When the Angels Fell

Chapter 16: Temper Temper

‘Can I come in?’

Daniel looked up from his seat by the fire, from which he had been staring morosely into the red heat for hours on end. The endless dance of the flames soothed his tortured soul and buried the surge of memories caused by the pearly tears Abigail had shed the last time they had argued. Their glistening wetness reminded him of a time countless years ago when had been forced to make a difficult decision and indirectly stolen the life of the one thing he had cherished above all others.

Tell me you love me

I would my dear, but that would be a lie

 

‘Kyrin,’ he said, consciously forcing himself to remain civil and not expose the whirlpool of emotions that constantly ate away at him. ‘Who let you through the door?’

‘The wolf,’ Kyrin said, crossing the threshold without waiting for an invitation and standing next to Daniel in such a way that, to any outside observer, he would appear to have dominance. In truth he knew that they were equally matched and in a real fight the outcome would always hang in the balance.

‘The wolf,’ Daniel repeated through gritted teeth. ‘Has a name and as long as you stand in this building you will use it’

‘My apologies’

‘You’re not sorry, so don’t try to fool me into thinking you are’

Kyrin smiled, a seemingly benign gesture that clearly failed to reach his eyes, and inclined his head to the side.

‘As perceptive as ever, I see,’ he said, waiting for several long seconds before adding a subtly barbed comment. ‘And just as moody’

‘You watch your tongue!’ Daniel snapped, standing up and turning to face Kyrin sharply. ‘Before I decide to take it from you!’

Kyrin stood silence in the face of this naked threat and Daniel finally managed to see the taunt for what it was. The realisation did nothing to lessen his anger and he stood stock still with his fists clenched, ignoring the pain in his arms as the tightened muscle pulled on his fresh scars. A thin line of warm blood ran down his arm as the tension reopened a particularly deep one on his bicep.

‘You really should stop fighting,’ Kyrin remarked sardonically. ‘It really doesn’t do you any favours’

‘And you should stop being an arrogant son of a bitch and giving me a reason to,’ Daniel shot back, noting with satisfaction how Kyrin’s self-important smile slipped a fraction. ‘Now why are you here?’

‘To address the problem of the girl,’ Kyrin answered smoothly, a darkly humorous glint in his eyes. ‘And how she is your weakness’

‘I am not weak!’ Daniel roared, his temper finally fraying to breaking point. He swung his fist with bone-breaking force, but Kyrin had already moved. The impact that would have shattered his jaw instead swept harmlessly through the air. ‘Now come here and let me kill you!’

‘You missed,’ Kyrin said from his new position by the door. ‘Which serves to illustrate my point perfectly’

‘Get out,’ Daniel growled, his burning rage cooling to icy anger. ‘And don’t you dare touch her’

‘I would never,’ Kyrin smiled, his face the picture of innocence. The expression quickly dropped, replaced by something darkly sinister. ‘But it may already be too late’