Chapter Six

August 30th, 2018
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THE CLOCK HAD struck midnight an hour ago. The rush of adrenaline-soaked through every one of my pores. A thin layer of sweat blanketed my body like a second skin, glistening under the club's lights.

The heat on the dance floor burned your insides and sent shivers down your skin. Hannah and I haven't let up, constantly swaying and moving to the music. Being able to let loose, experiencing that relief and feeling my way with the music was a high I never wanted to lose grip of.

At least, until he showed up.

His intoxicating golden eyes glimmered in the heat of the night. They drew me in, begging me to come closer. I felt like an addict staring down the one thing that could pull me over the edge within seconds. I held firm on the dance floor whenever I'd feel his pull, but barely. My body was completely and utterly aware of him.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye, intrigued by him. Besides the fact that he could have killed me the other night, he seemed harmless. The hairs on my arms stood on end, alert as if to warn me of danger had just walked in. But it wasn't because of him, it was someone else that was here. Something else.

My demon stirred beneath the surface but I pushed him down, staying in control. I couldn't use my advanced abilities without any of the humans noticing. There wasn't much I could do, just sit and hope the thing kept to itself.

The man with the golden eyes captured my attention once again. His gaze burning a hole in the side of my head. All that he was had reality crashing back through me like a tsunami. Gradually, then all at once. It soaked my mind in agony, drowning out my sense of freedom and holding me hostage to all that I am once again.

"I need a drink," I mumbled to no one in particular. From the far back of the room, I saw his eyebrow raise as if he had heard me. I pretended not to notice, acting as mundane as possible. If he was someone that was after me, I had to act innocent.

Without a word to Hannah, I made my way over to the middle of the club. The bar hugged the center of the back wall, sectioning off either side of the dining area. Multiple black round tables and a set of chairs layered the floor. I didn't want to sit there, not so close to him.

I was utterly away of him as I made my way over to the bar. Here's to hoping I'm a light-weight, and they don't ask for my ID.

Twelve black-cushioned stools stood in front of the bar, over half already taken. I took a stool nearest to the dance floor. Whatever that something was that was here, I had to make sure it didn't harm Hannah.

I ignored the stares from the others at the bar as I sat down. The bartender, a curly-haired blonde named Jess in black attire, greeted me. Kind of. Her thin lips painted in purple didn't lift, but one of her thick brown eyebrows did.

That was her way of asking, "what do you want," I assumed. Hell, if she wasn't asking for an ID, I already considered her my new best friend.

"Jack on the rocks," I muttered, running my hands over my face.

Thank Go-

Jess slammed a signature Jack Daniels On The Rocks glass in front of me. The ice towered nearly out of the short glass, but that's exactly how it should be. My eyes watched as Jess took the Jack Daniel's bottle and filled it half full.

I really hated that rule.

Part of me knew I should drink slow, another part disagreed entirely. The latter won, my hand snatching the glass and downing it. Unfortunately, I couldn't act as if it was a shot considering the ice.

My gaze latched onto Jess' judgmental one but she made no move to criticize me. I internally grunted. Smart woman.

Moments later, the second glass was downed like the first. Jess chuckled from a few stools down, her eyes watching me from her peripherals. I raised my eyebrow in her direction, daring her to speak up. The curves of her lips turned upward, but she didn't say a word.

It took me a moment to realize that his gaze was no longer on me. He was still here, but his attention was no longer on me. Without doing so intentionally, my lips tipped downward.

It was nice at the bar, I'd have to admit. The others around you minded their own business and kept to themselves. It was my new happy place, I decided. No matter how short of a time it lasted.

It wasn't until I had thrown back my third that I started to feel its effects. The edges of my vision blurred slightly, my head buzzing along with the music. I tried to drown it out, but I soon figured out that letting the music in made me feel numb. That's what I wanted.

"Jess," I grunted, slamming the glass down on the counter. From underneath the tips of my fingers, I felt the glass crack. Shit.

"Easy, Killer," a male voice snickered from beside me.

My head whipped to the side so fast I nearly tipped over. I groaned and clutched my head, getting dizzy. I blinked it away, focusing on the shaggy blonde that was suddenly sitting in the stool next to me. I hadn't even noticed him, when had he gotten there?

Great, now a complete stranger was judging me. That's exactly what I needed. Not.

