Don't Call Me Angel [Book 4] (#Wattys2017)

Chapter 19

(I didn't look over the chapter. Sorry for any mistakes like always. Enjoy!)

"This way," Joel said making a turn. We had been traveling for hours without sharing any words between the two of us. The sun was already coming to an end and I knew we would have to camp soon.

Traveling in the dark was dangerous and we both learned that the hard way. But Joel didn't seem like he was going to stop anytime soon.

Should I say something? Maybe I should, but will he listen to me?

I opened my mouth to say something, anything. But nothing came out. Why? Why couldn't I?

I wanted to find the child as much as he did. I wanted to protect the child as he did too. But this was not the time to be rash. We had to find them, make a plan to sneak the child away from Melantha unharmed. And then there was this Dr. Stein person.

Squeezing my hands into small fists, I glared the ground. I could still remember that man red eyes, his sharp razor teeth.

For the girl, I will have you as her replacement. How I would love to pluck off those pretty little wings of yours.

That beast, I can still feel the way my body felt when I first sensed him. Disgusted and... afraid. I felt stupid in a way thinking that right now I have a chance to save myself from that monster and yet I'm about to give myself up to him on a silver platter. And Joel didn't even know it. Right now he believes that he was the original target, and maybe he was maybe he wasn't, but things changed when I showed up.

Maybe this was how Edea felt when she threw herself in danger to save everyone from Crevan. Maybe this was how Dawn felt when she had to choose between her own life or Connor's when Crevan had kidnapped them both.

Heart pounded like a wild storm in my chest and I couldn't make it stop. I was getting closer. I could almost smell it, feel it. It surrounded me in all corners and I couldn't find a way out. I could run but won't. No matter how much the darkness swallows me up, I won't abandon that child.

She was scared, no doubt, waiting for her father, someone to look for her and save her from Dr. Stein.

"We'll camp here," Joel growled looking above, "We're close."

I walked up to find my feather in the palm of his hand, fading. "What's wrong with the feather?" I whispered.

"I mean's that our kidnappers have a hideout somewhere around here."

"How do you know?"

"I used to be a tracker back in my younger days," he coolly said finding a place to sit on the forest floor.

"A tracker? What do you do now?"

"Nothing," he replied leaning his made against a tree. "I hunt, I gather, and I raise my child. That's all I do."

"What about money?"

"When you have magic you don't need money," for just a moment I thought he smiled. Maybe it was my imagination. I peered away from his gaze, looking around just to get my mind focused on something else. Anything to forget that smile that I thought I saw before my legs started to melt. "How's your wing?" Joel asked.

I flinched for a moment, "What?"

"Your wing," his voice was low making my body shiver.

"It's fine now," I replied flexing my wings to their full length, "See."

He eyes looked at one wing then the other, checking for any falsehood in my words. Bringing my wings back, I felt... exposed. There was a gleam in his eyes that caught me off guard.

"I see," he muttered. "Why don't you sit, we'll be here for a while." I looked around trying to find a log or a large rock to sit on. Sitting on the grown wasn't too comfortable with wings.

"I think I'll stand for a while," I said glancing up at the tree above him. There was a nice thick branch for me to sleep on just above him.

Joel sighed for a moment that caught my attention. He snapped his fingers and the pointed behind me. Turn around and I found a plain wooden stool on three legs.

"Sit," he ordered.

I did as I was told and sat on the stool, "Thank you." He didn't say anything, he just stared. He glared at my wings. I knew there had to have been some blood on them but a simple bath would clean them right off. "Is something wrong?" I asked flexing my wings to see his eyes follow them.

"Were you born with them?"

I glanced at them, remember what my mother had told me about my birth. I smiled," Yes," I replied. "They were much smaller then. When the midwife helped my mother birth me, she nearly dropped me." I laughed. "My mother had said the midwife screamed so loud my father had rushed in thinking there was a murder taking place."

He glared at me with murderous eyes, "What happened to the midwife?"

I smiled, "She fainted. When she came too my father had asked not to tell."

"Did she?"

"No, she didn't even think anyone would believe her and if they did, my mother and I including my siblings would have been hanged," I laughed.

"Why your siblings too?"

"They had my mother's blood. The villagers wouldn't want another one of me showing up."

"Your sibling don't have wings too?" He asked.

"No, just me," I said a little to proudly but it made him smile. Which made my heart soar. "But they all have other gifts."

"There all human?"

"My one brother was born a vampire. The rest of us were all born human."

"And what are their gifts?"

I looked at him for a moment. He seemed too interested in knowing about them. It made me feel a bit uneasy. "Are you afraid of us?" I asked.

"No," he firmly said.

"My one brother has the ability of strength. No, man is strong as he is. The twins have the ability of fire and ice. My younger sister has the ability to turn her blood into poison."

"Poison?"

"Yes," I smiled, "but she didn't know until she was in her mid-twenties." He nodded his head slowly. I watched him for a moment then said, "Your safe in my families hands, Joel." The moment I said his name his eye's meet him and there was a hint of desire in them. "When we get your daughter back. My family will do everything in their power to make sure your family is safe." Turned away and frowned at what I was about to say next, "If you don't trust them then trust Tony. She will take care of everything."

"You're saying as if we're not trading me in for my daughter."

"We're not," I firmly said glaring at him. "Your daughter needs you."

He didn't say anything but looked into the forest around us. I looked the other as if I heard something. Which I did but it wasn't coming from the forest. No, it was coming from Joel. His heart was pounding hard against his chest. Stealing a glance towards his, I could see the tip of his ear grow a hot red color. He was blushing, I realized. The thought that that was his the way he blushed made me smile and blush myself.

"Thank you," he whispered.

I turned to him. I felt my heart ache at the words but I needed to hear them again. Just one more time. "What did you say?"

"I heard me," he said in a growl.

"I did," I smiled and for a moment I think I giggled.

"Get some sleep," he huffed and in a split moment he smiled but turned away so I wouldn't see but it was already too late. I wonder if he said 'I love you,' would I feel this way as well.

I felt so happy that I felt like I could die.

"Goodnight," I smiled.

"Night," he replied back.