocent pretty much meant marriage in order to save the girl’s virtue. The older females were more aggressive though, approaching him, touching him, sending out invitations. In their beds did Jack find temporary amusement, even married women aren’t safe from him, in fact, and they all made for exciting pursuits. Jack, in his early twenties, is a very well-known bachelor in London. His title promised wealth and his own looks proved to be a good catch. Jack knew very well how his looks could affect women but it was his edge that often attracts them. An edge he managed to obtain through his life at sea. He was a gentleman on land, but a wicked rogue at sea.

His pursuit for Mikhaela had kept him from enjoying a warm bed and a companion and it had been months since he last laid with someone and it was driving his patience thin, not to mention it also kept him away from sea. It was torture to keep himself from the pleasures that surrounded him in exchange for playing lord and lady with Mikhaela, which isn’t exactly helping him to win the girl’s affections. He was finding himself more and more distracted every time he spent his days with George’s daughter, even wondering if what he was doing was worth it.

“My Lord?”

Jack realized the carriage had already stopped when his driver opened the door for him. Again, distracted. Jack shook his head and ran her fingers through his raven black hair before pulling his gloves on. Nodding at his driver, he left the carriage and straightened his coat before turning to dismiss the young man.

“Return in an hour, this shouldn’t take long.”

The boy nodded and tugged his cap lower on his face to shield his eyes from the bright sun. For a moment, Jack wished he brought his own hat. The sun was glaring. Without as much of a glance behind him, Jack entered the dining establishment as his carriage left him behind.

He spotted her the moment he came in. It would seem that she got here just a rough minute before he did. His initial expression was to frown, for several reasons. One, despite disliking the girl, she is still a lady, and as a gentleman, he should not let ladies wait for him. Second, as much as it was only a minute or so that she arrived earlier than he did, she might find it insulting to be made to “wait” and right now, Jack didnt have any more reasons to displease her. And third, well, as a daughter of George Brightmore, just the sight of her reminded him of his hatred for her family. He could’ve listed a fourth reason if he dared to admit it, but as it is, he wont, as admittance would further etch a frown on his face. He wouldn’t dare admit that despite his hidden agenda on courting the girl, he still perversely looked forward to seeing her. But as it is, Brightmore’s daughter is the last girl on earth who Benjamin Devon will not be caught dead being attracted to.

Keeping his silence, Jack replaced his frown with a well practiced half smile, half smirk—the kind that made young girls’ hearts flutter—and made his way behind Mikhaela, briefly placing his hand behind her waist as if to encourage her forward, though the effect he was aiming for was to make her freeze on spot. He leaned his head down slightly to whisper quietly just above the girl’s ear.

“My, how rude of me, to arrive later than my lady. Will you accept my apologies, Lady Brightmore?”

He placed a slight pressure on his hand to turn the girl to face him before reaching for her hand and lifting it to his lips as per standard greeting of a gentleman to a lady. His eyes travelled her face for a moment before it met her own green eyes, his own sparkling with an obvious curiosity and excitement as he anticipated her reaction.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Mikhaela had finally managed to gather herself completely, thankful that Matthias decided to drop the earlier subject which was focused on sharp comments and whatnot. The introductions were done and over with, it’s officially time for serious business. She was quite surprised and found herself wondering when he took out a folder from within the confines of his clothes, she didnt think he had enough space for it but she kept silent, only raising a brow at it. The female tilted her head to the side slightly when Matthias’ eyes briefly turned to her, as if encouraging him to go on with it. And that he did, in a manner that made Mikhaela frown slightly. She had thought that he was going to hand the folder to her, to let her read through it, but she was mistaken. Apparently, she was to only learn of specific details, not to be given the entire information of their target. It made her tick. They didnt trust her enough.

Calm. Just calm. Theyve always been like that, angels looking down on humans believing theyre superior than them. Honestly, she shouldn’t be surprised anymore. Mikhaela took a deep breath and just concentrated on the few facts that they allowed her.

“Our target is Anthony Mordel.”

Mikhaela reached over to take the handouts Matthias gave her and studied the angel illustrated on paper. Her brows raised, unsure of her reaction. But she was surprised. He looked.. young, probably about Matthias’ age, though one can never tell when it comes to angels. For a moment, Mikhaela thought she was about to face someone who looked more like the archangels in the Council. But he almost, almost, looked normal. He looked like any other angel. Beautiful.. but he had a hidden edge that made Mikhaela’s blood burn in excitement and anticipation in a way only a hunter can feel for her hunt. She hoped he was indeed the interesting chase he seemed to be. If she was to be honest, he looked every bit the Fallen that he was labelled at, as far as stereotypes go. The hunter’s eyes flicked over to Matthias before returning to the picture of Anthony in her hands. They were opposites of each other. Matthias was blindingly white with his wings, his hair, even the light shade of his eyes, while Anthony seemed to step out from the night. His eyes seemed dark enough, though not endlessly black like Gabriel’s was, there was a hint of brown in them, and his hair were sharp flames, but those weren’t what made Mikhaela thought he looked unique, not that she was saying that his physical features weren’t enough to make him stand out, it was his wings. She couldn’t quite remember seeing a pair so black. It made her catch her breath. They were magnificent, she had to admit. More the pity that this unique creation would be Mikhaela’s hunted. Despite it all though, she did fear him, if even the slightest. She had to remind herself that this was no ordinary angel, he was an archangel, no matter that he’s only been recently turned.

“Originally personal assistant to the High Council Angel of South America, Alexander, he has been labelled as a Fallen and as such we are required to dispose of him as quickly and quietly as we are able.”

Huh. Of course. Mikhaela remembered the distressed look on Alexander during the meeting. The hunter almost felt bad for him, Anthony was his subordinate of sorts, and even though Mikhaela wasn’t entirely sure that relationships work the same with angels like it is with humans, she wanted to believe that Alexander was worried for Anthony. But there was another contradicting voice at the back of her head, if he cared enough, he should’ve made some efforts to keep Anthony in line, should’ve done everything that he could to reel him in, to keep him from devolving into a Fallen. But he didnt. Mikhaela shrugged the thoughts away, it wasn’t her position to ponder on the relationship between the two archangels.