I was met with a pair of blue eyes that glimmered with grey specks. My brows furrowed as they locked on them. They reminded me of someone's eyes, but I couldn't place who. My head started to throb and I winced.

Damn, this is some really strong shit.

Full lips curved up at me. A large hand brushed his long golden locks out of his face. He had an angular face, giving me the impression he was some sort of athlete. By his tan, I assumed he loved some kind of outdoor sport.

His lifted his chin in greeting. "What's your name, honey?" He asked and I nearly winced. I didn't like his voice; it wasn't smooth like honey; it didn't remind me of something sweet, and it sure as hell wasn't smokey.

"Celeste," I purred. I batted my eyelashes and leaned forward.

His eyes glanced down for a split second. "Nice to meet you," he smirked. "I'm Dylan."

A glass being pushed in front of me on the counter startled me. I jumped, and if it wasn't for Dylan steadying me, I would have fallen off the stool.

I felt Dylan's gaze on me, watching as I tipped it back. An itch in the back of my mind started to frustrate me. My hybrid self could no longer feel my counterparts.

The hell? Was I really that wasted?

My eyes found Jess, but she shook her head with a worried haze in her eyes. "Limit," she mouthed to me. I scowled.

Fuck.

"Need more?" Dylan chuckled. My body was already facing his, so my head followed suit. I smirked lazily, wanting to nod at him but my body didn't budge. What the fuck is going on? Did someone put something in my drink?

Dylan put something in my drink! I screamed inside my head. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. The problem? I couldn't freaking move my body, let alone my mouth.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dylan smiled, acting like some kind of hero.

A glint in his eyes made me curl up on the inside. It wasn't a friendly look, it was deceiving and not one to trust. Dylan was not my hero, he was my captor. If I somehow couldn't get away from him before he dragged me out the door, I don't know what would happen.

Not only am I wasted and totally shit-faced, something was just wrong with me. My head was numb, vision hazy, and my muscles could not be controlled. I couldn't even feel them within me. It's like they were being suppressed without me willing it.

Dylan's hand clamped around my wrist, pulling me from my stool. He gave me an easy smile but even while I'm totally off the hinges, I could see right through it. As much as I wanted to, I literally cannot use my powers in public.

As Dylan tips Jess, he murmurs that he'll be taking me home. I barely had time to register his words before he was tugging towards the front door. And fast. My breathing started to come out ragged as panic filtered through my cluttered brain. The blood in me ran cold once I no longer felt a certain presence.

Dylan suddenly came to a halt, pulling me to his chest as he turned around. His hot breath sent disgusted chills my neck. I wanted him to get off me.

"I know what you are," he growled. "If you so much as even try to escape or get help," he paused, his free hand coming up and curling around my neck. "You won't make it out alive, little hybrid." Dylan's face pulled away slightly, only inches from my own.

His eyes were no longer the deep blue they once were. They now glowed a deep ruby-red. A gasp parted my lips, my eyes starting to water from fear and utter helplessness.

Hellhound.

The thing that had killed my mother, tearing her to shreds, had me at its mercy. I've never felt so weak in my life. Michael had been right, and I had been so stupid. Dylan smirked at my reaction, spinning back around and hailing us forward once more.

Panic started to set in and I prayed for help. Well, more like screaming for it - inside my head. I would have yelled if my lips weren't numb and I could actually move them. But because I couldn't, that was no longer an option.

HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU! SOMEONE!

I squeezed my eyes shut, screaming the words in my head, hoping they would eventually reach my mouth. They never did, instead, I was stuck begging for help in my mind. My shoulders started to sag once we were a few feet from the door.

Sadly enough, the only thought that came to mind at that moment was, "this is totally NOT how I wanted to get laid." I'm a sick fuck, but it kept me from going crazy.

Dylan stuck one foot out the door and stopped. My vision had gotten worse, the alcohol and whatever else was in that last drink seeping in further. I tried to focus on whatever was stopping Dylan. All I could make out was a tall dark figure. My hope was gone at this point, so I didn't think anything of it.

Until the figure spoke.

"Let her go." A voice rich like honey boomed through the doorway. Well, growled actually.

"Who are you?" Dylan snapped. I could barely see a thing but thankfully my ears still worked. The grip on my wrist tightened and I visibly winced.

"That's none of your concern," the figure bit out. "Now, let her go."

Wait, is that Noah?

"She already has Ricin in her system, kid, there's no helping her now."

Um, what the fuck is Ricin?

