When Angels Fall In Love

Chapter 16: Quelling the Nightmare

Erelah hadn't realized she had moved from the doorway until she found herself standing beside the bed. Her feet had moved of their own accord with no conscious hesitation as Erelah studied Samuel's sleeping face. His resting features were the picture of peace; eyes closed with long eyelashes fanned over his cheeks, full lips parted while his chest rose and fell with deep even breaths. Erelah was enraptured and while this should have scared her, her mind didn't scream or plead with her to leave.

After a while Erelah, kneeled beside the bed. The wooden floor dug into her skin but it was such a fleeting insignificant thing as she rest her head on her arms and watched on in silence.

She didn't understand it...couldn't even begin to explain the allure to such being, to a human nonetheless. Samuel had completely captivated her thoughts until she was driven to come back here seeking...Seeking what? Erelah didn't really know. She didn't know why she was here or what she would accomplish by being here. She was just existing, present in the moment as she watched Samuel sleep.

Erelah sat there for what felt like hours, the time passing all too fast as she reveled in Samuel's vibrant presence. He had a beautiful soul and maybe that's what had drawn her in. She had seen his aura, pure and colorful without the taint of heavy sin. It had dazzled her even in faint presence, what she would give to see it again and again. Smiling softly, Erelah did just that, pulling at the slightest trickle of power as it washed over her skin and heightened every sense.

Samuel's aura shimmered into existence, appearing just as mesmerizing as it was all those months prior. It danced and undulated like a rolling wave while the colors faded into each other. Familiar green and blues made her smile grow wider, feeling the need to reach out and caress the dancing hues but a certain color made her pause. It was faint and almost hidden but it was still there as Erelah sat up and took notice. Her eyes searched intently, a part of her hoping it was just her imagination but there it was, the smallest patch of gray intertwined with a patch of purple before fading into the dominating blues and green. Erelah heart gave a pang of hurt as she watched the patch of purple-grey. Purple for sorrow, grey for depression and discord...

Erelah's smile had long disappeared as she glanced upon Samuel's face. A slight frown had formed on his own lips, eyes moving hurriedly behind his eyelids but otherwise remained asleep. Erelah watched quietly as a feeling of unease took hold in her chest. Samuel groaned in his sleep, mumbling something incoherently as his body gave a slight twitch and his head rolled to the other side. Erelah could hear it then, a steady fast beat that didn't originate from her chest as the colors of Samuel's aura writhed with quivering unrest and was lined hues of yellow signaling distress. She could hear his heartbeat...

It was strong and constant but quickened despite his sleeping state. Erelah racked her brain for answers...Is this what they call a nightmare? A dream but bad? She didn't know what to do...She didn't dare wake him and him discover her presence. She wasn't supposed to be here to begin with and she couldn't even begin to imagine Samuel's reaction to her being here. She could only assume it wouldn't be pleasant...

Before she catch herself, Erelah's fingers found Samuel's fisted hand, lightly caressing his skin in soothing circles while angelic song fell softly from her lips. It was a comforting simple tune, one of the first song Erelah had learned as a youngling and that had followed her into adulthood to now.

The tightness of Samuel's hand eased with each passing second as Erelah found herself tracing the veins lining his skin. She watched as his face returned to its prior expression of peace and blissful rest, letting her song ease her own worries while Samuel's heartbeat slowed to a more subdued rate. It remained that way long into the night. Steady...constant...but she could only wonder of its turmoil reflected in his aura. And it was still there, however much Erelah wished it wasn't marring the color, that patch of purple-grey stuck out to her like a withered weed in a vibrant garden.

This was one of the many things Erelah pondered at Samuel's bedside, allowing her thoughts to wander freely at least just this once. It gave her time to reflect and just barely examine that mess of knots bunched together in her chest. Samuel's presence gave her subsequent comfort despite the oddity. It was when the moon began to recede and the darkness of night gave way to daylight did Erelah leave Samuel's side. Leaving nothing more than a mere memory for her to harbor as she retraced her steps through the cottage. Standing on the porch now, she wanted nothing more than to go back inside, possibly take her chances with Samuel's reaction to her, and hope that somehow they could mend whatever bound them unseemly together. No matter what she decided she was still in the same position that she had found herself in a few hours prior, Erelah had nowhere else to go...

She wasn't ready to return to Heaven, she didn't have the energy to face Michael but she certainly didn't belong here of all places. Maybe a little time away from it all would help her manage whatever these things were that she was feeling...maybe, just maybe...