Chapter 2 ∣  Varið

-Isis

That...thing...well, at least it didn't further pursue Icarus. 

I breathed out a sigh of relief, my dark blue eyes scanning from the dark-haired demon that momentarily halted my varið among the large crowd of humans that passed one another on the busy sidewalk. It was mid-day and Icarus was on his way to the Augmented Institute, the underground research facility that largely consisted of humans creating weapons to use against supernatural creatures.

Icarus' work centered around his hatred for the vampire race, thus throwing him headfirst into his work once the founder established this very technologically advanced facility. There are three others on his team aside from himself, each working with their own unique set of skills to come up with weapons that I didn't even think possibly could exist.

I knew why he was doing this...why he hated them so...but he'd never let his pain show through to anyone. He'd only opened once to the founder of the institute and that was before my time of being assigned to him. I'd only heard a whisper or two from him about the subject, but I knew it was something no one dared to bring up.

"People nowadays," Icarus shook his head, holding his forest green messenger bag closer to his body as he weaved his way through the throng of humans. He was wearing a long button-up beige coat that came down over the top of his jeans, his shoes pounding the pavement as he moved further away. His irritation was simmering down, trying hard not to let the encounter bother him. It bothered me though...not knowing what the motives were of a demon of his caliber...sex demons, the Devil's worse creation. This incubus was now doubtingly out on the hunt to have sex with another human being, stealing their life energy and taking away from their total life expectancy.

That's the thing about those demons...they kill you slowly and pleasurably, so much so, you don't even realize what is truly happening and you crave more. Once you realize...it's too late.

When my eyes darted sideways, I noticed the double-take look from the demon, his purple irises narrowing on Icarus. There was this look in his eyes, one that made me think for a second that he was about to pursue my varið.

Touch him and I'll kill you.

Without another incident arising, the demon left, resuming wherever it was he was going. Icarus' stride increased, nearing the intersection that led him down a side street. There were fewer people taking the path less traveled, only a couple of glances thrown Icarus' way. He was fearless and that's what bothered me the most.

I'd never had to show my true self to him, not once in the past six months since I was assigned the contract to protect him. When the Lord himself assigned me to watch over Icarus, I was flat out confused as he wasn't of any significance. Not until I learned why he needed protection.

Demons were never meant to live on Earth...permanently.

That all changed over a thousand years ago when the vampires escaped from Hell and made Earth their permanent residence. Humans tried killing them...that only worked for so long. Then came the days of the very first crossbreed between a pureblood vampire and a human, a hunter they were labeled as, their strength and speed like their vampire kin. Their white irises made them stick out against all other beings, making it easy to spot and kill them...some were smart, using contact lenses...while others...not so much.

Demons crossover to the Earth every day...but they all return to where they came from...the vampires refused.

Icarus' research is almost complete, a turning point for this world to rid of the vampires once and for all. Those who know of his existence and what he is working on...

...assassins...

I tend to remove my varið from the situation before anything can happen, other times, I am not so lucky. It's amazing how the human mind can be manipulated so, forcing him to sleep and removing the threat before he awakens. It's been a dauntless effort on both our parts...him trying to nail his research down and me keeping him safe.

My winter white feathery wings beat the air softly behind me, carrying me through the air. I was always close enough to him to react in a split second, my presence concealed by the ability to stay in ethereal form.

Icarus was nearing the deviated path toward the institute when he stopped for a moment. It was way too quiet now, the sounds fading from the main road over the past few minutes coming to almost complete silence. It was in his best interest, always to double-check and make sure no one was following...otherwise it would likely be more than just his life in danger.

I felt it before he did, though he somehow knew there was a presence lingering...somewhere. The distinctive scent a vampire assassin gives off, right before they materialize from the dark shadows was all the warning I needed before I quickly snapped my fingers.

One.

He appeared right behind Icarus, the world coming to a screeching halt. Frozen in time, his dark hair resting just above his shoulders, his eyes bloody red eyes narrowed in disgust at my varið.

Two.

The static charge and life pulsated through my body, drawing on the very energy of this world and bending it to my will.

Three.

The wisps of electric blue energy became corporeal and so did my form as I hovered a few yards behind the frozen vampire. Icarus' body remained like a statue, the vampire's hand having just stopped mere inches away from his back. Another second more, and it would have dived his hand through my varið's back and ripped out his heart.

Four.

I drew back on the celestial bow that I had crafted from the life-giving energy of this world, the arrow aimed straight for the vampire's heart.

Five.

Breathing in and out cautiously, I narrowed my eyes on the target, exhaling and letting loose the arrow. In the next second, the time stream took over and adjusted itself, bringing to life the once frozen beings. I was gone from sight, the sound of the vampire screaming caused Icarus to swing around and jump back, the arrow had pierced through the demon's heart. The arrow was no longer there though, it appeared as though possibly a gunshot had rendered the vampire helpless, right before the heart completely stopped.

