17. Email

"What do you think, Elise? Do you suspect the Sephyr twins?" Kai glanced at his friend who was staring outside the window as they drove back home. The silence was oddly unsettling, especially after the dreadful incident and the nightmarish meeting with the twins.

"I do. I definitely do. The Sephyr twins must be behind Craig's death."

"Death?" Kai stepped on the brakes, forcing the car to come to a sudden stop and Elise jolted due to the sudden impact.

"Do you have a death wish, Kai? Spare me. I don't want to die yet." She glared at him as she looked behind to see if they had hindered anyone else on the road. 

Fortunately for them, the road was deserted and they were alone. Otherwise, horns would have brought out their functionality in the dead of the night, scaring all the sleeping creatures away.

"My bad, I apologize." Kai started driving again and this time, he was careful and alert. "Do you think Craig is dead?"

"I don't think, I'm damn sure about it," Elise stated with conviction. Her expression was unfathomable but her eyes were solemn.

"How are you so sure?"

"I saw it in their eyes," Elise replied as she recalled the look the twins had given her when she had asked for Azael's hair. They were filled with danger, darkness, warning and... something else which she wanted to ignore badly but couldn't... desire.

'Was that desire?' Elise wondered, her brows contorting into a frown. The question had been lingering in her mind for a long time and she couldn't evade it even if she wanted to. It was as if she was under a compulsion, making it impossible for her to not think about the twins and their odd expressions.

"Why didn't you inform the police then?" Kai mused. 

After they had left the club, they wandered around the area for some time to find any clues. But when they didn't find anything useful, they departed from the place with Kai and Elise driving back home while Derek and Daniel returned to the police station to continue their investigation.

Not once had Elise said a word about Craig or the twins in their presence and when she finally did after they were alone, she dropped a huge bomb on him.

"Because I don't have any evidence to support my claims and if my analysis is right, we won't be finding anything as well."

"What about the blood and the hair?"

"It must belong to the injured twin. They are using this method to trick us." Elise analyzed as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Fuck! They are damn scary." Kai mumbled as he drove home.

'Scary and clever.' Elise thought as she kept reminiscing about their interaction, especially their gazes that were filled with dark promises.

All of a sudden, she was irked. Something was not right. She sensed it. She knew it. The twins gave off mysterious vibes, rendering her incapable of deciphering what was happening. She was usually a smart person. But now, her mind was a mush and she couldn't comprehend anything. It was as if everything was spiraling out of control and if she didn't handle it in time, she'd be the one losing.

"Elise, what are you thinking?" Kai's voice broke her out of her stupor and she blinked a few at him, puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"You tell me. What's wrong?" Kai gave her a bewildered look. "I've been calling you for quite some time now. But you haven't responded at all."

"Oh, why?"

"Elise, are you alright?" Kai was concerned and he twisted his body until he was facing her.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Elise frown deepened as she looked at him questioningly.

"We've already reached. Yet, you haven't realized it. What's happening, Elise?" Kai leaned closer to her and watched her look around before reality hit her.

"Ahh, I must have been tired. My brain's slow tonight."

Kai wasn't convinced. But he didn't force her to speak more. It was close to dawn and they needed to report to their Chief in the morning. They had merely a few hours left for them to rest. He didn't intend to waste time when he knew how hectic it would be once the sun rose.

"Take it easy, Elise. We'll sort it out in the morning."

Elise and Kai entered the apartment. While Elise went to the kitchen and immediately poured herself some water, Kai entered his room.

"Good night, Elise. See you in the morning."

Elise nodded at him with puffed-up cheeks and watched him close the door. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair, frustration hitting her hard. But she could do nothing about it. 

With a convoluted mind, she entered the bedroom and connected her phone to the Wi-Fi. Notifications started to bombard her one by one. Since the phone was not connected to the Internet for quite some time, she had a lot of notifications.

Elise changed into her pajamas and went through her messages one by one. Most of them were unwanted and subscription emails. Uninterested, she swiped them close one by one until a particular email caught her attention.

Intrigued, she opened it and her eyes widened as soon as she read through the details.

Boris Green. The man she was looking for. The man she didn't have concrete evidence against but knew was a criminal. The man she had gone looking for in the Black Opal earlier in the night. All his details, from his birth to his listed crimes as well as where he currently lived, all the details she had been unable to find were now lying in her inbox.

"What the fuck!" She cussed as she looked at the email. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She was utterly flummoxed.

"How?" She mumbled as read the entire email again and finally, when she reached the end, she received her answer.

There was a postscript that said:

'We thought you needed this. You're welcome. It was nice meeting you, Elise. It was an interesting first encounter and we hope our next one will be even more interesting. Until then, don't forget us.'

Azael & Reuel.