with me, all around me. An aura of light exuded from his skin, caressing and holding me, like a blanket wrapping around my soul.
I trembled as I grappled for the pillows and hoisted myself up. Automatically I reached for my back; Gabriel’s strong arm was already steadying me. A disobedient tear smeared across my cheek.
“Is it gone?”
He stared intensely at me, a bewildered and terrified look smacked across his face.
“No.” He paused. “I lost you, Lai, I lost you to the darkness. You disappeared.”
“I thought maybe you were detaching it somehow.” It was my only explanation for the pain that was as real as it had been the first time I had endured it.
“I would never hurt you like that.”
I believed him.
I jumped off the bed, tripping as my legs woke up. I revolved in front of the mirror. My skin was unchanged, the same violent damage marked me as it had for the last few years. My head lurched heavily and I felt dizzy.
I glanced back to the mirror and watched, astonished, as a trickle of blood drizzled down my forehead. I felt disoriented, woozy. I placed my hand across my head and presented the palm to myself, smeared with my blood.
I staggered back to Gabriel before my legs could crumple underneath me. I halted as I reached him, as if I had hit an invisible wall. I could see it now; he was caked in crimson red. All over his hands, his arms, his shirt, even smudged across his temple.
My blood.
I was going to faint; Gabriel caught me as I dropped to the floor.
S EVEN
S TARTLED, I bolted upright.
Gabriel was at my side, dumbfounded. I was back on the bed. “It’s okay, I’m here.” His words washed over me and I felt reassured.
I wiped the stain from my cheek while he watched as the cut to my head began to recede. He was still immersed in reds. I sat motionless, trying to acclimatize back to reality, managing only shallow breaths. My heart was still pounding against my chest, my hands shaking uncontrollably. “Sorry, I’m squeamish. The sight of blood makes me…” I tried to explain.
Gabriel looked down at himself, peeled off his shirt, and threw it out of sight, exposing his toned torso. My eyes lit up and my cheeks burned a little in response. He must have thought I was embarrassed as, self-consciously, he leaped off the bed. I automatically reached for him, grazing his arm. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t have to ask; he was already sitting back beside me.
“I don’t know what happened. I’m so sorry,” he began.
“It’s all right.”
“I had to see it play out so I could reverse it, but you stopped remembering. Everything fell into darkness,” he continued, confused.
His face was strained, its glow dulled, as if the sun was setting, casting him in shadow. I knew then that the moment I stopped watching and inadvertently transported back into my body, he had lost the connection.
“How exactly does it work?” I asked.
“I’m not of this world. I have certain gifts here; they are very strong in this dimension. I had willed my powers away when I returned to Earth. My desire was to fall, to become mortal.” His words cut through me, stinging, to the core.
“You wanted to die?” The very idea caused a lump to form in my throat. “Why?” I whispered.
“It’s complicated. But I welcomed death, if that’s what you’d call it. They would not grant me mortality for their own ends. But then from nowhere, there you were, lying in my arms. And I was thankful to them for refusing me in spite of their motivations.”
Gabriel spoke in riddles a little more often than I liked.
“Who wouldn’t grant you mortality?” I asked.
“The Arch Angels. Only they can decide if an Angel will be allowed to fall. Requests of such kind, now at least, are very rare.” Gabriel shifted his weight, seemingly uncomfortable with the question I had asked.
“Are you some sort of healing Angel?” My knowledge of the supernatural was hardly up to speed and my mind was still
I trembled as I grappled for the pillows and hoisted myself up. Automatically I reached for my back; Gabriel’s strong arm was already steadying me. A disobedient tear smeared across my cheek.
“Is it gone?”
He stared intensely at me, a bewildered and terrified look smacked across his face.
“No.” He paused. “I lost you, Lai, I lost you to the darkness. You disappeared.”
“I thought maybe you were detaching it somehow.” It was my only explanation for the pain that was as real as it had been the first time I had endured it.
“I would never hurt you like that.”
I believed him.
I jumped off the bed, tripping as my legs woke up. I revolved in front of the mirror. My skin was unchanged, the same violent damage marked me as it had for the last few years. My head lurched heavily and I felt dizzy.
I glanced back to the mirror and watched, astonished, as a trickle of blood drizzled down my forehead. I felt disoriented, woozy. I placed my hand across my head and presented the palm to myself, smeared with my blood.
I staggered back to Gabriel before my legs could crumple underneath me. I halted as I reached him, as if I had hit an invisible wall. I could see it now; he was caked in crimson red. All over his hands, his arms, his shirt, even smudged across his temple.
My blood.
I was going to faint; Gabriel caught me as I dropped to the floor.
S EVEN
S TARTLED, I bolted upright.
Gabriel was at my side, dumbfounded. I was back on the bed. “It’s okay, I’m here.” His words washed over me and I felt reassured.
I wiped the stain from my cheek while he watched as the cut to my head began to recede. He was still immersed in reds. I sat motionless, trying to acclimatize back to reality, managing only shallow breaths. My heart was still pounding against my chest, my hands shaking uncontrollably. “Sorry, I’m squeamish. The sight of blood makes me…” I tried to explain.
Gabriel looked down at himself, peeled off his shirt, and threw it out of sight, exposing his toned torso. My eyes lit up and my cheeks burned a little in response. He must have thought I was embarrassed as, self-consciously, he leaped off the bed. I automatically reached for him, grazing his arm. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t have to ask; he was already sitting back beside me.
“I don’t know what happened. I’m so sorry,” he began.
“It’s all right.”
“I had to see it play out so I could reverse it, but you stopped remembering. Everything fell into darkness,” he continued, confused.
His face was strained, its glow dulled, as if the sun was setting, casting him in shadow. I knew then that the moment I stopped watching and inadvertently transported back into my body, he had lost the connection.
“How exactly does it work?” I asked.
“I’m not of this world. I have certain gifts here; they are very strong in this dimension. I had willed my powers away when I returned to Earth. My desire was to fall, to become mortal.” His words cut through me, stinging, to the core.
“You wanted to die?” The very idea caused a lump to form in my throat. “Why?” I whispered.
“It’s complicated. But I welcomed death, if that’s what you’d call it. They would not grant me mortality for their own ends. But then from nowhere, there you were, lying in my arms. And I was thankful to them for refusing me in spite of their motivations.”
Gabriel spoke in riddles a little more often than I liked.
“Who wouldn’t grant you mortality?” I asked.
“The Arch Angels. Only they can decide if an Angel will be allowed to fall. Requests of such kind, now at least, are very rare.” Gabriel shifted his weight, seemingly uncomfortable with the question I had asked.
“Are you some sort of healing Angel?” My knowledge of the supernatural was hardly up to speed and my mind was still
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