Angel's Wings

Chapter 16- Searching

Joesephe's POV

"I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way" - Fallout Boy

I saw Vaelyumme get hit by the UPS truck before I could do anything about it. A scream tore from my larynx as I jogged up to meet her broken body on the pavement. "VAELYUMME!" A cut above her eyebrow bled onto her perfectly curled, long eyelashes that had once framed the most crystal clear blue eyes I'd ever seen. Now they were closed, and the shredded fabric around her stomach revealed blood- lots of it. My gums ached with the paralyzing desire to lean forward and lick it from her skin. To sink my teeth into it and let the juices fill my mouth and body. It had been so long since I had partaken of another human...

Instead I stroked matted hair from her porcelain cheek. Only the slightest rise and fall of her chest indicated to me that she was still holding on. "Vael, hold on, Vael," I pled. A boot scuffed behind me and I looked up to see Fred staring at the two of us grimly. I launched to my feet and in an instant had him pinned against the side of the truck by the throat.

"I AM YOUR GENERAL, DEMON!" I yelled furiously. Fred's face remained indifferent. Not long ago he had been my supplier of blood, a soldier in the war we were fighting. The war Vael didn't even know about...I slammed his head against the window. "HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME WHEN I GAVE EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS NOT TO HARM THE PRINCESS?! ON THIS DAY YOU ARE HEREBY NAMED A TRAITOR, FRED BURT IMOGENE." Fred had the audacity to crack a smile as I glanced down at Vaelyumme again. Vaelyumme, who didn't even know the truth about herself yet. Who, if I didn't help, would be dead soon. And then everything would be lost...

"General?" Fred spat the word at me, tail curling subtly from his jeans. "You are no longer deserving of that title, Joesephe Dracula. You have fallen in love with our target. If needed, we were supposed to execute her!" Fred sneered. My throat went dry. "I have orders from Lucifer himself. I am to transport the princess to a new location." He shoved me backward and waved a hand over his cap to reveal a new label: FBI. Then he threw a handful of something at me, and next thing I knew I was gagging. My throat began to close and I fell to my knees beside Vaelyumme. Garlic, was my last thought before everything went black.

Alfredo's POV

"Does she know my destiny lies with her?" Panic! At the Disco

I was in Human Anatomy when I heard the ballroom that connected Vaelyumme and me crack inside my head. As prince of the angels in our war against the demons, I had special privileges to connect with the princess, to persuade her to our side before she even knew what she was getting into.

But then I had met her, and we kissed, and things changed. Now when I thought of her, I thought of how soft her skin was, how she had looked in that dress. How her hair shimmered even in the dark. She was unlike any girl I had met before; so oblivious to her own charm and beauty.

So when I felt our connection be injured, I lurched to my feet in panic. Mr. Stephens raised an eyebrow at me. Delylah glared. "Is something wrong?" the teacher asked.

"I have to go," I gasped, and without looking back, I stormed out. Vaelyumme, what happened to you? Just as I was about to walk through the front doors, I hear a small gasp. I whirled around to see a pair of vaguely familiar pair of grassy green eyes staring at me with something like horror. After a moment I realized that I had seen this boy with Vael before, including at the party where we had kissed. I swallowed back a wave of jealousy.

The boy strode towards me urgently. "Something's happened, hasn't it?" I frowned.

"What?"

"I know who you are, angel prince." I gaped.

"What's your name?"

"Blake." Blake's eyes narrowed, even though I could see how worried they were. "Our identities are not the point. You have a connection with Vael. You care about her. And your leaving in a panic. I can put two and two together." My jaw dropped. He didn't seem like a demon, and he certainly wasn't an angel. How on earth did he know who I was?

"I don't have time for this," I finally said, turning to go again. There would be time to interrogate him, after I found Vael. Blake grabbed my arm.

"I'm coming with you," he said. It wasn't a question. I looked at him for a long second before shrugging. At least this way I could keep an eye on this mysterious boy. I nodded and we ran off together, me following the fractures in Vael and I's link, hoping it would be enough.

Blake's POV

"I like the way you're everything I've ever wanted."- Taylor Swift

I didn't care about the war. I didn't care that Vael had two powerful leaders in the war vying over her. All I cared about was that something was wrong with her, and I had to save her- the best friend I'd ever had. The girl who knew so little, especially about me. About how much I had grown to love her. Not that she needed to know that last part. She had enough on her hands.

Using his and Vael's link, Alfredo lead us to a small neighborhood where I immediately got a bad feeling. And it was validated a moment later when we saw the body of Joesephe Dracula lying in the middle of the road, blood that didn't appear to be his splattered around him. The angel prince groaned and strode towards him, kicking Joesephe's body so hard that he jolted upright, gasping. For a moment the vampire general (did Vael even know about that?) glared up at Alfredo, hatred already seething between the two. I rolled my eyes. All because of some ancient feud. "What are you doing here, pigeon?"

"Where's Vael, bloodluster?" They stared at each other for another moment before Joesephe's eyes flickered over to me.

"What's he doing here?" He asked Alfredo.

"He is here to find Vael," I scoffed. I had never been a fan of vampires, particularly this one. "So go suck a bloodbag and, Alfredo, focus on finding her."

Joesephe got up and nearly flew towards me, blazing with fury. "What right have you to tell me what to do?"

I smiled. If only he knew. "I'm not an angel parading as a rockstar," I said calmly. Behind us, Alfredo growled. "And I am not one of your soldiers. I am here for one reason and one reason only: Vael's wellbeing. That gives me more right to look after her than either of you. Why don't you tell us what happened?" Joesephe paled at the memory and as he explained it to us, I felt increasingly panicked. How much pain was she in right now? Alfredo's back arched and a moment later I saw what Vael had been describing of her dreams. He flew- literally- at Joesephe and picked him up by his collar, lifting him into the air. "YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?" He boomed. "HOW COULD YOU-"

Suddenly he clutched his head and fell to the ground, dropping a furious Joesephe. I surged forward. Hold on, Vael. "What?" I demanded, gripping his shoulders. "What's happening?"

My chest leaped as a smile curled the corners of the angel's mouth. He looked up. "She's awake."