Genesis: Falling Angel (13 page)

I pulled her to me, and our lips met. For a moment, she returned the kiss in the clumsy, hesitant way I’d expected. Then, she broke away from me. Her face twisted with more emotions than I could keep up with. Fear, confusion, anger, sadness. She rose to her feet and ran.

I made no move to stop her. My body was frozen. “Damn it,” I groaned, putting my head in my hands.

Her face was an image dominating my thoughts. She had looked so disgusted even though she had returned the kiss briefly. If she was so disgusted, why would she have done that? Perhaps she had been curious. That made more sense. Angels really were cold, logical creatures. Maybe she had just wanted a taste of what being human was like.

After pondering this for what felt like hours, I rose to my feet. Slowly, I made my way out of the cavern. Whether the situation was awkward or not, I had to be watching her. She would not die.

Chapter 17 – Gabrielle

Disgust was not new to me. I’d felt it the moment the troll had lumbered after me with its rotten stench. I had felt it briefly when Adrian had first healed, his bones coming into place in a nearly visible movement. When Adrian had shown off the vial of Fallen blood, I had felt it. When Judas had captured me, I had felt nothing but fear and disgust in his presence.

This was different, though. This had nothing to do with gore or demented werebeasts. This was all my fault. I had seen it coming, in a way. Naïve, sure. I had seen humans kiss before, and the action had always slightly amused me. Romantic love seemed beautiful, yes, but what was the point of a kiss?

So I’d known the second he grabbed my arm that something was going to happen. My mind was buzzing with warnings that drifted like vapor. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fully grasp it. Deep down, I knew. Maybe I expected it to be eye-opening.

Well, it was. In the same way that Eve’s eyes had been opened when she took that first bite of the forbidden fruit, my eyes had been completely opened to the human world. I had felt fear in the strange new emotions, confusion in how overwhelming they were, and anger at myself for succumbing to them. Most of all, I felt sadness at seeing the disappointment and shock on Adrian’s face. Had it been instinct? Maybe he had been in shock from his own dream, seeking comfort in me. Whatever it was, I wouldn’t forget his confusion for a long time.

It was freezing outside, but I still ran. I ran right past Noah, who shouted after me as though words could actually stop me. I ran past empty tents and houses. I ran until my legs could take no more. At this point, I
collapsed in the snow, breathing heavily.

The area around me looked like a field in every aspect, but it was frosted with ice. The pond before me looked like the one at home, and I began crying with the knowledge that it would not let me see my home. The trees were laden with snow, but lacked any leaves. Strangely, there were all sorts of flowers that were preserved in a layer of ice. The field sparkled in the sun, but I was fixated on the pond.

In it, I could see my own reflection. My hair was a tangled mess. My eyes were puffy and red from crying. My cheeks were flushed. My lips were chapped from the cold. Hesitantly, I brushed my fingers over them. I was beautiful still, in my strange way. When had I ever cared about my appearance? Still, no matter what I tried to tell myself to let it go, one thought stood out above the rest. How did Adrian see me?

“Stop it,” I scolded myself.

“Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.”

The voice belonged to Flint. This time, I didn’t turn around. I was weak. There was no way to fight a demon in a mortal body. “If madness takes me, it will be a blessing,” I said softly.

“It’s not so cold here, right? The ice is just an illusion. I think it’s nicer this way,” he said, hand clutching my shoulder.

“It’s beautiful,” I replied.

“Thank you. It’s really frustrating when I can’t see anything. It’s the only source of entertainment I have now that there’s no internet or television.”

I didn’t tell him that I didn’t know what those were.

“I can’t see your past, Gabrielle. It’s in a realm I could never even hope to catch a glimpse of. This infuriates me. Even so, I’m willing to do you a favor. I’m aware of your dreams, and I sense that you may be able to catch a glimpse of home. You see, I may have sort of been the one that scared Adrian so badly. The least I can do is offer a moment’s peace.”

His words made me numb. No. No. No. “No,” I finally choked out, right before he tapped my forehead.

As darkness clouded my mind, I screamed. No one could hear me, I was sure. I was locked in darkness.

Then, I was in the white room once more. It did not bring me the serenity that it had before. I very well could be going mad. The walls were so pure and white and I was tainted. I was tainted with human emotion, with desires that I had never even been capable of. I was very much like Eve. For a moment, I wondered if she’d had an inkling of regret before offering the fruit to Adam.

