Chapter Two

"So... you never told me your name," I said as I followed my dark protector through a dimly lit corridor.

"That's because it doesn't matter," he responded.

"Well it matters to me, I'd just like to know the name of my saviour," I muttered.

"How would knowing my name make a difference?" he halted suddenly, almost causing me to slam face first into his back.

"I'd like to know who I'm thanking," I said.

"You don't presume to know me by knowing my name, do you?"

"Yeah, well, I'm beginning to learn who you are just fine without knowing your name," I muttered sourly.

I was quickly gathering the sense that this man had already made the decision to dislike me even though we hadn't really spoken more than a few minutes. I had a million questions to ask him, but I couldn't seem to voice them and his silent attitude did little to bolster my spirits into asking these questions. If he was merely a figment of my imagination building up some horrible dream, then a part of me obviously didn't like myself. Why had I even chosen to go with him rather than the blonde man, Lukael? It might have been because he was the one who actually saved me, but now I was beginning to think I had made a mistake.

A sigh lifted his chest and shoulders, before he answered, "Kyriel."

"Kyriel?" I asked, feeling it over in my mouth.

"You don't like it, don't say it."

"A little hostile, aren't you?"

"Not hostile, I just find little girls like you annoying," Kyriel said.

"Well screw you," I glared at his back and the shadowy smoke extending from it.

He glanced at me over his shoulder, "I'm sure you'd love to."

I rolled my eyes at him and scoffed, "In your dreams."

Kyriel turned to face me, "Trust me when I say this, a child like you would never occupy my dreams."

"Good, I wouldn't want a grumpy old man perving on me anyway," I huffed.

His jaw twitched, before he snapped, "Shut up and just follow me."

I wasn't sure, but I think I hit a nerve by calling him old. I doubted it was the word grumpy, he seemed completely content with having a downright sour personality, so it had to have been the word 'old'. Although, I couldn't understand why it would bother him as he looked as if he couldn't be a day older than twenty five.

"Whatever you say, oh mighty dumbass," I muttered.

"I heard that."

"I was counting on it," I challenged his glare with my own.

"I can already tell having you here is going to be a huge pain in my ass," Kyriel glowered.

"Well then you shouldn't have saved me and then asked me to come with you," I shot back.

"What was I supposed to do? Give you up to Goldie Locks?" Kyriel shrugged.

"Goldie Locks?" I raised an eyebrow.

"What? Would you prefer I called him the Golden Fleece?"

"En jy sê vir my dat ek ʼn kind is," I said, figuring that I'd riled him up enough in English.

"What?" Kyriel tilted his head.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all," I smiled with false sweetness.

"I'd refrain from speaking another language around me, if I was you, unless you want me to get seriously pissed," Kyriel growled.

"Ja, whatever," I said, "I have the right to speak whatever language I want."

"Here, you have no rights, girl," Kyriel said.

"How the fuck do you figure that?" I demanded.

"I figure that, because if you want to live, you'll listen to me no matter what I tell you to do. If you want to die then you won't listen," Kyriel said before leaning closer to me with a wicked grin, "but I have a feeling you don't want to become a victim of that thing at the Police Department."

I opened my mouth to respond, before shutting it again and glaring up at him. He was right, I didn't want to die and if I had to play the good little girl and do as I was told in order to survive then so be it. Though a big part of me hoped that this was all in my head and I was completely bonkers, I couldn't take the risk that I may not be. Then again, I was never one to back down against assholes and this asshole really deserved to have his buttons pushed. In fact, it was almost like he was begging me to push them with his downright sour, high and mighty attitude.

Kyriel grunted with approval, "Good, now keep it that way and follow me."

"Ek wil iets doen maar dit is nie om jou te volg nie," I mutter under my breath, so he wouldn't hear me.

"What did I say about speaking another language?" Kyriel said as he turned to lead the way.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me!" I exclaimed in frustration.

"What did I say about keeping your mouth shut?"

"Oh, go fuck yourself in whatever pit of hell you came from," I snarled.

"Excuse me?" Kyriel said, challenging me to continue.

I didn't back down, "You heard me. I'm not going to be some pretty little princess who plays the damsel in distress and does whatever you say without question."

"Well then, you're going to die very soon," Kyriel said darkly.

"Maybe, but I get the feeling that you didn't save me from that flesh-eating monster to be your pet slave and that you're going to help me protect myself."

Kyriel looked me up and down over his shoulder, "Help you protect yourself? You're a twig with nice tits, how are you supposed to protect yourself?"

I looked at him unimpressed, "Gee, thanks."

"You're most welcome," Kyriel responded with dramatic sarcasm.

"Well... I suppose that is the most complementary thing you've said to me all day," I mumbled.

"And I have plenty more where that came from," he said with false humour.

"Oh, great," I retorted with false enthusiasm.

"Anyway, just... follow me," Kyriel said as he began walking.

"Not going to tell me to keep my mouth shut?" I asked as I followed him.

''One more comment, girl, and I'll bend you over my knee and spank you," Kyriel threw the false threat over his shoulder.

"That wouldn't exactly be a punishment... it'd be awkward as hell, but not a punishment," I responded with a shrug.

Kyriel grunted, "Huh, good to know."

I remained silent after that as Kyriel led me down a long corridor with stained-glass windows on either side depicting various flowers, angels and demons and the like. This made me wonder why the building looked like an ordinary manor on the outside, which I assumed belonged to Kyriel's parents, but looked kind of like the inside of a church so far. I supposed that maybe Kyriel's parents or whoever built this house had been a tad on the fanatical religious side, but one could never truly know what goes on in the minds of people with enough money to build a house with over twenty rooms.

I stepped tentatively on the hard, wooden floor that looked to be made up of polished mahogany planks, finding the extremely graphic darker stained-glass depictions further along the corridor slightly discomforting. Images of people being speared, women crying blood and people burning while appearing to reach out of the glass for me to help them sent an icy shiver down my spine.

"So, this place must have cost a fortune," I commented, trying to take my mind off the stained glass.

"Not so much when it was bought," Kyriel's strong shoulders lifted in a shrug.

"Oh? When was it bought?"

"About seventy years ago, perhaps more," Kyriel said.

"Wow, so I guess this place has been in your family for a while now," I muttered.

"Family? Huh, yeah, I guess you could say that," Kyriel grunted.

"You grunt an awful lot," I said.

"So, I do," Kyriel said.

I sighed, "Fine, don't be sociable, just keep being an asshole. I bet the ladies just adore that."

"How ever have I managed to displease you now, princess?"

"Oh, don't start acting all high class and kak," I said.

"Then don't start acting like I'm obligated to speak with you," Kyriel snapped back.

"You're not obligated to, but a decent human be-" I began before getting cut off.

"Human?" Kyriel scoffed, ''I'm about as human as your big toe.''

"My big toe is part of me so it's human," I responded.

Kyriel looked taken aback for a moment, "Huh. I need to show you something."

He suddenly grabbed my arm and began dragging me quickly down the corridor and through various doors at a pace that didn't allow me to get a good look at my quickly changing surroundings, before stopping me in front of a vast glass window looking into some kind of habitat and I gasped at what I saw lounging on a large flat rock. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had to either be dreaming or losing my mind, because what I saw couldn't be real.