She took the list of contacts that Matthias handed over and skimmed over it briefly. It wouldn’t concern her specifically. She would hand this piece of information to the guild and have them work on it. Maybe even the other guilds theyre allied with can help her with this. She would need it, she’d take any help she can possibly get for this mission.

“This angel only recently learnt of his archangel abilities. Which makes him very dangerous; as it can often take more than a century for an angel’s third ability to be within a reasonable level of control. Not only that, his normal abilities are not anything to be laughed at either. The Fallen’s main capability is telekinesis, the ability to move objects. His secondary capability is illusions however these are reportedly weak, relying more on perception and distance as he has yet to develop this particular power further.”

Mikhaela frowned slightly, taking note of Anthony’s abilities which Matthias told her about. Considering both his abilities, the hunter decided that this is not the kind of target that she could approach up front. Distance would be crucial with this one. Damn if he can just throw random things at her from afar. Either that or he can cast an illusion over himself once her presence is made known. However, Mikhaela trusted her own ability. She doubted a weak illusion-play could hide his scent from her.

“As for his archangel ability, the Fallen has angelfire. Highly dangerous and extremely unstable. Also, as this ability has only recently come to light we do not have a great deal of information on it. So there will unfortunately be a lot of guesswork involved to prevent ourselves from getting injured.”

The hunter groaned inwardly. Great. She didnt need a lot of information to assume what angelfire is. There had been records, though rare, of angels with such an ability. They were very much feared for that ability. And as if the ability alone isn’t dangerous enough, she had to go against an angel who probably had no idea whatsoever on how to control it. Mikhaela had been silent since Matthias started giving out information, but really, she had nothing to say, nothing to do but listen and take it all in calmly and work out strategies in her head. But this planning was cut short after realizing Anthony’s third ability. Never in her lifetime did she imagine to be put in such a situation. Now if she can only get out if it alive..

“Now then, the fallen angel has not been seen for a couple of days, so we are unsure of his current location. A couple of scouts have been sent out to neighboring areas as well as the angel’s main areas of stay, but so far we have not received any information on his whereabouts. Obviously this is where you come in.”

Mikhaela lifted her eyes back to Matthias but said nothing, but she had already decided on her first step. She cant go around looking for Anthony herself. She would need to keep a low profile. The information that she was the one hunting her shouldn’t be known.

“So Miss Alexandrov…Any questions?”

“None.” The female stood up, the list that given to her firmly situated in her hand. “However, I plan to head back to our headquarters to alert my guild, as well as our allied guilds, to have a look out for.. Mordel. I believe it best to keep ourselves in the background. Its no use making secret the fact that he’s being hunted by now, but I think you’d agree keeping ourselves unknown would be of advantage for us. Well then, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll return after passing this information. I would need to familiarize myself with Mordel’s scent before moving myself, perhaps you can help me with that?”

Not waiting for an answer, she turned and exited the room, making her way to the elevator and to the ground floor of the building. Mikhaela ignored the stares she got as she passed by the lobby again, she was amusing herself with the thought that perhaps they were surprised that she was still alive after having a meeting with the Council. But her amusement was cut short as she finally exited the building, there was something else she needed to deal with before she could hand the information to Regan.

She needed to hire a taxi first, a feat that is most difficult in the busy city of Manhattan. She’ll consider herself lucky if one stops for her in less than twenty minutes.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Elena made her way through the castle’s corridors and went down the stairs, giving out a nod to the servants who stopped at their work to bow their head and greet her, even if she didnt even once meet their gaze. She didnt have to anyway, she never felt compelled to look a servant in the eye. None offered their services to her, knowing that it was not their place to offer. If Elena wanted a servant to serve her, she calls for them. But as it is, the White Queen was quite satisfied with Violetta, much to some people’s disdain. Elena understood why though, for them, Violetta seemed too.. well, she didnt exactly fit the image of the White Queen’s personal servant. The reason why she was chosen resides with Elena alone.

The queen closed her eyes and took a deep breath when she finally made her way out to the gardens. It was a beautiful view, a beautiful place that the queen herself frequents, but here isn’t where she was headed to, nevertheless, it didnt mean that she didnt enjoy walking through it. It was no secret that Elena loved the garden, and rumor has it that the she still has a secret one of her own. And it’s true. A secret, personal haven for the queen. The entrance to it was kept hidden behind the vines that covered the walls of the garden, a locked, wooden door. Elena didnt know if anyone else had seen it, but she could care less, cause even if they had, they wouldn’t be able to open it. And no one would dare make a force entry into it knowing that it was the queen’s. There were only two keys to it, one with Elena, and the other with Violetta, the only person Elena allowed entrance to her garden. Her own key, she kept in a form of a necklace. Arriving at the north-western part of the vast garden walls, Elena brushed her hand through the hanging vines and caught hold of the lock that kept her garden secret and firmly inserted her key into it until a barely audible click was heard, Elena then swiftly went inside, locking the door behind her once more.

If the garden outside was majestic, Elena’s own garden was a paradise on its own. The trees were tall enough that it made a thick canopy that made the roof of the garden, only letting tiny rays of the sun, enough to illuminate the place and keep the air of mystery around it. Flowers were abundant and in rich colors: red roses, blue hydrangeas, lavender, jasmine, orchids.. and at the center of the garden, a rare type of a flower dominated the area. Blue roses bloomed around a small clearing where a small gazebo stood with a table and four chairs set in the middle of it. The roses grew and surrounded the gazebo itself, wrapping itself around its four pillars and unto the roof, under and on it. It was quiet inside aside from the occasional birds that came from time to time. But aside from the flowers themselves, the garden was home to the creatures that wrought fear from people other than Elena and a few. The White Queen’s butterflies fluttered freely inside the garden, gentle in their beauty. In here, their abilities are null, making them nothing more than the usual butterflies that lingered the world outside, but still, they were too beautiful. It was almost heartbreaking to not be able to describe them with words.

