Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty. ~Stephen King

I stared at Daemon and then back to Angelo confused.

"What is he talking about Angelo?" I asked, my brows furrowing.

We were back in the narrow dimly lit hallway that we wandered in for hours. The tension in this place was high with Angelo staring at Daemon coldly, his warm hazel eyes enflamed in anger. Meanwhile, Daemon smirked in amusement, as if divulging this information has just made things interesting for him.

"I'll explain later," Angelo replied icily.

Turning to Daemon, I told him, "You will let us go. We won."

Daemon's lips curved into a small grin.

"Of course, I promised to play fair."

Angelo grabbed my hand and pushed past Daemon. Brittany trailed behind me, holding my other hand. He continued to drag me down the intertwining hallways that our brisk jog turned into a full on sprint.

"Angelo, slow down!" I wheezed.

"Slow down, idiot!" Brittany wailed.

I have never seen this side of Angelo before. He was different than his usual warm and laid back self. Right now he was tense, his jaw clenched as we sprinted past the hallway rimmed with pictures. His grip on my hand was so tight that it became numb from the lack of circulation.

"We need to hurry now, or else Daemon will make it harder for us to leave." He muttered under his breath.

I didn't understand what he was saying until I saw them before the hallway was plunged into darkness. I was afraid of the dark, I never liked being in it too long. My chest squeezed and I knew I was going to have another panic attack. The people wandering around the hallway reminded me of a scene from Insidious. A little girl was sitting to my right with chin on her knees; a soft demented smile was plastered on her face. More of these ghosts began to gather behind me. Some of them wore clothes from centuries ago before my time that I wondered if this was hell really is like.

A soft squeeze and a tug on my hand from Angelo and a scream from Brittany brought me back from my reverie and pulled me away from the reaching hands of the dead.

Okay, it really was time to go.

Brittany ran ahead of us, making me wish I did Track and Field because I couldn't run any faster than I am now.

A nagging voice in my head told me not to trust Angelo which was rare because I have always trusted him. How will I know if he's leading us the way out of the Nether Realm? Daemon is his brother? Did that mean Daemon was human before he became the demon himself? So many questions swam in my head before a question slipped out of Brittany's lips, "If Daemon doesn't want us to leave this place, why didn't he stop us?"

Angelo gave her a pointed look as we halted our steps on a dead end. We were at the end of the maze and there was no way out. Angelo faced Brittany and grabbed her shoulders.

"You need to wake up, Brittany." He said staring at her dead in the eyes.

"What are you talking about? I'm wide awake right now!" Brittany replied frantically.

The ghosts were getting closer to us by each second, their transparent and hunched over bodies slowing them down from us. "Sweet fruit," they whisper to me, "come to us." I was beginning to panic because I don't know what they were talking about.

"Did you take any sleeping pills before you went to sleep?" Angelo asked again.

Brittany nodded causing Angelo to sigh heavily. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he murmured, "The only way we can get out of here is for your body to wake up."

"How do we wake her up then?" I asked.

Angelo didn't answer me as he began to touch the smooth polished wall before us and chanted words in a language I don't understand. A warm glow came from his hands causing the wall to vibrate and spark underneath his palm. Angelo removed his hand away in pain as if the wall burned him.

I felt a tug behind the back of my shirt and a cold dead hand clasped around my mouth. I screamed for Angelo, all they were muffled. The ghost holding me licked the side of my face in a seductive manner whispering, "The forbidden fruit truly taste the best."

Angelo held his palm before the ghost and a blinding light escaped his palms causing the ghost holding me to shriek in pain and let go of me. Angelo took me from the ghost's arms and held me against his chest with my head resting on his chest his arm wrapped around the side of my hip while he raised his palms before the ghost before us to warn them away.

Whatever this power I didn't know he had scared me and surprised me. I thought I knew Angelo but apparently, I didn't.

"Anytime now Brittany." He gritted.

Brittany closed her eyes as if willing herself to wake up. A few seconds later, and with just one blink, the hallway with the ghosts disappeared and I was back in my bedroom my head resting on Angelo's chest while Brittany laid passed out next to us.

