H. Styles
Saturday, December 7
(3 months later)
"Where is she?" I pull him by the collar to hiss in his face.
The sweet scent of his fear fills my nostrils, but it doesn't phase me. Tears pool in his eyes and a earsplitting sob erupts from him like a fucking baby yearning for a mothers tit. Pathetic, and this is who they have hunting me? They must be fucking with me now, this is just insulting. There is no way this guy is a true Hunter. I haven't even begun to reveal my true power and he's only seconds away from pissing his pants.
I'm fucking tired of these games the Hunters are playing. A primal growl rumbles in my chest— Fuck, I need to calm down. If I don't, I won't be able to stop myself from killing him before this interrogation is over.
"I don't know!" He clutches at my hand pinning him to the wall, digging his nails into my skin.
I relish the pain. It provides a nice break from the grief that has been consuming me since Aurora's abduction. I Ignore his futile attempt to harm me and suppress my demon so that my eyes return to a human color. I need him to look me in the eye without having a fucking heart attack.
"I know how the Hunter's work." I tell him, lowering my voice. I talk slow and pronounce clearly so that he hears and understands every word. He's still crying like a little bitch and I swear if I have to repeat myself... I will lose it. "Every Knight of Hell has a team of Hunters dedicated to their banishment from Earth, and you are assigned to—"
"I swear! I sw—" I growl to silence him. He instantly quiets, pressing his lips together to prevent his cries from escaping. I continue.
'"Since the Hunter's took Aurora, she has her own team dedicated to whatever the fuck you are doing with her. I need to know where they are. I need names. Now."
"I d-d-don't k-k-know! I'm new, I don't know anybody or anything! Just don't kill me!"
I slam my hand against his mouth to shut up the damn waterworks but it only makes him cry harder. Snot covers my palm and his hot tears streak endlessly down his cheeks. I can't believe this guy. He has no dignity— and that's how I know that he's telling the truth.
This is definitely the Hunters fucking with me.
"Who is your superior?"
A whine escapes his snot covered lips as soon as I uncover them and cowers as far away as my grip allows. I narrow my eyes in warning.
"I don't k–k–know the n–n–name, w–w–we j–j–just call 'em Mr. W."
Mr. W.
Yes, I have learned a great deal about Mr. W in the past 3 months. He is the man in charge when it comes to hunting me and was the lead man in Aurora's capture. Whoever he is though, he's not the one calling the shots. He's just a puppet in all of this really but either way, when push comes to shove, I'll rip his fucking heart out too.
I release the poor excuse of a Hunter and he immediately shoves against my chest in a poor attempt to throw me off balance. I take a step to appease him and he turns to haul ass down the alley.
"Take care of him." I call, turning to walk back to the Ferrari.
I hear Darcy heels click behind me as she chases after him and by the time I get to the car, there is a scream in the distance. The entire drive home is a blur and Darcy is already at the loft when I arrive. Her serious blue eyes study me as I walk across the room and toward the wall covered in papers, pictures, and now a map of the United States.
I give nothing away as I pick up a marker and slash the boys picture with a red line. I stare at the picture a second. Then before I even know what I'm doing, my fist buries itself into the wall, making a crater where the boys picture was just moments ago.
Where the fuck is she?
91 days 7 hours 13 minutes and 32 seconds.
That is how long I have been without her laughter, her smell, her taste, her touch. The ache in my chest is excruciating and worsens with each passing second. I can't eat, I can't sleep... the only thing I can think about is finding her. I feel her absence so deeply and so profoundly that I swear if I don't find her soon, I'm going to lose my fucking mind.
I should've known it was a trap.
I should've fucking known.
Those fuckers outsmarted me, they knew I would leave her side if the right circumstance arose— like fucking blowing up a Knight of Hell on top of Acerbus Enterprises.
I close my eyes and lean against the wall next to the crater I created.
I need to stop doing this, but I can't. I replay that day over and over again...
I slam the door to the Ferrari shut and multiple people turn back, gasping at my presence. They part like the sea as I make my way towards the police line. Multiple firetrucks are parked in front of what remains of my company, using water hoses to snuff out the flames.
Something pricks at the back of my neck and I scan the sea of people until I find the source. It's one of the cameramen, he's watching me and when I catch him, he turns away quickly. Just in that one look I know though, without a fucking doubt, he's a Hunter.