Elena tended to the garden herself during her free time or whenever she needed time alone, time to think, or whenever she needed peace in an otherwise too cruel world of Wonderland. Picking up a cutter from the table, she went to one of the pillars of the gazebo and cut a few roses for herself and placed it inside the vase that was set on the center of the table, then she moved further out as she emptied her mind of the thoughts of the Race and the job she had just recently imposed on her subjects. They were probably already on their way out to do her bidding.

Snip. Snip—Click.

Elena turned around to see Violetta enter the garden and head straight to the table to lay out her breakfast. The sight of the girl cause the queen to smile slightly before she walked over, placing the small number of flowers that she cut for herself, maybe she’ll bring them up to her room later, or have one of the servants fix it in a vase for her. She picked up a handkerchief and wiped her hands on it, not that there was any dirt in her hand, she was just clipping off flowers anyway, but still.

“Thank you, Violetta. Such a relief that youre around.”

It was the most Elena could compliment her personal servant as she isn’t the kind of person to throw around compliments with every turn. It remained a mystery for others why the queen favoured Violetta among others, but Elena has her reasons, though she wouldn’t admit it completely. She secretly adored the siblings, Violetta and Aria, reminded her of a distant past she once risked to believe in, and would do anything to watch over the two. It’s not a maternal instinct, for she believed herself too independent to consider having a family, it’ll be the day when she even finds someone worthy to be her husband, no. She would watch over them as an older sister would a younger sister.. since her own sister she had considered to be long gone.

But she wouldn’t admit to being lonely. She clung on her bitterness for Madilene. She tried once and she ended up being hurt, more than once. Numerous times did she receive the blame for Madilene, but not a word of gratefulness did she hear from her. Not a word of consolation. It was too late now even if she was to kneel before her now. Elena adored her younger sister once. It was a mistake. Madilene was already too spoiled to be adored by her as well. She never felt the pain Elena felt. Well, fair is fair, Elena planned very much to return the favor now. But—

“I wonder if I went overboard.. Maddy never did have any tolerance for violence.”

It was a passing thought that she whispered. It was a rhetorical question on Elena’s part but she doubted she’d ignore it if Violetta would decide to answer. She shrugged anyway, as if to toss the thought away as she started on her breakfast, but it wasn’t until after a few minutes of silence when she realized that Violetta hadn’t moved in her spot since after she finished setting up her dinner. Taking the napkin, she dabbed it lightly on her lips and turned to Violetta, one eyebrow raised in inquiry.

“Yes? You seem bothered by something. If you have something to say, say it. Come, sit.”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

“Natya, Natya!”

“Mn?”

A pale blonde turned around upon hearing her name being called, but she hadn’t even turned completely to see who was calling her when she was grabbed by her arm and dragged off by a group of friends she had from her previous class. Anastasia Ivanova was one of the many foreigners that studied in the music college she currently attended. One look at her and no one would doubt her origins. Russian features were very much obvious on Anastasia, as if her name alone wasn’t enough of a hint. Her pale skin hinted at a cold climate, and considering how it is in Russia, its no wonder Anastasia never sported a tan shade. Her blonde hair was also pale, a shade of platinum blonde that almost turns white under the light. Her paleness however made sure to compliment her eyes which are a sparkling blue, and her lips and cheeks a shade of rosy pink.

Anastasia, despite her cheerful personality, is not really a social butterfly. She isn’t exactly noticeable, with her naturally laid back nature and her fragile, pale appearance, but this didnt deter people from knowing her. Natya, as she’s often called by her friends, is one of the best known violinist in her category. People need only to hear her play once to have her remembered. Natya is a second year student at the college, and even in her first year, her name had been whispered from time to time. She stayed out of the main scene though, despite the praises and attention that were sent her way. Some may call it being humble, but those knowing Natya would say that the girl can really be slow in catching up sometimes, oblivious, if not airheaded from time to time. That didnt mean she doesn’t have the brains though. People could easily see that she’s friendly, if not a bit gullible, as she is the type of person who believes and sees only the positive side of the coin.

“My goodness, Ive never had an hour more wasted than with Ms. Miranda’s class!”

“You mean she actually had a lesson to teach? All I heard from her are inaudible whispers.”

“Aw, you shouldn’t give her such a hard time. At least she tries.”

“Well, she is teaching philosophy and single, what more can you expect?”

Natya simply smiled passively at the last comment and diverted her attention to other things, like the letter that was neatly folded in her pocket. She had received her weekly letter from her family back in Russia, and if she’s quite honest, it’s the only thing that’s keeping her from being homesick and at the same time, making it the best day of the week.

She didnt even realize it when they arrived at their usual spot under a tree at the back of the strings’ building. Settling her violin’s case carefully beside her, Natya joined the three other girls who had settled on the grass, automatically commencing whatever topic they wished. Natya simply intended to read her letter in silence when one of the girls she was with noticed it. Her letters weren’t exactly secret from her friends.

“Ooh, another one?”

“You know, if you didnt convince us otherwise, we wouldn’t believe this is actually your brother who’s sending you these letters. Maybe like..a boyfriend from back home!”

Natya chuckled and shook her head as she unfolded her letter, fondly running her gaze over her brother’s writing. “I'm sure Mitya would be amused upon hearing that.”

“So what’s new this week?”

Natya stayed quiet for a while and began reading her letter. It was still the usual stuff, Dimitri, her brother began the letter by sending out greetings from her parents and her grandmother like he usually does before he shot off into his rants that Natya adored so. Mitya loved to act as if he’s against Natya’s studying abroad in his letters, telling her to go back home and warning her not to let any boys come close unless they want him to deal with them personally, while he was one of the most supportive in her family about her fondness of playing the violin. Despite the lighthearted tone of Dimitri’s letter, it didnt change the fact that he was still very protective of his little sister, and Natya knew that. Natya was still reading his letter when she was nudged by her friend Sam, causing her to turn her attention to the other girl.

“I could be less interested on the letter, did he send a picture with this letter as well?”