"That's where you're wrong," Noah growled at Dylan, not amused. "Let. Her. Go." I nearly shivered myself from how low and deadly his voice sounded.

"Or else what, kid?" Dylan laughed, clearly not intimidated. "You gonna call your mommy?" I whimpered in Dylan's grasp. The thought of Noah getting hurt and me not being able to prevent it tore me in two.

NOAH GET OUT, RUN!

"No," he sneered. "But you may want to."

"Wh-" Dylan never got to finish his sentence. The hand around my wrist vanished, Dylan, gone from in front of me. I blinked several times, swinging my head around to try and figure out what was going on. My motor-control failed. I yelped, heading face first towards the floor.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist before I could break my face. They were warm and protective, the scent that followed was familiar. That was enough for me to trust them. The scene in front of me cleared slightly, but not enough.

NOAH! I screamed inside my head. Noah will die if I don't somehow get to him. That Hellhound will tear Noah apart just like one did my mother. My veins burned with red-hot fury, the need to protect Noah nearly overwhelming.

"Hey, Angel," the one that held me spoke, his tone smooth like velvet. I immediately recognized Evan's gentle voice.

"Noah is taking care of that guy, but we don't have much time until the police show up," Evan continued, trying to pull me outside.

I whimpered, trying to wiggle out of Evan's grasp and somehow get to Noah. Tears brimmed my eyelids. Picturing Noah getting hurt - hurt me.

"Celeste," Evan grunted. "Celeste, stop." But I didn't.

"No-ah," I gasped. I have to get to him, that Hellhound will kill him.

"He can handle himself, Celeste," he stated with full confidence. "Noah's strong."

I wanted to cry out, my heart aching as Evan dragged me out of the club. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to them.

"Let's get you home," he soothed, drawing me away from the fight. Grunts, thrown punches and the snap of bones were the only things I could hear outside of Evan's voice. What the hell is going on, and why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?

Hannah.

My body went rigid, my gaze frantic as I tried to spot the red hair. Evan pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me. Oddly enough, it soothed the nerves twirling around in my stomach, but not my mind.

Hannahhannahhannah, my mind kept repeating her name.

Evan seemed to know what I was thinking."She's safe, Celeste," Evan tightened his grip, enveloping me in his warmth. "She's safe."

Hannahhannahhannah.

"Celeste, we have to go, now." Evan snapped. The eagerness and worry in his tone made me pause. That was all it took for Evan to scoop me up and into his arms.

He'll be okay, the Hellhound can't kill him. There are rules. He'll be okay.

I kept whispering the words in my head, hoping they'd calm me down. I let my head drop on Evan's shoulder, soaking him in and breathing in his warm vanilla scent.

They're here.

When I couldn't protect myself, my human friends did. The wall around my heart cracked once more, another layer gone. I don't think I will ever be able to repay them because to do so, it would be with my life.

Evan gently carries me across the street bridal style, the grunts fading with the music. What had high hopes to be a great girls night out, turned into a horrific disaster. In the end, I was just glad I had them to call my friends.

Noah, please be okay.

An unfamiliar hum vibrated through my core, alerting my other half. My body started to release foreign energy; it tore through my heart and encased itself around Evan. He gasped as he held me, nearly buckling from underneath me.

What the hell? STOP! I screamed, trying to pull the energy back.

Evan grunted from the pressure, his breathing growing ragged. He took a few breaths, never letting his grip on me waver.

Evan get up, please!

Like a burst of adrenaline rocketed through him, Evan shot up and cradled my body to his chest. He brought my non-responsive body to his Jeep, acting as though nothing had happened. I nearly sighed in relief.

Whatever that was had scared the shit out of me. It looked to be hurting Evan, and that scared me even more.

Evan sat me in the backseat next to Hannah. She sat and faced the window, ignoring my presence completely. It made my heart hurt, regretting my actions tonight. If I hadn't have screwed around, no one would be getting hurt tonight.

Now, Hannah had to come home early because I decided to be a selfish asshole. From what I could see, her expression was blank, giving away nothing as to what she was feeling. Just as Evan shut my door, the passenger door swung open. Noah hopped in, his body unscathed and was still fuming.

What the hell?

My mind reeled at the sight. There was no way a Hellhound Dylan's size hadn't gotten a hit in, there were too many crunches of bones for that to be possible. I swore it was Noah that had been getting his ass kicked. It is against all laws to bring harm to humans, so maybe that was it, but I somehow doubted it.

