The Voice Of My Dark Angel Book 1 Angels of the Apocalypse

5: Don't Look Back

I was lost. There was no other way of stating it. I spun in a circle and looked up at all the huge trees around me, bewildered.

I had no food, no water, no clothes, unless you counted the fluffy robe. I didn’t even have shoes, and my feet were covered in dirt and detritus from the forest floor. How the Hell did I end up out here? Where even was I? Based on the temperature and dim light, I was guessing it was early morning. Which direction should I choose? Should I put the sun in front or behind me? East or West? North or South?

My first priority should probably be water. Animal tracks! You could usually follow animal tracks to water! As I stepped forward onto a thorny vine, my priorities changed.

Shoes. Shoes should definitely be my first priority.

“Well, well.. What have we here? It looks like Stolas went out and found himself a juicy morsel.” The voice reached into me and seemed to poison my nervous system. Instead of the sweet, promising, seductive voice of the Demon I’d been staying with, this voice held nothing but malice.

“Can’t find your way back, can you little nibble?” Another voice slithered up my spine. It held promises, but none of them were good.

“Didn’t Stolas tell you not to leave his little hidden grotto? Unless you know where it is, you can’t find your way ba-ack.” The words were said in a sing-song voice, and a creature circled me. It had three heads, shifting and changing shape constantly, and the upper body of a man that faded into the body of a snake. Besides a light rustling in the weeds, it moved almost soundlessly. It dragged a pointed talon down my cheek.

“Mmm, but should we eat you or breed you?” One of the heads asked.

“We could use a slave,” another answered.

“What would Stolas give us to get her back?” responded the third. Dread skittered down my spine.

“Who’s S-Stolas?” I stammered through chattering teeth. This Demon was cold. Ice cold. It radiated it, chilling me to the bone. Even if I had wanted to run, I couldn’t. My body was frozen, stuck staring at the nightmare before me. All three heads swung around to look at me at once.

“Maybe not so useful to Stolas after all.” Frowned the third head.

“Pity. Might have been worth it. He always did have a soft spot for these tender, primitive little creatures.” The first replied. I tried to back up a step while it was distracted and talking to itself, but my movement caught the Demon’s attention.

“Girl!” “Stay where you are!” “Girl!” The three heads were hissing at me all at once, and I flinched as they whipped forward towards me like a snake striking. Stifling a cry, I froze again and tried to think of what to do. With its attention once again riveted on me, I again felt paralyzed with fear.

“The bird might still be interested-” One head spoke.

“We’d get more use from her ourselves than that.”

“Yesss. If he’s not attached, better we just keep her.” They spoke amongst themselves, at least one head always keeping an eye on me now. What were those old fables? The stories of the multiple-headed beasts? The Fates with only one eye that they passed between them? How did the hero always get away? Didn’t they start an argument between the heads or..distract and confuse them?

“Who will eat her then?” One head demanded as my hand crept to the robe’s belt.

“Yess, there’s not enough for all!” I was forcibly reminded of The Hobbit. Only this snake wasn’t going to turn to stone when the sun rose because, well… the sun was already up. And it was a Demon.

“I want to f**k her first,” the middle head said. A long, forked tongue shot out of its mouth as if tasting the air. The whole creature stiffened.

“It lies! It lies!” All three heads cried. The snake darted forward to circle me, tongues whipping out to taste the air.

“You do know Stolas!” One accused, and I shook my head, bewildered.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” I protested, raising my hands as the belt on the robe came free.

“Lies!” “We can taste him on you!” “Girl!” The heads screeched and finally my mind started putting things together.

The house I was staying in. The Demon had told me not to go wandering, and the only times I’d made it in and out were in his company. If I was out now, I couldn’t be far from the Demon’s house, and if what they said about it being impossible to enter without ‘Stolas’ ‘ permission, maybe he wasn’t aware I was even gone. The bird-they’d called him the ‘bird’. The dark feathers, the golden eyes.. Stolas. They’d called him Stolas. I hope I had the right one.

Yanking the robe from my shoulders, I threw it at the three-headed snake’s faces while yelling Stolas’ name. The snake recoiled and I turned to run, but I forgot about the other end. The tail, the f*****g tail! It had a stinger on it like a scorpion that I didn’t know about until it swung it at me. The tail went wide, sweeping a broad arc and nailing me in the shoulder. I screamed, but kept running.

“Stolas! Stolas!” I sobbed. “Please be the right one!” My shoulder twinged, it was like someone had driven a nail into it and left it there. I clutched at it and realized it was already swelling and leaking some kind of liquid that didn’t feel like blood. I risked a glance at it and noticed a thin yellow fluid trickling between my fingers. The wound already looked red and inflamed, a tracery of red veins beginning to show up around it. My shoulder twinged again, and I realized my arm felt limp. I tried moving it, and it went, but I couldn’t feel it. It fell limp and useless seconds later. Of course the snake was venomous.

“A paralytic. Oh God Analise, I’m sorry! Stolas, if that was your name, I hope you don’t find me. That Demon’s going to kill you, and you seemed.. Ok.” I broke down. The sound of something smashing through the vegetation behind me made me flinch. The snake was coming. My neck felt stiff and I was having a hard time catching my breath. The venom must be spreading.

