The tiger and the lion maybe powerful, but the wolf doesn't perform in the circus.
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"I heard you look for me."
Someone suddenly talked from behind Torak's back, one of the voice that he dislike, but couldn't help when it has to come to the safety of his mate.
Torak didn't need to turn around and guest whose voice that belonged to when her citrus scent filled his nose.
"Serefina…" Raine's elated expression slightly changed when she saw the witch in her sparkling purple dress.
Raine wondered, why she always tried to get as much attention as she could get. Purple dress and red hair was a strange combination, yet it looked good on her.
There were waves of whispered among the crowd when they watched Serefina walked toward the couple.
because they were afraid to anger Torak's moment with his woman, thus nobody dare to approach him, but this woman, who came from nowhere, they didn't even realize there she was there along the party, dared enough to walk toward the couple without fear.
"I like the way you handled them." Serefina glanced at Alice and her two friends through her shoulder.
Like always, Serefina had never had regret about anything that she had done or she said 'sorry'. The last time their encounter wasn't something that could be easily forgotten, yet Serefina treated that as nothing. There was no remorse just like how she had burnt Raine's mother diary.
"I don't ask you to come to this party." Torak glared at her.
He had indeed asked Raphael to order someone to look for her, but it didn't mean she could appear anywhere that she liked.
This party wasn't the right place for them to have a conversation about the things that Torak wanted to discuss with her. Not to mention Belphegor was around.
"I come because of this party." Serefina frowned as she walked and stood beside Raine. "Do you think I come because you managed to find me?"
Her words were quite right, all this time when she disappeared from existence for more than decades, nobody was able to find her, not even Torak's strongest hunter had a clue about her whereabouts, as if she was vanished and cease to exist.
She appeared when she wanted to and when she decided to hide and nobody would know, she was that kind of witch.
Torak wonder what had happened between Serefina and his brother, they were used to get along well when they were together, but after that 'thing' happened, Serefina changed totally.
Because Torak was in need party, he tried to calm the beast within him that very itchy to tear Serefina for her comment.
But, it still couldn't dismiss the rumbling growl within that could be heard from Torak's chest. This witch really got on other people nerves. What a talent…
With her arrogant manner, Serefina took a glass of wine for herself from the waiter and took another glass for Raine.
However, before Raine could react and received the glass, Torak had taken it away and put it back to the tray that the waiter carried.
"Let her try." Serefina complained, but didn't pursue the matter because Torak was glaring at her. The witch shouldn't push her luck any further than this. She put back her fur purple mask and looked at the night sky. "So, why are you looking for me?" She raised her eyebrows provocatively while looking at Raine, not Torak.
"I didn't…" Raine raised her hand and denied. "I didn't look for you…" She wondered if the witch had ever said 'sorry' sincerely as long as she lived. How could she act as if nothing had happened between them on their last encounter?
"I don't think this is the right place to discuss this." Torak uttered in rough voice, he even didn't try to hide his loathing of her. He couldn't let his anger loose now, not in front of many people.
"Worry not." Serefina waved her hands casually. "They wouldn't be able to hear our conversation." Because she had put spell around her, so people out of the small magic circle that she had created, wouldn't be able to hear a single word from them, all they could hear was only a sound like buzzing bees.
Torak knew she was capable to do that, thus he continued his question that he was very eager to know the answer. "What did you mean with 'she who guard the time'?" He asked the crucial part.
Beside him, Raine also wanted to know what the meaning of it.
At this moment, Torak realized the important thing for Raine, which was to be able to protect herself well, another layer of protection wouldn't do any harm.
At some point, Serefina was right, that was why Torak willing to yield to her, though there was still a bit reluctant and mystery that veiled the witch true intention. He would find out about that later.
Meanwhile, Serefina leaned her body against the steel railings of the balcony and folded her arms while holding her glass wine.
Her gesture was so elegant and mature, like a young noble lady, kind of woman who wouldn't underestimate by other easily, Raine wondered if she could act that way.
"There are many kind of Guardian angel and some of them will profound in one element while some of them wouldn't realize what element that dominated their nature. The element could be anything, even something that you couldn't see and touch, like time." Serefina glanced at Raine, made sure she could catch up with this logic.
Beside Torak, Raine frowned, this would be a long explanation and she would have another homework to do and a long list of questions to ask about this. But, she was excited to know, nonetheless.
Yet, Raine's assumption was wrong, because Serefina kept her explanation very short, she just added a few sentences after that.
"In the past, in much more distant time than the great war between the lycans and the devils, there was a guardian angel with the same ability like her." Serefina said, slightly proud with the news that she brought, because it was only she, who knew about this.
