Ancient Darkness (On HOLD)

Chapter Twenty One - Gabriel

Sang watched the howling wind from her place in front of the large glass doors as her ears strained to keep track of the man behind her.

Gabriel — he was as beautiful as his namesake but as deadly as the night itself.

While she could sense that he was as dangerous as those he called his brothers, there was something wild in his eyes that caused her heart to race with excitement.

"Why did you come here?" His quiet voice seemed to flow over her like a stream of fresh air.

She shrugged, not daring to turn in case she lost herself in his gaze again. "I've always wanted to travel and this seemed like as good a time as any."

He chuckled darkly, "Was your life not satisfactory?" There was a deadly pause, "Is there anyone waiting for you at home?"

She heard what he left unsaid, "No. No boyfriend. No family either. How long will you keep me here?"

Wood creaked, indicating that he had shifted to his feet, "I can't answer that, Sang. Owen has ordered that you remain here until he can assuage his curiosity and the rest of us will ensure that you remain with us until we are told otherwise."

She sighed, too tired and frustrated to argue with him. Everyone from Ancient believed that she was on a long adventure and didn't expect her back any time soon which meant that no one would raise alarms if she didn't return home for a while.

She was stuck — a hostage of nine Immortals as they decided her fate. This might very well be where her life ended, days numbered as she waited.

Some holiday, she scoffed silently.

She felt him step in close to her back as the storm seemed to finally settle. "This was meant to be my big adventure," She whispered brokenly.

"It still can be," He murmured, his voice electrifying. "As North has apparently explained to you. We are predators, not monsters. We are not going to suddenly turn into rabid serial killers and begin draining you - surely the lack of horror stories from the area proves that to you."

Sang shook her head, "You've already admitted that you can alter memories — there is no proof of your so-called peaceful intentions. No matter what you call it or how you present it, I am still a prisoner here."

She placed her fingers against the glass, savouring the cold for a moment before it was whipped away by Gabriel's touch. His chest pressed lightly to Sang's back as his hand reached up to cover her own.

"I would not wish for you to think of it like that but I cannot dispute your reasoning and I won't insult you by trying to argue." He assured her, his mouth less than an inch from her ear. "You will be here only until we can identify the reasons for your ability and then we will ensure your safe return home." His voice tightened slightly at the last sentence but she couldn't understand the reasoning. "We will even remove your memories of us if that is your wish."

Sang pulled her hand away from him and ducked away so that she could spin to face him, "No! Don't take my memories." She pleaded, panicked. She may have the ability to read a person's mind and communicate with the Immortals but the thought of anyone stealing parts of herself, her memory had her wanting to run again.

Gabriel's head tilted to the side as he watched her silently, "You're distressed. I don't understand — you say that this entire situation scares and angers you but you still wish to carry it around with you? Just from what I have observed today, I believe you to be as innocent as what you claim to be and I have no wish to see you injured or unhappy. Will you allow us the chance to gain your trust and prove that we are not imprisoning you for the enjoyment of it?"

Although his voice remained as cold as his ice blue eyes, Sang felt as though she could suddenly sense the deeper meaning behind his words. He was lonely — even the companionship of his brothers was proving useless against the dark isolation that he felt. Gabriel may be the youngest but it seemed that in this case it was a disadvantage — he had spent many a century amongst warriors who felt barely anything while he still had the full range of emotion. It had essentially crippled him and now, when he was finally feeling the welling seeds of darkness, he only had the memory of bitter emptiness to fall back on.

Sang gasped as she pulled herself from his gaze, stunned that she had been able to feel so much without even one word exchanged between them. Even when she had unconsciously stepped into Owen's mind the connection hadn't seemed so open. Yes, she'd seen and experienced Owen's memories but Gabriel had laid himself bare.

"You..." She whispered, unable to describe what she was feeling.

"Do you still think me a monster?"

She shook head. No, she now saw him as an extremely dangerous predator who was also a desperately lonely man flailing to hold onto some piece of his humanity.

"I can't save you," Tears filled her eyes as she watched the way his mouth twitched. "I want to go home and I can't survive in this world."

"Sang," He interrupted, his gaze caught on the tear slowly rolling down her cheek. A tear that was for him. "I am not asking you to save me nor do I expect you to abandon your life — all I ask is that you see us as people, not things. Humanity is not defined by species, it is defined by how you treat others and how you care for those of lesser strength than yourself."

She drew a deep breath, actually grateful that it had been Gabriel to stay behind, "I can't say that I won't want to escape again if any of you try to hurt me but I will give you all a chance to show me your world."

He offered her a hand, his movement slow and careful, "Will you come with me now? I would like to give you something."

With much less grace, she laid her small hand within his. Such a short amount of time and already her world had tilted at the discovery of this new dimension to reality but she felt that Gabriel had just managed to flip it completely.