Chapter 19

Kael chuckled, a short but heavenly sound. 

" Okay, you got me. But I was not reading your mind, I was simply listening to your thoughts. They are surprisingly loud. " he said it as if it was the most normal thing there was. 

" That's the same thing !" 

" Not to me, it's not, " 

Flame decided to let it go. Then she went back to looking at him. He quickly shifted behind her and when she turned, he was gone. 

" Hey, where did you go? " she asked as she circled the spot. Then someone tapped her shoulder and she shrieked. 

" Up here, " the honeyed voice said and she looked up. He was hovering above her, his magnificent wings of gold spread out. 

" How did you do that? " 

" Do what? " 

" Get up there so fast? " 

He did a turn in the air before landing back down. 

" I flew. That's kind of like why I have these two parts covered with feathers, " he gestured to his wings and Flame rolled her eyes. 

" Are you lost? " he asked her. Moving again unto stand in front of her. He did that a lot, she noticed. 

" Actually I am. Can you help? " 

His face lit up in a bright smile. Making him look even better, if that was even possible. She just couldn't stop staring. She knew it was not nice to stare but she couldn't help it. 

" You're so- "

" Beautiful. I know, can we move on now? " he asked. 

Flame warned him against reading her mind. It was a very cool power but she did not want him using it on her. 

" It's not my fault you think so loudly, " was his defense. 

" Anyway, I'm Flame, nice to meet you, " she extended her arm to greet him and he stared at it oddly. 

" I read about this. It's a custom you have in that planet of yours to show hospitality to new acquaintances, " he said, still looking at her hand as if it intrigued him. 

"First of all, it's called a handshake, and secondly, my planet has a name. It's earth, " she informed him. He took her hand and shook it. Very aggressively that too. 

"Hey! Not too tightly, " she complained and he immediately let her go. Then he apologized. Flame laughed as she wrang her hand. 

" Aaah, earth, " he sounded as if he'd just recalled a piece of important information. 

" The land of the frail beings who barely live past five decades before the bad weather kills them and they succumb to too much sun, " he added as he looked up at the empty space. 

Flame felt defensive, so she told him that his knowledge of the planet was all messed up .

" If you say so Flame. Now let's get you back to your chambers, Nuriel must be wondering where you ran off to again, "

Again? What was that supposed to mean? But she didn't ask. He was the first one in that entire place to call her by her first name. And she really liked that. 

" I like it too. Flame is a really unique name, " he remarked and she glared at him. Although it was a forced glare. She found it impossible to be mad at him. 

" Oh, no reading your mind. Got it, " he said before she talked and Flame laughed. 

"And you are? " she asked realising that he still hadn't introduced himself. 

" Nikaelon, " he said, extending his own hand " But you can call me Kael. Everyone else seems to think that they can, " he said and Flame chuckled as she shook his hand.

" Nice to meet you Kael, " 

She followed him past the hallway. He was really great company and he made it easy to be comfortable around him. Especially since he had a great sense of humor. 

An hour after meeting Kael, they were still talking. He had proposed showing her around the massive house and she had said yes. 

"Are you trying to tell me that you all build this entire place yourselves? " She asked after he admitted to have single handedly put in every door in the house. A fact that she did not in the slightest believe. 

" That is exactly what I'm telling you. And I can sense your doubt so I'll just let you ask Nuriel instead, "

Kael was now in front of her. Standing a few inches off the ground. It seemed as if he had a serious problem with staying put. 

" If you keep that up you'll give me motion sickness, " 

He landed on his feet and moved to stand beside her for a second before walking around her and appearing in front of her again. 

" If I keep what up? " 

Flame rolled her eyes. He was a tease. 

" Moving around so much. Would it kill you to walk beside me for five minutes straight? "

Kael shrugged. That was something he was incapable of doing. For reasons better left unsaid. 

" Actually yes... it would kill me, " he answered and Flame scoffed as she turned to him. Then she noticed just how serious he was and she frowned. He was probably messing with her again. It seemed to be something he was really fond of. 

They went into another room. It turned out to be the library she had been in earlier. 

" And this is the record room. It's the last room I'll show you on this level. The others were locked down after seven of the staff members were found dead in them, " he informed her casually. 

She stood on the spot and turned to him. He was busy picking a book from the shelf and studying it. As if he had not even said what he had. 

" That's not funny, "

" Why would it be? Death is a very serious issue. Even I would not take it so lightly, "

" Okay, this had better not be a joke, " He put the book back and looked at her. In the light, he looked even better. Incredible. His wings had to be like close to four meters on each side. Which meant that when he spread them, no one would be able to stand close to him on either side. And she also realized that they truly did gleam in the light. 

" Actually they absorb the light then release it in little waves, " he said with a smug look on his face. Bringing her back to her strange reality. 

" Thought I told you to stop doing that! "

" I would if I could, but I can't, " 

She saw the book Nuriel had handed her earlier and she went and took it from the giant seat. Then she settled on it with her legs crossed. 

" Did you ever find whoever committed those murders? " Nuriel had not mentioned that part when he told her his story. It would have been nice to know that she actually did live in a haunted mansion. 

" What murders? " Kael sounded as unaware as he could. 

" The ones you just told me about -" he started laughing and she shook her head. That was a warning. She would never believe a word the lovely angel ever said again. 

" Your insane! " 

" I know.... isn't it great? " he was still laughing and she felt like throwing the book in her hand at him. But he would probably read her mind and just catch it instead. 

They stayed there for a few minutes before he told her it was getting late and he had a job to do. She did not dare ask which one lest he made up something else again. But he did promise to find her the next day and complete his tour. He was the only one in that place who she actually felt comfortable around so she looked forward to seeing him again. 

" I'll even show you the fort Phelan and I are building, "

They were now outside Nuriels quarters. 

"Who?  Is he another angel? " She knew there were thirteen of them but so far she had only seen four. 

Kaels face lit up with a smile. Dimples appearing on both his cheeks. 

" Yes. And he's also my best friend. I will introduce him to you if I get the chance, "

The Council members did always have a ton of work to do about was extremely rare to get them all at the same place for anything apart from a Council meeting. 

" Then I can't wait, "Flame said. Not missing how bright Kael got when speaking of his friend. 

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He seemed frozen by the sudden action, lifting his hand up to the spot with a shocked reaction. But then he shook it off and his smile returned. 

" Do you mind doing that again? " he then asked and Flame cocked her head to the side and lifted a brow. 

" Why? "

He gave a half shrug. 

" Because I enjoyed the feeling it gave me. So will you do it again? " 

She didn't see the harm in his request. It was actually kind of cute. So she leaned in again and gave him a quick peck on the cheek again. And in trying to take a step back, she found herself unable to. 

Because he had encased her in his wings. She stared at him oddly. There was a hint of mischief in his expression. And she was certain she felt a surge of warmth for a second before it disappeared. Then he folded his wings to his back with easy grace. 

" Have a peaceful night Flame, " he said as he turned to leave. " And be sure to give Nuriel my regards, " he added and she could sense that he meant something by that. But she was too tired to pay attention to it. She had been walking around for hours. 

She unlocked the door to the room and went in. There was no one else in there as far as she could tell. Which was great. She did not want to have to argue with the angel again. 

He had made it clear that she was trapped there. But that did not mean that she had to listen to a word of what he said.