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Chapter 8

"Well, what do we have here?" A spiteful, contemptuous voice mused from behind us.

Victor's body stiffened. I glanced up at him, as he shifted his body so that I couldn't see the stranger. It wasn't Silence; no, the voice was hostile and masculine. It wasn't an undead; he had too much power radiating off of him. So much power, that my knees almost gave out from underneath me, and the only thing that kept me from collapsing was Victor, his arms wrapped protectively around my shoulders.

"Now is not the time, Arel." Victor spat through clenched teeth.

Arel?

I tried to catch his eye, but it was no use. He was avoiding my gaze, but tightened his grip on me.

Hissing in frustration, I craned my neck around his broad chest and peered over his shoulder.

A tall, middle aged man stood only a few meters away from us. He was holding the tube with the pink liquid in between his thumb and forefinger at his eye level. There were wrinkles of laughter around his baby blue eyes and mouth, and stubble grew lightly along his square jaw. His body was swathed with a spotless white attire, and a blinding white light radiated from those large, but delicate feathery wings that sprouted from his shoulder blades.

My throat constricted. It was beautiful. Beautiful, but deadly. So this was the notorious Angel of Life?

Suddenly, his eyes snapped towards mine, as if he'd sensed me looking at him. A knowing smile flickered along the strangers' lips.

As if on cue, Silence barged through the door. She was panting heavily, as if she had just ran a marathon.

Silence immediately took in our position, not even noticing the stranger staring curiously at her. And I swear, for a split-second I saw something unknown flash through her eyes.

Jealousy.

I blinked in shock. But as I opened my eyes, I saw her eyes narrowed at me. A hard, unforgiving edge carved into her darkening pupils. The malevolence they held was unmistakable.

Victor glanced over his shoulder, following my stare. Silence quickly composed herself; a rare, but fake smile flittering across her face.

I heard him sigh, releasing me from his grip before running a hand through his hair.

The stranger cleared his throat, dramatically loud in order to get a point across. Victor begrudgingly stepped aside.

"Holly, this is... Arel." He stared at the stranger the whole time, who wore a smug grin and a confident aura.

"Arel, this is..." He trailed off, refusing to meet my eyes still. But before I could demand what was wrong, I was pulled into a tight, bone crushing hug that lifted me off my feet.

"My favourite niece!" I froze. Niece?

"She's your only niece, Arel." Silence sighed, standing awkwardly by the door way.

"Victor? A word please?" She asked him politely, but her saccharine words carried an underlying threat. Any 'request' she proposed normally had a hidden message, saying 'agree or I'll force you to'. She always wanted things to go her way.

Victor hesitated. I hoped he would refuse, and tell me who this man was. The Angel of Life can't possibly be my uncle. Can he?

I need you to promise me you won't venture far from me at any point. He will have you in his hands quickly if you do so. Here, with me, you are safe. I recounted his words from earlier. Was he talking about Arel?

Without any warning, my back convulsed. I was hit by a harsh, merciless surge of pain, that seemed to protrude from the tips of Arel's wings, surrounding me like an impenetrable, yet suffocating blanket. Shielding me the cold, brutal sense of the undead world; acting as a cocoon protecting me until I was ready to take on a completely different form.

The back of my shirt ripped. Then, something fluffy and soft rubbed against my skin, in two spots just beneath my shoulder blades. A shudder ran through me, carrying an electrifying wave of energy, and soon the white wings that were wrapped around me loosened. All my energy was being channelled towards the two soft spots on my back, and after a few seconds I heard a flap. Then,

I relaxed my muscles, sighing in relief.

Arel stepped back. A victorious smile was plastered upon his pale face, and the tips of his wings were burnt. A single, black feather clung to the bottom, before gently floating down to the floor.

I looked around desperately, and when I found Victor, he was standing close to Silence. They both stared at me, awestruck. Their mouths were slightly apart, eyebrows hidden among their hairlines and eyes bulging out of their sockets. Normally, I would have laughed at their comical expressions. But it was different this time.

With a shudder, I sucked in a deep breath, the soft, feathery substances shrinking back into the soft spots drilled into my skin by my shoulder blades. Narrowing my eyes, I turned to glare at the one person directly in front of me.

But it was too late. He had vanished.

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By birdie-pie. Great chap! Total surpise, right? Let us know what you think! Thank you for reading!!