The Bewitching - Book 1

Chapter 11 - A Word of Warning

Elyssa watched the shadow and caught the gleam of the figure's brilliant blue eyes in the darkness outside. She hesitated for a moment, caught in awe at what she was seeing as the figure moved into the light shining through the glass. It was a man, handsomely attractive from what she could tell, and that was if she was speaking badly about his looks. She was so overtaken with his appeal that it took her a moment to realize she was staring and that her mouth was hanging open.

Dantes must have noticed her attraction to the figure. She heard him grumble something under his breath as he stepped between her and the figure, almost completely blocking her view. She wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or not. Even though Dantes appeared to be acting a bit protective he didn't seem to be on the verge of lashing out at the figure, at least not yet.

"Leo...What do you want?" Dantes almost growled as he spoke.

"You know him?" Elyssa whispered quietly behind Dantes as she struggled to peek over his shoulder at the figure who was now standing just inside her window.

"Still grumpy I see." Leo responded calmly, before flashing a brilliant smile towards Elyssa. "And you must be Elyssa. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Dantes, don't you think it's a bit rude that you haven't introduced us sooner?"

Leo began to take a step towards them. Dantes arms went up defensively as he pushed Elyssa protectively behind him. She caught his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at her as he did so. They were beginning to turn a pitch black once again, the pupils a dull red, just as they had been during the attack at Annette and her mom's shop. Just seeing them sent shivers down her spine, and she feared what might happen next.

"Relax. Now's not really the time for that. I was merely hoping for a proper introduction. I guess it'll have to wait until next time," Leo smiled as he took a stepped back.

Dantes stayed tense and slightly crouched, not quite believing Leo's words. There was a deafening silence along with the tension, the kind where at any moment you'd expect all hell to break loose.

"Well, I can see I'm not really wanted here," Leo continued after a slight pause.

"No, you're not," Dantes responded with a deep hatred in his voice.

"Understood. I just assumed that since you seem so determined to keep her safe that you should know that...Hmmm, I guess it doesn't matter now does it. I'm sure at some point you'll try to kill her yourself anyway. It's only a matter of time, right?" Leo's calmness turned a bit mocking in nature as he turned back towards the window.

"Wait! What are you talking about?" Dantes asked, concern now coloring his tone.

Leo glanced back over his shoulder at the two of them, a grave look in his eyes. "There's a bounty on her head, and likely the two witches and yours also. This probably isn't the safest place to be right now. I just thought you'd want to know...for her sake that is."

Dantes was at a loss for words. He couldn't figure out exactly why Leo was willing to share such information as it wasn't normal for angels to interfere directly in the affairs of this world like this. Usually they operated in complete secrecy allowing humans to live their lives and even at times to meet their fate at the hands of the demons if they couldn't intercept them in time.

Leo was usually more strict than the others when it came to such acts. As far as Dantes knew Leo never broke those rules and even punished those he had found to do so if he caught them in the act. Dantes knew how much Leo despised him, and his dislike for humans who possessed powers much like Elyssa, ranked her and those like her not far behind. So why would he warn them, Dantes pondered.

Elyssa watched as Leo gracefully pulled himself through the window with a small leap, landing just outside the window sill, crouched and on one knee.