Locious got up the next morning sleep-deprived and shaking. The night before he had looked for Rose after the meeting only to find she had already left. It made his heart ache that she didn't wait for him but he knew the last few days had taken a toll on her. A few hours later he was staring at his ceiling wide awake, anxiety threatening to swallow him whole. He couldn't stop thinking about her. At first the imagery was lustful and pleasant but as the hours passed, it became dark up to a point he felt he was about to lose his mind.
He was worried; It was too late for a call but he needed to make sure she was fine. So he got up and flew to her house. With his camouflage skill activated and his golden wings shining in the middle of the night, he suspended himself in front of her window. She was sleeping peacefully. She was indeed safe and sound but he stayed there even after checking nothing was wrong.
After a while, he couldn't be sure of how long he watched her there, she moved in her sleep. As if she had felt him, she looked towards the place where he was standing. She wouldn't be able to see him but he still left her line of sight and hid behind the wall. When he looked away , realization dawned on him. He was behaving like an obsessed person. Not only was he being overprotective but he was also using his Angel nature to stalk her. That was wrong on so many different levels that he rushed back home and took a cold shower trying to calm his tumultuous mind.
He tried to sleep but after two hours of trying and ending up failing, he got up and went to the kitchen. He prepared himself a cup of coffee and took out his phone. He had to do something about the situation. He was losing control over his own mind and it was twisting into something nasty. If he stayed there with Rose so close, he would end up making all the wrong decisions. They had to talk but first he needed to clear his head. So making up his mind, he decided to take the bull by the horns and opened the message app.
The first message he sent was to Xar. A few minutes later Xar's response made him smile. Bastard, he thought but despite all their differences, Xar was as reliable as one could expect from a Demon King. He didn't ask any questions; he accepted his plans without a complaint.
Once the trip was confirmed he called Mike and told him he was going alone with Dexaryz to the Aethium Umbra. Mike seemed surprised but he didn't reject any of his instructions either. A few moments later the Society group chat received a message: Locious was going to be absent for two weeks and Mike was in charge of the investigation.
Sandy called him two seconds after it.
"Why are you two going alone? Are you sure you don't want me to go?" As usual, she skipped all the formalities but that was how she was. She didn't waste time on pleasantries and went directly to the main topic. That was the main reason why he knew he could trust her loyalty. If she had a problem, she would tell you the truth or , as she had proved before, would solve it by resorting to "Friendly spars".
"I think it's better if it's only us. We really don't know what's happening and we may be risking anyone who goes with us. We are an Angel and a Demon King; we can defend ourselves if anything happens." He sipped his coffee and waited for her answer. He knew what she was about to say and smirked when he heard her.
"If you say so. But really? Mike is in charge in your absence and not me? It's never me. I'm starting to feel like you don't trust me," she said and he was sure there was a pout on her face. She could go from being a guard to a jealous child in the blink of an eye but he needed her there for a completely different reason.
"I trust you. That's why I'm giving you a different mission. I know she will go nuts so don't tell her a word about what I'm going to ask you to do. Can you keep an eye on Rose while I'm gone?" Sandy's response came without hesitation. She agreed, and they hung up after some teasing on her part about him becoming a "helicopter boyfriend". When the call was finished he looked at the black phone. Sandy was joking but if she knew he was indeed going away to avoid that, she would probably use her fists to try to put some sense into him.
If only it were that easy. He would gladly run and head first hit a wall. He thought but not only it was impossible for him due to heightened endurance of his body, he was sure it wouldn't help him solve the mess in his mind. However, even if he felt reluctant to do it and wasn't sure if his heart could handle it, there was one last call he had to make. He searched through his contacts and when he found the name, he pressed the call icon.
"Hello?" Rose's sleepy voice sounded through the phone after the fifth ring.
"Hi Rose. It's me, Locious. You may not have seen the message in the group chat yet so I wanted to let you know first. I am going to the Umbra with Greed." He blurted it out and the information took a while to settle in. When it did her voice didn't have that raspy sound anymore.
"When are you leaving? And who are you taking with you?" she asked, he couldn't see her but she didn't sound very happy about it. He picked up the spoon on his mug and started twisting it around in his fingers.