“Oh, yes. He always does, doesn’t he?”

Anastasia blinked as she tried to catch up with her friends, who for some reason turned their conversation to her brother. It annoyed her a bit, if not a bit protective as they admired him, but quickly chastised herself for feeling like so and pulled out the picture Mitya sent her with his letter for the week. She understood their infatuation on him though. Dimitri was.. well, handsome, if she would be honest. But then again, maybe it’s just because he’s a new sight for her friends.

“You know Natya, the only reason I'm willing to believe he’s your brother is because I would be devastated to hear that he’s taken.”

Natya chuckled and leaned forward to look at her brother’s picture as well, this time joining in with the teasing air that was present in the atmosphere. “Yes, he’s quite something, isn’t he?”

“And it’s just disturbing hearing that from his younger sister!”

Laughter erupted from the group as Natya snatched the picture out from her friend’s hold and kept it out of their reach, with an amused smile on her face. It was at that time that Natya recognized a person walking by them, a form that she wouldn’t mistake anywhere else.

“Oh, there he is! You guys will have to excuse me now. Emile!” Natya waved and stood up, dusting her skirt before neatly returning Mitya’s picture along with his letter back into her pocket, picking up her case after.

“Really Natya, if we didnt know you better, we’d think youre actually crushing on the guy.”

“Oh please. Natya? Like? She doesn’t even know the difference between liking a puppy and liking a boy.”

“Hey, stop teasing!” A blush appeared on Natya’s cheeks, adding a rare color on her otherwise plainly pale face as she pouted. Nevertheless, she waved goodbye to them as she approached the boy who at her arrival acknowledged her with a nod and a question.

“Heading to class now too?”

Natya smiled and nodded, quickly falling into Emile’s pace as she joined him on his way to a class they both shared. Natya liked to believe him as a close friend, knowing him back from their first year in the college. Thinking back on it, she couldn’t remember exactly why she approached him, but his brushing her off made her determined to befriend him. She left him alone at first, though she watched, and upon realizing that he had no intentions of making friends with anyone, Natya took it upon herself to keep him from being alone all the time. It was hard to actually get to him, as he obviously liked his being alone, but she liked to believe that she somehow managed to get under his skin if not in the slightest. He actually spared her a few words every now and then. Now if only he would smile.

Their friendship was a silent one which Natya didnt mind. Most of the time, she does the conversing between them, and that she didnt mind as long as Emile didnt completely ignore her. Sometimes she would just keep him company, just like what she’s doing at the moment, walking with him to their classes, and sometimes, even practice song sheets with him as he played the cello. Small interactions like so were enough to satisfy Natya. After being with the boy for more than a year, she knew him enough to not compare him with the other boys his age.

“How’s your day so far? I wonder if Mr. Perez would give us a new sheet to study today, its been a while since he last did and weve been practicing the same song over and over. Youve probably perfected it, no?”

Natya kept the conversation light until they arrived at their classroom, noticing that a few of their classmates were missing, as well as their professor. Raising an eyebrow, Natya turned to the nearest person to her and inquired about it.

“Are we early?”

“Oh, no. Word is Mr. Perez is sick and a few of us were sent to the faculty room to retrieve sheets that he apparently sent us to keep us occupied.”

“Ah, I see.” Turning away from her classmate, she returned to Emile’s side and shared the information that she recently got. “Did you hear that? It would seem that we’ll have some extended free time today. I wonder what he got for us this time though.”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

A slight movement came from the half-naked man who laid on the bed with a female by his side, judging at the state of the room, or the bed rather, it’s not that hard to assume what took place hours earlier, in fact the thick scent of unmistakeable sex lingered in the room, Julian didnt notice it though, he was much to used with his debauching acts to even take note of the things that gave him away, but then again, he knew if the girl that laid beside him was caught, he wouldn’t be the one to take the blame. The name Julian LeBlanc is a name linked to fantasy and mischief for women, and a curse to mothers and their daughters. It was his reputation, to linger from bed to bed, seeking pleasure as he enjoyed his life of a bachelor. People knew there was no holding Julian back when it comes to females so the responsibility of saying no fell on the females on whom Julian preyed on.

His present object of attention is Margarethe Brooke, a delightful, mischievous lady of twenty-one. She’s a pretty little thing but after two, or perhaps even three, weeks of sharing her bed, Julian was getting tired of the girl. The chase had been over for quite some time, and if Julian wanted to be honest, which he rarely is unless its toward himself, it was the chase that Julian felt thrilled with, not the lady herself, though that doesn’t mean he didnt enjoy her.

“He gave this to you, love?” Julian played with the ring that was on Margarethe’s finger. Yes, the lady was betrothed, but not to him. Julian amused himself at the idea that he still won over the lady despite the fact that she was already engaged. Julian wasn’t bothered by it, in fact, he took comfort in it. Seeing that the girl was already engaged, Julian believed that there would be no delusions of marriage coming from Margarethe. “You should take care of it then.” He revealed a slightly mocking smirk before pressing his lips against the diamond that adorned the ring and made his way down to the girl’s wrist with light trailing kisses. It was only after he heard the female sigh longingly that he pulled away with a chuckle and left the bed altogether and proceeded to dress properly.

“It’s time for me to leave though, wouldn’t want to get caught now, would you, love?”

Margarethe shook her head quickly and donned on her robe to lead Julian out quietly. Julian did follow her out, though he momentarily stopped in his tracks when he noticed a familiar female to enter the room they just vacated. He only shook his head and smiled.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


Julian was led out to the stables by the back door of the Brooke manor and was about to get on his horse when he realized that coat only had one of his gloves in its pockets. It was nearly sunrise and no doubt, the servants of the house would soon be waking. Shaking his head, he jumped off his horse, confusing Margarethe. Julian saved her the trouble of asking.

“I left my glove in your room.”

“Oh! Would you—should I get it?”

A smile broke into Julian’s lips. “Me? Let a lady like you to fetch my things? You wound me. I wont be long and don’t worry about me being caught.” Not even waiting for a response from Margarethe, Julian quickly made his way back to the room he just left.

