“Any girl here would kill to have you,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“I only have eyes for you,” he replied, grabbing her hand.
Her heart skipped a beat. He smiled and they started walking towards the water. As they put their toes in, Millie stood back.
“It’s a tad cold,” she said, rethinking coming to the lake.
“Oh, is it now?” Benjamin said with a smirk.
“What are you thinking?” Millie asked, stepping away from Benjamin as he took a step towards her.
“Whatever you’re thinking, do not do it,” Millie ordered, but it was too late. Benjamin grabbed her by the hips. She tried to run away from his grasp, but he was too strong. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulders. Her screams made several people stare at them. He ran into the lake, throwing them both into the water.
“I hate you,” Millie said, splashing water at him.
“You love me,” Benjamin teased, swimming closer and bringing his body close to hers.
“I suppose.” She wrapped her legs around his waist. He placed an arm on her back whilst his other hand pulled strands of wet hair behind her ear.
“I love you,” Benjamin said in a soft loving voice.
“I love you,” Millie said as her lips edged closer to his.
He brushed his lips against hers. His hands were holding tightly on her back, pushing their bodies closer together. His lips pressed against Millie’s. The kiss was short and sweet, but they both craved more. Soon, the kiss became longer and more passionate. Millie’s hand grabbed onto his wet hair, pulling her chest against his. His warm hands were around her hips, grabbing onto them harder and harder with every kiss. Millie stroked his stomach, feeling every muscle on his abdomen. Jolts of warmth were going through her hand to her whole body, as if he were transferring something through her. Her eyes opened in shock. She had figured it out--it was his grace. The warm volts were his grace transferring through him to her.
“I can feel it,” Millie said, pulling her lips away from his.
“Feel what?” he asked, desperately wanting to kiss her again.
“Your grace,” she said as Benjamin’s face went blank.
“You can feel it?” he asked in amazement.
“Every time I touch you, I always feel warm volts going through my body. I think it’s your grace.”
“I didn’t know humans could feel it,” he said, placing his hand on her cheek. “I know it’s dangerous for you to receive my grace, but somehow it makes me feel closer to you.” He planted a long, adoring kiss on her lips.
“And I want to be as close as I can to you,” Millie said, placing her forehead against his.
“Now I know why humans have sex before marriage.”
“What do you mean by that?” she asked, pulling her forehead away from his.
“Our Lord wanted to save sex for the marriage bed, but so many humans don’t. I didn’t understand it until now. I have no self-control when I’m with you. I want to be closer to you.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Millie asked. Benjamin replied with a strong kiss on her lips.
They looked into each other’s eyes for a while, until a wave from a passing boat knocked them apart.
“Didn’t see that coming,” Benjamin said.
“Well, aren’t you just a great Protector,” Millie teased, giggling.
“Oh, funny one,” Benjamin said, swimming around her.
The waves started to become more frequent and larger.
“I think we should get out,” Benjamin said, looking at the waves coming despite the fact that there were no boats nearby.
“Yeah, okay. Those waves came out of nowhere,” Millie commented, clinging onto Benjamin’s arm.
As they started swimming, a huge wave came out of nowhere and separated them. Millie could feel herself tumbling underneath the water. She went to swim back to the surface but she wasn’t moving. It was like gravity was pushing her deeper and deeper. She kicked as hard as she could, but she wasn’t going to the surface. It was like something was dragging her down. Her lungs desperately wanted air. Panic struck her body.
Millie opened her eyes. She took numerous deep breaths. She was lying on a cold black floor. Her body was wet and shaking. All she could see was blackness. Her nose could smell dampness and dust. She sat up as her hands clenched her shoulders. Her eyes looked around, and as they adjusted, she could see she was in a dark brown cave. She stood up, nearly slipping on the water that dripped off her body.
“Hello, Millie,” a man’s voice said.
Millie looked around in a panic. She couldn’t see anyone. Her heart started to beat louder. All of a sudden, a black figure with a flaming torch in one hand stood in front of her. Millie jumped and opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
“Don’t be scared.” His voice sounded hard but gentle.
“Who are you? Where am I?” Millie said, spitting the words out in a state of panic.
“You don’t need to know those details just yet,” the man said calmly, putting the flames closer to his face so Millie could see him.
He was pale with black hair that fell on his forehead. His eyes were dark green, nearly black. His white teeth ran along his pale lips. He looked dangerous, but there was something about him that charmed Millie.
“You must be cold,” he said, taking off his grey coat and placing it around Millie’s shoulders.
Millie didn’t want the jacket, but now that it was on her, it was hot and made her whole body warmer.
“Come with me,” he said, turning his body sideways.
“Why should I?” Millie questioned.
“Where else are you going to go?” he said, looking around the room.
“I just want to know where I am,” Millie said, shaking with fear.
Her eyes filled with tears, as she didn’t know what to do. She was scared.
“You will find out soon, but for now, come with me,” he said, holding out his hand.
Millie looked at it.
“I won’t bite,” he said with a friendly smile.
Millie hesitated but placed her hand into his. His hand was hot--uncomfortably hot. It burned her. Millie tried to let go but his grip was hard.