The sea of people split for me once more as I march towards him but before I reach him, one of the news reporters stops me. I look over the yellow-eyed woman in front of me. Her brown hair is tied up into a tight bun, suggesting that she's a tight-ass but the low-cut of her shirt is way too revealing for modesty...
"Mr. Styles, can we have a few words?"
I meet her yellow eyes and glance back to find my building still going up in flames. I nod unwillingly. She grins and motions towards the cameraman I caught watching me a moment ago. Perhaps this will work in my favor... I need to seclude them, that way I can knock out the reporter and beat the shit out of him. Hmmm, let's see... I scan the area and see that their news van is parked down the street from the crowd, halfway into the alley.
Perfect.
I gesture towards it. "Why don't we step over there, away from the commotion."
Her yellow eyes flash and a warm smile plasters on her lips. "Of course." She gestures for me to lead the way.
We walk over to the van and I circle behind it until I'm standing behind it in the alley. I chuckle and turn towards them,"Sorry but I'm afr—"
As soon as I turn around, the news woman stabs me in the fucking chest with what looks like a stake. I hiss through my teeth but then laugh at her poor attempt to detain me.
"Oh baby, stakes don't work on me."
I lift my hand to pull it out but my body doesn't respond.
What the fuck?
"Oh baby, that's not an ordinary stake." She unpins her hair and shakes it out around her like a mane. Her cat like eyes narrow and a smile plays at her lips. "Would you like to know what makes it special Mr. Styles?"
"I'm sure you're about to tell me."
She tilts her head, her yellow eyes watching me as if she can read my mind. Her feet slowly start to move toward me and with every step, the fucking grin on her face widens. I try to move and when that fails, leave my body... but I can't. Whatever the fuck they did to this stake is some serious shit.
Her tongue tsks against her teeth as if in pity.
I want to rip her fucking head off.
"It's a shame that you're a demon, you're so much better looking in person." A long red nail scrapes gently across my cheek and I narrow my eyes in warning. She ignores it and wraps her hand behind my neck, pulling her body flush against mine. The heat of her breath brushes against my lips when she speaks this time. "I bet you know how to make a girl scream."
This Hunter's different... I can practically taste the hunger and lust on her lips and it hits me again, that feeling. The feeling that I know this girl and there is something important about her. I may not know what it is now, but I will find out.
Her tongue flicks out of her mouth, tasting mine and she hums appreciatively.
"I'd love for you to fuck me." She whispers in my ear, rubbing her body against mine. "And lucky for us, they don't want you dead yet, so we still have time."
"What do you mean they don't want me dead?"
She pulls away to watch me with her cat eyes and I narrow mine again.
"Oh come now Mr. Styles, you must've worked it out by now. This mission wasn't about you."
Suddenly a sharp pain shoots through my body and I grit my teeth together. Something's wrong. I try to follow the cord in my soul that binds me to Aurora but I can't even fucking do that. I roar in frustration, using every ounce of my strength to move.
The Hunter releases me, looking down to check something on her phone. She types a reply and sighs heavily before meeting my glare. Her expression is one of longing but there is nothing but humor behind her eyes.
"The mission is complete. Until next time, Mr. Styles." She turns to walk away and then quickly spins around while snapping her fingers together. "Oh yeah, the stake. I forgot to tell you what makes it special. It was made to harm only one demon, and that's you Mr. Styles. I leave you to figure out how I did it."
Then without another word she hops into the van and turns back to blow a kiss before speeding away. Excruciating pain burns through my bones and I try again, and again to leave my body.
The pain suddenly recedes and I stop my futile attempts as fear seeps in. I haven't felt this kind of profound fear in a long time and I know instantly that it's not mine. NO! The stake in my chest begins to smoke at the same time as the pain returns with a vengeance.
I Travel, following the link that binds me to her, and come to stand in an abandoned street not far from my loft. The stench of blood fills my nostrils and her scent is still faint in the air, as if taunting me that I'm too late. Out of the corner of my eye, something moves and I turn to find a package lying in the middle of the street.
A bright red ribbon is tied around it and a black envelope sits on top of it with my name scrawled in white ink. I'm there in a second, picking it up and ripping it open.
It is a pleasure doing business with you. We'll talk again soon, Mr. Styles. - Mr. W
I crumble the letter in my palm and toss it aside. They took her, they took my Aurora. The hollowness in my chest fucking grows as crushing grief sets in.
The brown package moves a little, bringing my attention to it, and I pick it up and rip it open.
What the....
Then I see it. There is a long piece of skin that has been freshly cut and wreaks of angle blood— Niall's blood.