He didnt think about it and was about to step right into the room when his eyes fell on the Margarethe’s maid, the one who always cleaned up after them, and without meaning to, he leaned against the door’s frame and watched her move about, muttering to herself for a moment before he saw her pick up his glove. He couldn’t help the next words that fell from his lips, amusement clearly obvious in his tone.

“Do you intend to keep that for yourself, my dear? Would you like the other glove too?” Not waiting for a reaction, he stepped inside the room and stopped beside her before looking around the room as if looking upon an unknown room, though his words said otherwise. “My, my, this is a lot to tidy up on your own, would you like my help?” Julian’s gaze travelled to the maid’s face, the glint in his eyes making it obvious that he was playing with her even when he knew he didnt have the time.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

“Who the hell are you?”

Ah, there it was. He was expecting that and it made him smile a bit. Nikolai stayed silent for a few moments as he watched Faina move away from him. She was wary of him, he could see that, and it made him want to roll her eyes. Not a few minutes ago, she was so bold, so daring, to approach her intended target. The angel found it just a little bit ironic that she would be wary against him, but then again, he couldn’t bring himself to blame her. Ah, Faina. His eyes softened as he looked into hers. Yes, wary, but at least she wasn’t running away from him yet. That’s good. He parted his lips to answer, but pressed them close again, suddenly not sure on what to say. Can he really introduce himself to her now? However, Nikolai found himself slightly amused.

“You seem wary towards me. I'm sorry but I find it a bit ironic considering—“

“You know what, that doesn’t matter. I don’t know who you are but you are a little bit strange, mister. These things happen and usually people ignore them. If you go around acting like a superhero all the time, you could meet a nasty end, y’know? Besides, you shouldn’t waste your effort on a girl like me. I’m a high school dropout and twenty years old pocket thief.”

Nikolai’s eyes widened in surprise at Faina’s outburst and couldn’t help the laughter that poured from him. She was delightful even in her fury! Of course he knew that, but never once has her fury been directed at him, so this was still a new experience to him. It probably wasn’t the best decision to laugh at the girl, he probably just succeeded on making himself look stranger to her, as if she didnt think him strange enough.

“Little one, calm down just a second—“

“I mean…. ARGH! You are a weird person, mister but… but you did save me. So…so… thank you.”

His chuckles died down into a soft, warm smile upon hearing her thanks. That was the Faina that he knew. She had always hidden that part of her under her tough front. Finally relaxing, believing that Faina’s outburst was over, Nikolai allowed himself to relax, running a hand through his hair before he parted his lips to tell the girl that she was welcome, an automatic response to a given thank you. But before the words even left his lips, his attention was diverted when he heard the bell toll, signalizing that another hour has passed. As the bell finished its last toll, Nikolai’s gaze returned to Faina who by then was just returning her own gaze to face him again. Apparently, she had also been distracted by the bell, but Nikolai noticed something that wasn’t there before, something that made him frown ever so slightly. He could see the obvious worry that lined Faina’s face. He tried searching her thoughts and was surprised that all he got was a strong sense of worry and discomfort. Who or what was she worried about? Also, what had happened to him? He used to be able to read her thoughts as loud as he would listen to her talk. But now.. could it possibly be?

“My brother and my mother would be waiting. I should go. Uh…… yeah, so, bye.”

“Faina, wait—“

“Nikolai.”

Nikolai turned, surprised at recognizing the voice that called on him, drawing his attention away from Faina for the time being. He should’ve expected to see him after his little display earlier. The angel winced inwardly as his eyes met Gabriel’s frowning ones.

“What have you done?”

Nikolai didnt treat it as a question to be answered, as he was sure Gabriel knew exactly what happened, else he wouldn’t be there in the first place. Gabriel’s eyes were hard on him, they weren’t condemning but still, it told Nikolai his obvious displeasure on Nikolai’s previous actions. Nikolai understood why Gabriel was so displeased, numerous times he warned him not to meddle with mortal affairs, not to meddle with fate. Perhaps he should explain himself to the older angel, archangel in fact, but Nikolai slightly doubted it would make any difference. Gabriel was the perfect angel as far as Nikolai was concerned, perfect Gabriel always did what he was supposed to do, no more, no less. He was in perfect control of himself, unlike Nikolai who had too many almost-accidents, though none of them as serious as showing his divinity to mortals. Nikolai simply sighed.

“She was supposed to die. You don’t have the right to go against the way of things.”

“I cant let her die Gabriel—she’s too young..”

“And you believe yourself the best judge? Many had died before her, Nikolai, younger. You should respect His decisions, it is not our place to question it!”

“I'm sorry.”

The hardness in Gabriel’s eyes lessened ever so slightly at Nikolai’s apology, but it didnt change his sentiments on Nikolai’s actions. “You better be, I’ve warned you so many times Nikolai. Your human must never know who you are.”

“She doesn’t.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you revealed yourself to her. That alone is something that should never have taken place.”

“What are you going to do? Faina doesn’t know anything..”

"Nothing will happen to her, but you—you wont be able to return.”

“Have I fallen?”

“Fallen, no. But you need to reflect on your actions, Nikolai. You must right what is wrong, only then will you be allowed past the gates. Your divinity will be restrained by this mortal body you chose. Find it within yourself Nikolai, save yourself.”

Nikolai expected more, but he was thankful that he had not yet truly fallen, he could still hope. However, at the moment, he wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to return to simply guarding Faina, with her not seeing him, hearing him, and him not being able to touch her. He knew that those thoughts were inexcusably selfish, but he couldn’t help but covet. Faina was just.. different. Was it really just sympathy that he felt for the girl? He wanted so much to help her in more ways than he was supposed to.

“And Faina?”

“Her fate will not change, Nikolai, you know that. What you did only gave her an extension, a few years. What will happen will happen.”

“Can I save her?”

“Nikolai! You have done too much already. Release yourself from these bonds you have formed with the human. It is not to be!”

