They reached the King's city by nightfall. Raden was handed a letter explaining that any cost for a room was covered for however long they intended to stay. The letter continued by naming the inn that they would be staying at. As he finished, Raden looked up to ask the two men where this inn was but they had vanished the minute the letter passed hands.

"Those bastards."

Azrael looked over at Raden. "I'm sure it won't be hard to find and besides there's plenty of people still out and about," she said in a reassuring tone.

Raden gave her a titled smile and nodded grabbing her hand. They walked down the street on the lookout for this inn but after several minutes no luck. Azrael looked around before tapping the shoulder of an older gentleman to ask where the in would be located. He smiled and happily told her. She thanked him and headed back to Raden. Raden however clocked the smile quickly fading from the man's face as he locked eyes with Raden. Even in a kingdom that welcomed magic and all creatures, magic and non-magic, he was still an outcast among outcasts. he quickly shook off the encounter and followed Azrael through the streets.

Rosemary's Inn and Tavern

The sign read in large gold letters. Azrael lead the way in and was greeted by the warm smell of freshly brewed tea.

"Can I help you, deary?" An older woman sat behind a large oak desk. She smiled at the two as if to welcome them in.

Azrael smiled back and carried the letter with her. "We have this here explaining everything." She handed it to the lady and waited.

The woman quickly read it and placed it down. She hopped off her stool and disappeared for a brief moment into another room. "I received a letter a few days ago explaining I would be having some guests." She handed Azrael a simple bronze key. "Is there anything else I can get you before you head up?"

Azrael turned back to Raden who shook his head. "Maybe something to eat. I'm quite hungry from traveling all day."

"On it," The woman answered. "I'll bring it up when it's done."

"Thank you!" Azrael managed before the woman ran off to start cooking. She grabbed the letter and up the steps she went.

They were on the second floor luckily. Azrael unlocked the room and found it to be quite nice. It was large enough for two people to fit comfortably. Walking in there was a fireplace that welcomed visitors. A few warn chairs encircled the fireplace. On one side of the room sat a bed with the headboard pushed against the wall. A large chest sat at the foot. A door leading to the connecting bathroom was opposite.

"This is much nicer than the one in Asra." Azrael turned to glance at Raden. "We have a place to eat and on being huddled around the bed."

Raden chuckled and headed in. He headed for the bed. Azrael took off her boots and tossed them to the side. Her feet were quite blistered from the hiking.

Raden saw the nasty blisters that had formed and frowned slightly. "I'll go out tomorrow and find some healing potions for your feet." Azrael smiled in gratitude.

"I think I will grab a bath before the food gets here," Azrael stated. She gave a sharp nod and disappeared into the bathroom. She soon came back out with a bucket and stared at her boots letting out a sigh. "I didn't quite think this through."

"You want me to go grab the water?"

Azrael shook her head. "I'll be back."

