"Unsettling Feeling"

After some knocks on the door, she opened her eyes wide, waking up. Looking at the window she realized it was still the morning, or perhaps the afternoon, so she couldn't have slept too long. Another few knocks on the door but she was not replying, she was searching for Amra, and he was nowhere to be found. A more insistent set of knocks on the doors made her take a deep breath and whispered a welcome. The doors opened and there was Amra with a large plate filled with different kinds of food. She smiled wide and sat on the bed.

"I was looking for you..."

"I am trying to play the traditional husband role... how am I doing so far?"

"Hmm... it will depend on what you bring on the plate..."

He smiled and sat next to her, resting the plate carefully. She looked at the content and felt her tummy growl. "When was the last time you ate?" Amra frowned.

"I think... yesterday... yes, at our dinner..."

"Too long, you need to eat some more..."

Caliope smiled "I love you..."

He leaned to kiss her and whispered "I love you" back.

---***---

The living room was empty of people besides Maxwell, Pronab and Vanessa who was at the phone. She was quietly waiting for some responses after she requested a few more days off.

"I understand Sir, I just need a couple more days... I promise I will work double time when I get back..."

Maxwell frowned and shook his head, Pronab leaned close to him and whispered a few words before he extended his hand and asked Vanessa for the phone. She looked hesitant at first, but the look in his eyes was filled with determination, so she gave up and passed the phone.

"Hello, am I talking to the direct boss of the lovely Lady Vanessa?"

Vanessa felt nervous but after giving a look at Pronab, her nervousness transformed into curiosity. He was smirking.

"I was hoping it would not come to this but, since I sense you are not giving her the time she needs...... who am I? I am Sir Maxwell Caldwell. I am assisting her into acquiesce a rare collection she wished to surprise you with. Some old rare books from the 18th Century...... Yes, that is correct...... Good, I am glad you understand now...... I do not know how long it will take, but she might convince me to give her my private collection if she keeps being so good at her job...... Thank you. I will have my people make a first delivery to your office with a present for your good predisposition."

He handed back the phone at Vanessa who was almost too shocked to continue speaking. She nodded and said just a few more words to her boss before hanging up.

"For the moment I am staying at his residence, the Caldwell Abbey...... Thank you Sir...... I will be in touch. Bye."

"That should give you enough time for whatever else you wish to do here..."

"Thank you Maxwell, I mean, Sir Maxwell..."

He shook his head. "You can still call me Maxwell, nothing has changed..."

"I will make the best of the time here to find those promised books for him, for a start..."

Pronab chuckled "There is no need."

"What do you mean?"

Maxwell grinned "I have the books, I will just give them to you, unless you want to acquire even more..."

"But... they are of your own private collection..."

"We collect things to preserve them... your Museum does the same, isn't that correct?"

Vanessa nodded "Yes, it is true... but they cost a fortune..."

"Pronab, you should try to explain to her how money means nothing to us... if it is going to a good cause, and a place that will take care of them, then there is nothing else to be said about it... You can pick any books you like from my library and take them to your boss when you return... just make sure not to take them all, that would give you reasons to return whenever you need to." He winked at her as he left the room, she was grinning and blushing all excited, she turned around to see Pronab and her grin faded into a smile. She lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you Pronab, I know you have something to do with this..."

"It is ok, I am glad we can do something for you... we can even go pay a visit to Lord Marshall, I will have a blast making him uncomfortable..."

"I thought you Angels were always protecting the humans..."

"I am not a common Angel... and what is wrong with having a little fun?"

"You are making me curious..."

He gave a few steps closer to her and she swallowed hard, she was breathing faster. He smirked and slid a finger to caress her cheek. She felt goosebumps on her body.

"Nothing bad with being a little curious, I am sure you can handle it too..."

"What... what do you mean?"

"I wasn't born as a good Angel... I was a dark Angel in my origins..."

She gasped and covered her mouth; she gave a step back and tried to look around for anyone else. He chuckled and stood there watching her. A couple of seconds later, Amra was walking in with Caliope next to him. Vanessa looked relieved at them both and Pronab gave a step back bowing his head slightly at them.

"Nessa... I am glad to find you here... I owe you an apology..."

"It's ok... really..." Vanessa whispered nervously.

Amra looked at her then at a smirking Pronab "is there something wrong?"

Vanessa looked at Pronab then back at them and Caliope perked a brow. Pronab started to laugh and leaned his back at one of the walls. Amra frowned at him and he tried to compose himself. "Sorry... it's my fault..." he chuckled "I think Vanessa is a little scared of me..."

Caliope looked at them both "scared of you? Why?"

"He... he said he was a dark Angel first... I think I heard enough about them to be a little scared, don't you think?"

Amra sighed and shook his head, as Caliope chuckled and walked closer to them holding hands with Amra. She sat on a couch and he sat next to her.

"There is no one in this new universe that I have now learned to know, who is worthy of my trust as much as Pronab... Besides Amra itself and Elaine that is, and of course, you Nessa..."

Pronab looked down and smiled; he stopped smirking and was now holding silence. Amra nodded at Caliope's words, and he smiled kindly at Vanessa.

"We Angels do not judge people for their pasts... if they are true to themselves and fight at our side, they are our allies as well... and Pronab is like family."

"Tell me Nessa... leaving aside what he said to you... did you ever felt you should be careful of him? Or that you should not trust him? What did your guts tell you about him?"