Gabriel was there once more, watching me closely. My appearance must’ve surprised him. He seemed almost worried. Well, maybe very worried. This time, there was a table between us. He seemed confused by this as well, and I figured it was something I had created subconsciously. Something had to come between us to keep him away from me.

I had once felt something for him that I shouldn’t have been capable of. I had once had needs I never fully understood. My eyes were wide open now, and I could see that we were not incapable of such feelings and thoughts after all. Angels were only numb because they lacked the knowledge. They lacked anything besides the desire to worship God. They had chosen not to feel such things. Even Gabriel, as he looked at me, appeared to show something that I’m sure he wasn’t aware of. It was the same look that had been on Adrian’s face. Even in the comfort of the room, I felt trapped in his stare. He was still unaware that the knowledge was in his reach while I had jumped for it the moment I fell to earth.

He was the first to speak. “What has happened?”

“Have you
been watching me?” I asked.

“Not after the last time we spoke. Are you going to answer my question or do I have to find out by myself?”

The threat was not lost on me, even in my nervous state. “Well, we managed to go to Gula unharmed. We acquired the help of a dragon named Noah so that we could have safe passage to other regions.”

“A
dragon
?” Gabriel whispered. “Those things are incredibly dangerous.”

I ignored him, too lost in my own thoughts. “I was taken by a werewolf named Luna to the capital. There, I was put into a semi-conscious state by Judas, the ruler there.”

“You were taken. To Judas.” Gabriel suddenly seemed angry. “How did you escape?”

“Adrian,” I replied.

Gabriel’s anger faded. “I see. Continue.” He was holding something back, but I wasn’t concerned with it at that moment.

“We are currently in Acedia. Upon first arriving, we were put into a deep sleep by the ruler, Flint. He tried to attack me in my dream, but gave up before harming me. He’s not nice or good. He’s just very lazy.” Gabriel nodded as though it was to be expected, so I continued. “He’s the reason I’m asleep now. I was just sitting by a lovely pond when he came up behind me and put me to sleep.”

“Is that all, Gabrielle? You appeared troubled, yet it appears that none of your adventures are troubling you.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you spoke to me in monotone with a distracted look on your face. Honestly, Gabrielle, we’ve talked about this. You have to be careful about what your face betrays.”

I needed to wake up soon. Even though he was the last person I wanted to see, I wished Adrian would wake me up immediately. I would rather deal with him than Gabriel. I couldn’t lie to my companion, and he would soon ask the right questions and figure out what was bothering me.

“Are you going to tell me?” he asked gently.

I was starting to shake. “No.”

“Something recent, then,” he said. “It would really help if you talked to me. I may find a way to help you.”

He waved a hand over the table, and moving images appeared. It was my entire trip, focusing solely on me. It showed the journey to the cave, the journey to Gula, my abduction, and everything else. The images zoomed by in a blur until the point where I’d awakened at Acedia. My desperate attempt
s at waking Adrian were on full display.

The scene was being shown at a normal speed, but everything seemed to slow down. Seeing the kiss actually happen, as it appeared from another’s point of view, was even more eye-opening. I had obviously tried to return it at first, though I could not tell myself why. Curiosity, I supposed. Even so, my fingers shakily reached up to touch my lips as though any trace of him would be left on me.

The images vanished, and Gabriel looked up at me, shaking from what I assumed to be anger.

“What is this?”

“It’s this body,” I said. “This human body is making me feel strange things. It’s confusing me, maddening me. I can’t take anymore!”

“You can’t just come home. Your mission is not over,” he said bitterly. “Whether any virtue of yours is still intact by then remains to be seen.”

He might as well have slapped me, called me some horrible curse. “I don’t know why I let him kiss me, Gabriel. I was confused. It won’t happen again.” The words were pouring out of me. I owed him no apology, but his anger was suffocating me.

“Get out of my sight.”

The room vanished, leaving me to float in darkness for a moment. Then, a true dream took hold. Gabriel and I were once again arguing, but the moment he moved to slice me open with his sword, Adrian shoved me out of the way. The blade cut into him deeply, but he didn’t even flinch. The hate between the two was almost tangible. I found that neither could hear me, and Adrian didn’t even try to run when Gabriel’s sword flew toward his neck. This time, it was my tears, bloody and numerous, that smeared the sky with hateful red.

