Raden managed to safely reach the confines of the cottage without injury or site from prying eyes. However, relief wasn't what Raden was feeling.

He lay Azrael in bed, scanning her for any injuries. Luckily she was spared.

The adrenaline began to settle and Raden soon felt the effects of the fight. His muscles grew heavy and his head pounded. He slid down the wall, completely into exhaustion. Raden's gaze lingered over the shadowed outline of Azrael and questions began flooding through him.

The last light of the day cast shadows through the window. Raden silently watched the sheets shift as Azrael stirred. He heard her soft groans as she slowly pulled herself to sit on the edge of the bed. He debated whether to let her carry on, or confront her.

Raden had never been a non-confrontational being, and he wasn't about to start.

"I don't like being lied to, Azrael." A deep voice broke the heavy silence. Glowing red eyes bore into Azrael as she slowly turned to face the monster in the corner.

"You are not welcome here, spirit." Azrael kept her voice flat and calm. Raden could sense the fear. He could almost smell it radiating off her.

It excited him

Raden chuckled, "I am no spirit." He stood with wings looming behind him like a shadow.

He stalked slowly and without sound. His eyes, red like blood, giving away his position. However, this was no accident. Raden wanted to instill fear.

Raden towered over Azrael, glaring hatred. "What are you?" He knelt to her level. "Demon priestess? God avatar?" When she didn't answer, anger surged through Raden and he grabbed her wrist pulling Azrael away from the protection of the bed. "YOU WILL ANSWER ME!"

"Please, don't hurt me." Azrael's voice trembled. A choked cry echoed through the room causing something in Raden to flip.

His anger dissipated as fast as it bubbled and he let her wrist go. Raden stepped back in shock peering down to see the face of a frightened girl. He realized what he had done.

"Hey. Hey, it's me." Raden knelt down. Guilt and worry laced his voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Azrael's eyes widened. "Raden." She reached out a hand feeling the soft skin of his cheek. "You're alive."

Raden stepped back from her touch. Not once in his life had anyone been so... gentle. He was unsure of this. "I told you that it would take more than a couple of demons," he joked. Anything to break this odd tension.

"I saw you hit the ground."

Raden looked rather confused trying to put the pieces together. He furrowed his brows together as his mind raced before turning back to Azrael. "Azrael, what do you remember exactly?"

"Well, I remember watching you dive bomb into the street and everything went black after that."

Raden stood puzzled. "Azrael, that was one of the demons hitting the ground."

"What happened?"

Raden sat down next to her. "You threw three mages on their asses with an insane amount of magic." He looked over at Azrael. "I've seen plenty of crazy magic but nothing like that."

She whispered, "I did it again." She stood and walked into the other room continuing to repeat 'I did it again' over and over.

Raden quickly followed her and saw her pacing around as she continued to repeat the same sentence over and over. He didn't know what to do and concern washed over him at the sight of Azrael like this. "Azrael?"

She shook her head and continued pacing. Raden stood back giving her space, but a helpless worry bubbled in him. He wasn't quite sure how to help or even if he should. When Azrael continued the frantic behavior, Raden grabbed her shoulders firmly, turning her towards his gaze.

"Hey, look at me. What's going on?" He watched her try to form words but something was holding her back from speaking. Azrael just shook her head frantically. Frustration began to build in Raden. He needed a straight answer, and Azrael was in no shape to give one.

Azrael continued to pace back and forth while Raden watched. Azrael crumbled to the floor in a heap of tears. Raden stepped forward and knelt in front of her. He tried catching her eye, but Azrael had placed her head between her knees. "Please help me," Azrael whispered.

Raden had a strange sense she wasn't speaking to him though.

He sat against the wall watching everything unfold. Giving her space was the best idea he could manage to think of. It was what he always did when emotions ran high. The silence would ease his mind and maybe it would work with Azrael.

Silence settled around the two. Azrael finally calmed down and was a heap in the center of the floor while Raden dozed in the corner. He intended on watching her, but the exhaustion was too much to fight.  Azrael shifted around, waking Raden.

Raden took a deep breath, trying to fully wake up. He saw a faint outline of the young witch on the floor sitting. He shuffled around, trying to make his presence known without scaring her. She whipped her head towards his direction and he could see the fear set on her face.

"It's just me," Raden reassured.

Azrael didn't say a word, but stood. She blindly walked to the fireplace reaching out in front of herself feeling for the shelves. She lit a candle and held it in front of herself. Raden saw the puffy and red eyes before anything else.

"You, okay?"

"Yeah." A complete lie.

Raden could see right through her. "All right. Then I think sleep is..."

"I need to leave."

"What?"

Azrael bowed her head, staring at her lap. "I just... I think it's time to go our separate ways." Raden narrowed his eyes, watching her squirm. He would break her.  "You need to get back to whatever battle you're fighting and I need to..."

"You need to do what? Hmmm?"

"Nothing," Azrael whispered, "Just go on. You seem like you're fully healed and have gotten your strength back."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Azrael looked up in surprise. "But what about the fighting you were so adamant about?"

"Fuck that. I have no obligations to those assholes and to be frank, they deserve what they have coming." Raden's eyes darkened as he continued and Azrael felt a shiver run down her spine. "I want to figure out what little secret you're hiding."

Azrael shook her head. "No."

Raden paused for a second. He felt a surge of anger. Those who have denied him have ended up dead at his feet. Raden's eyes narrowed and darkened a shadow fell over his face. "Are you denying me what I want?" His voice was calm but dripping with anger.

"I... I," Azrael was at a loss for words. Anger bubbled in his stomach. No one, not even the most powerful beings denied Raden. He would force the truth out, by any means necessary.

With three long strides, Raden was standing over her. He grabbed a fist full of her hair and picked her up from the ground. She tried keeping her breathing steady, but the pain was too much. Raden leaned down mere inches away from her face. "I don't repeat myself, Azrael. Answer my question."

Raden heard Azrael's heart racing. Something wicked in him smiled. She was nothing but prey to him, and Raden planned to use that to his advantage. 

She swallowed the fear that had been building in her stomach and spoke, "What I keep secret is none of your concern." This seemed to anger Raden more.

"Well if it's none of my concern then I'll just drop you back there before going on my way then," Raden answered in a low voice. His presence now seemed to suck the life out of the room. "How would you like that?"

"Raden, please."

Something in Raden clicked and he immediately backed away. He let Azrael go and held regret in his eyes. Azrael didn't dare move from where she was in fear that Raden would do something. Raden saw how fearful Azrael was and he knew that for just an instant he let his anger overcome him. "Azrael..."

"Get out," Azrael whispered.

Raden gave her one last regretful glance and walked out the door. All of the fear and anxiety Azrael had been holding in became too much and she dropped to the floor and burst into tears again. Whatever had just happened was something Azrael wished to never experience again.