The Devil's Love

||. Chapter 3: Troubles .||

Every night had felt the same to Jiang for the past years. No knocking at the front door. No random strangers banging harshly to demand something he never understood. However, tonight, the very similar air that he had been breathing felt exotic against his chest. There wasn't any haze in the air. He had not seen any werewolves running around the streets like what Ansel had scared him with and neither did he saw any police cars pulling over telling him that someone was dead.

Dead? That's it. That's the word he had been thinking off. He paced in the living room nervously while his fingers tapped onto the screen multiple times. What if she is dead? What if someone abducted her? Or what if – and that's when he had decided to stop because there were too many what if's which was not appropriate. Jiang darted his brown eyes one last time back to the front door before returning his gaze towards the clock hanging right above the aquarium. Ansel was supposed to be back by ten which was supposed to be an hour earlier.

Something was wrong.

He had called numerous times only to have his call diverted to her voicemail. Fear was creeping up in his heart like poison ivy growing from a bush. Ansel had never left her phone unattended unless she was at home. Even if she was working overtime, she would have called by nine. The fact that today is a special occasion made Ansel worried even more. Both of them had planned a surprise party for Annika's return from her mobility sessions, but the absence of Ansel made his worries grew.

Jiang raked his fingers nervously in his hair. He slipped his phone in the pocket, picking up a cherry tomato to munch in order to calm his nerves. That clearly did not work. He returned to the living room, slumped his body on the couch and tossed his phone to the side. Jiang groaned as he brushed his cheeks nervously. Where could she be? And he prayed she isn't dead or in trouble.

Just as he had decided to give another call, the doorbell rang. Jumping out of the couch, Jiang headed to the door like a small kid that had been waiting for a candy delivery. However, his smile faded away in one flush when he saw who was at the door. It made his fear grew stronger. Worries drenched his heart as if he was standing under the rain. He wasn't disappointed at the new company, but it made him crazy.

"What's with the attitude?" Annika questioned, dragging her bag into the house and kicked the door shut. "Aren't you supposed to be happy with my return? Or you wished my plane had an engine failure?"

"No," Jiang answered truthfully as he towered over the girl. "No. I am totally happy with your return, but we are having a problem, now."

Annika stared right into her eyes, clutching her waist with her arms. "What's the problem?" She snapped, causing Jiang to take a step backwards as his mind turned off for a second and Annika questioned him again when she noticed the sad, dull look on his face as if someone had just died. "What is it?!"

"Ansel," Jiang started, licking his dry lips. "She is not back from her night shift. She is not picking up her phone and it is directed to her..."

"Then. What are you waiting for? For unicorns to start falling from the skies with her on their backs?!" Annika snapped, holding both her hands in the air before she took out her own phone. "Call her! Call her till you get her! Did you call her workplace?"

"I did," Jiang answered as he picked his phone up, dialling her number when Annika could not reach her. "They informed me that she had left at nine which is an hour earlier than her shift."

"What?!" Annika screamed, her bangles rung when she lifted her palms up onto her forehead. "An hour? Oh my gosh!" She muttered frantically. "Should we get the cops?"

"It's only an hour, I..."

"Hello, an hour! An hour you said! Jiang! She could be dying out there. Her stingray's tail speech is a plus point for death and she might be beaten up by some kind of tattooed man with a huge scar enough to even scare the death away!" Annika screeched as if she was possessed by a witch and Jiang was torn between laughing or keeping quiet which in the end he covered his mouth.

However, there was truth in her speech. The humour faded away like an unwanted haze in split seconds. He sat himself down on the couch before shaking his head at Annika's outburst before she muttered in her mother tongue while she unpacked her bags. Jiang drummed his fingers on the couch, his fingernails dug deep between the leather as he thought of all the possibilities of where Ansel would be. He would have run out to search for her, but even he did not know her secret hideout except for her books.

Then, it struck his mind. Ansel had been mumbling about the boy who had been following her for the past year. Could it be him? Could he happen to abduct her? Or killed her? Jiang's back straightened as he called Ansel again one last try. Perhaps he would take a walk around the restaurant to see if she might be there once he had assured himself. What if he is a vampire who had been trying to drain her blood? Or an alien who might have abducted her for an experiment? Or maybe he is too late that she is dead?

Where are you, Ansel? – He murmured in silence as his voice shook with fear.

Annika turned to study Jiang's worry expression. "Did she say anything before she left this morning?" Her black eyes studied him carefully.

"No, Annika," said Jiang. "This is not the first time she is late, but..."

His words trailed off. He didn't know how to form those words. He had always been worried about Ansel. No matter how many times, he will always be perturbed.

The younger girl settled herself on the couch. Her fingers brushing across the bracelet on her wrist. "We are always worried. Ansel is like a bomb ready to explode at any moment. I hope she is not pulling any trick this time."

"Most unlikely," answered Jiang truthfully and added. "Tricks are not her favorite. She doesn't have any sleeves for that. She hates them. Never does them."

He closed his eyes, brushing them with his fingers. The sight of Ansel covered in blood was the only thing he could picture.

Each time he saw Ansel he felt as if his heart would explode. His breath hitched as he stared at the clock. The goldfish in the aquarium seemed to be swimming freely. It calmed him for a moment, but his thoughts were disrupted again in split seconds. Jiang couldn't explain how he felt about it. His hands shook as he scrolled through Ansel's messages, hoping that he had missed something. His lips quivered. His eyebrows furrowed and tossed his phone to the other corner of the couch.

Please. Please let her be safe and alive.

== xxx ==

The unfamiliar scent of metal stung her nose as she felt something wet dripping on her lips. Ansel let a groan escaped her lips at the stinging sensation on her lips. Sticking her tongue out, Ansel licked the scent away only to hiss when it stung her. She was hurt and the outer skin of her lips was no longer there to defend her internal skin layers. The stinging sensation sent shocks all over her body, causing her to force her eyes open in one go.

Once she got a clear view of the place, Ansel's only desire to flip her bangs away was forgotten when she felt her arms tied behind the chair she had been sitting on. She felt the pain in her neck and the only thing she recalled was someone knocking her out before she could pick up a nearby log she had noticed. As her fingers ran around the knot to untangle it, she heard the sound of the door clicked open with a few men and women flooding her sight from her door.

She watched as their boots came closer and Ansel lifted her head up to see who it was. Silence filled the room while she tried to restore her memories to the person in front of her. The singing crickets seemed to be providing them with their background music. When she noticed the man pushing his way through, she tried to suppress a gasp. The man she never wanted to see again was standing right in front of her breathing and living, enjoying the luxury she was supposed to have. Hate overrode her anger and it turned into her inner flames.