Hello, Hayden.

Out of boredom, Hayden was walking around town at night. Although he didn't have Emily's phone number, Sebastian had pushed Hayden out with his group when Loren and Trent were out on another date. So, wearing pants and a gray Old Navy sweater, he was walking without thinking, just taking in the clear, dark skies. At that moment, he saw something he would never forget. On top of a towering, deserted structure, two girls were passing a joint around when two gigantic, winged humans, one male and one female, swooped down. They sucked them dry and bit their necks.

The older male then asked the female, "Would you like to continue hunting or call it a night?"

By that point, Hayden's horror had paralyzed him to the point where his mind was unable to process what had just happened. "Hunting" didn't make sense.

He heard Emily respond, "I say—" as the woman spoke.

"Emily!" Hayden cried out in confusion. At that moment, he heard additional communication between the two, but he was unable to interpret the words, and he instantly experienced flashbacks. He called Emily a "demonic freak" in the flashbacks, and Emily responded that he was correct. He realized the full significance of what she had spoken. Additional flashbacks. Wearing Goth clothes all the time, she kept everyone at a remove and referred to him as "ignorant," as though he were a separate animal. Additionally, she acknowledged that she would have broken Serena's neck. The reality suddenly became clear to him as all of this occurred to him. Emily was something more than a human. Now she stood in front of him, grinning gruesomely at him while her fangs dripped blood onto her clothes.

"Hello, Hayden," she said, maintaining her gory smile. Why did she continue to give him that smile?

Still in disbelief at what had happened, Hayden gasped out, "Hey… Emily." He made another attempt.

He uncomfortably wiped his throat and said, "You didn't tell me that you were a... vampire."

That triggered a dark, menacing fit of laughter and hysteria in Emily.

She halted her wild laughter and remarked, "Hayden, you always try to see the best in me. That's one of your qualities that I find most admirable. No, I'm not just a vampire—I'm a far more terrible beast! In addition, can you see me gleaming in the sun? No, I am a human hybrid of an obsidian angel.

Hayden looked at her bewilderedly. How in the hell was that?

Let me clarify now. Given that you've probably never heard of the term before, I understand that it must be difficult to comprehend. In simple terms, I am half Obsidian Angel and half human. Keep in mind that an Obsidian Angel isn't actually an angel. Though this kind of ferocious monster has never seen Hell, Heaven, or even the afterlife, it is more like to a devil! The same power that produced you also created us, albeit in a different realm. We can hunt in either of our two worlds, though, because there are portals connecting them. Yes, we are barbaric and we drink mortal blood. We are deadly! And I advise you to flee right away if you are unable to handle that.

With great attention, Hayden listened to her lengthy explanation without interjecting. He took this in, but his brain was not having any of it.

"You're crazy!" he said, finding rational justification for everything.

Emily sadly shook her head. "You still don't believe this? Next, describe the wings. He was unaware that she still had her black wings out until she turned around and flaunted them. Behind her, they blended perfectly with the harsh black surroundings.

"Well, then I'm crazy!" When Hayden realized that, he cried out.

As much as I would love to play with your mind in that way, she said, "no, you are not mentally incompetent in any way."

At that moment, Hayden understood he wasn't crazy and that she was, in fact, an Obsidian Angel.

"So, you're an Obsidian Angel, right?" Weakly, he asked.

"At least half," she shrugged casually.

Give me all the details about Obsidian Angels. Additionally, don't insult me! Hayden made a serious demand.

She tried to convince him to quit looking for specifics by hedging her words, saying, "Okay, but it's going to take an awful long time."

"Emily," he severely admonished.

"All right."

She recited everything that could be known about her life. Since she was a baby, she had resided in the Obsidian Angel Dominion. They never discovered who killed her father, who had been killed by some Obsidian Angels. She just knew that her mother was an Obsidian Angel and had no idea where she was. The Queen, who oversaw the Obsidian Angel Dominion, had been in charge of her. She was therefore the Princess, and when she became eighteen, she would govern the Dominion. Because she was half-human, Emily did age, even if other Obsidian Angels did not; however, by the time she hit twenty, she would stop aging. Despite the fact that the Queen was her legal guardian, Xavion had reared her primarily and had been like an older brother to her since the day of her birth. Even though she had no cause to, his future partner Tara also took on some parenting duties. In order to better understand mortal culture and their inclinations, Emily had been attending human school. This way, she would be aware of what they would be up against in the event that they ever had to deal with humans.

