Lucian Achilles Mikov stood there, looking at the back of the woman who had left after muttering a quick apology. His gaze was dark, and his aura unpredictable.

The blowing wind made locks of his hair fall on his face, adding to his aloof and mysterious nature.

It was petrifying.

How could she—

His thoughts were interrupted when his friend Zaniel placed his hand around his shoulder.

“What was that?” Zaniel enquired, looking at his friend with mild interest.

“What was what?” Lucian walked towards the eighteenth ward, where they were to visit.

He watched the doctor perform CPR on the patient and leaned on the wall, his gaze shifting to the dark clouds, a perfect, harmonious setting for their line of work.

“You could've dodged that human girl just now. How could you bump into her? Don't you know the consequences?” Zaniel asked.

Lucian didn't reply. The slight furrow of his forehead indicated that he was thinking about something.

“She is weak,” he commented after a drawn-out silence.

Zaniel remembered the petite girl and her look of pure tiredness. It wasn't the kind of tiredness one feels after working a lot. She looked tired of life, like she couldn't wait to die and start anew.

“You know we can't touch people we are not supposed to take with us,” Zaniel reminded him.

His words made Lucian hum.

He knew what his friend was trying to imply.

They were not normal beings.

The rulers of heaven and hell were the death angels who brought people's souls to their afterlife and decided their punishment and next journey.

And for such, they weren't allowed to touch any living being with their naked skin, or that living being would die an untimely death.

Then again, those living beings weren't supposed to see them either, until and unless the angels allow them, and it usually happens when their death is close.

“She was strange,” Lucian voiced out thoughtfully, his mind returning to her shivering form.

Zaniel raised his brows and looked at his watch.

Just seven more minutes before this patient will lose his life. He shook his head.

“She could see us and bumped into me even when we wore the ring.” Lucian’s words made Zaniel think deeply.

“Maybe it's because she is indeed close to death?” Zaniel asked, but Lucian stayed silent this time. He knew that wasn’t the case. It was something more.

After a couple of minutes, they heard the heart monitor going off, and the patient's soul exited the body.

“Jack Brown. Age 27. Reason for death: drinking and driving. Crimes: causing the death of 23 passengers on the bus, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, harassing a female coworker, and killing three animals. You were neither a good employee, father, husband, nor just a human,” Zaniel read the words on the screen that appeared before him.

Jack Brown's soul stood motionless while Zaniel raised his hand, and a portal appeared in the sky.

He scanned his ID before sending Jack's soul away for punishment.

“Do you have more cases on your list today?” Lucian blankly looked at the thunderstorm.