"It will only be Greed and me. We are leaving now," he said, his heart pounding in his chest. The line went silent for a few seconds and just as he was sure she had hung up on him, her voice reached his ears.
"Are you escaping because of me?" she asked. Her voice turned cold, reminding him of the time she said he was just her boss.
"I'm really not. It's something we have to do and it's better if it's only us. But I promise you: once I come back we'll talk. I'll tell you everything. Just wait for me," he said. He had been thinking about it while he couldn't sleep and he realized it was time to tell her the truth about the Eternal Anchor, the Absum Inanis and his fear of the future. Keeping her in the dark was only hurting her, he told himself it was to protect her but deep down, he was just trying to protect himself. If he kept being a coward, he may end up losing her so it was high time for him to put the cards on the table.
She seemed to accept his promise because her voice lost the ice spikes and they talked for a few more minutes. He warned her that she wouldn't be able to contact him due to the lack of phone signal and they both hung up. He left the spoon on the table and noticed that, while waiting for her answer, it had become a little distorted mass of metal. He scratched his eyebrow and threw it in the trash bin. He had never used his abilities as randomly as he had been doing since meeting her.
I need to get a hold of myself. I hope this trip will help me get all my ducks in line and rest my heart before facing Rose again. He sighed and picked up his phone one last time for any new messages. He was ready to set off, his instructions were set and his backpack was already prepared.
"Kiizary!! Come! Locious is here too," Crale shouted as he entered the kitchen and saw him there. But he stopped mid-track when he saw something strange on him and furrowed his brow.
"What's going on with your energy? Why is it going on a rampage?" he asked. Crale had a high sensitive energy radar but his words confused him. Despite his erratic behavior the night before he didn't feel anything wrong with his body or his energy. He wasn't angry or about to lose control of his Aura.
"What do you mean? I am just sleep-deprived," he answered thinking that maybe Crale could feel his exhaustion.
"I don't know but... there is something chaotic about it. Give me a blood sample," he demanded and Locious let him do as he wished. After taking it, he looked at it intensely for a second and put it in his pocket. He usually gave them test results immediately but before Locious could ask a loud horn interrupted him.
"Sorry! Xar is here. I will be gone for two weeks—you know, for the drug thing. Please I told Sandy but can you also keep an eye on Rose? Sandy can go wild sometimes and forgets she is surrounded by humans," when Crale nodded Locious ran to the door. Knowing Greed was not the master of patience. He shouted a goodbye to Kiizary, who was just coming down the stairs and left. What he failed to notice was the shine in Crale's eyes as he inspected the blood sample again with a smirk on his face.
****
After Locious's call, Rose suddenly felt dead inside. It was as if his parting words had taken her heart with him. She felt the need to cry but no tears fell. She looked through the window; the sun was shining and flooding her room with light but not even that made her feel better. She remembered that at some point last night she woke up and instinctively looked outside. She felt someone watching her in her sleep and for a reason she couldn't explain, she thought she would see Locious there. But there was only darkness.
The sudden chilling emptiness subsided enough for her to reach the Society without a problem. When she realized she was heading toward Locious's office, she turned around in her tracks and went to the armory instead. Sandy was there hitting a BOB. Her strikes were so precise and powerful that Rose almost felt bad for the object. When Sandy noticed her, she smiled. She pulled off her boxing gloves and greeted her.
"Hey girl! What's with the long face? Did Mike give you a hard time again?" she asked, lifting a fist as if promising to take care of him.
"No, it wasn't him. But… Do you have time to talk?" The sound came out muffled, her throat felt constricted again. The void returned, steadying her voice enough to tell Sandy everything that had happened between Locious and her without shedding a single tear.
"I guess you know we… were together a few days ago. You weren't surprised when Lux said it so I assume you noticed too." Sandy nodded and Rose sighed. Her skin burnt due to the embarrassment. Are there no private things for these supernatural beings? Why do I feel at such a disadvantage around them?
She felt like a little child being watched over by the adults. However, that was something she had to work it out with herself and not with these powerful beings. They wouldn't get it at all. Maybe she should talk to Mike. Ben was usually in his own world and Mila was sometimes scarier than a Demon King. The only one who was on the same level as her, was the person she used to hate.