Time...something humans wish they could either stop or turn back the clock.

Luckily for me, I was given five seconds to affect the world around me with no consequences or another to stop me. It is what constantly saved the life of my varið and yet he knew something was off but could never put two and two together. Here he was, fighting to kill the ones he despised the most, praying that God would help lead him in the right direction...little did he know that he was favored.

"The hell..." Icarus' voice trailed off, his heart beating furiously against his chest. His eyes widened at the body of the vampire lying face down against the pavement. Blood trickled away from the assassin's body, forking out like branches of a tree as it extended toward the curb and down into the street.

It was times like these, that I wish his memory could be erased. Icarus always figured himself a lunatic, wondering exactly how these creatures would die, saving him in the nick of time. I prayed he wouldn't go crazy, and he never showed any signs that this affected him the way it should.

Glancing around him, hoping to thank the mysterious being who killed the vampire, he found nothing as always. Sighing, he turned away from the dead body, leaving behind his hate as well. Instead, Icarus traveled down the pathway and making three tight turns before coming to the entrance of a black door on the outskirts of town connected to an old warehouse. Cautious as ever, especially after the encounter with a vampire assassin, he glanced around for any sign of someone following him. Again, nothing obvious. Nothing seen.

Without another hesitation, he reached for the panel on the right side of the wall near the door. Opening it, he set his hand against the scanner and after a few short moments with a satisfying beep, the door unlocked, and Icarus took hold of the metal handle before throwing it open. While he closed the panel door, I slipped in beside him, the lights activating with the sense of his movements through the corridor, shutting the door soundlessly behind him.

With the lights flickering to life, Icarus wandered down the corridor, ending at another door, only this one always had a guard standing by under the one light that remained active .

"Icarus," he nodded his head as my varið approached.

"Conner," Icarus regarded him while my bare feet met the coolness of the floor, my wings folding flat against my back.

While Icarus lifted his arms and Conner searched him asking, "Blood splatter?"

Icarus arched a brow when Conner moved behind him, noting the bloodstain left behind from the vampire assassin. Icarus sighed and replied, "A vampire not too far from here," he paused for a second while Conner searched the forest green messenger bag my varið already had open for him to inspect, "an assassin actually."

Conner finished search the bag and nodded stating, "You have a guardian angel that works overtime man...I've never seen a human luckier than you."

Icarus chuckled at his comment, Conner placing his hand against the scanner next to the second door guarding the institute. From what I've gathered, only he and the founder can enter this safe haven, that way there were only two people to ever blame if an unauthorized being entered its sanctuary.

"You know I don't believe in myths," Icarus sighed, the door opening and Conner ushering him further into the building.

"And this coming from someone who lives in a world of blood-sucking leeches and mutts," Conner shook his head, "you'd think that you just might believe that there is some good out there."

Maneuvering around Conner and settling myself into the elevator, Icarus turned on his heels and smirked at him before saying, "There's no good left in this world...only evil. I intend to destroy that presence...regardless of what else might stand in my way."

"Ever the pessimistic cynic," Conner waved his hand, the sound of the elevator starting made my heart skip a beat. It was suffocating, being within such a confined space and man-made tools made me slightly uneasy. The thought of the elevator cords snapping and Icarus plummeting to his death...there would be nothing I could do to save him.

The golden metal gate shut tight as we descended the shaft down a good two miles beneath the Earth's surface. When the elevator did come to a shaky halt, I left out the air I'd been holding tightly in my lungs and sighed as Icarus unlatched the gate and walked right out onto the main level of the institute. There were few humans who were apart of this secret organization and they liked to keep it that way. With extensive background checks, nothing could get past the founder, her presence everywhere.

While Icarus greeted the few individuals walking to their areas of study, I could sense that dark and foreboding presence, the one that was elusive and kept me guessing. I never could quite understand exactly why she existed within this place...but she did.

Nearing the doors to Icarus' department, she approached him. Her long white hair was tied up in a bun, her icy blue eyes shining just behind the thick glasses she wore. A faint smile came to her lips, but my own stomach churned with filth and disgust.

She may be fooling everyone else, concealing every ounce of her true devastating strength and power, even down to her fangs, but I know exactly what she is...yet she's never shown any ill-will toward the humans within this sanctuary. It still baffles my mind...why she would establish such a facility...

"Hello Icarus," she greeted him cheerfully.

My all too trusting varið smiled softly as he replied, "Hey Lilith."

...why would a pureblood vampire become a founder of a place dedicated to destroying her own kind, let alone the werewolves as well?

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To Seduce an Angel by K. A. Young.

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