Page 36 of Dark Angel

Valarie’s mouth opens a little in astonishment.

“Perhaps it happened decades ago?” Lewis suggests.

“Perhaps.” Percy repeats, not sounding very convincing. “I have a book around here somewhere which is about ancient carvings and marks used in rituals and sacrifices. Perhaps it has something similar to what we are looking for…” Percy trails off, his golden eyes wandering around the shelves of his store in search of the tome he’s remembering.

He has a terrible habit of being messy, and it certainly shows in his store. Jars of aromatic plants, concoctions and medicine fill the lower shelves. Some jars are stacked on top of each other, while others are crammed into small spaces, making it difficult to sort through them all.

The higher shelves hold things of more value, like Percy’s exotic plant collection, his various types of medical bags depending on what he is being called out for, and his beloved medical journals. He has always had a fascination in medicine and healing, even when he was ayoung boy and healed his sick dog from an influenza using honeysuckle, green chiretta extract and calendula flowers.

He wanders over to the mountain of books stacked in the corner of the store. Each of them containing some sort of medicinal title, which Lewis finds just as interesting. Percy sorts through them, tossing each one aside after assessing the opening page.

Lewis and Valarie stand together, watching as Percy searches like a madman.

“It’s not here. It must be out the back. I shall go look for it. Wait here, you two,” Percy tells them without turning his attention away from his beloved books.

He wanders out to the back of the store behind the curtain, which he pulls to the side, and disappears behind the brick wall.

Lewis can hear the shuffling of objects and an occasional huff coming from his father. “Wait here like we have plans to be elsewhere?” Lewis murmurs quietly.

“I hope this doesn’t have anything to do with my family coming to London.” Valarie says next to him in a concerned tone.

Lewis furrows his black brows at her, his glasses dimming the brightness of his golden eyes. “Why would you even suggest that?” he asks her, slightly confused.

She gives him a short shrug. “It just seems like a coincidence, that is all.”

“Yes. It is nothing more than a coincidence.” Lewis agrees.

Valarie nods, her eyes drifting down to his thin, lightly coloured lips. Her rosy, pouty one’s part sightly.

“I am afraid Lewis.” She admits to him.

He can hear the faint trace of apprehension in her words.

Dropping his head and lifting his hands to her full cheeks, he cups them tenderly to stare into the depths of her wide pupils. “I know, and you should be. But I will protect you no matter what.”

His face lowers to hers, their lips millimetres apart. Valarie feels her eyes closing naturally in anticipation. She’s longed to have himkiss her for quite some time now. Their proximity makes her lips tingle, her blood flowing quickly through her veins.

Lewis lets out a small breath before kissing her. It’s soft and gentle, one that seems perfect in Valarie’s mind. The kind of first kiss she has always dreamed of having with him.

Unfortunately, almost as quickly as the kiss begins, it ends.

Lewis pulls himself away slowly. He drops his hands from her face when Percy appears back through the curtain, carrying several books in his hands.

Valarie didn’t even hear Percy return. For the few seconds they were connected, she had forgotten about the whole world.

“I found some I can look through. Lewis, would you help me out? It will take less time if we both read through these.”

“Sure.” Lewis offers, walking over to the counter where Percy places the short stack.

“I can help too if you would like, Mr Chiswick.” Valarie offers.

Percy looks up and smiles at her. “That’s very generous of you, Miss Carter. The sooner we find the creature, the sooner we can put all of this behind us.”

13

Champagne and Brushstrokes

“Then, do you remember Matthew falling into the fountain out the front of the university?” Daisy gets out through her chuckling. Her garnet eyes glimmering with amusement as they all sit in the parlour of the Carter manor.

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