Juliet I pulled Gabriel forcibly through the door, and I ran deep into the woods. The poor kid could hardly catch up with me, and he stumbled every few steps. The sound of footsteps followed us, and eventually I ducked behind a tree, pushing Gabriel behind me. I knelt down with bated breath, and waited for the person running behind us to catch up. If it was Oliver, I reasoned, we could stay hidden. But if there was another thing chasing us, there was a possibility we would have to run for it. A figure finally emerged from a mass of trees. Oliver stood there for a moment, his expression solemn. He wasn’t happy. In a fluid motion, he glided over to where we were hidden, and I felt Gabriel’s arm being tugged away from my grip. I turned my head, and looked behind me. Oliver, standing, clenched Gabriel’s wrist and jerked him upward. He held my knife to the boy’s throat. “Come on, Agent Seraphim. Did you really think you could just run away from me?” He asked, mockingly. I stood up, and swallowed hard. He sighed, and seemed revolted by his own actions. “Will you come with me now?” He asked, not really expecting an answer. I nodded my head in submission. His face remained like stone. “Follow me, then.” He commanded, still holding on to Gabriel tightly, but removing the knife from his throat. He walked on, back to the Sang estate, dragging the boy behind him roughly every step of the way. I followed him, sulking, and contemplating the situation. I supposed the safest thing for Gabriel would be to just go with this man, and hope he’ll let us go free. Oliver led us to his silver Ford Mustang, and unlocked the doors with a click of his remote. He opened the door, and ushered me into the plush back seating. With Gabriel, he wasn’t so gentle. He held one of his arms, and the boy was forced to bend his head down to slide into the passenger seat. After locking the doors, Oliver slid into the car himself, and revved the engine. He began to drive. “Where are you taking us?” I questioned, hesitantly. He rolled his eyes. “I’ve already told you that, haven’t I? I’m driving you to my apartment.” He said. I looked up at him through the mirror. “And then what?” I asked, fearing the answer. Oliver fidgeted on the spot, and ruffled his hair. “I’m… not sure yet.” He murmured. Gabriel was stiff as a board in the passenger’s seat. I put my hand out, and grabbed his from around the seat. He clasped my hand lightly, and looked at me, clearly scared. I stroked his thumb, and then noticed thick red welts circling both his wrists. I touched them gingerly with my fingers. “How did this happen?” I asked softly. He hung his head, and shook it lightly. His chestnut hair flying everywhere due to the wind from the open window. My eyes couldn’t help but stray to his scarred chest every so often. “Luce locked me in the cellar, and tried to get information from me.” He whispered. “She was asking about a man named Odin.” I jolted backward at the mention of that man. “Odin…” I muttered. “Is one of the Rogues in our files. I’ve heard rumors about him as well. Rumors about heinous crimes against humans…” Oliver looked politely away, but I knew he was listening in on our conversation. Gabriel’s eyes widened. “I told Luce that he may be at Damien’s estate, because that’s where he was last staying.” He said. I blinked in disbelief. Damien? He had been in our files as well. He was marked as a Dragon sorcerer, and was labeled as ‘Extremely Dangerous‘, though he didn’t have much of a criminal record. I looked at Oliver in the mirror, and he stared back at me, without a trace of the flirtatious nature he had previously. His eyes were cold, and he had a look of distaste on his face that he couldn’t hide from me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You don’t buy love, you rent.” Poor Gabriel. Villains really love to torture him. Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated!