I was his prey.

And he liked to barricade me in the corner, leaving me with no way out. To see me be frightened.

He did not have to touch me for me to experience the terror. My trembling body was hard to keep steady. His aura, darker than a crow's feather, enveloped us like a whirlwind. All you could see was a gray mist swirling like sand, sharp and crystallized.

This was what I imagined hell to look like.

The Angel of Death is a creature of darkness who manipulates your mind and perception to the point of madness. Until you don't know what's real and what's not.

He was my death.

Death peered his crimson-red eyes, which I saw for the first time, at me. He was outraged because he couldn't just grab me and take me wherever he pleased. My pendant was his first obstacle. He was holding his scythe in one hand so tightly that I thought he'd break it. I couldn't run past him, and the best idea for escape was to jump onto the counter and fall to the floor.

I took my chance and sprinted against the counter, jumping the highest I could. It was, thankfully, enough for me to sit on top of it. I swiftly slide from it and fall to the floor. In the process of falling, I ended up landing on my right arm, which was probably broken because I couldn't move it.

I scrunched up my face in agony. I clutched my arm tightly to ease the pain. However, it was hopeless.

I turned my face to detect Death, and of course, he was standing in front of me. He, for sure, thought how stupid I was, but I wanted to expand the space so I could get out of there easier. The sacrifice was my arm.

The Grim Reaper grabbed a chair next to him and threw it across the room with no strength. It hit the wall light. The light bulb shattered and scattered all over the floor. Death stared at the wreckage. He let out a low, rumbling chuckle and snapped his head at me.

"I can turn this bar upside down so that nothing will be left of it. Will your boss be happy when he sees it? What do you say?" He took a step forward and bent down. "You still need your job, kitty?"

"Are you threatening me?" I said in a high-pitched voice.

"Did it sound thoughtful to you?" He mocked.

I pushed myself up to sit down to look less intimidated by him. My brows drew together. "Don't you dare..." I sneered.

"I will dare." He whispered.

At that moment, the door burst open, and I caught sight of honey-blond hair immediately. The knot in my stomach was gone. Rowan looked at me worriedly, but then he quickly smiled before he spread his wings and smacked Death against his back. He flew across the whole room, right onto the chairs and tables.

Rowan looked out of breath. He must have flew here because of me. Despite having his wings out and wearing a suit, he looked divine. Like a god itself to me.

He hurried to me, helping me get onto my feet. I grabbed onto his suit firmly, like my life depended on it. He analyzed my face and body. "Are you hurt?" He asked, and his jaw tightened.

I was fighting back tears. "My arm." I cried.

Rowan frowned, turning his head to Death, who now stood completely fine a few feet in front of us.

Death put his hand on his hip and spoke in a high voice, "I hope I'm not interrupting your intimate moment." His hand now held the scythe. "Be a good angel, and get your hands off my woman." His voice dropped low.

The audacity of his to call me his when I hate even the glimpse of him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Death," Rowan said, and the tone of his voice had a drop of judgment in it. He wrapped his right hand around my shoulder, and the other was locked on my hip.

The Grim Reaper snarled. "Don't make me say it twice, Mr. Sunshine. What's mine is mine. All rights reserved." His gaze moved to me, and the crimson-red eyes vanished. "If you think-even for a second-you can get rid of me, you're mistaken." Death chuckled.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

In a blackness of mist, Death disappeared right in front of us. I was expecting him to fight us, but instead, he left. It wasn't because he was defeated that he didn't leave, but because he had a plan to get me. He wasn't scared off by Rowan at all. And that frightened me.

To what extent would he go just to have me?

"I have to go home. What if he does something to Grandma? If you heard him talk before you came, he went mad!" I said.

"Even though I think you're wrong about this, I know it will worry you if we go back to my place." Rowan pulled away from me. "Let's go to your house." He declared, looking into my eyes.

Before we left, I forgot about the mess that Death made, so we had to hastily put the chairs back into their places and sweep off the shuddered glass. On the way home, Rowan was talking about something, however, I could only hear the beat of my heart. The thought of losing Grandma evokes unexplainable feelings you only feel when you lose someone dear to you-the wretched feeling in your gut. Your world is falling upon you slowly, but precisely. Crushing you into nothingness.

I didn't realize how swiftly I was walking until Rowan had to catch up with me every few seconds. I expected the worst when I walked through the entrance door. A blood trail and a lifeless body on the floor. Instead, I found Grandma in the kitchen, making herself tea.