“Hmm, I have a few more. The increased accidents due to poor weather have added more to my workload,” Zaniel said.

~~~~~

“What took you so long?” Isabella heard Sophia's voice from across the hall as soon as she reached home, drenched by the heavy downpour.

“I am sorry,” Isabella whispered weakly, not bothering with the explanation.

It didn't matter.

Over-explaining wouldn’t make them understand.

If they even bothered to as much as consider her a human, they could decipher the answer by her appearance.

She didn't have enough money to hail a cab or catch a bus. They left her on her own after drawing her blood like they were milking a cow. It was raining heavily. How was she supposed to make her way back in time?

“Mom, how do I look?” Isabella heard her half-sister’s voice and turned her gaze to the stairs.

Standing before her was her sister in a royal blue gown, her beauty radiating. No one would say she was the same girl needing blood just a few hours ago.

“Are you ready to go to the prom?” Sophia asked Evelyn.

Isabella paused for a second.

Right. Today was prom night since it was the last time everyone was meeting. They would go to their respective colleges in a couple of days as the vacations were over.

Isabella turned around, ready to leave and attend to her mother, when Evelyn’s voice stopped her.

“Isabella, why are you in this poor state? Aren't you going to come with me? Come on, don't be a killjoy. Everyone will think I treat you poorly,” Evelyn said softly.

Isabella smiled bitterly and shook her head. She knew why Evelyn needed her there.

“You go. Mom is sick and needs my attention. They will understand,” Isabella said.

She wanted to hint that her presence or absence never mattered to anyone.

However, after Evelyn persisted, Sophia ordered her to get ready as they didn't want people to badmouth their family; Isabella found herself before the mirror in her half-sister's red gown.

Isabella didn’t like to mingle with others. She always felt like everyone wore a mask these days, and her family was a living example of it, instilling trust issues in her.

“Mom, how do I look?” She turned to look at her mother.

Emma smiled sadly.

“My princess,” Emma whispered and beckoned her to come close.

Isabella froze.

She didn't want to go near her mother, as she was afraid her mother would see the needle marks on her hands.

But it was a rare occasion for her mother to be conscious, as she was unconscious most of the time.

With an anxious heart, Isabella donned gloves to hide her hands because she was feeling cold and walked to her mother.

“I wish I could help you with much more. I am sorry for being such an incompetent mother,” Emma tried to raise her hand to cup Isabella's cheeks.

Isabella placed her hand over her mother's as she cupped her cheeks.

She shook her head.

“You are the best mother I could get. Sometimes, fate isn't in our hands, Mom. This is probably our fate decided by the angels,” Isabella smiled.

Emma sighed.

“If only I hadn't forced my way here and had instead let go of your father when we found out about his cheating and fraud, you wouldn't have to go through this,” Emma whispered as her hand fell due to losing its energy.

However, her hand that slid accidentally slipped a finger beneath the glove on Isabella's hand, and Emma furrowed her brows.

“What is this?” She raised her voice slightly.

Isabella gulped and quickly tried to pull her hand away.

“It's nothing, Mom.” She tried to stand from her place, but Emma used all her energy to hold Isabella's hand. She examined it, pulling the glove off.

“What did they do to you? Hasn't this stopped?” Emma shrieked.

She knew they had allowed her and her daughter to stay with them because her daughter had the kind of blood needed by Evelyn, Heath’s legitimate daughter.

Heck, she was crazy and obsessed enough to offer Isabella’s blood then, but she had thought it would be a one-time occurrence.

However, seeing so many needle puncture scars on her daughter's hand, she cursed herself.

“Mom, calm down. You can't stress like this. It's not good for your healing and brain, and you can—" Isabella tried to hold her mother to calm her down, but Emma just pushed her away.

“Those monsters are still doing this to you, and are you asking me to calm down? Is this your fee to allow them to keep us here? Wait. You were away today. You were giving your blood to that bitch’s daughter, weren't you?” Emma lost it, and Isabella's eyes brimmed with tears.

“Mom, calm down. This is nothing—” Isabella whimpered, the little used-up makeup that Evelyn had thrown away and that she had applied to her face, ruined completely with her tears.

“What is going on? Can't we have a peaceful evening?!” Sophia's enraged voice came from some distance, and Isabella shivered in her place.

“How dare—” Emma raised her voice. Helpless with the commotion and knowing Sophia would come and beat her mother if she made more noise, Isabella placed her hand over her mother's mouth to stop her from speaking again.

“I am sorry, Mom. This is the only way,” She trembled and quickly brought out the injection from the medical kit beside her bedside.

After injecting the medicine that made her mother sleep within a few seconds, Isabella slumped on the ground by the bed, tears streaking her face.

She didn't want to go to any party anymore.

“Isabella, let's go,” Evelyn said from the door, her expression neutral as she looked at her pitiful state.

“Evelyn, can I not—?” Isabella started, but before she could end, Evelyn interrupted her.

“Who will explain the drawing on my behalf?” Evelyn said.

Her resolute eyes left no room for any argument.

“I am coming,” Isabella whispered dejectedly, wiping her tears.

She stood from her place, washed her face, and applied her gentle makeup again.

Giving one last look to her mother, she walked to her and covered her with a gentle blanket before kissing her forehead.

“I am sorry, Mom. I will make it alright soon. Someone will hire me, and then we will move out,” Isabella promised her mother before cupping her cheeks one last time and leaving.

“What are you looking at?” Zaniel asked as they were passing by to move to their next destination.

Lucian, who had been watching everything, smirked.

“How pathetic,” he commented before he followed his friend to their next destination.