The Guardian Angel (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #1)

Chapter 4: Protective Blackness

Lily was running through the streets, shedding tears, not even looking back.

"Lily! Lily!" she could still hear Linda's faint cries from behind.

She puckered and swirled to a narrow alley, rushing downstairs, into the Den of Former Hosts, as it was called - the darkest part of the town everyone feared to go in. Many criminal organizations and bandits lurked there, so she was sure Linda Black, the 'dignified' heiress of the city mayor, would never descend down there. As for her, she didn't really care whether she would die or not anymore. She wandered off and hid behind a wall, holding her breath. 

"Lily?" she heard Linda's fearful cries from the upper part of the city, but then she also caught the sound of feet running off her hiding-place, and she knew she had gotten rid of her pursuer sister. Maybe she thought Lily would never walk down in the Den of Former Hosts, and went to search for her in other places... Well, it didn't really matter. Main was she got her off. She sighed and sadly continued her way slowly in the dark lonely streets, sobbing quietly.

Everyone had turned their backs at her. They all worked together to make her life miserable. All of them were guilty - the High Forces, archangels, angels, people... They all were equally responsible for her problematic life. Who would ever want such a life? Why should she live it? Bet when her soul, Lilith, as they called her, was in the underworld, she felt a lot better than in this condition! Who cared if she died? She'd just go back in the underworld and live well like her soul always did before. They gave her no other choice! She frowned and angrily kicked a stone nearby, making it roll away at a fast speed. Such a nuisance... Her life was some big dirt! Tears poured down her cheeks as she angrily walked on. She had clenched her fists, feeling bitter anguish within. 

Suddenly, she heard quiet steps from the front. She flinched, raised her head, and glanced forward - three tall silhouettes were coming towards her. She gulped and stepped back - who were these weirdos? They wore black dirty clothes and held knives in hands. They laughed along and showed their filthy yellow teeth. Probably they hadn't brushed them for days. She instantly felt disgusted, and also, fearful. She made another step back and made herself ready to run at any moment, but there, she heard steps from the behind too. Sweat poured off her forehead as she gazed back to see three more hooded people.

This isn't good...

The young men approached, grinning.

"Look, we have a stray cat here," the tallest one of them chuckled, rolling a knife in his hands. 

"Do you think she's from up the city?" another one from the behind laughed.

Lily gulped in fright and made a step aside, leaning against a stone wall. There was no way to escape - the boys had surrounded her from all corners.

"How would I know? I lost my angel ages ago. I don't bother feeling light auras anymore. I do whatever I please," the tallest guy smirked. 

"So I guess we can do whatever we please with this little kitty?" the second guy chuckled with amusement. Lily shuddered in fear - what did they intend to do?!

"We must be cautious, she might have an angel".

"Nah, no person with an angel would come down here, you know it," the tallest guy shook his head. "They know this place belongs to us street rats".

"That makes it easier. Me first then," another tall guy cried with joy, rushed up to Lily and violently grabbed her hand.

"Let me go!" Lily yelled in fright and struggled, trying to punch him in the chest and fight him off.

"Haha! Look how she's fidgeting! She's pretty energetic. I like it," the guy grinned with his caved dirty teeth.

"Leave me alone!" Lily punched him furiously. Now the guy shrieked in pain and frowned, rubbing his aching jaw. His eyes sparkled with rage as he grabbed the girl and hit her against the wall.

"You shall pay for that, slut!" he held her tightly and hit her in the face. Her nose started bleeding. Tears gushed from her eyes as she opened them to see the elated boy's evil grin.

"Let me go..."

"Shut up you rat!" the boy hit her again, and again. He was getting pretty amused by it. She felt pain all over her face. Her eye turned blue from the boy's fist. She couldn't fight anymore. She was just whimpering miserably. "She obviously has no angel!"

"Then just roll off and let me have real fun," the tallest guy grabbed him and pulled him off the girl, catching her himself. "Now I'll finally have some delight..." he bent closer to feel her lips.

Dreaded Lily widened eyes and was about to shriek again, when in between her and the gruesome boy, a black, ominous silhouette emerged, and let out heavy black current, pushing all of the boys off altogether. They got thrown off to the opposite wall. They hit it hard and fell down, winching. They furiously leaped up and glanced forward to see who dared push them off, but as they saw the adversary, they widened eyes, and Lily could read horror in them - the horror of death put before one's eyes. She gulped and glanced at the black silhouette which had emerged before her, and instantly, felt extreme pain in her stomach and shudders down her spine - this black silhouette was not anything of this earth... 

The blackness standing before her had long black claws and giant, torn, pitch black bird-like wings... But she still could not see what the boys could see, and what made them pale out - the blackness which had shielded the little girl had shimmering red eyes full of evil, and a darkened, beastly snarl could be heard around, coming from that monstrosity. One of the boys, the one who had beat the girl the first, raised his shivering forefinger and mumbled through his chattering teeth:

"D...Demon..."

Just as Lily widened eyes once heard such an unusual remark and saw this monstrosity before her, it quickly vanished in black smoke, but the boys were still frightened. As the girl came to her senses and stood up, they quivered and shrieked:

"Don't come closer!"

They darted off as fast as they could. Lily watched them all astonishedly, and then looked back at the place where that monstrosity had emerged - did that blackness actually... protect her? She shivered as she remembered that blackened silhouette snarl like an infernal beast...

"What are you?"

Indeed - what was that black torn-winged monster she had never seen before? She gasped as a tiny thought ran through her mind:

Wings... Could you actually... be an angel?