I took slow steps towards the dining table, just staring at her. When she turned around to go back to her room, she almost made the mug flee. She steered her hand so that only a few drops of tea spilled.

"Oh god! Child, don't scare me like this ever again." She exhaled.

I moved closer to her, and a tear formed in my eye. I put my arms around her, embracing her fully. The warmth of her body shifted toward me.

"Lily, who is that man standing there?" She asked, pulling away from me. She was never a big hugger.

I looked over my shoulder to see Rowan standing far away from us. I entirely forgot about him.

"Oh, let me introduce you." I beckoned Rowan to come closer. "This is Rowan-" I had to quickly decide what I should introduce him as. We weren't exactly friends, but we weren't strangers either. "My friend," I decided.

Rowan extended his arm to greet Grandma. She was skeptical at first, but when she saw how Rowan was dressed, she greeted him politely.

"Nice to meet you. I heard so much about you. And I apologize if I disturbed you this late at night; I just wanted to make sure Vivienne gets home safely." His mouth curled into a smile.

I looked at Grandma to see what kind of reaction she had, and I was happy to see she liked him by the smile on her face. Rowan was an ideal type of man for me. That's what Grandma thinks, and she might be right. I deserve the kindness, handsome man.

"Nice to meet you as well. No worries at all; I wasn't sleeping anyway. Thank you for looking out for Vivienne." Grandma replied.

I smiled at Rowan, but as quickly as my smile appeared, it vanished because I recalled what happened moments ago. The exhaustion overtook me, and all I wanted was a warm shower and my own bed.

Rowan's gaze never left me, and I knew he probably figured I was dead tired.

"Can I offer you a cup of tea?" Grandma suddenly said.

"As much as I appreciate your invitation, I have to refuse. I have work tomorrow, so it would be best if I left, but if it's not too bold, I would love to drink your tea another time."

Grandma laughed, grabbing Rowan's arm. "Of course! Any time. But let me walk you to the door. And you-" She pointed at me. "Go to bed!" She commanded.

I nodded and waved at Rowan, saying goodbye since I had no time to actually say it. Grandma was too quick.

I grabbed a leftover pizza I found in the kitchen and ate it all at once. I was starving, and even though my stomach would hurt the next day, I didn't care. After that, I headed to the bathroom. Before I hopped into the shower, I thought about my pendant.

Getting the feather wet wouldn't cause a problem, right? I thought.

Panic took over me because I already wanted to be in bed, sleeping, but if somehow I disabled the ability of the feather, I'd have to ask Rowan for another one, which appeared disrespectful on my part.

Nothing can happen if I take it off for ten minutes, I thought again.

I carefully unclipped the chain and placed it on a sink. When I entered the shower, I was greeted by a surge of boiling water that ran down my body, making me feel relaxed. I closed my eyes and let the hot water wash over me. I slowly massaged my skin with showering gel, cleansing every piece of dirt off my body. I stepped out of the shower and toweled off.

But then the hair on my body bristled. A cold sensation washed off the warmth I'd experienced seconds ago. I didn't have to wonder why I felt it. I knew why.

When a pair of hands and slender fingers captured my arms from behind, the realization was too painful to swallow. I wanted to scream and shout until my lungs give out, but I couldn't do that. I'd put Grandma in danger. I was the only one who could protect her the best.

His slender fingers brushed up and down my right arm. The one that was wounded. And it suddenly hurt a lot less. I flinched at the tickling sensation. My breaths shuddered. The back of my neck was tickled by the water from my hair. At that, my back twitched.

Yet then, his left hand moved to my neck, and his body pressed into mine from behind. My eyes widen, and I hold my breath. His right hand locked around my waist, drumming his fingers against the towel, but I could feel their beats through it.

His head drew dangerously close to my ear; I could feel the fabric of his cloak friction against my skin. "I cannot stand the sight of another man touching you. It makes me want to kill him, and it burns me alive I cannot do so." He whispered against my right ear, sending shivers down my spine. My skin was covered in goosebumps. I could feel how the towel around my body started to loosen up because of the friction of his body.

He pressed me harder against him, and I took a sharp breath. His left hand wrapped around my neck like a chain. Sharp nails scraped my neck gently. The tip of his nose brushed against my ear slowly. My heart was pumping out of my chest. For a brief moment, I thought my legs had given out.

His hand clenched around my throat, and a low, throaty moan escaped his mouth, hitting my ear.