The Dealers

Chapter 54 - Lena

A good twenty minutes before Azrael busted through the wooden doors of Moorehouse, I sensed him. I could smell the mix of oak and ocean breeze. I could feel him and the intensity with which he moved. The rage, the uncertainty and urges that he felt were almost like my own.

Unsure what to do, I knew that I should warn Noah and the others but it shocked me that they didn't already know themselves. I wasn't the reaper and I didn't have any special powers. It was Noah and his brothers that were connected to Azrael on a supernatural level but they were all so clueless.

Still, I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth and say something. I let Azrael creep up to Moorehouse like I was a traitor. Was I certain that Azrael meant no harm? I couldn't be and yet, I found myself taking that chance with my silence.

As Azrael entered the room and everyone else startled to the defense, I merely stood there unable to do anything. And with a simple command as if I were nothing more than his property, I did as Azrael ordered.

Walking to him like a mindless idiot, a part of me wondered why I couldn't resist him and the other part of me realized that I didn't want to actually resists him at all. The latter startled me more than anything else but my legs moved regardlessly and I was at Azrael's side within moments.

Being so in tuned with Azrael, I could feel what he felt and the second I obeyed him, I was flooded with a sense of both accomplishment and surprise. Azrael was pleased that I did as he ordered but he was also surprised that I did—which made two of us.

This entire time, I hoped that Azrael held the answers we desperately needed but once he showed me a glimpse at what lay beneath his hard exterior, I realized that he had no answers—only more questions. Azrael knew less than we did about what was happening and he was just as scared as I was about the changes. If nothing else, he and I were bonded by what was happening to us.

"Lena..." I heard Noah say softly from behind me but I didn't have the guts to look at him. He didn't deserve to be hurt the way I was hurting him but I had no control over what I felt or what I did.

I hated to admit it but Azrael's influence was undeniable at that point. I could feel what he felt and I was completely unable to deny his command. I could also tell that I wasn't the only one affected—Azrael was different, too.

As I was about to open my mouth and break the mountain of tension in the room, Noah was at Azrael's throat and was attempting to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately for him, Azrael didn't falter and effortlessly reversed the hold. Grabbing Noah by his collar, Azrael's rage was palpable. I could feel his rage within myself.

Nearly crippled by anger that wasn't my own, I heard my voice begging Azrael to let Noah go but I didn't recall speaking. My ears were plugged by an annoying ringing and my vision blurred in and out as I tried focusing on Azrael to steady my balance.

I was physically being affected by Azrael's emotions—negatively at that—and I felt like at any moment, I was going to lose my grip on whatever still kept me on my feet. The dizziness set in next as I called out again—this time for Noah but, I couldn't even hear my own voice.

The last thing I saw was Azrael's face as the room went sideways and something soft caught me at first before I crashed into something solid. When I opened my eyes again—what seemed like a long while later—it was Noah that I saw, not Azrael. In fact, as I glanced around the room and tried to figure out what happened, I didn't see Azrael anywhere.

Panic set it.

"What happened?" I asked Noah and when he looked at his brothers beside him for support, I knew the news wasn't good. The sun had set and I was oblivious as to what time it was—let alone what day.