6 CHAPTER 5

The after party was amazing. Leanna and her husband danced the night away embraced in their little cocoon. I on the other hand, milled about and chugged a couple of champagnes. Everything seemed to be going on rather splendidly.

"May I have this dance M'lady?" A familiar voice sounded.

Giggling, I turned and replied to the bowed figure, "Why of course Sir."

Hand in hand, Javier and I walked to the centre of the crowded dance floor. With his hands on my waist and my arms around him, we danced intune to the Waltz.

"Can we just do this forever?" I asked him, laying my head onto his chest.

Tucking my head under his chin and pulling me closer, he replied "whatever my lady wants."

We stayed like that for a long time and I really thought the moment was never going to end. But then -

"Daphne Darling, may I have this dance?"

I stopped dead and grew speechless. Javier on the other hand didn't.

"And who might you be?" Javier asked, definitely noting his handsomeness.

Faking a frown Sorin replied, "why, has she never mentioned me? I must say I'm deeply hurt Daphy."

He knows I hate it when he calls me that. Not letting him get to me, I took his arm and led him away before he could say anything stupid.

But not before calling back to Javier, "he's an old… acquaintance. Nothing to worry about. I'll see you in a bit."

Arm in arm, I led him to the outskirts of the crowd towards the balcony so no one would witness me chucking him over if he decides to piss me off.

But Sorin had other plans. With an elegant tug, he had me spinning around like a ballerina. Then I was off my feet as he poised me high in the air. Sorin had his quirks but he was a sensational dancer. Every step intune to the faint Waltz playing in the background. And then, the Waltz exploded. Not missing a beat, he led me through it. Fast and sure; spins and turns; we were flying. Our steps are a flurry of movement too hard to track. And then, the music dropped an octave and we followed, slowly descending to a stop. At the very last second with impeccable precision, he dipped me. It was a while before either of us moved.

Swallowing, I opened my mouth to speak but Sorin cut me off. Pulling me to my feet, he took a step back and flicked an invisible lint off his immaculate clothing.

"Well, time to get down to business."

I frowned.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I'm not taking no for an answer."

"No. How are you even here? Does Eric really even know you?"

Tucking his hands into his pockets he replied, "as a matter of fact yes. It turned out to be a happy coincidence actually considering we can finally talk."

"And, does he know? What you do for a living?" I asked.

"What we do for a living darling. And no, he doesn't. I am but a humble businessman with unnaturally good looks," Sorin replied, with a mocking bow.

Scowling I realised what he was saying. Feeling fidgety I crossed my arms and decided to ask him the question to which I already knew the answer to.

"What are you doing here Sorin?"

"We need you back. Things are out of control."

"I left that past behind me. I-"

"You can never run away from your past. Believe me. I've tried."

"No one cares. No one fucking cares! Tell me, why should I help you after what you did?" I told him, arms flying all over the place.

There it was. His face dropped again.

"Daph, you know how much I -"

"You killed him Sorin! You fucking killed Leanna's father!"

"When you took the job, you know what you were getting yourself into," Sorin replied, his voice dangerously low. It was the tone I was never supposed to push unless I wanted my head nailed to the wall. But I've had enough.

"I never asked to hunt Demons or Celestial beings! I wanted balance! And you -"

"We. We took away her father. Do not forget who drove the fucking car Daphne."

Oh boy was he pissed if he decided to call me by my name instead of a silly nickname. Good. That made both of us.

Before I could help myself, the thoughts of my past consumed me.

Years and years ago, a great battle did take place. But unlike the humans who believed the war didn't take place, we knew it did. Why? Because we were there.

The people of Earth were put to sleep to evade the sheer motrosity of the battle as they descended. Demons from the darkest planes dug themselves out from the catacombs - some of them bore leathery wings while others had pointed horns and devilish tails. Their fight was with the Archangels. God's soldiers, sent to wreak havoc and achieve so-called 'peace.' You see the Demon Lord of Hell and The Gods' Above were pissed. They wanted each other's planes gone; either for their own pleasure or to turn conqueror. No one knows the real reason. But no one dared question it. There was too much at stake.

Nevertheless, while the battle took place, there were still some of them who hated their own monarch and wanted everything to end. These people were called the Excubants Statera. The Keepers of Balance. Together they hatched a plan to achieve balance.

The Umbra Mortis she was called. A keeper of peace, a purveyor of doom. The only one trusted, to bring Balance between the two planes. With her obsidian trident in one hand and a fiery sword in the other, she delivered a single blow which cleansed the Earth of the supernatural beings, sending them back from where they came from. When the smoke cleared, no one remained. Everyone but the Excubants Statera were left. Even the Shadow of Death herself was nowhere to be seen. Where she disappeared to - no one knows? All that was left, was her trident, fashioned into a bow, and an arrow, made from her sword. The Mor and Veritas they were called.

When the Umbra Mortis disappears, the features that classified us vanished as well. We were still left with the strength and speed that came from being a supernatural, but our wings and tails were gone. And maybe, that was a good reason.

The Excubants Statera woke up the Humans and built the Church of Blood and Light. Inside, the Mor and Veritas were kept while the members dispersed and wove their lives with the humans to stay hidden; undiscovered. Some of them became ministers and priests of the Church - to protect what lay within. Others, like Sorin and I, wove their lives with Humans and pretended like nothing ever happened. When the Humans woke up, they believed the lies we fed them.

That's where Sorin and I come in.

A rogue angel, Sorin left his home to join the cause. Swearing to bring balance to the realm, he devoted his life to the cause. I on the other hand, was a bastard born of a human mother and a demon. With nothing to lose, I swore my loyalty to the cause.

As part of the Excubants Statera, Sorin and I were partners in crime tasked to find and either kill or recruit escaped demons and angels. Most of the time, it was the former.

We were on the job when the disaster happened. Tailing our target in our Hellcat, Sorin and I were good friends.

That was before catastrophe struck.

I don't remember much of that day. Only bits and pieces.

I remembered an injured Sorin pulling me out of a ravaged vehicle; I remembered the crushed vehicle of our target ahead; I remembered feeling satisfied riding the New World of a corrupted being. But then I saw him. Leanna's father. I recalled tumbling out of Sorin's arms and dragging myself to the fallen corpse just in time to see him take his final breath. He told me to stick with Leanna at all times and to tell her he loved her. He was so proud of her. I recalled opening my mouth to tell him he could tell it to her himself because he was going to live, but no. The Universe has a wicked sense of humour. He died in my arms and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Collateral damage. That was all he was.

My fault, my fault he's gone.

I lied. I remembered every single detail from that day.

And Leans? She still has no idea.

Lost in my thoughts, I jerked when Sorin spoke softly, "that day wasn't your fault." He didn't seem pissed now. I knew that look.

"I don't want your pity," I told him, already in tears.

"Daphy, don't go. I'm sorry."

And I wondered, just how often he said those words.

Devastation was written all over Sorin's face.

But, I couldn't any longer.

This time when I disappeared back inside, he didn't follow.

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