“You cannot essscape us!” The three heads roared, clamoring over each other to be heard. Unfortunately, they were right. My right side went completely numb, and I lost my balance. My heart and lungs wouldn’t keep up with the demand I was placing on them, and I felt sure I was starving for air. The left side of my body still had sensation, so I felt it when the scales wrapped around me, tightening as they coiled about my neck and chest.

“You. will. die. “ The heads said one at a time, and as the coils of red scales covered over my head, a flurry of feathers was the last thing I saw. Wishful thinking right to the end.

Screeching. Hissing. Incomprehensible language. Then arms wrapped around me and a beautiful voice whispering “Of course I would come to find you. The danger is never too great.” My mind relinquished its control with a shudder. I was certain there were tears as well.

This time when I woke up, I wasn’t alone. A great bird, a snowy owl, guarded me. Its head c****d to the side as I sat slowly up. The golden eyes that looked out at me from the face were not quite a bird’s eyes, however, with their slitted pupils. And they were very familiar.

“Stolas?” I whispered, and he tilted his head the other way, then blinked slowly. “I guess we never did get on a first-name basis. Even though.. This is the second time you’ve saved me. So… thanks. I’m Charlotte, by the way.” Cautiously, I crawled off the bed I was lying on, which, I noted, was not in my usual room. “May I.. come over there and.. Touch you?” I mumbled. Stolas seemed to preen, settling down, feathers fluffing out and eyes fixed on me as I approached. I took that for a yes. Either that or he was preparing to eat me. I walked towards the huge bird slowly. When Stolas didn’t startle or act defensive, I ran my hands under his large feathers, feeling the heat trapped within.

“Oh! You’re so warm!” I gasped, and let myself collapse into the feathers of his belly and chest. Stolas startled slightly at that, lifting his wings and rising. I was quick to apologize and back off, but to my surprise, he cupped a wing around me and scooped me back against his feathered belly. Like a baby chick. I laughed to myself, and buried my face in the silky warmth. Suddenly, the feathers around me were arms, and a warm cheek was pressed to the top of my head.

“Don’t ever do that to me again.” The gorgeous voice breathed, coming from above and resonating in the firm chest beneath my ear. “The poison, the attack.. I didn’t think I’d get to you in time..” I could nearly fall in love with the way the voice seemed to hold so much care for me. I wanted so much to believe it, to know it was for me as a person. Not just as a tool for some Demon's cause. The arms around me tightened.

“How did you even get out there?” He demanded harshly.

“I.. honestly don’t know.” I managed to squeeze out. “One minute I was dreaming, and then I was in the forest. I used to sleepwalk as a kid. It would happen again when I was stressed out as I grew up. Maybe that’s what happened.” I shrugged my shoulders, but the grip on me didn’t loosen.

“Perhaps,” Stolas murmured thoughtfully, and our conversation came to a close.

Mealtime was tense. I didn't know how to proceed. Stolas was a lot easier to deal with as a fluffy owl, to me. I picked at my food and he sat across from me, staring.

“There need to be some rules-” Stolas began.

“I can’t stay.” I blurted at the same time. Stolas looked surprised, then his expression hardened.

“You seem to think you have a choice at this point. I have healed you innumerable times, saved you more than once. You have more of my energy flowing through your veins than your own at present. I own you. You’ll be staying right here at least until the energy signature subsides and you can’t be tracked.” Stolas tapped a long, thin index finger on the table for emphasis. I could feel my face heating as my temper flared.

“I have responsibilities-” I grit out.

“Your trades?” Stolas snorted. “I’m sure those colonies will be fine without your paltry offerings.” He waved a hand dismissively. And now I’d been insulted in addition to being caged.

“Excuse me?” I snarled. “If I can find my way out of here asleep, you can bet your feathered ass I can do it awake. You can’t keep me here. I refuse to be held!” I slammed up from the table, knocking my chair over, but was met with a rush of dark feathers.

“You think because you’ve met one of my many forms that you understand my nature and my threat to you?” Stolas’ voice purred from within the darkness surrounding me. I struggled to break free, but his grip was as insubstantial as smoke, yet somehow still hard as iron.

“Let. me. Go!” I yelled.

“I thought you said you could leave under your own power. Well, let’s see it then. Leave.” Stolas’ voice mocked. Hearing that sinful voice used in such a malicious way was like driving a knife into my heart. I struggled, kicking and swinging my arms wildly, but could land no hits. Frustrated, I shrieked wordlessly. The storm of feathers and invisible grasping claws slowed.

“What makes you so desperate to leave me? Here, you are safe. Here, you are protected.” Stolas demanded.

“I have.. To find..” I kept fighting, unsure how much to trust Stolas. Unsure how much to say.

“Find what?” Stolas pressured, golden eyes appearing in front of me. “What is so important that you would risk your life-?”

“My sister! Ok? My sister!” Everything around me froze and Stolas walked out of the darkness, a pair of dark, feathered wings folding into his body as his flesh and hair became paler. His eyes gleamed gold, full of some emotion I couldn’t understand. “She was with me, when the Hell Hound attacked!” I sobbed, unable to keep it in any longer. I sank to my knees, curling in on myself.

“I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead!” I yelled at Stolas. Tears obscured my vision, but I was certain that, for a moment, just a moment, he glowed. I curled back in on myself, protecting myself from his gaze and his judgement, and gave in to my tears as he stared wordlessly down at me. His stare was heavy, a weight I could feel like a physical presence, even though I couldn’t see it.