“You’ll get used to it,” he said, pulling her hand as they started to walk.
A couple of minutes passed and Millie’s hand wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. It felt nice.
They walked in silence until Millie heard a terrifying scream.
“What was that?” she asked, scared.
“You don’t need to know,” the man said in a blunt voice.
“Why won’t you answer any of my questions?” Millie demanded.
“In time,” he said, looking at her with his dark green eyes.
“Fine. Just tell me your name, then?”
“No can do,” he said.
“Well, you know mine. It’s fair that I know yours.”
“I suppose, but you’re still not getting my name,” he said, gripping her hand tighter as they stopped.
“How’d you know my name anyway?” Millie asked, still confused.
“You’re full of questions, aren’t you?” he commented, looking at her body. “You look like bait.” He placed the flaming torch in a holder on the wall and began buttoning up the buttons on the coat.
“Excuse me?” Millie said.
“You’ll find out,” he said, standing closer to her.
They looked into each other’s eyes. He wasn’t as haunting as he first appeared. In fact, he was beautiful, but his eyes scared her.
“Just stay close to me whatever happens,” he said, pulling her wet hair around her face. “Aren’t you scared of me?” he asked once he noticed that Millie wasn’t screaming at him to stop touching her.
“I was. I still am, but . . .” She stopped midsentence, as she didn’t know what to say.
“Well, like I said, stay close to me,” he said with a look of confusion on his face.
Millie was scared, but somehow this man seemed like he wouldn’t harm her. He was nice and beautiful. She knew she should be repulsed by him, but she couldn’t help it. She looked around again, still scared of where she was. She heard murmurs in the distance that became louder and louder until they came into a large room filled with men and women.
The room was huge. It had damp, red carpet on the floor, and the walls were a brownish, blackish colour. She looked up and saw a large candle display coming down from the ceiling. The ceiling was brown with rocks hanging down. The men were dressed in brown, black, grey, or navy, whilst the women wore revealing red outfits as they carried around drinks or sat on the men’s laps. There were lanterns all around to brighten up the colourless room. The tables and chairs they sat in were a dark brown colour and they looked decayed. Old paintings were hung randomly around the room.
As Millie and the man started to walk through the crowds, his hand tightened on hers. Millie’s face went pale. Where am I? she thought to herself. Her body started to shake and broke out in a sweat.
“What have you brought us?” a thundering voice said.
Millie looked up to see a person towering over the man who was holding onto her. He had shoulder-length, light brown, curly hair. His face was wrinkly, and bits of food were caught in his long beard. His eyes were the same colour as his pupils: pitch-black. The whites of his eyes had hard, red lines running through them in all different directions.
“Just let me through,” the man said.
“Have you brought us a new girl to play with?” the tall man said as bits of food came out of his mouth and just missed hitting Millie.
“No, I haven’t. This girl is for Drake. No one is to touch her.”
“Well, you are touching her, so why can’t I?” he said, still smirking.
“If you disobey Drake’s order, you will be punished.” Her captor was apparently not intimidated by how tall the other man was.
“As you wish, then. But be sure to bring her back when Drake’s finished with her,” the tall man said, crossing his arms.
The man pushed past him with Millie in tow and continued walking through the large room.
They came to a corridor and kept walking. “What’s happening?” Millie demanded as she lost her footing.
The man caught her.
“I’m feeling a bit faint,” Millie said, touching her forehead.
“There’s a seat up here,” the man said, putting her arm over his shoulders. Millie continued to walk, but it felt that the man was taking all of her weight. He placed her on the seat, which creaked as Millie sat on it. It smelt of smoke and looked like it was about to fall apart.
“Thanks,” Millie said. “What was that?” She looked back in the direction they had come.
“They are Demonics,” he said, kneeling down in front of her.
Millie looked shocked that he had finally answered one of her questions.
“Like Demons?” Millie asked.
“No, they are not the Fallen. They are created by . . . Lucifer.”
“Satan?” Millie said loudly.
“Keep it down,” the man said, looking around. “And yes, Satan.”
Millie’s body started to tremble. She looked at her hands and they were shaking. Her eyes started to fill with tears that threatened to run down her face.
“Am I in Hell?” she asked quietly.
“Yes, you are,” he replied.
The tears started to stream down her face. They had found her. They had brought her to Hell.
“What going to happen to me?” Millie asked, sobbing.
“We have to keep moving,” the man said, standing up. He put his hand out to help Millie up.
“I want to know,” Millie demanded as she swatted his hand away.
“It’s not my place to say. Now please come.” He put his hand out again.
Millie wiped away her tears and hopped up, ignoring his hand.
“Follow me,” he said as he started to walk.
They walked through endless, dark and smelly corridors until they came into a big opening. They walked down some rocky stairs till they came to a large, wooden door. It was so tall that Millie could not see the top of it. It was dark brown with two, black, heavy iron door handles. It looked newer and in better condition than the other wooden objects she had seen.
The man banged on one of the door handles until a booming voice said, “Come in.”