I pushed myself up from Angelo's chest and sighed in relief. It was so good to be back on Earth. But are we really back? I touched the dark bruise that was forming on my arm from the ghost's tight grip. Brittany remained motionless on the floor.

"Brittany?" I poked her.

She remained still.

My breath caught and I assumed the worst. Is she dead? Angelo pushed her on her back causing her head to loll to the side. Suddenly, a cough erupted from Brittany and I sighed in relief. She sat up and gave me a tight hug. She sobbed into my chest which surprised me. Although she and I had our differences she was still my best friend.

"You have a lot of things to explain." I told Angelo giving him a solemn look.

Ghosts, Daemon, the Nether Realm, and the game at the same time were too overwhelming. Who is Angelo? What is he? We grew up together, I thought it's impossible for him to be something else, let alone be the brother of the man who's been haunting my dreams.

Brittany and I sat at the kitchen table glancing at Angelo warily. He looks so tired. The bags under his eyes and his tousled curls stood in wild abandon. He rubbed his forehead in exhaustion.

"You must have a lot of questions to ask me." He said.

"Damn right, we do!" Brittany exclaimed.

Angelo looked at me, his eyes softened when he saw my doubt and uncertainty.

"I'm not the enemy here, Celeste." He murmured softly.

"Then who are you, Angelo?" I asked him.

"I'm your guardian angel."

Brittany scoffed and laughed hysterically. I wasn't impressed. I don't believe a single word of it. Sure his name is Angelo and sometimes he appears angelic at times which made me be drawn and attracted to him even more. But still. He lied to me and I don't know if I should trust him again.

"After what happened to all of us, that's the best answer you could give me?" I asked him crossing my arms.

Angelo reached across the table and took my hands into his.

"Do you ever wonder why you're always safe even when you're in the worst parts of the city?" he asked me.

I shook my head causing him to sigh. "I was just lucky." I shrugged.

"Yeah, Celeste can protect herself just fine. This is the 21st century, Angelo. Women are capable of protecting themselves." Brittany puts in.

Suddenly, Angelo sat up from his seat and started taking off his shirt.

"Whoa there!" Brittany and I said in unison when large ivory wings sprouted behind Angelo's back that almost touches the floor. He seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. He's ethereal.

I got up to touch the soft wings on his back. I noticed a tattoo on the back of his neck with white ink of a triangle upside down over a flame. My fingers grazed the mark only to cause a slow ripple on the surface of his tan skin and more of the white ink spread across his shoulder blades and up to his neck. In a way, it was beautiful, just like Angelo is.

He's real.

This is real.

Pulling my hand away from his skin, I asked him, "Is Daemon really your brother?"

Could he possibly be related to a monster like him?

"Yes." He sighed.

Angelo retrieved his shirt from the chair and put it back on before turning to face me.

Touching my face, he said, "my older brother Daemon wants to hurt you because..." he struggled to finish his sentence.

"Because what? Why are we all involved in his stupid game?" Brittany cut in.

"It's best if I start from the very beginning in order for you to truly understand why Daemon needs you." Angelo replied.

"Like my brother, I was a demon."

Hi everyone! I'm back! :D I hoped all of you liked this chapter :D I'll be updating the next chapter on Saturday because it's been a month since I last updated! Also, I have an announcement to make! I'm competing in the Brigade Watty Awards and it would mean a lot if you guys, my readers, would take a second of your day to vote! Here's the link to the competition and all you guys have to do is click on the star of Enamored's page in The Brigade Watty Awards :)

https://www.wattpad.com/224806975-the-brigade-watty-awards-2016-t-h-i-r-t-e-e-n

You guys should also listen to the song above because I totally think it matches the mood of the chapter :) Also, thank you @simba-aa for the banner gif! :D

The link is also on my profile! What did you guys think of Angelo as a demon? What do you think will happen next? Why does Daemon want Celeste? What do you think will happen to Celeste and her friends next? Please comment your thoughts, vote, add this book to your library, and follow me for more updates! :D

Xoxo,

~Angelique