Raden then realized she was barefoot but also knew that she was too stubborn to come back for her boots. He let out a laugh and laid back on the soft sheets. Boy was she something else.

~~~*~~~

Azrael had found signs pointing her to one of the closer water storage units. The main well was in the center of town and was too far of a walk for her. Azrael made her way down glimpsing up every so often for the signs. It was about a five-minute walk from the inn but still full of nightlife. Music could be heard in the distance from a tavern a street over. Azrael smiled to herself and started humming to the music.

"You have quite a nice voice."

Azrael's eyes shot to the voice. A man no older than she stood leaning against a building wall. She tightened her grip on the bucket's handle and kept her eyes trained on the stranger.

He pushed off and started walking her way. "You know it's only polite to thank me."

"For what?" Azrael stood tall and spoke as boldly as she could. She wouldn't let her nerves get to her this time.

"I gave you a nice compliment." She could smell the alcohol on him even from a few feet away. He came closer and she took a step back. "Oh don't be like that."

"You know what, I can take a bath another time," Azrael thought out loud. She turned to run but he was quicker in grabbing her arm and yanking her towards him.

He roughly clapped his hand over her mouth and harshly whispered into her ear. "I can smell the magic on you." His breath made Azrael want to hurl. Maybe if she did then he'd let her go. "I've heard you witches are wild under the sheets."

Azrael's eyes went wide and her mind started racing. Her hands were still firmly gripped on the handle and the stranger's arm was now holding her arms firmly against her sides.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Think. Think. Think.

He pulled her roughly into the alleyway and shoved her up against the wall. Her shoulders scraped against the brick. She screamed but it was muffled by his hand pressed tightly against her mouth. "Stop squealing like a pig. It's not ladylike." With his free hand, he tried to pry the bucket away from her but was unsuccessful. He cursed under his breath and looked up with eyes full of lust. "You going to cooperate?"

Think. Think. Think.

Azrael's body began to shake. She couldn't focus enough to do anything. He pressed harder against her mouth causing the back of her head to dig into the wall behind her. She let out a muffled cry from the sharp pain. The man huffed in annoyance and grabbed her throat. She screamed hoping someone would hear. He grabbed hard yanking her forward slightly only to shove her head back into the wall. She saw stars as the impact happened. Her grip on the bucket loosened and it dropped with a clank. He took the opportunity to push himself on her. She felt his wretched breath against her neck as he let go of her throat. Fresh air fills her lungs quickly.

Come on Azrael. Think.

She opened her eyes still dizzy. She found that her arms were pinned down beside her. Her chest heaved underneath the stranger as Azrael scrambled to figure out a way to escape.

He darkly chuckled against her neck. "You're going to be a fun one." His hands began fumbling with her pants. In his drunken state, the stranger was quite sloppy giving Azrael time. He moved slightly allowing her to free an arm.

She closed her eyes focusing everything on her powers. Her veins erupted in fire and she felt the flow of magic race to her fingertips. Azrael placed her hand on the man's cheek pushing him away. He let out a blood-curling scream as her magic flowed from her hand. He fell back holding his face. Azrael stumbled to the ground trying to figure out her surroundings.

"You fucking bitch!"

Azrael saw the burnt handprint she left on his cheek. She moved to run but felt a hand grab a fist full of hair. He pulled her back but she turned around landing a slap. She felt her nails sink into his skin and he let go but not before pulling out several pearls. He sank back to the ground cursing. Azrael stumbled to her feet running as fast as she could not daring to look back. She felt the tears blur her sight but she kept running and running until she made it into the inn.

The woman had just made her way down the last step seeing Azrael in the doorway. She raced to catch Azrael. "What happened!"

"A... a man came out... and grabbed me..." Azrael couldn't get much out between gasping for breath and choking on her sobs.

"Enough said." The woman practically dragged Azrael through the lobby to a couch. Azrael was grateful she wasn't being asked a million questions. "We're going to get you cleaned up okay."

A shuffling down the stairs caught Azrael's attention. Three large men appeared at the body of the steps looking quite angry. The woman did not speak but nodded her head and they were out the door.

"Where... where are you going?"

"No need to worry dear." The woman moved Azrael's hair out of her face. "Don't focus on them."

Azrael took in a shaky breath and looked at the steps again. "I need to get back to my room. My... my friend will be worried."

"I can go get him if you want." The woman's kind eyes scanned over Azrael's for an okay. Azrael nodded frantically and the woman was off.

Not even thirty seconds later, Raden barreled down the steps. His eyes lay on the mess that was Azrael. "What happened?" Azrael didn't say a word but she didn't have to for him to understand. Without another word, he was out the door into the night.

Azrael choked out another sob as the woman came back over with supplies to get her cleaned up. "Come on. I've got a hot bath ready now. Don't you worry?"

Hours had gone and Azrael was sitting in the lobby again with the innkeeper she had come to know. They were sitting in front of the fireplace. Rosemary, the innkeeper, was sipping on some tea while Azrael picked at her food. She felt that if she ate anything she minds puke it all back up. Her mind kept going back to the alleyway. She could still smell his awful breath and feel it crawl across her skin. It took all her power to keep the bile down.

Rosemary sat her cup on the side table. "You should eat."

"I'm not hungry," Azrael answered in a quiet tone. Her voice had managed to somewhat come back but between him choking her and her screams. It was painful to speak anything above a whisper.

The door rattled catching both women's attention. As it opened with a creek, in walked a deadly-looking angel. Raden's expression was void of any care. His eyes were as black as his wings. No longer stood the Raden Azrael knew, but here stood the death angel that myth had conjured all those years ago.

He walked silently across the lobby oblivious to the company that shared the room with him. Azrael watched silently as this stranger stalked through the shadows. He disappeared up the steps and Azrael looked over to Rosemary.

"Thank you for helping me tonight."

Rosemary gave a sad but reassuring smile. "I'm sorry that this happened to you." Azrael silently stood and nodded. "If you need anything at all, just come find me in my room down here."

Azrael left without another word.

The door was left ajar when Azrael made her way up. She took a deep breath and walk into the silent room. Raden stood wings slackly held up in front of the fireplace. Azrael took a step forward causing the wood under her foot to squeak loudly in the quiet room. Raden's head snapped to the side. The lantern's light cast a haunting shadow across part of his face causing Azrael to shrink into herself. She had forgotten who Raden truly was and at this moment he reminded her that he was, in fact, something not of this world at all, but something more powerful and far more deadly.

Raden stalked over to her without much as a sound escaping his lips. He lifted her chin as he studied her face. His face was still void of any emotion. Azrael swallowed hard which caused her to wince. Raden flinched only slightly. "You removed the pearls."

"I didn't want them anymore," Azrael managed out. Her chest felt tight and her throat stung with each word. She didn't want the reminder of the stranger ripping the strings of pearls from her hair.

He looked down lifting her chin slightly to see the awful bruising that stretched across her throat. Azrael saw a flash of red in Raden's eyes but it was gone in a blink. He pulled away from her only for Azrael to take his hand. She hoped to see her Raden again in those eyes. She placed her other hand against his cheek but he didn't move. He stood frozen like a soldier staring at her. "He deserved to be tortured for what he did to you." Raden's voice was stern and quiet. Azrael had never seen this type of anger come from him before.

Azrael raised her other hand to his face cupping his cheeks gently. She tilted his head down slightly. "Can you please come back to me," Azrael croaked out, "I want my Raden back not this soldier."

Raden blinked his eyes methodically and clenched his jaw tightly, but didn't speak.

"What's more important to you?" Tears were threatening to fall as she stared into the emotionless face of this celestial. "That you didn't get your revenge or me?"

A moment passed and Raden pulled away leaving Azrael to catch herself. Her heart shattered as he walked out without even a glance back. She choked back a sob as she managed to make it to the bed. Eventually crying herself to sleep.

Somewhere in the city, an angel would lay ruin to building after building while the city slept. It wouldn't be until the sun rose that much of the city's population would find the ruins. Raden would find himself a mile outside of the city confused as ever only to realize what had happened once he returned to the inn the following morning.