That triggered a very human emotion in Nikolai, one that would surprise him even more once he had the time to think back on it. “How would you know? Youve always seen humans as disposable. That’s very emotionless of you, Gabriel!”

Nikolai expected Gabriel to chastise him, but all he did was stand there in silence, as if waiting for Nikolai to calm down as he watched the younger angel with inscrutable eyes. Nikolai did calm down though, catching himself from his second outburst for the day, and for a moment, there was silence as Gabriel shook his head. Reaching into his pocket, he handed Nikolai a key.

“You will be provided for during your stay here in this realm. Make wise with your time here and straighten yourself out, youre young and confused.”

“A house? How did—“

Gabriel cut him off before he could even ask his question. “There are some things.. things that should never have happened. I'm not as perfect or as emotionless as you believe me to be Nikolai. I was also young once.” Gabriel gave Nikolai a weary smile before he turned to walk away, disappearing swiftly into the crowd.

For a moment, Nikolai thought he saw sadness in Gabriel’s eyes.

Grasping the key in one hand, Nikolai returned his thoughts to Faina, who by then was nowhere to be found. He grit his teeth in frustration and ran off, trying to locate the girl in hopes that nothing bad had happened to her, or that she wasn’t doing anything stupid. Again.

“Faina? Faina!”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Vielle Sinclair was bored. Very. Bored.

The waiter passed a glass of wine to her once more to replace the empty glass that she held in her dainty fingers. It might seem weird to be bored in your own party, but Vielle was done with all the sparkling champagne and thousand-dollar gowns. The party itself didnt have any meaning in it. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision. Vielle wanted a party, and what Vielle Sinclair wanted, Vielle gets. It was the kind of world she lived in. As the only daughter and heir of a multi-million, international, communication company, Vielle lived a very spoiled life. But after nineteen years of getting everything you want at the snap of a finger, everything starts to get tiring.

“Youre looking particularly divine today, V.”

George Cage approached the brown-haired female with a charming smile. He was an actor who recently had his breakout in the showbiz and he also happened to be Vielle’s childhood friend. Vielle’s glassy eyes turned to George’s own and asked nonchalantly.

“Did you bring a car?”

“What?”

“I said, did you bring a car.”

“Well, of course but I don’t see—“

“Perfect. Take me out, will you?”

And so it was, Vielle abandoned her own party to look for a more exciting venue to spend the night. She wanted something new. Vielle had no response when George asked for a destination and merely told him to drive on, perhaps fate would side with her and bring her into some exciting place. The heiress stayed silent at the backseat of George’s car, muttering distinct, almost inaudible replies enough to keep George on carrying the conversation, granted it was a one-way conversation. Vielle was too busy looking out the car’s windows for something interesting. And out of nowhere, Vielle leaned forward on her seat and called George to stop, which he did in surprise.

“V?”

“Drop me right here.”

“But V, this is—“

“I know what I'm doing.”

Viella had stopped the car in front of an establishment named 12:00 AM, and it looked exactly like the kind of place where Vielle wasn’t allowed in, it wasn’t like she was a minor or anything, but it was her reputation they were protecting. George was about to protest when Vielle stepped out of the car and walked outside the passenger seat’s window, leaning in to talk to the flustered male.

“Now see here George, I cant have you come with me. In fact, I suggest you leave right now, cause if I see you follow me one step inside, I'm telling my parents you kidnapped me and in fact, brought me in this place.”

“Vielle!”

“You better get going. Goodbye George.”

Vielle waved mockingly and disappeared inside the building, and the moment she did, the heiress almost regretted her decision. She was not dressed for the place. She wore a black dress made for semi-formal parties. She was very much conscious when the girls that she passed by giggled at her clothes. And heels! She wore heels! Cursing her lack of foresight, Vielle disappeared in the nearest bathroom and cleaned her face of make up, she was in the process of wiping her lipstick off when another girl stepped in. She smiled. An idea lit itself in her head. Five minutes later, she exited the bathroom in the clothes of another.

Vielle was glad that it didnt take much to convince the other girl of trading clothes with her. She only had to tell her who she was, and damn if that girl didnt almost fall unto her knees upon realizing that it was the real Vielle Sinclair that she met. Adjusting the sunglasses over her eyes and fixed the jacket snugly upon her body and proceeded to the bar inside. The floor was full of dancing bodies, throwing themselves about with the beats of the loud music which seemed to wrap itself around the place. But she didnt partake in the dancing just yet. With swift, purposeful steps that made her new heels click deliciously against the tiled floor, she headed straight to the bar, sat, and called for the bartender.

“A light beer if you please. Ice cold.”

The bottle quickly met her lips as she received it and turned on her seat to face the crowd, still oblivious to the presence of the famous heiress among them. But it was just like what Vielle preferred. Boldly, she let her eyes travel among the crowd despite the fact that she wasn’t really looking for someone.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Bliss attempted to forget the event that took place earlier with Aether and his friend—what was his name again?—in fact, if she dared to be honest with herself, the fact that Evie revealed even just that one incident of her little slip was enough to make herself burn in embarrassment. She didnt doubt it one bit that he would make sure to remind her about it the next time they meet. If they even meet again, that is. Bliss was quite sure that annoying and embarrassing her had become Aether’s first priority when it comes to her, and blast it, she wont allow it to happen again, too much is too much. However, she didnt want it to seem as if she’s avoiding him, and more importantly, she didnt want him to think that she’s afraid of him.

That’s right, I'm not afraid of him.

The invitation was a blessing in disguise. Bliss stayed quiet in the carriage on their way home, though she gave Evie the occasional nods and agreements to make Evie believe that she was listening to her ramblings. It was a good thing that it didnt take much for Evie to talk. Here’s a girl who can carry conversations on her own as long as her listeners have the patience. But then again, the young girl’s wit and charm were enough to keep people entertained.