"The thing is…as you know the demons gave me that aphrodisiac and the only way to save me was to… well have sex with me. He told me he wanted to and you know how I feel about him. We were fine for… the two days that it took to get rid of the drug… but..." How could she explain what she was feeling? It was the love, the pleasure, the embarrassment, the uncertainty, the yearning. The fear of the words she didn't understand Crale and Hariiel had said. However, she couldn't tell Sandy about it because she didn't seem to know them.
"I know. You had the best two days of your life. You were in your little bubble with not a worry in the world and suddenly reality crushed it. We had to go to the Demon Association. You met two Demon Kings. We had the meeting last night and today he is gone for two weeks. You can't even put a name to what you are feeling. The next thing you know you are alone here and no one has the answer to the question in your mind," Sandy answered in one breath.
Rose was speechless. That was exactly it. There was also a strange whirlpool inside her that hit her at times, sucking the life out of her but that was probably a lingering effect of the drug that would soon pass. It wasn't worth mentioning. However, her feelings and the anxiety for their future couldn't be blamed on a drug.
"Exactly that. I feel so much for him and after knowing him that way my feelings have become deeper. But we were forced back into office mode and nothing was settled between us. He said he would tell me everything when he came back but I feel like I'll go mad in these two weeks," She grabbed her hair in exasperation. She wanted to shout at her own heart to settle down but it had taken control over her whole mind. She hated feeling that way again and this time was even worse. The Angel Aura effect was nothing compared to the mess she was now.
"Listen girl. I'll tell you the same thing I told him. You two found something people spend their whole lives looking for. You are partners and friends and now you've crossed the line. There is nothing set in stone yet. Stop worrying about the future and enjoy what you have right now. Let nature take its course," Sandy said and those words lingered in Rose's mind for the rest of the day.
They stayed with her through training with Sandy, the investigation with Mila and Ben, and administrative talks with Mike. Before she realized it the day had ended. Sandy was waiting for her at the door. She asked if she could stay with Rose for a few days because her parents were away but Rose suspected she was actually trying to look after her. She didn't mind; she really needed a friend right now.
"Girl, let's get some liquor and have a pajama party. We can trash-talk—" Sandy was saying while they walked out of the office, when she bumped into a figure outside. She lifted her fist, going from friendly to attack mode in a second when the person spoke and Rose recognized him. She held Sandy down before she messed up with an Angel and ended up pulverized.
"Hey there. You must be Sandy, you live for your reputation." He snorted but didn't explain what he meant, " Hello Rose! Nice to see that you are completely recovered," Crale said. Rose smiled, ashamed. He had seen her under the effect of the drug and had even been there when she went crazy in the kitchen. Please God, make these people have a collective amnesic episode and forget about me in my worst, she pleased but she wasn't lucky enough to have something like that happen.
"I came to pick you up. Remember I told you my wife wanted to meet you? Well she is at Locious's house so we were wondering if you would like to spend a few days with us," he asked.
Rose started to feel that suddenly too many people from Locious's trust circle wanted to be close to her. Did Locious have something to do with their behaviors? Despite her suspicions she still wanted to learn more about these people. She was about to answer in the affirmative when she remembered that Sandy also wanted to spend a few days with her. She looked at her friend but Sandy was staring at Crale as if she had suddenly discovered a new galaxy.
Crale followed her gaze and laughed. "Your friend is welcome to join us too. As long as she doesn't jump my bones. My wife has a very… unique personality," he said with a captivating smile. Rose lost her train of thoughts. What was with these Angels and Demons that could make one shake by simply showing their teeth?
Sandy snapped out of her awe with his words. If she felt ashamed she didn't show it. She looked at Rose and smiled with expectancy. Her eyes shone and she smiled, too. A smile really similar to Crale's and it made Rose wonder but the thought slipped her fingers. Before being able to bring it back, Sandy shouted, urging her to go.
Suddenly, another thought popped in her mind. Maybe bringing Sandy to a house with an Angel doctor, a man-hater, and a 'unique' wife wasn't my cleverest move. But it was too late to go back as they were already on their way there. She just hoped no problems would arise.