Blind Faith (Book 1)

Chapter 8

Aimee

The balcony door shut and Aimee waited to hear the lock click in place, before peeking over the edge of the roof, to catch a quick glimpse of the grizzly old man through the window.

She had been careless, and overconfident. Thankfully, when the door opened, the man had come out cleaning his spectacles and stepped to his left to peer over the balcony. She instantly flipped up behind him onto his roof. At most he may have seen a shadow or a blur, something out of the corner of his eye, but Aimee still cursed herself. Complacency is the enemy of any plan, no matter how good it is, and she can not afford to hurt others and jeopardize missions.

The sound of a key turning in its spindle from another door pricked her ears and the air in her throat caught as she paused, crouched upon all fours like a cat ready to pounce, watching a young man in a navy dressing gown open a balcony door and lean against the railing opposite.

His robe opened at the front, and her sharp eyes examined every inch of his toned chest, glistening in the morning light. His eyes remained hidden under shaggy russet hair, which in her opinion was in dire need of a cut. The boy appeared to be examining something in his hand, raising it to the sun and grinning. She gasped as the rays pushed away the shadows upon his face revealing his angelic features. Magenta colours sparkled across his face from the jewel he held up.

They walk among us...

Embarrassed at her wayward thoughts, her face burned. It was a blessing no one could see her. She slipped back, into the shadow of the chimney and crouched low, struggling to pull her gaze away from him. With a very audible sigh, he turned away and disappeared back inside, saving her blushes. A small ball of regret settled on her stomach, as she subconsciously bit her bottom lip in thought.

What is wrong with me? Am I now a peeping tom, yearning for what I can never have?

It took every ounce of her training to refocus and pull her gaze away from where the young man disappeared and scan the surrounding buildings for her prey. The chase had been frustratingly long, the Daemon was good, if not one of the best she had ever hunted, except, they could not hide forever. Their evil stench lingered thick and heavy all along these terrace houses. If Aimee wasn't mistaken, her prey appeared to be hunting something or someone as well. This made her task even more urgent, to apprehend this Fallen before they achieve their evil desires.

She glanced back at the young man's patio doors.

Did he live alone? And why did he tease my mind so much?

She closed her eyes, for a moment, forcing her straying thoughts back on the task, only to snap them open again, sensing a new threat in the air, making all the hairs on her skin stand on end.

Leaning forwards, she eagerly surveyed the garden below for any sign of movement or unnatural shadows, her eyes brushing towards the cars on the road, then switching to the foliage and trees further afield, on the other side.

All she had was a constant uneasy feeling in her stomach, like an old friend, this ancient human feeling, appearing in unison with the burning of her sapphire earring, smouldering as a gentle reminder to be wary. The warning signs had saved her life too many times to count.

Patience can be a weapon...

She sat silent and still, knowing that answers and guidance would come naturally to those who waited.

Aimee jumped to her feet to watch a large brown UPS van turn into the road from the seafront entrance and drive all the way to park directly below her. Her stomach clenched tight and the sapphire burned like fire in her ear.