Angels in the Abyss

CHAPTER 12 - CORPSE FLOWER

"His name's Valen, by the way... Valen Ruinspire. Can't believe I never mentioned it before," Kaia said, breaking the silence.

The car ride quickly fell back into uneasy quiet. We were all on edge about meeting this ex-demon, and driving through the middle of nowhere only added to the tension.

I absently grazed my fingers over the fine leather cover of the book in my lap. It was probably the most intricately crafted one I'd ever seen. I wondered what made it so important.

Sylus gently placed his hand on my thigh, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced up at him. There was something striking about him when he was driving—his sharp jawline tensing in focus, the wind tousling his red hair. Sitting shotgun definitely had its perks.

"Was it easy to take the book?" he asked, though I could hear the avoidance in his tone. He wasn't really asking about the danger I'd been in, not when he already felt guilty for putting me there.

I didn't want to add to his stress. "Yeah, he wasn't home. I found it in one of his drawers."

His jaw clenched at that. "Let's hope he doesn't trace it back to you when he realizes it's missing."

I turned my gaze out the window, hating that I was hiding things from him. But I hated feeling like a burden even more. I needed to prove I could handle this, that I wasn't just dragging everyone down.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Kaia nervously fiddling with her necklace. If even she was this anxious, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of person Valen was. I shook the thought away—I needed to face this with confidence.

After what felt like hours of winding through endless trees, the road suddenly stopped at a dead-end.

Imara, who had been sitting behind us, popped her head between our seats and squinted at the path that led nowhere but more trees. "Sy, where the hell have you taken us?"

Before Sylus could protest, Kaia hopped out of the car and strode toward the woods. The three of us exchanged confused glances, then rushed to follow her as she waved us forward.

We caught up with Kaia, who kept moving ahead, "When I said Valen lives in the middle of nowhere, I wasn't exaggerating. He's very secretive."

Imara was on high alert, her eyes scanning every inch of our surroundings, from the forest floor to the branches above us. It made sense, given that we had no clue where we were headed.

Sylus stayed close to my side, mirroring Imara's caution. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes glued to the ground, feeling a bit useless compared to them. Relying on them to protect me felt cowardly. I should be learning from them, especially now that I was dragged into all this chaos. I needed to start looking out for myself.

Just as I lifted my head, my foot snagged on a branch, sending me stumbling forward. Sylus caught me instantly, steadying me with a smirk. "I guess clumsiness isn't something you can outgrow."

My face flushed with embarrassment. I quickly pushed him off and straightened up, muttering curses under my breath while he chuckled behind me.

As we continued walking, it felt like we were passing the same spot over and over again. I started questioning Kaia's sense of direction until something caught my eye in the distance.

"There it is!" Kaia said, relieved. "For a second, even I thought we were lost."

Imara shot her a sharp glare. "That's not something I want to hear from our guide."

Kaia just shrugged. "Well, we're here, aren't we? You're welcome."

Imara rolled her eyes and headed toward the shack Kaia had pointed out. It looked like it had been swallowed by the forest—weathered and worn, barely distinguishable from the trees around it. The structure was so rundown it was a wonder we hadn't mistaken it for a pile of trash.