Chapter 5

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Alistair could remember only one other time when he had felt such an excruciating pain. Finally, he had found Elias. And then, unable to wait for the perfect opportunity that he had set in place already, he had shown himself to Elias. And ruined everything, like a fool.

“Caw! Caw! Caw!” The eerie cries of crows brought Alistair from watching Elias disappear amongst the trees.

He looked up, his eyes narrowing into two thin slits.

A muster of black birds was assembling on the branches above him, below the lush canopies. There must’ve been hundreds of them. After landing, they just sat there, staring at him with sharp eyes, occasionally letting out a croak.

A stone formed in Alistair’s hand, and he launched it at the crows.

The birds soared into the air, flapping their wings like mad. “Caw! Caw! Caw!” However, two unlucky ones were too slow. The stone hit them hard, turning them into a mash of feathers, blood, bones, and organs as they splashed over the floor.

“That was unnecessary,” a male voice came from the direction of the crows. And soon after, a hooded figure formed, sitting on a branch of the tree, completely relaxed. Black, feathery wings were hanging over the branch, moving slightly as if they were synchronized with the man’s breathing.

“Your minions are unnecessary. Stalking me much?” Alistair growled back. A handkerchief appeared in his hold, and he wiped off a few drops of crimson blood that managed to sprinkle the covers of his book. The fabric vanished right after.

“Now excuse me, I have places to be.” A sizzling fire started where his heart should be, then spread out through his limbs.

“And Elias?” the figure asked. “Why don’t you just tell him everything? Why the secrecy? Just be honest with him.”

That made Alistair stop. His body cooled down. Cocking his head at the man, he laughed, dryly. “Are you kidding me? How stupid do you think I am?” If he were to tell Elias the full truth, he was quite certain Elias would reject him, forever. He couldn't handle the truth, not yet at least.

That’s why Alistair had a plan. He just had to ensure to actually follow it, unlike today.

“Very,” the figure mocked him. “You fell in love with an angel, and look at where it got you. You are even stuck pretending to be human. Pathetic. Not that I would expect anything more from your kind.”

Alistair smirked. “Oh, I'm not stuck with anything. And yes, I did fall in love with an angel. But not with you. So, come down from that tree, and I’ll show just how pathetic I am. Or are you scared?”

“Unlike someone, I am not foolish.” The angel extended his hand, his lithe fingers slightly curved in an inviting gesture. Long, wide sleeves glided down his arm, gathering at the elbow. “Come, my children.”

The smashed crows from before started healing as if the time itself would be reversing. Every scattered piece of them drew back, merging. Their eyes opened simultaneously, and they flew up, croaking while joining their brothers and sisters, circling the angel with a call of victory.

“And yet you keep on stalking me. How desperate for attention are you?” Alistair had enough. He initiated a waterfall of scorching heat gushing through him again.

“Not very,” the angel puffed. “Hower, I do still have a soft spot for Elias in my soul, despite all wrongdoings he had committed. Which is why I am here to warn you. If he ever gains his true form and the two of you join, the penalty will not be merciful. Breaking a law requires punishment. We were too kind in the past. We will not repeat the same mistake again.”

Alistair took a step forward. “It seems you’re confused. I’m only playing nice because I want to, for now.” A wicked grin spread over his lips. “But if you touch him, I’ll tear off those precious wings of yours and feed them to you. That’s a promise.”

With the fridge ice running through him, the reality around him warped. The forest, the river, the annoying crows, and their even more irritating master. Even the night itself turned into the late afternoon’s sun, shining into a spacious, luxurious penthouse through the full-length windows.

He walked to the bedroom’s wall and slid the painting of an orange tree in a pot, aside, revealing a heavy-duty safe. The digits on the keypad beeped as he entered the correct sequence of numbers. 100010. The safe unlocking, he placed the sketchbook inside, amongst letters and a wooden box. He then locked the safe again and returned the painting to its place.

An image of Elias flashed before his eyes, as vivid as if he were standing right in front of him. “Please, open it soon.”

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