She thought about it. Bliss had little doubt that Olivia would give her a hard time before giving her permission, after all, she’s officially an adult. There was no reason that she wont allow her to visit the countryside at the Duchess of Devonshire’s invitation, and knowing Olivia’s thoughts on associating with the higher circles, Bliss knew that her aunt would be ecstatic at the thought of Bliss spending a week with the Duchess. However, Evie was another problem, albeit a minor one. While Olivia didnt seem to mind to look after Bliss, she knew that taking responsibility for Evie, which is the same should Bliss take Evie under her wing even for a short week, is not exactly a welcome idea. Bliss would just have to convince her that Evie would be safe in her care, that she would make sure the younger female wouldn’t cause any problems nor scandals while they were in Hampshire. It surprised Bliss to find herself looking forward to spending a week in the countryside. It was the perfect excuse to stay out of de Sole’s sight!

“Bliss?”

“Yes?”

“Are you listening?”

“What? Oh—were home.”

Bliss silently thanked her stars for saving her from admitting to Evie that she was in fact, not listening. Honestly speaking, Bliss wasn’t feeling up to dealing with Evie’s pouty tendencies upon realizing that Bliss was distracted during her story telling. Ignoring Evie’s protests, Bliss left the carriage, not at all surprised at seeing her Aunt Olivia waiting by the door. Might as well get it over with.

“Bliss, Evie, I trust you had fun out?”

“Oh yes, Aunt Olivia, in fact we happened upon a few of Bliss’ friends.”

Olivia’s neatly trimmed eyebrows raised a tiny bit at hearing about it but Bliss was quick enough to steer the discussion away from the possible mention of Aether. “Evie has brought news.”

“Has she?”

“An invitation from the Duchess of Devonshire to spend a week with her in Hampshire for the opening of the season.”

Pleasant surprise appeared on Olivia’s face before she hurriedly urged the two inside the house, obviously eager to hear the news. She called for the butler to make some tea but Bliss made mention that her and Evie had already spent the afternoon in a cafe. Nodding, Olivia just had them retire in the study to discuss the extended invitation.

“I was surprised myself when Evie told me about it. However, seeing as she’s still a minor and her parents are out travelling, it would seem that I would be the one to chaperone her, unless of course.. you would like to come with us?”

Bliss thought she saw a flash of jealousy in Olivia’s face before the well-practiced concern took place in her face. “Well, I didnt really get an invitation and besides, Bliss, youre old enough on your own and I have things to do, to check, and as much as I want to, I think you’ll do just fine on looking after Evie.”

It was as she thought, Olivia really didnt want to bother youre herself with taking responsibilities for Evie’s actions and simply dropped the load on Bliss, not that she minded, in fact, she was glad that Olivia was willing to let them go on their own. A vacation from her aunt, it was a refreshing thought.

“So when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


Just like the ride home from their day out, Bliss stayed quiet during the ride to Hampshire. She was quite satisfied with admiring the peaceful beauty of the countryside while Evie gushed about finally going to a party without her parents watching her every move. Bliss knew the feeling though and could only smile at Evie’s excitement. Hours rode on and despite wanting to admire the scene outside, Bliss had fallen asleep for the good remaining hours of the trip.

“Bliss? Bliss, we’ve stopped.”

“Mn?”

It was a little bit past four in the afternoon that they finally arrived at the Duchess’ state. Rubbing the sleep off her eyes, Bliss urged Evie out of the carriage before following her outside. She could help but stretch ever so slightly, it felt good after being cramped inside the carriage for hours upon hours, though honestly, the carriage was nowhere near cramped.

“I will be back in a week, Milady.”

Bliss only nodded as their footman brought the baggage they brought with them by the door of the manor where the Duchess’ own servants are to bring them to their respective rooms. Bliss picked up her skirts and walked to the door where the Duchess waited for her.

“Lady Stafford! Youre as beautiful as ever, you make me jealous every time I see you! If only I'm as young as you are.”

Bliss smiled humbly and curtsied lightly, “not at all my Lady, thank you for the invitation.”

The Duchess of Devonshire smiled brightly and nodded before placing a hand on Bliss’ back as if urging her inside. “The Lady St. Vincent has left to check on her room, my goodness, that girl is definitely full of energy. Youve got your hands full with that one Lady Bliss. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll check on the other guests. I’ll see you tonight, my dear.”

Bliss curtsied once more as the Duchess excused herself and once left alone, the girl looked about her. Not a few minutes in the manor and Evie had already gone missing.

“My Lady?”

Bliss turned around and saw a maid trailing after her. “Yes?”

The young maid was startled upon seeing Bliss up close and Bliss could see her blush brightly before tearing her eyes away from Bliss face, hurriedly lowering her eyes before she spoke. “I'm Maria, lady, and I’ll be showing you your room if you would follow me.”

“I don’t believe you’ve seen the girl I came with?”

“No, my Lady.”

“I see, it cant be helped then.”

Maria nodded and led Bliss to her room, leaving her once she has stepped inside to leave her to her own devices. As expected, her things have indeed been set in her room. Allowing herself a short idle time, Bliss explored her room, she had a decent bathroom of her own which tempted the girl beyond belief. She wanted to relax. But before she could give in, Bliss closed the door to her bathroom and return to her room and opened the windows. The view was breathtakingly beautiful. It was the vast garden that welcomed her which blended with the span of land that expanded out as far as her eyes can see. Bliss felt the urge to go out and explore the land more. But more important matters first. To find Evie.

Bliss sighed and shook her head before closing her windows shut, though she kept her curtains drawn, and exited her room. Where to? She looked to her left and her right, the corridors seemed endless, but she would have to start somewhere. Taking a deep breath, Bliss picked up her skirts and turned to the left, she would make sure to have a talk with Evie once she finds her. Her thoughts were still filled with the discussion she would have with Evie when she made a sharp turn and bumped into somebody. Gasping, she stepped back and bowed her head quickly.

“Oh my, I'm sorry I—“ Her eyes widened when she lifted her head and recognized the person she bumped into. She practically felt her blood boiling as heat filled her cheeks. “You! What are you doing here?”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

How long had she been standing there?

Mikhaela is usually a patient person but it would seem that at the moment, her reserve for patience seemed unreasonably low. Arms crossed, the female tapped her foot impatiently on the pavement as occupied taxis sped by her.

