章 11: Soulless

The small gathering of people talked and laughed in front of me, but I felt the stillness in the heavy air around me, the careful, contemplating glances shot in my direction every mere second. They were judging me, an outsider who did not belong to their own world, a human soul who was in no way as powerful as their piercing, calculating eyes. I was nothing like them.

I looked around, scanning the room; a heavy golden chandelier hung freely from the centre of the high ceiling. Several towering windows encircled the room with glistening glass that allowed for the deep crimson sky to swallow the whole place. The floor was of the finest gleaming marble, it reflected the whole scene as if it was all but a mirror.

My gaze then turned to the small group of people, the women were clad in the most beautifully tailored, exquisitely cut gowns I had ever seen, almost all of them donned dark, elaborate fascinators with several of their faces veiled and hidden by the headpieces. They appeared as though they belonged in a distant time and place. Lily would have loved it here, she would have gladly offered her firstborn to be one of those flashy women.

I found myself wondering about my friend, would she even believe me if I told her about where I had been and who I had been with? I doubted it.

My eyes then moved to the men, a number of them were in their armour, leather and metal hugged their frames tightly and the chandelier cast a faint, dim light on every curve of their toned muscles. The others, however, were in all-black attire. They all seemed strong and capable, with pure power permeating the dense air which surrounded them. Now Eric would have hated it here.

"Are all of these people also angels?" I asked quietly, my gaze still glued to the crowd before me. Rey was silent for a brief moment before the chest pressed to my back rumbled with his low voice.

"Most of them, yes." I nearly jumped when I felt his fingers brush against my exposed arm, drawing slow circles tentatively on my warm skin.

"What about the others? What are they?" I tried not to pay attention to the fire his touch seemed to rush through my veins.

"Low-tier gods and goddesses." Rey shrugged. "This one there is Nuttem," he pointed lazily at a woman, her long golden hair reached the floor and her lustrous, bronze skin gleamed warmly beneath the faint light. How I had not noticed her before was beyond me.

"She's the goddess of the Earth. She used to be an all-powerful deity but you humans tarnished her name with what you have done, you practically destroyed what she had spent millennia building in a span of a few decades." He explained to me and I felt a wave of shame and embarrassment clenching my heart.

"This one over there is Sutan, the god of deception, but your kind has also beat him in his own game. You are the masters of deceit." he snickered and I felt a hint of pain in his voice.

"And this is Anelia, she is probably planning to set me on fire with her stare." I looked at his friend and he was absolutely right, I could feel her rage and disgust all the way across the room.

"So, basically, you have won over every deity here." He shifted in his seat, causing my body to move against his.

"All except one." he said quietly, I could almost feel the smirk tugging at his lips, and I wondered who that was.

Now it was my turn to shift uncomfortably in his lap, his hands were suddenly on my waist, stopping me from moving, pinning me to his body.

"Will you, for the love of every god, stop that." I felt him breathing harder than he had before, there was something in his voice, something not quite unfamiliar.

"You're the one who thought this was a good idea." I moved again, and to my surprise, a low, deep groan escaped his lips.

"Stop." He breathed harder.

"No, not until you let go of me." This time I rolled my hips, earning a growl from the man under me, his grip on my waist tightened and I could feel his chest rise and fall rapidly against my back.

"Fine." I heard him finally say and the hands holding me were suddenly gone. I was still for a brief moment before I hesitantly got to my feet. Everyone's gaze turned to me, but I ignored their burning stares and got down a couple of small stairs before making my way to the far corner of the wide room.

"Filthy human." I heard a woman snarl.

"Get out of here." Now it was a man.

I paid them no mind and kept on walking, snatching a full glass from the hand of a young lady who gasped in shock and muttered something under her breath that I failed to hear.

Eventually, I stood away from the group of people, leaning against the cold stone. Now that I was closer, I watched them chat and practically flirt with one another. My attention then turned to the dark, content of my glass. I lifted it, carefully sniffing the black liquid and noticed that it smelled like nothingness. It was neither sweet nor sour, almost as light as water and as dark as blood. I raised the glass to my lips, ready to take a sip when I I felt a gentle touch grabbing my wrist.

"Don't." Came the sweetest, warmest voice that ever graced my ears. I looked to the side, there stood a tall, lean young man with skin as pale as the moon itself. He smiled at me gently, his eyes the color of the deepest oceans.

"Sorry, I just don't think it is the right drink for a human soul." His words were so light, they were as tender as the night's cool breeze.

"Oh... I thought it was probably just wine." I said sheepishly, handing him the glass.

"In a way, it is. It's just that one sip of it and you'll become addicted to the point of no return. I'm Jerahmiel, by the way." I looked over at Rey, he was watching me, his head lazily resting on his hand.

"Don't worry about him, he would not mind you talking to me." The gentle voice brought my attention back to the angel. He had a wide smile plastered to his face, with heavenly soft features that contrasted that of Rey's. His kind eyes glittered brightly as the morning's sky. He was topless, with only a thin cream piece of fabric wrapped loosely around his waist. Golden rings adorned his forearms, his defined biceps, and his neck. His wings were tucked behind his back, with white feathers peeking over his shoulders.

"Will he be alright?" I found myself asking. The angel then smiled at me, "He will not be hurt, no, but Father will be furious."

Father? Was he-

"Are you concerned for him?" When he spoke again, his beautiful voice had me on the verge of melting. I did not answer. Was I really worried about him?

"Do not fret, we are all already used to his antics. This is nothing new." I felt myself visibly calm down knowing that I had not caused any trouble.

"So, who are you? Rey has mentioned that had brothers, but he never said anything else." I felt so comfortable talking to him like I had known him my entire life.

"Rey?" He laughed quietly, "Well, 'Rey' is the youngest of us, he is the angel of death, and I am the angel of light and hope, of visions and dreams. As a matter of fact, we have met before, countless times, though it was only in your deep sleep."

Did he know about my dreams? About all of them? I felt heat rush to my face, had he seen what I regularly dream about? Oh, god.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here, Avalyn." He brought the glass to his glossy lips, emptying its contents in one large sip. He looked at me with a smile on his beautiful face before he walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

I gazed at Rey, there was now a woman talking to him. Realizing that there was nothing for me to do there anymore, I walked to the door and waited for the guards to push it open. Stepping outside, I let out a breath I did not know I was holding.

"Yaelina," I tried saying her name and she materialized in front of me, seemingly out of thin air.

"I want to go to my room."

She nodded.

Once I was inside the room, I kicked off my heels and got out of the silk dress as quickly as possible, tossing it to the side where it landed on the floor with a faint thud. I then lay in bed in just my underwear and closed my eyes.

I noticed how I did not feel hungry at all, even though I had left that morning without eating breakfast. I then recalled Rey and his irrational fear of cereal. He was a strange man. He was an angel, a prince, a horny teenager, and everything in between. I sighed. I did not know how long had passed or if we were still in the morning, but I felt sleep taking over me.