Chapter 63 Chapter 63
“Are you here again?” Uriel immediately snapped at her, making her wince. “You’re more stupid than I thought. Didn’t you faint last time? Pathetic just like always.” His harsh words were like a knife in her heart, twisting and turning painfully. She hated him, hated hearing his voice, seeing his face. The day had started so well. Why did she have to meet him again? This wasn’t supposed to happen!
“Who are you?” Maxwell spat. His rough tone caught Uriel off guard, who watched him as if he had only just noticed him now.
“What do you care about?” Uriel answered, taking a step closer, but the demon was far from intimidated by him.
“Worthless human,” he growled. When he noticed that Valerie inched closer to him, his eyes dyed red as a suspicion formed in his mind. He angled his body so that he shielded part of her, feeling her fingers hold on to his sleeve. “How do you know her?”
“We are acquaintances who haven’t spoken in a while. Just wanted to see how she is doing now,” Uriel replied with a very familiar aggressive tone in his voice that brought back memories in her head. Sensing her distress, Maxwell got even angrier.
“Do you expect me to believe that?” he snapped.
Uriel didn’t react to his words, sneering at Valerie, who hid behind the demon. “Are you her boyfriend or what? You’re acting a little too protective of that bitch.”
The lamps flickered. On, off. On, off. Valerie felt his muscles flex as he tried to hold in his fury, but it was easy to see that he was about to explode. “What if I am?” he retorted harshly. “Tell me your fucking name.”
Uriel let out a laugh, his lips forming an evil grin that made the hair on Valerie’s neck stand on end. “Uriel.”
All the lights went off from one second to the next, shrouding the area in impenetrable darkness. Valerie heard astonished shouts from across the hallway and felt a tremble run through Maxwell’s body, followed by an inhumane growling sound that reminded her of a feral beast. She held on to his arm tighter.
“The fuck is going on?” Uriel cursed as the lights flickered back on, revealing his unsettled expression. His attention instantly moved to the demon when he took a step towards him, his red eyes glowing unnaturally. “What the fuck are you?” Uriel stuttered.
“We have a score to settle, human,” Maxwell snarled in a dangerously low tone. “You’ve messed with the wrong person.”
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Maxwell acted strangely on the way home, Valerie couldn’t help but notice. He was caught up in his thoughts and wore a scowl on his face. His reddish eyes drew many stares in, not that he would have cared. Valerie was a little worried he’d lose his temper after what had happened just now in the Regal Enterprises building. She’d felt raw fury radiating off him, a strange, unnatural power washing over her, making it harder to breathe. He had almost ripped Uriel’s head off, holding himself back with difficulty. Valerie didn’t like it when he acted so violently; she had never liked violence.
Thankfully, Maxwell had kept his sinister urges under control and decided to leave before the situation escalated. He had taken her by the wrist and pulled her after him out of the building and back to the busy streets of New York.
He kept her wrist in a light hold, though his hand soon wandered lower until he ended up holding her hand instead, their fingers intertwining. Valerie glanced down with astonishment swirling through her chocolate eyes, something akin to disbelief flashing over her face. A mix of nervousness and happiness welled up within her while she realized how hard it was to understand his thoughts and actions.
Maxwell was full of contradictions, and she couldn’t fathom why he did certain things. On one hand, he never shut up about how much he hated humans; on the other hand, he kept her company and even kissed her.
The latter, she just couldn’t wrap her head around. Why would he do that? What drove him to touch a human this way? She suspected he might be bored and wanted someone to mess with, being a demon and all, but then why did he insist on holding her hand now? His touch was gentle despite the anger reflecting in his red eyes. To Valerie, it was comforting, reassuring.
She was very grateful that he had tagged along today, for more than one reason. Firstly, the interview with Jackson had been funnier and more interesting, and she had been very surprised that the two men had gotten along.
Secondly, she would have probably lost her nerves again had she met Uriel alone. While she had been nervous this time as well, it hadn’t been that bad compared to last time. She had started to rely on Maxwell, started to trust him enough to even reveal her darkest secret to him. This wasn’t something she talked about with just anyone.
Her family, for example, did not know. She had kept it from them because she didn’t want to worry them. They lived in G Regalju, and she didn’t see them often. They had never been all that close, so it didn’t bother her too much. Her friends Hope and Naomi were the ones she preferred spending time with.
Maxwell and her soon reached the parking garage close to Regal Enterprises. They got in her car, and she drove back home. It was a gorgeous summer day, the weather being perfect to go swimming or spend time outside, but Valerie wanted to go home regardless. She wasn’t in the mood to be around other people right now.
They reached her flat within the next thirty minutes, and when she opened the door, she was greeted by Mochi, who came running at her, meowing. She smiled and picked the demon up, cradling it to her chest.
“Did you wait for me?” she whispered, watching the faint speckles of light that surrounded the demon. She walked to the living room and sat on the sofa with it, hearing Maxwell’s footsteps following her. He lingered in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the wall as he observed her with dark eyes.