I rested my head against the seat, my eyelids dropping. Whatever Dylan had put in my drink was seriously starting to kick in. It felt as if a hammer was pounding against my skull. I was cotton-mouthed, my throat burned and my vision spotted with black dots. Slowly, I started to notice the feeling in my fingers and toes started to vanish. I closed my eyes, listening to the boys' soothing voice's.

"Calm down, Noah," Evan uttered under his breath. If I was human, I wouldn't have been able to hear that. My eyes instinctively cracked open.

"I'm trying," he seethed, just as quiet. Noah's head was bent low, his breathing ragged.

"Calm down before you hurt someone in this car," Evan snapped.

"He was taking her, Evan," Noah snapped, his hands curling in his hair.

Was he talking about me, or Hannah? Had Hannah been in trouble too? Is that how the boys had shown up? All the questions made my head spin.

"I know," Evan soothed. "It pissed me off too."

"But why, E? We've only known her for a few days," Noah grumbled, frustrated. They were talking about me.

"Hannah didn't see her, so she couldn't do anything," he continued. "If he hadn't had been there, who knows what could have happened," a pause. "Evan she could have been kil-"

"Let's not think about that," Evan interrupted. "We have a lot to figure out, let's just get her home safely. At least there we can protect her. We can't here."

The car was silent for a few moments, and right as Evan started the engine, he spoke.

"She has Ricin in her system," Evan stated matter-of-factly. There was no emotion in his voice - like he was off in his own world.

"Shit," Noah grumbled. "What are we going to tell Michael?" Michael. Oh, I'm going to be in so much trouble.

I didn't get to hear Evan's response as I finally let myself slip away. Whatever this Ricin was that was in my system, finally took hold and pulled me away from my hopeless reality.

───∞───

RICIN IS APPARENTLY very poisonous and comes from castor beans.

"A dose the size of a single grain of sand is enough to kill." Michael paused mid-read to glare daggers at me. I shrunk a little on the stool.

"There's no antidote," glare number two-hundred and four. "To the poison, although it's possible to survive if the dose is small enough. Ingestion of Ricin is actually not often fatal as it is difficult to digest; it is much more dangerous if inhaled or injected."

Michael clicked off his phone screen, tossing it onto the island countertop. It smacked against the marble, my body jumping upon impact. He stood where he had yesterday morning, still looking like absolute shit.

Except for this time, the roles were reversed and he was livid. If Michael were a demon, steam would literally be pouring from his ears right about now.

It's been about a half an hour since the boys had dropped me off, explaining everything to Michael. It was safe to say the boys were in Michael's good graces and I was on his shit list.

Woohoo.

After they had left, Michael had set me down on the couch and extracted the poison from my system. I woke up during the process and holy hell that shit hurt. Though not nearly as much as my flares.

The blinking digits on the stove read 2:01am. I groaned, placing my face in my hands. If Michael gave me one more glare I was going to self implode.

"What if something had happened to you," Michael growled, running a hand through his greasy hair. "What if those boys hadn't been there?" He snapped.

"I don't know," I mumbled, keeping my head down.

"You could have died tonight, Celeste!" Michael yelled, frantic. "You're lucky that Hellhound respected the rules here," he growled.

Rule number forty-one of living on Earth as a demon or celestial being: No using your powers in the presence of human life, unless it is to protect them from a great evil trying to take their life before they're ready... blah blah blah. I don't actually know if that's rule forty-one, I just know there are a lot of rules.

"I know."

"No, Celeste, you don't," Michael huffed. "If you did, you wouldn't have gotten drunk and put yourself and those kids in danger."

Then I snapped. "Why do you suddenly give a shit?" I burst, water welling up along my tear-line.

Michael's eyes widened, hurt flashing across his dark blue eyes. He blinked it away in seconds, masking his emotions.

"I've always cared," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Oh, hell no. The almighty archangel does not get to through a tantrum and get away with it.

"If you did then you wouldn't have kept things from me," I grounded out, my jaw locking.

"It was for your protection!" Michael yelled as his finger jabbing at me.

"You lied to me! Despite who you are, you lied! You didn't tell me! You watched me wither in agony, knowing of a possible cure, and DID NOTHING!" My voice cracked at the end, my throat burning from all the yelling. The tears finally broke free, pouring down my flushed features.