She concluded her address by saying, "And that's pretty much all you need to know about me."

Hayden taunted, "That didn't seem very long," and she gave him a grudging smile.

"Really, what are you thinking?" As though he were concealing something, she inquired.

"I'm not sure. This is a very important secret to understand. With hesitation, Hayden acknowledged.

"Thought you would've threatened me by now to keep my mouth shut," he said after a little pause.

Why would I act in such way? In any case, it doesn't matter," she stated blahly.

He looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Something suddenly occurred to him, and he inquired, "Did the Obsidian Angel Dominion have anything to do with that suicidal episode you had a few weeks ago?"

"Aha! A winner has been announced! She made a joke, proving he was right.

"What made you try to end your life? "Really?" he asked earnestly, meeting her eyes directly.

She let out a long sigh. "Being queen is not something I want." He had to strain to hear her response because it was so quiet. "I'm not interested in the crown. You see, I have to be schooled by the current Queen herself a year before I am crowned a queen, and I am aware that she will pressure me to emulate her.

"All right? Why is that so awful?

She laughed without amusement. "Obviously, you haven't met the Queen, but I thought it was sufficient that she is the head of a vile race."

"Are you implying that she is an actual vicious, vicious, and violent monster?" Surprised, Hayden asked her.

"That's right," she flinched. He retreated rapidly.

"I'm not saying you're one, though!"

She giggled, "Thanks," but the sound had a hint of sharpness. However, you would be mistaken to believe that. I am half Obsidian Angel and half your kind, thus I am both of them at once. This is worse than an angel of Obsidian.

"How is it worse?" Hayden inquired, utterly confused.

"I possess both Obsidian Angel and human traits. Among the most depressed beings you will ever encounter, I am vicious, volatile, mean, evil, a liar, a killer, a crook, a con artist, an outcast, and selfish. She spat angrily, rattling off each mistake as she said, "Everything is known by fact because I've been told all these things, so don't waste breath arguing with me."

"Well, don't overlook your other qualities if you're going to be discussing your personality. Hayden said, "You're so very beautiful, funny, witty, sarcastic, intelligent, smart, perceptive, rebellious, and not afraid to stand up for what you believe in and who you are. You're also protective of your friends." He wasn't trying to be nice; he was stating the facts, not flattering.

He beat her to it just as she was about to lash out.

Furthermore, everyone is flawed. Look at me, I mean. In an attempt to pull her out of her self-loathing abyss, he pointed out that she was conceited, foolish, shallow, and impolite. It was successful.

“Yes, and you’re also sincere, compassionate, a humorist, sweet, immature, which is set in a positive light, and you have the brightest hazel eyes I’ve ever seen,” she replied with a smile.

For some reason, this made Hayden feel warm and fuzzy.

"You think my eyes are attractive?" he inquired incredulously.

Emily laughed, "And you don't?"

He cautiously said, "I always felt that my eyes were my most unattractive feature." He was unaware that they had gotten so close to one another. Emily stretched out and took his hands, keeping them in hers because they were so near.

She leaned forward and covered his mouth with hers, whispering, "Then you would be mistaken." Though not physically forceful, the kiss was warm, affectionate, and intense. Hayden gulped for more air because he was out of breath, but his lips never left hers. She put her arms around his neck as he reflexively put his hand on the back of her head and drew her in. As they stood there, all they could feel was the kiss that seemed to set his entire body on fire and the hug of the other. He pondered whether she shared his sentiments. They did not separate, breathless, until they heard a clearing of the throat. The second male Obsidian Angel, whom Hayden thought was Xavion, was staring down at them with contempt as they both gazed up.

"I can explain." Emily started looking for a reason.

"Save it," he replied sternly, making a halting motion with his palm out in front of him.

Join me. Right now.

Emily gave Hayden a terrified glance, and he felt completely cold. In all his life, he had never seen Emily appear scared—vulnerable, perhaps, but not scared. All of a sudden, he was terrified for her.

Just before Emily was about to leap to the top of the building, he grabbed her hand and begged her to wait.

In a whisper, she gave the urgent command, "Hayden, go home and never go out at night."

"Princess!" Xavion yelled fiercely. Hayden held onto her hand without letting go.

She told him, "I'll be okay," but that might not be true. "Go! Now!"

After giving him that order, she shoved him away and suddenly rose above the structure, disappearing from view.

"Emily..." Clinging to the warmth she left in his hands, Hayden muttered.