^^This chapter is dedicated to nourabdulmajid for making the amazing cover art up here! That an being a badass reader in general!!! THANKS!!^^

"I have been waiting for you," a deep voice mocks. I try and place it but come up blank. It is just as unfamiliar as this place.

The shadowy figure looms in front of me, careful not to step into the light and reveal his identity. A wall of smoke and flames shoots up between us, making it even harder to figure out exactly where he is.

"My greatest enemy. My greatest mistake. Taken out by some worthless breeder. Were it not for the big plans I have for you...I would go topside just to thank him myself."

I struggle, trying to break free of the chains that hold me down. The attempt is pointless and I feel the heated metal cuffs burn into my skin. I bit down on my tongue to keep myself from screaming. I won't give him the satisfaction. Won't give him the pleasure of seeing me in pain.

Flames begin to rise from the floor, licking at the soft flesh on the bottom of my feet. The skin bubbles and begins to peel away. I feel it all. I feel everything. The skin dying. The muscle burning. The pain that intensifies as I try to move away from the heat. But I do not scream. I don't make one single sound.

"You are silent now," the deep voice intrudes into my mind. "Let's see how long that lasts. You will scream. You will beg. They all beg. You will beg until your lungs give out and then, when you have taken your last breath, I will bring you back. This, my child, is your punishment."

"Screw this," someone shouts only seconds before I am ripped from the heat and thrown into the coldest water I have ever felt.

I shoot up, eyes wide as I gasp for any air my lungs can find. My chest moves heavily and the room becomes instantly clear. Ash and Raph move away from me as I pull myself out of the ice filled tub. Steam radiates off my skin in small clouds.

"What the hell..." Raph stops short, moving closer only long enough to wrap a towel around my now shaking body.

"What happened?" My eyes dark around the room and I hug the towel tighter. "Where am I?

"My apartment," Ash responds. He looks down at me, our eyes meeting for a few seconds before he leaves the room.

"What happened?" I repeat.

"You died." Raph glances over his shoulder, as if he is waiting for Ash to show back up. He stares behind him for what seems like hours before letting out a sigh. I guess he has figured out the same thing I have, Ash is obviously not coming back to this room anytime soon. I move further away from Raph until my back is now pressed against the bathroom wall.

"One minute you were healing," he continues, "And the next minute it was like a shit show let loose. Your body completely shut down, reversed whatever healing you had done. Everything seemed to stop at once. You quit breathing. You lost consciousness and bled out, right there in my warehouse. I felt for your heart but it wasn't beating. You were dead. Ash lost his shit. Damn near tore the whole building down. Then, less than five minutes later, you healed. Faster than I have ever seen, by the way. One second you were colder than ice and, the next, you were fully healed and breathing on your own."

"How did we get here?" I hold myself tighter, trying to force myself to process everything that is being thrown at me.

"See, as healed as you were, we couldn't get you to wake up." Raph glances over his shoulder again. "We couldn't keep you at the warehouse any longer. I had already called my cleaning crew and the last thing I needed to do was explain to them exactly why you were there. Plus it wasn't safe. Ash suggested we bring you back here since, well, it is probably one of the few places in town where the demons can't find you. We got about halfway back when things got a little weird. You started heating up like the damn sun. Burned the hell out of me when I tried to touch you. Ash had to pull you from the car. Only he can handle that kind of heat. Speaking of which, remind me to bill Ash for the melted leather in my car. Anyways, you were too hot. I was worried you'd fry your brain. When you didn't wake up...well...Ash decided to throw you into the tub."

I glanced up over at the tub, at the now melted ice. None of this makes any sense. I feel a small knot begin to form in my stomach. Something about Raph seems off. Something about him bothers me and I figure now is as good for a time as any to clear the air.

"What are you?" I ask, causing a smile to spread across Raph's face. "You're powerful. I can feel it. But there is something different about it. Different than Ash. You feel like..."

"Your friend Marcus?" he suggests. "Let me explain, because that look on your face is more than giving away how freaked out you are right now. Once I got the knife out I figured you would heal because that's what I do. I heal people. I can feel the damage done to a person and pretty much reverse the damage. I knew you were at the point of death but, with a lot of concentration, it shouldn't have been an issue."

"You're part angel?"

"Full blooded," Raph chuckles. "An archangel, to be exact. Raph is short for Raphael. Well, Saint Raphael. It just depends on who you're asking or what book you're reading."

I feel my eyes go wide. The guy who just saved my life, the guy standing in front of me is quite possibly the most powerful angel who has ever existed. Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. Not to mention the fact that this meant he was very distantly related to Marcus and Demi.

"Wow," is all I can manage to say.

"Ash filled me in on your living situation. Once you lost consciousness I tried to heal you but I felt myself being blocked. It only took a little bit of looking to find the source of it. Whoever attacked you must have know about your...umm...father because they coated the knife in angel's blood. It was as if the attacker knew it would weaken you. Now, usually angel's blood won't kill you but, between the blood and the blade lodge in your ribs, it was a deadly combination. Your body was forced to do what it could to heal. Apparently this meant pushing almost all of the blood out of your body and starting fresh. Didn't know you could do that. Still not that sure you should have been able to."

I move my mouth to speak but stop as Ash finally reappears, tossing a large wad of clothing at me.

"Put these on," he demands before once again disappearing.

Even though Raph has explained so much to me, the knot in my stomach refuses to go away. Something is still off. Something is still not adding up the way it should be. There are too many unanswered questions.

Part of this might be due to the fact that, ever since I woke up, I have been aware of the life force of everything within a ten mile radius to me. I can feel Ash in the next room, his energy humming like a generator. So powerful, so strong. I can feel Raph's energy trying to take over the room. Light, like a feather. I can even feel the demons currently roaming the streets below us, still searching for me. I can feel their hunger for me rushing through their veins. Angry, determined.

"If you are who I think you are," Raph whispers as he moves closer to me. "You are in a hell of a lot more danger than you think you are. Not just you either, Ash as well. Maybe in more danger than you are. You need to confront him. He needs to tell you everything or else the two of you might never be safe."

"What do you-"

"I've done and said more than I should have," he cuts me off. "Saving your life is by far the biggest sin I have ever committed but...there's good in you. I can feel it."

He raises to his feet, closing the door behind him as he leaves. I dress quickly, determined to squeeze a few more answers from him before he leaves. By the time I reach the living room it is too late and I watch as the front door is closed shut. I can still feel the demons lurking near by and, as much as I would like to chase him down, I know it is not even close to being a good idea.

(Welcome back Makenna)