"I did everything I could to make it bearable, to help you, and to keep you safe." Michael's shoulder's sagged, the defeat written all over his features.

"If you truly believe that, then you'll tell me what you know, you'll tell me what the cure is," I begged.

A deep sigh parted Michael's lips; he shook his head. "There is no cure."

His statement broke my insides, tearing me apart. A knife dug in deep within my chest, cutting me raw.

"Liar," I whispered hoarsely, burying my head in my hands.

There was a long drag of silence and for a moment, I thought he had left until he spoke. His voice cracked every other word. The hurt in his tone tore me in two.

"I can't risk it, Celeste, this is no longer just about the prophecy."

I raised my head, wiping away the tears that stained my face. I'm pretty sure I looked like a raccoon. "Then what is it about, Michael? Hell, I don't even know much about the prophecy anyway," I spat.

My hands started to tremble on the counter. I didn't want Michael to see my fear so I tucked them in my lap.

"I don't know if I can grant your immortality tomorrow," he murmured. The shock that barreled through me nearly toppled me off the stool.

"W-what?" I stammered, eyes wider than a sixty-inch flat screen.

Michael placed his elbows on the counter, placing his chin in his hands. The dark bags under his eyes and the light stubble on his chin told me he hasn't been sleeping well. Then, for the first time in two years, Michael started to explain.

"When I grant you your immortality, you're no longer part human. Your other halves will take over completely and it will be your job to keep them in check. If you don't, the power will be too much and you will literally explode like a supernova."

Holy shit.

"If you do succeed in gaining control, your human body will slowly start to adjust to the power. However, there are certain... side effects of immortality." Michael winced.

My eyebrows raised, my interest peaking. "Like what?"

Michael's cheeks flamed. "Raging hormones for starters," he grumbled.

Oh, great, that's exactly what I need. "What else?"

"Your eyes will change color."

My face scrunched together. "They already do that," I reminded him. Michael shook his head and took a deep breath.

"After I release the hold on your powers, many things will happen. All of which involve your emotions, your hunger, and your hormones. So basically, your eyes will act as a mood ring."

I scoffed. "So, what you're saying is, it's like being on my period, but on steroids?"

Michael nods. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Could this get any worse?

My mind caught his earlier statement. "What other things will happen?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't shut me out.

"You'll have to choose," Michael sighed, watching me. My face was blank.

"Your angel or your demon," he clarified.

"What?" I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped to the counter, the organ within my chest leaping out.

"B-but I'm a hybrid," I stammered. Michael sighed lightly, rubbing his hand along his jaw.

"What I mean is, during your change, one will overpower the other to make up for your loss of mortality. Whichever being, demon or angel, is stronger at that point in time, will come out on top. You'll still be a hybrid, but one will be stronger than the other instead of equal."

"Oh," I mouthed. My mind started to race, thinking of how cool it would be to be mostly an angel - but with some side effects. I thought of Michael and his brothers, a question coming to mind a moment later.

"Do I get wings?" I asked.

To my utmost surprise, Michael nodded. "Yes."

Now, that's a game changer right there if I've ever heard of one. I mentally said "thank you" to the Big Man up above.

That perked my spirits up right away. Michael snickered at the lift in my facial expression. His eyes glimmered with amusement as he watched me. I saw the adoration and love he had for me in that ocean blue gaze, and it warmed my heart.

Michael cleared his throat. "I think that's enough for right now, I'll give you the bigger details when the time comes." I nodded, not knowing what to say. If Michael didn't want to grant me my immortality right away, I would understand.

"Good," he nodded. "Now get some sleep, you're staying home from school tomorrow."

"You're not letting me go?" I yelped. Michael's eyes gave me the "are you seriously going to ask me that?" look.

I scowled, standing up from the stool. Yet again, it was for my protection. If I suddenly showed up for school tomorrow after being poisoned, people would start asking questions.

"Fine."

Michael's gaze followed me as I made my way up the stairs and to my bedroom. His voice called after me once I reached my doorway.

"Training tomorrow night after I get out of work, no exceptions."

"Bu-"

"No exceptions, Celeste," he grumbled.

I rolled my eyes, shutting my bedroom door behind me. I didn't bother changing, let alone shower. My gaze fluttered to my nightstand, thankful my phone was already plugged in for the night. Sighing, I let my body collapse on the bed.

As soon as my head hit that pillow, I was out like a light.

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