They cut off his mother fucking wings.
"What do we do now, Harry? That was our last lead." Darcy pulls me from my memories and back to the present.
I turn to face her and cross my arms over my chest. I have been avoiding this for the past 3 months, but no more.
"Summon Louis."
Her nose pinches in disgust and her eyes flash. "You know how that will look."
Yes, I do know. The problem is: I don't fucking care. All I know is I need Aurora with me... and if Louis can help me accomplish that, I'm all for it. As soon as we're done though, I'll fucking end Louis Tomlinson. Permanently.
"Did I fucking stutter?"
That sets her off. She's in my face, teeth bared and eyes black, glaring into mine. She wants to tell me to 'go fuck myself'. I can tell. Especially after last night's little argument. She tried to seduce me. I told her to fuck off and that made her lose her shit. She proceeded to bitch about me 'neglecting my duties' because I'm 'too busy searching for my girlfriend' and— let's just say the conversation didn't end well... for her.
I don't need someone to fucking tell me what my priorities are, especially a manipulative bitch like Darcy. I enjoyed reminding her who's in charge here and why.
"Would you like to say something Ms. Kresiski?" I prod, eager to remind her once more of yesterday's lesson.
War rages behind her eyes as she debates on challenging me again, and I smile. A hiss escapes from between her teeth as she takes a step back and curses me in Romanian. Her head bows in submission.
"Leave."
She Travels without further objection.
With that distraction gone, I turn back to wall and pour over everything again. As if I somehow missed some crucial detail. I have no idea how the Hunters have managed to conceal her from me for so long.
At first, I thought they had taken her to the East in angel territory. Decades ago they set up their base in Rhode Island, they figured that they would use the angels as their allies— It didn't stop me from hunting them down and killing them one by one. The angels didn't even come to their slaughter.
However, this time, the Hunters have leverage. After I Turned, I did a lot of research about my former Guardian. There are signs of him throughout the history of Paradise, making him older than Earth's creation. Niall is more dangerous than he appears and more knowledgeable than he lets on. There are even hints that he is The Fathers right hand man.
The problem is, those winged hypocrites do not believe as Niall does. They want Aurora wiped from existence, to rid the world of the evil she could become. I stooped low enough to ask those fuckers to help me find them. Only a few offered to "keep an eye out". Just thinking about it is enough to make my blood boil. Selfish bastards.
However, after searching myself, I have a new theory. I believe they are constantly moving her around so that her scent doesn't linger long in one place, making it difficult for me to track her alone. I have every demon at my disposal on the lookout for her and if they catch wind of her, I will know. The demon that finds her was promised a favor, and coming from me, that's a huge fucking deal. A favor from a Knight of Hell is something rare and in between, but even with the incentive there has been no luck.
That leaves me with only one choice: Louis Tomlinson.
The angels wing hangs from my hand and I feel his presence as he Travels towards me. Louis materializes from the shadows, striding with his normal arrogance but as he nears, the smile from his lips fades. His eyes darken and he removes his hands from his pockets to reach for Niall's appendage. I offer it up for his examination but before he touches it, he pulls back growling.
"Only another angel can cut off ones wings."
He lowers his hand and places them both back in his pockets, resuming his normal asshole stature. I put the wing back in the brown package and place it under neath my arm, my eyes never leaving Louis. At my scrutiny, a small smile plays on his lips and I take a deep breath to keep myself from punching his teeth in.
A chuckle resonates from him at watching me and I copy his stance, placing my hands in my pockets. I manage to quiet the rage boiling up in me and give Louis my best blank expression. I sense he knows something, something important, but if I attack him we will be at war and he is not my priority right now.
"What else do you know?"
His eyes shine with mirth and I know what he is going to say before he opens his fucking mouth.
"Make a deal with me, and I'll tell you."
"No."
Making a deal with another demon is fucking degrading, it's like admitting inferiority. A demonic submission of sorts. Lower demons do it all the time amongst each other in an attempt to establish dominance, but for Knights of Hell it is unheard of. Louis knows this and he also knows what Aurora means to me. I marked her soul with my imprint and now every demon knows she's mine— and that makes her the target of my enemies.
"Very well," He says calmly, eyes shining with knowing. "I will await your summons."
"Good evening, Mr. Styles."
"Mr. Tomlinson."
I turn to face him and Darcy comes to stand at my side. Louis watches her and laughs.
"Yes, little demon. Run back behind your master."