"Do you mean the person that you said I need to meet?" Raine asked she moved forward to approach Serefina as her curiosity gnawed her heart.
"Exactly." Serefina nodded.
"So, what should I do to be able to use and control this… power…" There was a strange feeling when she mentioned this power, she knew she have it, in fact she could feel that when the first time she used it, but the moment she mentioned it, she still felt… awkward to say the least.
In spite of that, there was an excitement that pulsing through her veins. With this, she wasn't totally useless person, she could do something…
In the other hand Torak didn't say anything, his face remained expressionless, nobody would be able to know what was inside his mind right now.
However, the fact that Torak didn't object the idea was already a good sign. He was willing to listen.
"I don't know." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, giving an unexpected answer.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Raine was puzzled, her hope had already high to be able to do something for herself, but why Serefina said that she didn't know?
"I don't know, mean; I don't know." Serefina said in matter of fact tone, annoyed both Raine and Torak. "I don't know what you have to do in order to be able to use and control your power. I am not the one who has that kind of power, you know. It's all about you."
Raine was utterly speechless and shock by Serefina's revelation.
"What are you going to do to help her so she will be able to control her power?" As if Torak wasn't affected by Serefina's annoying answer, he asked in different way.
"That's the right question!" Serefina flicked her finger with satisfaction. "You have to pay attention about what you asked."
Despite the fight between the two of them, in the past they had known for decades before everything turned awkward, and once could be called friend, now was nothing, but stranger.
Raine frowned and mumbled, she forgot that the two of them had a remarkable hearing ability. "What the difference."
"Of course it's different." Serefina stated, yet didn't explain about it further. She looked across many people inside the party room toward Belphegor, who was staring back at her, a vicious smirk formed in the corner of her lips. "He hasn't known yet about the fact she is not your mate, has he?" The witch tilted her head on Torak.
"No." Torak answered it curtly. Lucifer and some other creatures have realized about Raine's identity as his mate, but not Belphegor, the sloth still clueless about that. He just thought Torak protected Raine because she was the guardian angel, which was true also. "But, he will know soon."
The news about this would spread among the supernatural creatures and Torak had predicted it, thus he needed more extra careful when Raine was really going to the University, he must take into account all the dangers that might occur.
"I guess he will." Said Serefina, for the first time after such a long time, agreed with Torak. "I want her to come with me." Suddenly she changed her focus on Raine.
In an instant, Torak's body tensed up, but he remained calm.
"Where?" Raine asked meekly.
"No need to glare at me. I will not take her soon, but I tell you this in advance." Serefina shot a dagger look on Torak. "This time I will not repeat the same thing, so you don't need to worry much." She said lightly.
In spite that was what Serefina had said, but how Torak could trust her? She had said the same thing when Raine disappeared. Just how serious this witch this time?
"What you will do with my mate?" Torak asked rigidly, the temperature around him dropped dramatically.
"Discover the origin of her power." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. Apparently her spell worked just fine, because when the waiter collected her empty wine glass, there wasn't any puzzled look on her face upon hearing Serefina's odd words. "Only by her understand the past, she will know what to do in the present."
Torak not impressed at all by Serefina's answer, regardless he knew there was the truth behind it. He was still tore apart between; letting Raine became stronger on her own and his inclination to keep his mate safe beside him, his deepest desire to protect her was so strong, it was hard enough to handle.
If he could, he would keep Raine within his arm's reach, but he couldn't do that and Raine eventually would hate it. He wasn't able to decide now whether it was a good decision or not.
"I think you have a guest." Serefina nodded her head toward someone who was approaching them.
Torak's eyebrows creased as he turned around and found Belphegor and the other man, which he has been talking to, were approaching them.
"Mr. Donovan, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Stephan." Belphegor, or Reiz de Medici. Just like how he had introduced himself for people outside.
Raine still couldn't understand, how the devil could manipulate many people to think that he was part of de Medici family, but he was the devil after all, who had a thousand ways to beguile people around him without trouble.
Torak stared at Belphegor icily for his interruption, as he shook hand with Mr. Stephan and politely heard his clueless rumbling about how he adored Torak as a young businessman.
Because Serefina was with Raine, Torak brought them a few meters away. He didn't want Belphegor to be so close with his mate.
When it was only Raine and Serefina alone and Torak was occupied with Belphegor and Mr. Stephan, Raine came close to the witch and asked the question that, she assumed, Torak was reluctant to answer it truthfully.
For some reason, Raine didn't satisfy with Torak's answer at that time, that was why for the first time Raine thought about Serefina's callous nature as a blessing in disguise.
"I want to know what exactly the purpose of the resurrection of guardian angel?" Raine looked at her firmly. "You have been talking about war."