The Angel of Death (18+)

Chapter 49: Dare

Scarslayer left me to gather my little supplies to be ready to go "home."

I left my true home behind long ago, if I was lucky and did everything right, I would be dead by the end of this.

When I went back downstairs, I noted the guards that lingered outside the door ready for us to depart. I quickly traversed through the room only to be stopped by a woman of tall height with her hand on my shoulder, as she bent down and whispered into my ear, "Think about what you're doing. There are other ways to do this, my angel."

I quickly broke the contact and looked at the woman's eyes, they were normal except for the faint milky covering across them that could only be seen from the glare of the light. I quickly looked around me, searching for the person who was responsible for this.

"Mara? What's the matter?" Scarslayer's concerned voice rang beside my ear and brushed along my neck making me shiver, "Nothing. Just thought I heard something. Let's go home." I hope the desperation in my voice wasn't too noticeable, but it worked as Scarslayer led me by the hand outside to a pure white horse decorated in gold, waiting for me.

I stopped short and Scarslayer looked back at me, confused by why I stopped. I looked to him and then back at the horse, don't get me wrong, it was beautiful but something was off.

I let go of his hand and went to the stable-keep to the side and asked for Hades, not two minutes later the horse was next to me.

A laugh and I looked to the guard who was the cause, "What's so funny?"

"It's just that we've given you the finest steed there is and you've chosen some...well whatever breed that mule is and you blatantly-"

Here and there, I was there and then I was suddenly in front of the guard with my hand cupping his cheek as he looked down on me with pure fear in his eyes. I think he would tell me to lay my hands off him, but he could not speak, because I was draining his source of life merely by touching him.

Not seconds later he slumped to the ground with a loud thud, and I looked around to anyone else who might laugh at my choices again. No one looked me in the eyes except Scarslayer, something like awe and amazement in his gaze.

Ew.

I clapped my hands together, "Now, anyone else who wants to question my choices will get that and more. Now, lets get going."

I mounted Hades and let the procession towards my awaiting hell begin.

As we rode away from the tavern, away from that woman, I looked back as if I could go back and hear that woman say those two words again.

My angel.

It seemed Lorcan still had not given up on me, and I was afraid of what it made me feel in my futile heart and soul.

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The ride to to where Scarslayer is bringing me is rough, days in the saddle making me sore. The slightest movement to the left or right wringing a wince from me.

Every day the night sets we make camp with guards posted everywhere, as if waiting for a chance that I will escape and they'd catch me.

I'm no fool to think that if I ran now he wouldn't chase. I'm too close for Scarslayer to ever let go.

As each night comes to an end and I close my eyes, the image of the tall woman with milky-clouded eyes and her words flash behind my eyelids.

"There are other choices, my angel."

He was still trying even when it wouldn't help but only hurt.

And when the pain would be too great, I would take a deep breath and exhale all of the feelings and let myself drift off to sleep.

Murmurings the next day would wake me as I get up and get ready for another day of long travel, but this time Scarslayer enters my tent and says, "We'll be arriving today."

I only nod in acknowledgement and when I expect him to leave, he doesn't. Instead he walks closer to where I still sit and he crouches down to be eye level with me.

His eyes roam over my face and roused hair, searching for what, I don't know. After a few tense seconds he inhales, and before I can blink or move he roughly grabs my chin and forces me to kiss him.

My shout is muffled before he pulls away and smirks, "What? You are mine, don't forget." He walks out with the taste of revulsion on my tongue.

I wipe my mouth off with the back of my hand in hopes of getting any remaining trace of him off of me. I wipe and wipe until a wet trail glides down the side of my cheek, only then do I stop.

Letting any of the monsters here see any type of weakness is an automatic death sentence, with that thought in mind I get up and slide the mask of indifference onto my face and walk out of the tent to a world of people talking and ordering each other around, woman washing the uniforms and cooking over the fires.

I walk over to a fire and let the warmth my cold body after a hard night on the ground. My eyes wander the scene around, I scan every minute detail and catalog it just in case I could use it later on, until my eye snags on something.

By the edge of the tree line, a sharp glimmer of something metallic hangs onto a low-reaching branch. Without drawing much attention to myself, I leisurely walk towards the glimmer until I finally wrap my hands around it and slide it up mu sleeve discreetly. It would be unwise to inspect whatever it is in the open.

I begin to make my way back to my tent until a smell hits me, something awful.

I turn around at the smell and don't see the immediate source. Curiosity dragging me to the smell's origin, I walk through the camp until I'm in front of a large tent flap. I glance up to see a banner that tells me this is Scarslayer's personal tent. I know that if I walk in there, whatever I find will probably haunt me for a while.

Taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I push through the opening and hit with the smell ten times more potent than before. I stagger and bring my hand to my nose to stifle the smell to no avail. It takes my eyes a quick second to adjust to the change of lighting, but when they do I want to leave here immediately.

Because in front of me in a large cage over a fire, is the woman that Lorcan had glamoured to tell me to stay in the tavern.

She looked at me, mouth open as if she were screaming but no sounds came out, the smell of cooking flesh permeating the air around us. She mouths one word over and over, "Help."

Just as I go to take a step forward to uncage her, a rustle behind me and a mirthless chuckle reaches my ears, and before I get to her. I know there's absolutely nothing I can do to help her.

***AN: Sorry it took forever for an update, I was super busy but am trying to update consistently again!***