She hisses at him and I silence her with a glare. I won't have her distracting him from the matter at hand.
"What are your terms, Mr. Tomlinson?"
His eyes return to me and the fucker smirks as he glances back at my research. He wanders around the room, looking over everything with a calculating expression. I growl, annoyed by his stalling but he ignores me as he wanders towards the newly cratered wall.
"Hm," He says, distractedly. "you were so close..."
"Speak." I hiss through my teeth.
Louis turns to me and the smile drops from his mouth at my command. His eyes darken.
"I will aide you in finding Aurora Whitman and in return, you will allow me to aide in destroying the Hunters."
"Clarify."
"I will be informed of every plan and new piece of information concerning the Hunters and allowed to assist in the final strike against them. That is my deal."
I'm surprised by the deal to say the least and I run his words through my head a few times to make sure there are no misunderstandings on my part.
"In simple terms, you help me find Aurora and I let you in on annihilating the Hunters. Correct?"
Louis nods.
I extend my hand to him. "Deal."
Louis takes it and we shake.
"Now tell me what you know."
Louis wanders over to the couch and takes a seat while staring at the map.
"The Hunters are in league with the Fallen. That's how they managed to cut the angels wings."
"I gathered that."
"Hm," His blue eyes sift through my research quickly and eventually he nods. "You were very close, mate. The only thing you didn't consider is that she isn't human."
"Cut the shit Tomlinson and just say it. My patience is wearing thin."
His eyes darken fractionally before going back to their human shade but his expression remains hard as he continues.
"She's is Seattle, Harry. Has been for the past month."
There is no fucking way. I would know if she were that close. He's fucking li— One look at him though and I know there is no deceit on him. But how? I would sense her presence, feel it in my bones like a premonition.
"They have taught her many things since she was taken." Louis continues. "Including how to shield her aura from you and other demons. I haven't seen her myself but from the stories... she is quite remarkable."
The obvious adoration in his tone makes me want to tear his throat out. I close my hands into fists at my sides and cross them to keep them in check. If I don't, I might demolish this whole fucking building.
Why would she shield herself from me? And if she has been in Seattle, why the fuck hasn't she come to me, sent me a sign, anything? They must have done something to her, it's the only explanation.
"They are dispatching her as a weapon. I know her next mission—"
"Where?"
My voice is too deep but my demon is the last fucking thing I'm worried about.
Louis looks down at his watch and glances back up at me. "In about half an hour, she's going to hunt down a demon by the name of Nathaniel Daniels. I know this because he's one of mine. I've arrange for him to be at this address."
He extends a piece of paper and I snatch it away, reading over the lines. Before he can finish, I Travel.
I arrive a block away from where Louis said his man would be and shield my aura. Two can play this fucking game. Then I wait. I watch Nathaniel pace back and forth as if contemplating if he should leave or not. I know he won't though. No matter how fearsome my Aurora has grown to be, her cruelty is no match for a centuries old Knight of Hell.
The weight of time is heavy and seconds feel like hours and minutes feel like days as I wait for her.
Then hear it.
Wings.
A blur of red cuts across my vision and Nathaniel has disappeared from where he stood just moments ago. Not waisting any time, I follow the new and yet familiar scent down a dark alley. I'm careful to keep myself hidden and stop a few feet away from them.
I watch the graceful arch of her arm as she unsheathes a sword. The glitter of its blade shines even in the darkness as she battles him but Nathaniel doesn't stand a chance. Her slices are precise and deliberate, hitting their mark every time. The hole in my chest gets a little smaller as I breathe her in and for the first time in months, I feel like I can breathe.
I need to see her face though. To be sure she is mine, my Aurora, because the creature in front of me is something completely different. Her brown hair has been dyed black and it hangs down her back as strait as a board. The curves of her body are more defined and the muscles in her arms flex with every swipe of her sword.
With one final slice, she cuts the demons throat and he leaves his human vessel, disappearing into the ground.
Everything goes quiet except the echo of her labored breathing.
I lift the shield from my aura.
Her shoulders instantly stop their rapid movement and I hear her inhale deeply, breathing me in. She sheathes her sword and takes a deep breath. Painfully slow, she turns and her grey eyes meet mine. It takes every ounce of self control to not launch myself at her. Instead, I place my hands in my pockets and smile the same way I did when she walked into my office for her interview.
"Ms. Whitman."
You never realize the holes a person leaves behind until you fall in them.
All the love.
-A