Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Nine

The mist disappeared, giving way to a completely different ocation. Daemon's hand steadied me.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I could only nod. Our 'travel'd been one of the strangest experiences I had ever encountered.

"Where are we?" I asked, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.

"In a museum."

I glanced around, noting the towering dinosaur skeleton, the paintings, and the sculptures. The more I observed, the more I appreciated the beauty of each piece. This museum was unlike anything I had ever seen, it fascinated

1. me.

"That painting... it's so beautiful," I said to Daemon.

"Yes, it is," he agreed. Daemon had his hands shoved in his pockets, standing still while I moved around, gushing over the beautiful artifacts. "Humans have this obsession with preserving things from the past."

I paused.

"Humans?" I repeated.

He nodded.

"If you haven't noticed, we've traveled far from home." He took my hands in his and led me to the door. A guard sat in a small booth, his posture relaxed-until he heard our footsteps. He jolted upright, his eyes wide with fear.

Of course, his attention was on Daemon. I couldn't blame him-Daemon was the most intimidating and imposing person I had ever met. He was right to be afraid.

“Requesting backup-intruders in the main exhibit hall.” The man spoke silently into his radio, pressing a button on the small device clipped to his uniform. Daemon didn't seem bothered by this exchange. "If you could kindly open the door, we would be on our way." He said, and I thought his eyes glowed; the fear on the man's face disappeared, and suddenly he seemed... emotionless, like he was being controlled. He rose without a word and entered a code into the keypad beside the door. Immediately, it unlocked, opening on its own as Daemon led me forward.noveldrama

"You there!" another voice called. It was another guard, dressed in white and black like the man who had just unlocked the door. More guards rushed in, but Daemon didn't turn back-he simply kept walking.

There was a black car waiting outside.

"Is this your car?" I asked him.

"No, it belonged to the guard. I took the keys," he said, his tone indifferent.

"But that means you stole it," I said accusingly.

"Call it whatever you want," Daemon said, pulling the car door open. "Get in."

I hesitated, but we didn't have much time. With a sharp intake of breath, I climbed inside. He turned and got in after me.

A loud crack split the air-I knew what it was. A gunshot, aimed at us. But Daemon was already driving. Though everything, he had seemed so calm; it was almost unnerving.

"Why were they so mad at us for being there? I thought all those things were kept there for people to admire.

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Nine

"You're right. But the museum was closed for the day, and that guard never saw us enter. They value their history so much that they'd do almost anything to protect it."

"So, they think we came there to steal?"

"Yes. And they weren't exactly wrong." He said, referring to the car.

I stared out the window. It was late, but the streets were alive. Streetlights lined the roads, and cars filled the streets-more than I had ever seen in my life. On the sidewalk, a few people lingered while others hurried home. I also notice some scantily dressed women. Whores. They were practically naked with heavy layers of makeup on their faces. A few of them were actually quite beautiful, though they all seemed either drunk or under the influence of drugs.

"They don't seem scared," I said, referring to the scantily dressed women. I couldn't imagine walking around alone at this time of night-let alone in clothes like that.

"They're not. Most of the time, they love the danger," he answered without even glancing at them.

"Back at the museum... that man who let us out-why did he do it? I mean, he seemed scared at first, and then all of a sudden, he was helping us."

"Humans are easy to manipulate," Daemon said. That was his only response.