“Look here, the girl who’s been hired for the most dangerous job in the world cant even hire a taxi.”

The blonde grumbled under her breath and leaned forward a bit to check if there was any incoming empty cab. Mikhaela almost had half the mind to grab her phone and call Regan to send someone over to fetch her but gave herself a few more minutes of waiting despite how every cell in her body seemed to scream in protest the longer she stayed under the shadow of the White Tower. Did the anxiety finally sink in? She told Matthias that she’ll try and make it quick, her trip back to the headquarters, but it would seem she’ll end up pissing him off seeing as he didnt seem any more patient that Mikhaela currently is.

“Hey, lady!”

A blasting horn shook Mikhaela out of her thoughts and caused her to look forward once more, realizing that a cab had finally stopped for her. A relieved smile came on her face as she excused herself to the driver who was staring at her curiously, perhaps a bit impatient whether as to she would step in the car or not. Was it her imagination or were the people (or angels) she’s encountering today seemed to be at the far end of the patience stick? She had only opened the door to step in the taxi when she found the air knocked out of her lungs, she wasn’t even able to scream when she was swept off her feet. Literally.

“What the—MATTHIAS!”

Those were the first words that left Mikhaela’s lips when she realized what had happened, and by then there was nothing else she could do but hold on for dear life, without meaning to, her arms automatically found themselves wrapped tightly around his neck for support and upon realizing it, all she could do is glare at him, not daring to remove her arms around him even if it was the last thing she wanted. Flying! They were flying! Her heart pounded erratically against her chest for several reasons she was sure, the most obvious were her fear and exhilaration at the feeling of wind in her face. It was cutting, but right now she didnt care. Her gaze shot past Matthias’ face and stared in awe at his wings, so close to her touch that she could practically feel its feathers against her arms. And another thing, after having enough view of Matthias’ wings, she dared to crane her head to the side and look down despite her head protesting, and the view made her catch her breath. There were no words for it. She was still fixated on the view of the city beneath her when Matthias decided to make sure that he reminds her of his power over her.

“If you required assistance with making your way to your guild, you simply had to ask.”

Mikhaela parted her lips to complain and scream out her protests but thought otherwise as she just pressed her lips back together, simply deciding to glare openly at him. She couldn’t deny it though that flying, though it never crossed her mind, would be a lot faster when it came to travelling back to her guild. Good Lord, Regan would die when she finds out that Mikhaela travelled with an angel, flying to boot.

“Besides, it is a rare honour to be carried by an angel, no matter the location. So I do not wish to hear any of your squawking in protest. I’m sure you understand it would be rather fatal if I were to drop you from this height to cover my ears.”

“Honour, my a**.” Mikhaela grumbled and just held on, keeping silent, she probably wouldn’t hear the end of it from him, nevertheless she wouldn’t give him any more reason to.

Mikhaela pretty much tore herself away from the angel’s arms the moment her foot touched the ground, regretting it quickly after as she didnt count on losing her sense of balance after her little flying moment. Despite this however, she regained her composure and stepped right into their guild’s headquarters without as much of a word to Matthias. It was already obvious that he was going to do what he wanted so there was no use asking him to wait outside, but still, in the back of her mind she hoped that the angel would give her some space, or some privacy. So much for hoping.

Mikhaela only had to knock once before helping herself into Regan’s office. “Hey, Reggie.”

“Misha! You were seen flying!”

“Mhm.”

“With an angel!”

“Obviously.”

“Why—“

“Believe me, I didnt have a choice in the matter.”

“Is that—?”

“Him. Yeah.”

She didnt even have to look behind her. Misha knew from the look in Regan’s eyes and the stiffness of her posture that Matthias had walked in behind her. She didnt even have to look back to know that he acted as if he owned the place, as if he was the superior one, and knowing him, he believed that to be true. She didnt have to look back, not when she could hear his footsteps and slight ruffling of his wings, not when she could smell his scent that was so close it was almost suffocating. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing, or confirming (knowing him, he probably already believed he was making her uncomfortable), how she was getting irritated by the minute.

“Regan, I'm going to need some help.” Mikhaela stopped for a moment and turned her head to the side as if turning back to look at Matthias who she was sure not far behind her, but she caught herself before actually seeing him and returned her gaze at Regan who at the moment looked confused yet patient. She shook her head mentally, them angels asked her for help, and damn if she cant even ask help from her friends, where did that leave her? “I need the help of the Alliance.”

“Thats big Misha, why would you need them? If you need help we—I can—“

“No. I need to cover as much area as quick as possible.”

Regan seemed to look more concerned with every word that fell from Mikhaela’s lips. She leaned forward and whispered, though Mikhaela doubted that would keep Matthias from hearing. “This sounds dangerous already Mikhaela, maybe you should just ba—“

“No. They asked for me. They wanted me. They needed me. This.. this just might be bigger than me, than both of us, or even the guild. Please trust me.”

Regan nodded slowly, and despite the wary look in her eyes, Mikhaela knew there would be no way Regan was going to back out now. “I would like to have the Alliance to look out for a certain Anthony Mordel,” she stopped once more and this time, she looked back at Matthias, as if daring him to make her stop talking, maybe fearing she would indulge more information than necessary, but Mikhaela didnt even wait for a reaction as she returned to face Regan. “Young, about around my age at least physically, red hair, black wings. Raven black wings. He wouldnt be hard to miss.”

“What should I tell them to do should they catch sight of him?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“What? But—“

“Listen Regan, This is important. I cant give you the whole information, but all you need to know is that he’s dangerous. Very dangerous. No one is to approach him. Should anyone see him, they should report immediately to you, or to me if they can. Immediately, Regan, I don’t care if it’s two or three in the morning.”

“How are you going to catch one as dangerous as youre describing?”

“I'm still working on it.” Mikhaela straightened, even a bit proudly, and turned to look at Matthias again, though this time, her look didnt waver, her voice firm. “But then again, I have someone like him with me.” She turned to Regan and smiled a small smile. “You shouldn’t waste a time worrying.”