“Oh, come on!”

I woke with a start, my face wet with tears. I dabbed at them, checking to see if they were red with blood. Nothing. Noah stood over me with his arms folded over his chest. He was shivering despite being in the one part of the city that wasn’t actually cold. He stamped his foot angrily, sighing in frustration.

“I’ve looked everywhere for you, and I find you taking a nap in a snowy field that isn’t cold and is full of creepy flowers? Why do you insist on worrying me? You’re worse than Adrian, and that’s saying a lot.”

The mention of Adrian made me burst into fresh tears.

“Oh, no! Don’t cry! Did he do something to you?”

He had such a strange manner. It actually made me smile slightly. I’d always thought demons and monsters would be big and tough and scary. Noah was like a whiny child despite being a beast far larger than me. I almost pointed this out to him, but I decided that he would most likely be embarrassed if I did that.

“He didn’t do anything bad to me,” I said. It was the truth. He had done something natural for humans. I had done the bad thing by allowing it to happen.

“Whatever you say. Are you coming or what? We have to meet with Flint.”

“You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

He plopped down beside me, stretching his legs out. His golden eyes stared at me until I was uncomfortable enough to move away. I was not going to be kissed again. By anyone. Ever.

“Want to know what I dreamed about? Hearing about other people’s problems always makes me feel better, so I figure this will cheer you up a bit,” he said.

I shrugged. I was too caught up in my own misery to care.

“Ok, so I was raised in Avaritia. Now, royals in dragons typically have gold or silver scales, depending on their sex. There is also a main family of royals, so inbreeding is common. Before you get all grossed out, remember that we aren’t human. There aren’t any birth defects or anything if a dragon practices inbreeding. So naturally, seeing as how the rest of the royal bloodline died out or tainted the line, my sister and I were expected to be a mated pair. They named her Diamond because of how hard her scales are. Later on, I thought it fit well with her being the sin of Greed and all. Noah isn’t my real name. I just chose it because I like the story. It’s a bit embarrassing, though, since I didn’t realize just how many people hate biblical names now.” He grinned sheepishly. “But Naomi taught it to me.”

Before I could ask who Naomi was, he put a finger to his lips. “Let me tell the story. Now, dragons love to be entertained like anyone else. What we love more than anything else is to torment phoenixes. We liked to see them burst into flames, only to be reborn for new tortures. Rebirth fascinates us. Well, at least I was amused by such things for a while. Then I met Naomi. She had long red hair that actually waved like a dancing flame. Her skin was bronze. She was tall, slender. As a phoenix, she had the most beautiful wings that flickered in color just like real fire. Red, orange, and gold. Her eyes were a little scary, being purely black, but I loved them too, honestly.”

“You loved her?” I asked.

“I guess I ruined the surprise. Yeah, I fell in love with her after a while of watching her. I used to visit her cell each night and bring her food and books I stole for her. She hated me at first, sure, but she softened up after a while. She was a bit cold, you know. Phoenixes are gifted with prophecy, so they’re often really bitter. The point is, I freed her and ran away with her. We lived on our own for a full year before Diamond found us. Diamond, being the most ruthless dragon I’ve ever come across, struck her down right in front of me. She knew how to kill one, so Naomi wasn’t reborn.”

I waited for him to say something else, but he only stared at me. “That’s horrible,” I whispered. Why had he told me that story?

“Okay, that wasn’t really the end. Naomi is dead now, yes. But when we ran away, it wasn’t to protect either of us. She was pregnant at the time. It was hard on her. She couldn’t be in her true form and she didn’t know if it would kill her. She had our daughter only three months after we left. Don’t question the biology, please. The point is, I still have a daughter out there. I left her in the care of Naomi’s brethren the moment she was born. She’s kind of funny, if you’ve never seen a dragon with feathery wings. But I love her, and I need this world to be safer for her. She’s only two now, but she’s growing faster than a human child, so she’s kind of what they would consider an adolescent. She’s the reason the seven lords need to disappear. She’s the reason I want to help you so badly. I’m not some wicked beast like the other dragons. I have a deceased mate, and we only take one mate in our lifetimes. I have a daughter named Ruth somewhere far away from here. Deceased or alive, both are counting on me.”