I took a step back immediately after hearing those words.
My heart began pounding as I looked around the dark corridor, trying to figure out where the voice had come from.
Who was that and how did it know I was with the Devil?
“Who are you?” I asked.
The voice let out a small laugh.
A moment later, I saw someone walking out of the darkness.
His footsteps were slow and calm, completely different from the panic racing through my body.
He stepped into the weak light coming from the emergency lamps, and the moment I saw his face, my entire body froze.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
It was the old man.
The same old man I had met at the museum before everything happened.
The man who had been in charge of the tomb and the one who called me Penguin on my first day at work.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t speak.
How was he here?
More importantly, how did he know about Cross?
My mind raced through everything that had happened since the first day I walked into that artifact room.
The strange way he had watched me.
The questions he had asked.
The men who had attacked us and suddenly, none of it felt random anymore.
Who was this man?
He moved closer and calmly adjusted his glasses.
I took another step backward.
“I am not here to hurt you, Selene. All I need is the devil behind you.”
He pointed toward Cross, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.
I instinctively moved slightly in front of Cross.
“Why?” I blurted out.
The old man looked at me for a moment before giving me a faint smile.
“The day you walked into the artifact room, I could tell you would be different. I could sense something so deep about you, so I arranged some of my skilled boys to scare you all with some fake guns.”
He came closer.
“Maybe you can help break the tomb seal. For years I had tried to break the seal, but the day you came, all my worries were settled and the Devil was unleashed.”
My mouth slowly fell open.
For a moment, I could only stare at him.
The memory came rushing back, the guns, the men chasing us, the fear, Cross appearing just in time to save me.
I had thought that night was an accident.
It wasn’t.
He had sent them and he had deliberately put me in danger just to free Cross.
My stomach turned.
If Cross hadn’t appeared that night, I would have been dead.
“You used me.” I whispered.
“It’s not a big deal. I’ve used a lot of girls like you.” He replied.
“What are you talking about?” My voice came out weaker than I wanted.
So all of that had been his fault.
Everything that happened that night, he had planned it.
He had known about Cross being the Devil, and he had used me to get him out.
My stomach twisted.
I knew there was something strange about him the very first time I met him.
Now I finally knew why.
“I spent years researching about Cross. I studied every record I could find about the Devil of Larvana. I knew about his tomb. I knew about the crown. And I knew exactly what would happen when he returned.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re pathetic and a psychopath,” I screamed at him.
“You risked everyone’s life that night and you got me killed.”
The old man didn’t react.
He simply smiled and bent down to pick up Cross’s crown.
The golden metal looked almost ordinary in his hands.
“This thing is just made of metal, it has no real power. The real power lies in the Devil’s hands.” he said and threw the crown to the ground, some of the jewel broke into tiny pieces instantly.
I froze.
“No, no.” I rushed towards the crown and picked it up.
We went throught a lot just to find it.
“That crown is useless.” The old man said.
I held it closely and looked at Cross.
His body was still.
“What do you want to do with him?” I asked.
The old man’s expression hardened.
“I am from an organization called The Black Sigil. We hunt what humanity was never meant to know existed and it’s my duty to bring Cross to the team and eliminate him completely before he becomes a threat.” Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
My heart began to pound.
“Eliminate him.”
The words echoed inside my head.
He wanted to kill Cross.
“Why would you eliminate him? He did nothing wrong. All he wanted was to find his crown and return to his kingdom, not all of these.”
I stepped between the old man and Cross.
“I won’t let you touch him.”
The old man looked at me as though he found my reaction amusing.
“You can’t stop the organization. They will hunt him down and luckily you made it easy for us by bringing him here.”
“If you want him, you have to go through me,” I said.
The words left my mouth before I could think.
Only moments ago, I had wanted to run away from Cross.
I had convinced myself that leaving him was the only way to get my life back, but now that someone wanted to take him from me, my body had moved before my mind could stop it.
I was protecting him.
The old man laughed softly.
“I see you have fallen for the Devil’s trick. I hope you know he won’t hesitate to kill you at the end. It’s his nature and a creature of habit to kill, hunt and destroy,” he said with a horrific smile.
I clenched my fists.
“I don’t care about your bullshit. You’re not coming near him.”
His smile widened, then suddenly, movement exploded around us.
Men rushed into the museum from different entrances.
They were dressed in red from head to toe, their faces partly covered with a scary mask and their movements quick and controlled.
They looked almost like ninjas, surrounding Cross and I from every direction.
I turned slowly, realizing there was nowhere to run.
The old man stood behind them.
“You’re surrounded and there is no turning back, I gave you chance to run but you refused.” he said.
