obviously hiding a figure not worthy of my attention. I met her gaze with a smirk.
For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then, she whispered almost to the point where I had to strain to hear her. “My name is Gabrielle. Who are you?”
“Who am I?” I echoed, and she flinched at my voice and shied away. Some part of her knew what I was, but it had yet to sink in. So who would I be? Would I bear a different name? Would I have some tragic story? In the end, I decided to keep it close to home.
“Adrian,” I said with the most charming smile that I could muster. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Gabrielle.” She seemed trapped by my gaze, a deer caught in the headlights. “Thank you for helping me.”
Thank you, indeed.
Chapter 8 – Gabrielle
I covered myself the instant he awakened. I was not sure why I did it. My modesty and chastity were not threatened. It must’ve been his stare, which was so calm like he had never even been unconscious. He was so intently focused on me that I felt like he could see beneath the white dress, beneath my very flesh. My arms had crossed over my chest, not so much to shield it, but to shield the heart beating beneath it.
Then he spoke.
For a moment, the world was silent. There was no warm desert breeze. The sun had lost all its heat. The grass beneath my fingers no longer had feeling, neither soft nor rough. The oasis suddenly seemed to darken and vanish completely, leaving no one in the world but him. The man and the ghost I had become were sitting, alone, in the darkness. Yes, it was a ghost I had become, merely an empty shell. I was completely meaningless. Overall, the world seemed so much less . All of it was nothing compared to the strange pull of the man’s voice. Nothing mattered but the dark richness of it, the soothing tug at my very being.
His words were simple. “Who am I?”
Just like that, I had ceased to be me. I was nothing but a shocked nobody seated before someone that was more splendid than any mortal I had come across. The strange pull became stronger and stronger. Then, as quickly as it had come, it dissipated. Everything returned to the way it was before I had even had the chance to react.
He said more words then, and I was once more locked in his grasp. I bit my lip, though no pain followed. I hugged myself as if my life depended on shielding from him. I forced myself to meet his gaze, to take in his beautiful smile. Onc e the spell had broken, I shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’m not sure I heard you at all. I must still be in shock from my encounter with that horrible creature.” My eyes flickered up to his, pleading for forgiveness.
He arched an eyebrow in confusion. All those years of watching humans were finally paying off, and I was thrilled at my ability to recognize the emotion. His eyes lit up with what seemed to be understanding, and he nodded sharply.
“I said that my name is Adrian,” he began. This time, there was no strange pull. “And that I’m very pleased to meet you. Thank you for helping me. It was you who healed me, yes?”
I decided to discern as much as I could about him. His black shirt and jeans were too dark for him to be a citizen of a city in the middle of the desert. His posture was relaxed, almost arrogant, which led me to assume that his life hadn’t been nearly as hard as so many other humans. He merely smirked as I examined him, and I felt my face heat up from the attention. He was muscled more like a runner is muscled, thin and lithe. I was no expert on humans, and it was wrong of me to assume I could learn anything without asking.
He reminded me so much of a Fallen. The Fallen were all so dark and proud. They scorned the heavens, the God that ruled them. They had unnatural beauty that met somewhere between human and angel, never quite relating to either. They had voices that lulled humans in, telling them to do things that made my Father weep. Perhaps humans were no better
For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then, she whispered almost to the point where I had to strain to hear her. “My name is Gabrielle. Who are you?”
“Who am I?” I echoed, and she flinched at my voice and shied away. Some part of her knew what I was, but it had yet to sink in. So who would I be? Would I bear a different name? Would I have some tragic story? In the end, I decided to keep it close to home.
“Adrian,” I said with the most charming smile that I could muster. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Gabrielle.” She seemed trapped by my gaze, a deer caught in the headlights. “Thank you for helping me.”
Thank you, indeed.
Chapter 8 – Gabrielle
I covered myself the instant he awakened. I was not sure why I did it. My modesty and chastity were not threatened. It must’ve been his stare, which was so calm like he had never even been unconscious. He was so intently focused on me that I felt like he could see beneath the white dress, beneath my very flesh. My arms had crossed over my chest, not so much to shield it, but to shield the heart beating beneath it.
Then he spoke.
For a moment, the world was silent. There was no warm desert breeze. The sun had lost all its heat. The grass beneath my fingers no longer had feeling, neither soft nor rough. The oasis suddenly seemed to darken and vanish completely, leaving no one in the world but him. The man and the ghost I had become were sitting, alone, in the darkness. Yes, it was a ghost I had become, merely an empty shell. I was completely meaningless. Overall, the world seemed so much less . All of it was nothing compared to the strange pull of the man’s voice. Nothing mattered but the dark richness of it, the soothing tug at my very being.
His words were simple. “Who am I?”
Just like that, I had ceased to be me. I was nothing but a shocked nobody seated before someone that was more splendid than any mortal I had come across. The strange pull became stronger and stronger. Then, as quickly as it had come, it dissipated. Everything returned to the way it was before I had even had the chance to react.
He said more words then, and I was once more locked in his grasp. I bit my lip, though no pain followed. I hugged myself as if my life depended on shielding from him. I forced myself to meet his gaze, to take in his beautiful smile. Onc e the spell had broken, I shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’m not sure I heard you at all. I must still be in shock from my encounter with that horrible creature.” My eyes flickered up to his, pleading for forgiveness.
He arched an eyebrow in confusion. All those years of watching humans were finally paying off, and I was thrilled at my ability to recognize the emotion. His eyes lit up with what seemed to be understanding, and he nodded sharply.
“I said that my name is Adrian,” he began. This time, there was no strange pull. “And that I’m very pleased to meet you. Thank you for helping me. It was you who healed me, yes?”
I decided to discern as much as I could about him. His black shirt and jeans were too dark for him to be a citizen of a city in the middle of the desert. His posture was relaxed, almost arrogant, which led me to assume that his life hadn’t been nearly as hard as so many other humans. He merely smirked as I examined him, and I felt my face heat up from the attention. He was muscled more like a runner is muscled, thin and lithe. I was no expert on humans, and it was wrong of me to assume I could learn anything without asking.
He reminded me so much of a Fallen. The Fallen were all so dark and proud. They scorned the heavens, the God that ruled them. They had unnatural beauty that met somewhere between human and angel, never quite relating to either. They had voices that lulled humans in, telling them to do things that made my Father weep. Perhaps humans were no better
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