Chapter 17 (Clare)

Her body functioning on its own accord, her fingers traced the imprint on her flesh. Not ever having had
a scar, it fascinated her enough to ground her, remembering the most basic thing to living- inhale and
exhale.

A demon, she somehow knew what it was. How? she had no clue. Raking information from her mind,
knowing that if she could just remember something factual written about it, her nerves would relax.
Disappointed, she got nothing but the feeling of a head concussion.

The pressure of warmth on her cheek brought her out of her mind to focus on the green eyes very
much like her own and the mouth that was trying to tell her something important.

“Seals.” Nathan said looking confused and relieved at the same time, “When creatures of the fallen
harms us in any way we heal leaving signatures of sorts, we call it seals, it’ll go away.” He looked down
to where her fingers still brushed her stomach.

Speechless, she nodded her head slowly, repeating, “Seals, fallen, healing, wait what?!”

Alonso sighed, “Fallen are the Tempters, demons are the makings of the Tempters, completely
different, uhm Angels of hell, ring a bell?”

Her mother grabbed her arm, “I know you want to process this,” her words hurried, anxious, “but I need
you to go with your brother, I’ll be right behind you I promise.” Not waiting for an answer Franchesca
turned to Nathan, “Take her, alert the Garde, get word to Ray, tell her Calub has been kidnapped, you
have to protect her, Alonso you stay with me, there’ll be more.”

Nathan nodded, his eyes bleak, like he held a secret, a deadly secret. Of what Clare didn't even want
to guess. There was obviously something more happening here.



Giving Nathan some privacy as he spoke with Alonso in hushed tones, she spared neither of them a
backward glance. Stepping over the broken door splinters she scanned the passage way.

A sudden thought occurred, why with all that noise the security guards didn’t check on them or police or
anyone else. The place was dead silent apart from the three in the house.

It is a good thing she thought, and shrugged her curiosity off, heading toward the staircase. She
needed time to think and figure out why the hell wasn’t freaking the crap out.

A man appeared from the staircase, halting her mid-step. Dressed in a navy blue pinstriped suit, one
would mistake him for a harmless businessman man at first glance. The coldness and lethal intent in
his eyes as he smiled brightly at Clare confirmed he was anything but. Raising her brow she returned
his gesture, trying to act casually like nothing had just happened and her heart wasn't threatening to
burst open from terror..

She couldn’t say how it happened, or when, but one tick of a second he was five feet away, and in a
tock, he had a long sharp metal string wrapped around her neck and unyielding grip locking her hands
together between their bodies.

“Nathan, Mom,” Clare screamed in horror, the man holding her didn't stop her as she wailed for help.

By the strength of his hold on her hands and neck, Clare doubted he cared and that thought brought
unbidden tears to her already glossy eyes. Quietening in case she baited, he couldn't possibly want
her, she was a nobody, right?

It was Obvious Clare was no match for him, didn't mean she’d just wait for her death, didn’t mean she'd
just let this stranger use her to lure whoever it was he wanted. Struggling in the hopes of getting lucky,
she squirmed. The more she tried the tighter his fingers squeezed her wrist, feeling like her bones were
being crushed, she stopped and whimpered as the pain became numbingly excruciating.



A spark of hope rose in her chest upon the sight of her brother.

Knife in hand, Nathan didn't flinch as he ran, aiming the sharp object, hitting her captor in the shoulder
attached to the hand that held the metal string to her neck. The man barely jerked, grip still tight on her,
she froze, certain this was no man.

Shaking her head as her brother approached, she mouthed “no”. Relief didn't meet her when Nathan
listened and stopped walking, but he was safe, well safer than her.


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