He looked at Millie as he opened one of the doors. It creaked as Millie walked in. The room was large, with walls made out of grey and white stones. Millie looked around to see hundreds of books stacked on either side of the room. There were an unusual number of large paintings all around the room as well; they were of Angels, Demons, and humans. Millie was walking on a soft, red carpet that was wide and long. Her eyes followed the red carpet until she saw a man sitting in a chair at the end.
As they got closer, Millie saw that the chair was large and black. It had swirling edging patterns imprinted on it. The top of it looked like wild vines that had been turned to black stone. The man had his back against one armrest and his legs over the other. His hands were clenching his face with boredom. His hair fell just above his shoulders; it was thin and bright red. He was wearing black boots with black pants. A dark green, long jacket fell over his body, revealing his pale chest.
“Drake. We’re here,” her captor said.
The man in the chair turned his head, and when he saw Millie, he jumped out of his chair. Millie stepped back, surprised at how tall he was. He had broad shoulders and a ripped torso. He was much taller than Benjamin. His jaw was vast, and his dark blue eyes had dark circles lingering underneath. His teeth looked sharp as he smiled.
“Finally, you’re here, Millie,” he said, clapping his hands together. “I have been waiting for you.”
He towered over her, and Millie was frightened. She just wanted to be in the arms of Benjamin.
“I hope your journey here wasn’t dreadful,” he continued, turning to the man beside Millie. “Did the Demonics and their human pets get in the way?”
“No problem there,” the man said, glancing quickly at Millie’s shocked face.
Millie’s body started to shiver. The women were humans. She felt sorry for them. They all seemed so tormented. Millie looked at the man with a terrified expression.
“Good to hear.”
He walked closer to Millie and clasped his hands around her face. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“No wonder an Angel fell for you. You are stunning,” he said, eyeing her.
He let go of her face. Millie’s trembling hands touched her burning cheeks.
“I trust Zeke took good care of you,” he said, walking back in his chair.
Millie looked at the man. “Yes, Zeke did,” she said nervously.
“Good to hear.” He sat down on his chair and grabbed the ends of the armrests. “My name is Drake,” he said, showing his sharp teeth. Millie just nodded.
“Why am I here?” she asked quietly after a short pause.
“You’re here so I can get to know the human who has captured the heart of an Angel. He has broken the rules of his precious Heaven for you,” he said with a haunting smile. “Plus, you, Millie, survived a battle between us and them. I don’t like that you have survived, but now it’s just too good that you have fallen for an Angel. I’m glad we didn’t kill you now after all,” he said, rubbing his fingers together.
“Your mind is holding so much information,” he continued, standing up. “Information that I want to know.” He walked over to Millie again, putting his hands on her head. “Just thinking of the information your Angel has transferred into you makes me thirsty,” he said, licking his lips.
Millie’s forehead started to sweat with the heat that was coming from his hands.
“But I can’t access this information,” he said, taking his hands off her head and putting his fingers on her jaw. “Well, firstly, you need to actually be h
ere, and secondly, Lucifer is the only one who has mastered prying information from humans.”
“What do you mean I need to actually be here?” Millie said, confused.
“Well, at this moment, you’re probably lying dead in your precious Angel’s arms. Oh, I wish I could see his face,” he said with a lingering smirk.
“Then how am I here?” she asked, still confused.
“Well, Zeke here pried your soul away from your body. Isn’t he smart?”
Millie’s face froze. She looked over at Zeke as he returned the glance. She really wasn’t here, but the thought of Benjamin crying over her dead body made her heart sink.
“Take me back,” she said, pleading at Zeke.
“That’s up to me, when you can go back,” Drake said, narrowing his eyes.
“Remember, her soul can’t be away from her body for too long,” Zeke said.
“I know,” Drake said, rubbing his finger against Millie’s cheek. “It’s a shame. I would have loved to get to know you better, but I’m sure we will meet again.” He placed his face uncomfortably close to Millie’s.
“What do you want to know?” Millie said, half stepping back.
“Tell me everything you know about your precious Angel.”
“You can go to Hell,” she said harshly.
“Well, I’m already here, so that’s no threat,” he said, biting his lip.
“I’m not going to tell you anything,” Millie said unkindly.
“Last chance, Millie,” he said in a deeper voice. “I like you. I don’t want to hurt you.” He rubbed his hand against his chin.
“No matter what you do to me, I will never tell you anything,” Millie replied confidently.
“As you wish, then,” Drake said with disappointed eyes.
He raised his hand and hit Millie on the face with such force that she flew back into the stone wall. Millie lay on the ground in pain. Drake walked over in a fury, picked her up by the neck, and pushed her against the cold wall.
“Tell me now,” he ordered.
“No,” Millie barely whispered.
“What a disappointing answer,” he said, throwing her across the room.
She landed and skidded on the floor until she hit a bookcase. The book case vibrated with force and fell, hitting her. Millie let out a scream. Drake’s footsteps echoed as he walked over to Millie. Zeke looked on, helpless. He didn’t want to see Millie get hurt, but he couldn’t stand up to Drake. Drake was too powerful. As Drake effortlessly kicked off the bookcase and pulled Millie to her feet by her hair, Zeke said, “It’s time.”
White Wings Page 10