Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 18

A very tall, very lean man, clad in a long black robe, glared down at her. His face was concealed by a large hood, only two piercing blue eyes stood out in which glistening sparkles were dancing dangerously. His right arm was stretched out to the side, and on it sat a snow-white owl. Emily tumbled back in utter shock when she noticed its eyes. They were the exact same ones as the man's.

"Well, hello there," he muttered in a frighteningly cold chant-like manner, and took a step towards her.

Emily's breath was knocked out of her as she clumsily tripped and landed on the hard ground.

"I must say," he smirked cooly, towering over her. "You're easy prey, my lovely."

"Who are you?" Her feet struggled to regain their ground, but due to her panic they just stirred up dust and chunks of damp loam, soiling the man's black cloak. "What do you want?"

He bent down elegantly, brushing the dirt off his robe. The owl shrieked in complaint at the sudden movement, readjusting its position on its owner's arm.

"So many questions," he reprimanded in an almost purring voice. "I'm afraid," he continued as he straightened himself again, "you wouldn't understand if I told you who I am. So for now, let's just say I'm..." He thought for a moment to find a fitting term. When it came to him, he smiled mischievously. "I'm a friend who is looking out for you, my dear."

"Leave her alone!" Raphael's furious voice boomed through the darkness, before his body materialized in front of the stranger, shielding Emily.

The man was rather unimpressed by the sudden appearance of Emily's rescuer and looked at him with boredom. "I take it you haven't figured out yet how to get her back to the other side?"

Raphael sighed in annoyance. "No, I haven't, Daniel. And, unless you offer to help, I would appreciate it, if you left."

"Why?" he laughed, not the slightest bit amused. "So you can go on seducing the girl to death?"

"You know very well that that is not what I've been doing," Raphael spat.

"Oh?" Daniel mockingly raised an eyebrow. "It's not? Funny, because I was under the impression that that is exactly what you've been doing. You can consider yourself lucky that she is still alive. If she died here, it would be the end for the both of you. But who am I to judge, right?" He narrowed his eyes threateningly, leaning closer to Raphael. "If she doesn't leave this place soon, she will belong to them. They are coming to take her, Raphael. They know what happened; they're on their way to claim what's theirs. Is that what you want?"

Emily's eyes grew wide as she watched Raphael shrink under the stranger's harsh tone.

"Of course not!" he mumbled. "But thank you very much for mentioning it, since I haven't had a hard time already explaining everything to her."

"That, dear friend," the man put his hand on Raphael's shoulder, "is your fault, and yours alone. Now get the girl out of here before it's too late!"

"How? Give me some input! How, Daniel?"

As Daniel turned his back to him, the owl on his arm cooed gently. "Think!"

With that, his tall figure dissolved into nothingness.

"The owl! Of course!" Raphael spun around, facing Emily who was still so petrified that she couldn't move. "Why didn't I think of her sooner? Come Emily!" He offered her his hand, but she ignored it and awkwardly got up on her feet by herself.

"You must be crazy, if you really expect me to just blindly follow you," she confronted him bravely. "You were trying to kill me, and God knows what you did to that poor woman. And now I'm supposed to trust you?"

He lifted his arms defensively. "I'm not sure how you know about this, but let me assure you that I did not hurt her. I will tell you the entire story, I promise, but in due time. Right now you just have to believe me when I say I never laid hands on her. And I most certainly did not try to kill you." He shook his head, sighing in defeat. "Don't you realize that I just want to help you?"

"Um, when exactly did you help? When you brought me here? Or was it when you almost sucked the life out of me? When, Raphael?" She stared angrily into his black eyes.

He mirrored her furious expression. "How about when I found you out in the streets, drenched to the bone? Or maybe when I was the only one rushing to the hospital to see you? Or that night I picked you up at the liquor store? How about those times, Emily?"

Ashamed at his words, Emily lowered her head. "I remember what you did for me, but it doesn't change the fact that you almost killed me."

"Trust me, Emily," he whispered, cautiously stepping closer to her. "I would never knowingly do anything that could harm you. I want to protect you, I want you to be safe."

Shyly, she glanced up at him through her lashes. "...but... why?"

"Oh Emily," he smiled sweetly. "Can't you tell? How can you not see that I'm in love with you?"

He closed the distance between them, his arms falling around her delicate body. Pulling her close, he tilted his head, his eyes transfixed with her warm lips. She parted them slightly in reaction to his hooded gaze.

"My darling," he whispered, a chilly breath of air caressing her skin. "I want to kiss you so badly." Indescribable sadness tinted the already dark glimmer in his eyes. "I guess I was wrong earlier. This is not your hell, Emily. It is mine."

Just as she was about to respond, glaring red lightning tore through the heavy clouds, and they both immediately broke their embrace. Shielding her eyes with her hands, Emily looked up into the sky, curious about the odd color of the bolt. Strangely, the lightning did not fade; it seemed to be engraved on the firmament in a blindingly flaming shade, motionless and silent. The thunder Emily was expecting to follow never came.

Questioningly, she turned to Raphael who was staring at the still flash of light intently. He did not take his eyes off it, when he whispered, "They're coming."