Kapitel 37: I have a job for you

Ellie drew in a deep breath when she was left alone in front of the main palace. It was almost nine, and Mary, who had escorted her so she wouldn't miss her way, had wished her good luck and proceeded to return to the maids' quarters.

By the time she exhaled, releasing all the air she took in, she stepped into the house.

Going into the main palace that night felt like answering the call of death. She had tried to come up with any justifiable reason why that demon would summon her to his room by that time, and with a directive to dress in a particular outfit which he had provided.

But nothing made sense. Even Mary said it had never happened before. And the only thing that kept repeating in Ellie's head was what happened that afternoon. Does he want to kill her? Does he want her blood? If that's the case, then why the outfit?

Her nervousness made her completely forget about admiring the place, which she had promised to do the next time she was there. However, she didn't fail to notice that it wasn't as dark as she expected it to be. The lights were all turned on.

She went straight to the elevator, which took her to the third floor. As soon as the door opened, her heart flew to her mouth and she staggered backward, pinning her back against the wall panel of the elevator. Her heart hammered inside her chest at the shocking sight she saw.

There was a strange man standing right outside the door, and his appearance alone sent chills down Ellie's spine.

Long, black, long-sleeved robe, which completely covered his feet, hands behind his back, white hair, and completely black eyes which Ellie wouldn't have believed was possible. He looked like another demon that walked straight out of hell.

But there was one notable difference between him and Storm. His skin was way whiter than Storm's, which enhanced and made his eye color stand out.

Ellie's stretched eyes stayed glued to his unbelievably black ones. She did not move an inch and neither did she try to separate her back from the wall panels of the elevator.

Elfin stared at her emotionlessly for a while before he finally moved to the side so she could walk out freely.

That was when Ellie unattached herself from the wall. With great apprehension and caution, she walked sideways, eyes glued to the strange-looking man, until she exited the elevator.

As soon as she stepped out, she hastened her steps to quickly get away from him, looking over her shoulder to ensure he wasn't following her.

The corridor, like earlier, was dark. The light had once again been switched off. But Ellie didn't care about the dark corridor as she just moved as fast as her legs could take her. Something about the way Elfin was looking at her made her feel it was better to be in the presence of the other demon than be stuck in the corridor with this one.

Slight relief washed over her when she saw that he didn't follow her. He just stood in the same spot, watching her run away from him.

But she didn't slack. She continued at the same pace until she reached the end of the corridor, coming to stand right before Storm's door.

She drew in several deep breaths to calm her racing heart, then lifted her hand to knock on the door.

"Come inside." His voice echoed from within before her hand could make contact with the door.

Dropping her hand, she grabbed the handle, twisted it, and pushed the door open.

When she stepped in and shut the door behind her, the lack of sufficient light didn't surprise her. However, the open curtains, which revealed a large floor-to-ceiling window, and let in the light from the beautiful half-moon, first caught her attention.

She looked toward it, surprised it was open as Enrique had told her never to open it for any reason. A single, high-back sofa was set a distance away from the window, and a figure sat on it, facing the window.

"Ellie Sander… Is that correct?" Ellie heard him ask and her brows furrowed. Still, she answered.

"Yes."

"Ellie…" He called, drawing out her name, loving how it rolled out of his lips effortlessly. "When was the last time you went to confession?"

Ellie's face twisted into confusion. Why was he asking her that? She eyed him in puzzlement, grateful that he had his back turned to her.

"Something wrong with your voice?" Storm asked, and Ellie cleared her throat.

"Uhm… No."

"So?"

"I can't remember the last time. Should be sometime in junior high." Ellie answered, still not sure why he was even asking that.

"Mm…." Storm hummed. "A long time, I see. I think we're both due for a confession." He finally moved, pushing himself up from the chair.

"But before that…" he walked toward the window, then drew the curtains close, throwing the room into total darkness.

Ellie knitted her brows as anxiety washed over her. She couldn't see a single thing. She contemplated taking backward steps toward the door, but somehow, she stood her ground.

The silence lasted for a while longer before she heard the snap of his fingers, and the light came on.

Another shock was delivered to Ellie's heart as the light revealed Storm standing right before her, only about a palm length away from her.

Her eyes stretched, and before she could even decide, her legs moved back of their own accord. She didn't go far before Storm grabbed her by the waist with his left hand, and pulled her back to where she just moved from.

"What are you doing?" Ellie probed in panic.

One side of Storm's lips curled up slightly. "Since you're good at stealing, I have a job for you."

"What kind of jo– Aaaahhh!" Ellie screamed out in pain when she felt something sharp pierce the side of her neck, sending an electrifyingly painful sensation zapping through her for a few seconds.