"My guts..." she blushed "I felt I could trust him..."

She refused to say anything else, she was embarrassed and ashamed now of her reaction. Caliope smiled at her trying to encourage her. "Someone told me once... 'Why can't there be a tad bit of darkness inside the light? Or some light inside the darkness?'... I believe those questions answers themselves on its own... I know you would agree with me Nessa... after all, am I not half darkness as well?"

Amra smiled "Such a smart comment... I owe to visit the source of your quote sometime soon, with you..."

Caliope smiled at Amra as she stood up again and sighed, looking outside at the window as the sunset was setting. She smiled at Pronab and he nodded at her back with a smile before she turned back towards the door.

"I still need to figure out how to control my abilities, but we understand it better now... so for the moment I am still going to have to avoid others... but while we are doing this, please try to enjoy your stay here Nessa..."

"Thank you baby... let me know when you are feeling better please...?"

"I will, I can't wait to hug you without burning either of us in the process..."

"I like that idea too..." Vanessa smiled.

Once both Caliope and Amra left the living room, she turned again to see Pronab, who was still leaning on the wall and slightly smiling. She sighed and walked closer to him.

"I am sorry... I really am..."

"It is ok... I usually don't go around telling about my origins to other people either... I think more would feel scared too if I did..."

"I was not really scared... I was more taken by surprise..."

He finally lifted his gaze and saw her standing close to him. He felt a little unease suddenly.

"I heard and saw quite a lot of work from the dark Angels to be afraid of them... but I also know you are someone they trust... someone I can trust... so my reaction was more of surprise and confusion..."

He perked a brow and then sighed, taking a deep breath. She sighed again and nodded, turning around as she headed to the door when his hand on her arm stopped her. She felt goosebumps all over her body again. He leaned to her neck and whispered.

"There is something about you that makes me uneasy... unsettling me..."

"And... what... what is that?"

"Something... I don't know yet..."

He released her and she felt as her breath was cut. She was scared of what his words could mean. She turned around to find him heading to the window and added.

"I am confused too... but if you think I am easy to harm, you are dead wrong... I am much stronger than you think..."

He chuckled and turned around to face her again, a low growl escaped his lips and she bit hers. Suddenly he was right in front of her in a blink of an eye, and grabbed a handful of her hair from the back of her head, pulling her towards him, stopping only inches from her face.

"You are so... very... tempting... exactly because of that..."

She gasped and breathe heavily, her throat pulsing as much as her heart. Against all she could have ever do or said in the past, before she was aware of this new world, before she met him; she imitated him by grabbing a handful of his hair from the back of his head and held him tight.

"How... much... tempting... am I?"

He crashed his lips on hers and kissed her with an urgent need. She moaned into his mouth as they both let go of each other's grip only to lock their arms around each. She felt her throat burn, everything around her was moving, and she was gasping yet lingered on his mouth for more. For the first time he let himself go; he had been feeling attracted to her since he saw her, even when there was some strange connection with Caliope, he still felt attracted and protective of her. Now that any strange bond between him and Caliope broke after her awakening, and that Caliope herself encouraged him to follow his feelings; now that there was nothing else stopping him, he was hungry for her and she was not resisting.

---***---

As Caliope was taking a seat on the chair outside in the garden, Amra grabbed another one and pulled it close to hers. Elaine and Wiltshire were not far; both discussing something that kept them entertained while Maxwell waved at them both approaching to Amra and her.

"I hope you are feeling better, Asteria..."

"I am, yes... did everyone else left? I haven't seen many around today."

"They did, we booked them on hotels close to the residence... I prefer you two feel comfortable before we introduce you to more questions and agitations from them."

"Thank you, I think that is for the best... she has an idea now of how her powers work... but we are not close yet to how to control them..."

"About that... I was thinking... there might be a way to help her... now that you mention she has an idea of how her powers work, it could really be something of use..."

"What way is that?"

"Metatron mentioned that Gusion was in town..."

Amra frowned "And why would he know how to help?"

"Who is Gusion?"

"He was the Angel who could discern the past, present and future from the Oracle's premonitions... here in earth of course..."

"There was such thing as Oracles? I thought they were a myth... hmm... of course anything that was a myth could be possible in this world..." she chuckled.

"I still don't know how he could help."

Maxwell smiled "He had the ability to discern... to understand... he has an understanding of our powers greater than some of us."

"Something tells me by Amra's reaction that he is not a pleasant visit to expect..."

Elaine sighed "He asked for time and space... and it has been a couple of years since he has been away from us while figuring what to do or if there was a side he should chose..."

Both Elaine and Wiltshire had reached them and joined the conversation. Maxwell smiled at them as Wiltshire pulled a chair for Elaine and she thanked him for the kind gesture.

Maxwell continued "He abandoned the fight, he did not joined their side nor stayed with us... he is his own side..."

Wiltshire nodded "I sense he is here for a specific reason... he rarely left his secluded residence in Monaco..."

Maxwell looked at him pondering "Do you think he might be working for them?"

"No... not for them... if he was, we would know it by now... but... hmm..."

"What is wrong?"

"I think we will have the answers we are looking for sooner than we thought..."

Maxwell turned towards the house as one of the servants approached them. He stood at a certain distance and lowered his head.

"Sir, a Lord Gusion is at the entrance gates, requesting permission to see you..."