Then he raised his voice.
“Bring me the Devil!”
The men moved at once.
Immediately, I stepped backward, preparing myself for whatever was coming, then a bright flashlight suddenly swept across the entire museum and several voices echoed through the corridors.
“The police is here. If you’re trespassing, come outside right now with your hands in the air.”
Everything stopped.
I looked toward the old man and for the first time, the calmness disappeared from his face.
The flashlight grew brighter as footsteps approached.
“This isn’t over,” he said, then he turned and ran toward the corridor, his men following close behind him.
I watched them disappear and was confused and why was everything happening so fast?
Well, that’s not the issue right now.
The police were coming and that’s bad.
If they found Cross and I in the middle of this mess, there would be questions I couldn’t answer.
I hurried toward Cross and dropped beside him.
“Cross. Cross.”
I tapped his cheek.
He didn’t move.
“Cross.”
I tapped him again, harder this time and slowly, his eyes opened.
Those familiar red eyes stared weakly back at me.
“You came back.” he whispered.
Before I could answer, his arms wrapped around me.
The sudden hug nearly knocked the breath out of me.
His body was weak, but he held me as though he had been afraid I would disappear again.
His face pressed against me, and for a moment, I forgot about the police, the old man and everything else.
I felt his arms tighten around me and I swallowed hard.
“Now is not the time, Cross. A lot is happening now, so we have to go,” I said, trying to help him stand.
I pulled his arm over my shoulder and adjusted his weight against me.
He was heavier than I expected, and every step took effort.
I reached down and picked up the crown.
I honestly had no idea where I was taking him, then I thought about my apartment.
My place wasn’t far from the museum.
And if I remembered correctly, Alex had travelled for work and wouldn’t be back for the next two weeks.
My home would be the safest place, but then reality hit me.
How was I supposed to take a man who was technically a supernatural Devil into my house?
Would that even be possible?
I pushed the thought away.
I just needed to get Cross somewhere safe.
We moved through the museum as the police lights continued flashing outside.
A few seconds later, police officers rushed into the artifact room, their flashlights sweeping across the corridors.
“I thought I saw someone.” one of them said.
“Same here,” another replied.
They looked at each other before slowly moving away.
I held my breath until their footsteps disappeared.
Cross had rested his head against my chest while we hid.
I looked down at him and immediately shifted his head away.
He opened his eyes slightly.
“Let’s leave here.” he whispered.
I nodded.
“We will, but I have no idea how to take you out of here without people seeing your horns. You are different.” I said.
“My essence would work through the soul link we share. All you have to do is think of a place you would love to be, and then we will be there.” he replied.
I shook my head immediately.
“No. We are not using your essence, Cross. Not anymore.”
Cross stared at me for a long moment.
His eyes were tired, but there was something strangely calm in them.
“Forgive me.” he said.
“Forgive you for what?” I muttered.
He didn’t answer and immediately his hand suddenly slipped around my waist.
“Cross..”
Before I could understand what he was doing, the air around us changed and light flashed across my vision.
The museum disappeared.
I screamed and when I opened my eyes, I was standing in a familiar room.
My Apartment.
The painted walls, the small living room, the familiar furniture and the soft light made my chest tighten.
I was finally home.
My relief lasted only a second and Cross’s knees suddenly gave way, he collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
“Cross!”
I caught him as he collapsed, but his full weight dragged me down with him.
“Why did you use your essence?” I shook his shoulder.
“I told you not to, Cross.”
He didn’t answer.
My anger disappeared and fear replaced it.
“Cross!”
I tapped his cheek, nothing happened.
My breathing became heavy.
I had no idea what to do at this point, then his lips moved.
“I hope you’ll be beside me forever?” he whispered and his eyes closed tightly.
“Cross.” I tapped his cheeks again.
There was no response.
I honestly can’t even count how many times I had called Cross today.
I stared at him, then my phone suddenly rang from my pocket.The sound echoed through the quiet room.
I quickly pulled it out and a message appeared on the screen.
“Hey, the gates are locked. Open up.”
I froze.
I looked at the name of the person who sent the text, it was Alex.
My heart dropped.
I thought he had travelled.
So what was he doing here?
I looked at Cross lying unconscious on my floor.
I couldn’t leave him here for anyone to see.
My mind raced.
What was I supposed to do?
Before I could think of anything, another message appeared.
“Open the fucking door.”
I stared at the message, my fingers tightening around the phone.
Alex was right outside my house.
Panic rushed through me.
Then came three knocks.
Each one made me flinch.
I slowly looked at Cross.
Another knock came.
“Selene?”