Til We Fall

Chapter One

Gabrielle

Her eyes opened for a single second, only to be squeezed shut again a second later at the sunlight streaming through the open window. Her head was pounding, and the light was not helping. More slowly now, she lifted her head and looked through her eyelashes at the room. She couldn't recognize where she was, but she did know she was in a bed. And she was naked.

Oh shit, Michael is going to kill me. She thought to herself. Breathing out a sigh she pressed her arms down and moved to lift her upper torso before something long and warm was slung over her waist. She froze again. Trying not to move too much, she shifted her head and looked down the length of her body.

She was lying on her stomach, and the sheet had been pulled down until it only barely covered her hips. And there it was. Long, slim fingers were curled possessively around her exposed hip bone, while the tanned arm rested along her back as if it had every right to be there. She followed it with her eyes, from the wrist to the elbow resting on her waist. She followed the arm up to the biceps that bulged slightly even at rest, to the long, lean back. The sheet barely covered it, so she could clearly see the huge black tattoo covering his entire back. He was on his stomach, but his head was turned away from her, so all she could see was his short, light brown hair.

She suddenly felt an insatiable urge to see his face, not just because she couldn't remember it, but because she knew if she did everything would make sense. Biting her lip, she slid her fingers around his wrist and pulled it away from her body. She had just gotten it off her when the stranger suddenly moved. He turned his head and moved onto his side, pulling his arm tighter around her. She suddenly forgot all about leaving as she looked at his face.

His hair was short, just a bit longer than a buzz cut. It was sticking up in messy spikes. His eyes were closed, and his face was completely free of worry. He had a straight Roman nose, which led down to his slightly parted lips. He was still breathing deeply, and she found herself copying his breathing. She couldn't look away. There was something about him that made her heart ache, like it recognized him. She wanted to wake him up, to stare into his eyes, to never look away. It was that thought that startled her back to reality. With a muted gasp she quickly slipped out of the bed, grabbing a sheet from the floor and wrapping it around her body.

She stood next to the bed, her chest heaving. He is human. Nothing special, just a human. She repeated to herself. She was so caught up in her inner mantra; she failed to notice the emerald eyes fluttering open to look at her.

Cayden

One minute he had been sleeping peacefully, wrapped around something warm that smelled of lavender. The next minute the warm body had disappeared and he had woken up. It took him a few seconds to recognize where he was, before his attention was focused on the silhouette next to his bed.

She was wrapped in a sheet, and it was pulled tight so he could clearly see she wore nothing under. She was standing in front of the window, so her face was in shadow. Her hair was blonde, but the sun made it glow like a halo around her. The waves fell to the middle of her upper arms, tousled and yet perfect. He could see her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be whispering something to herself.

Cayden cocked his head slightly as he stared at the woman in front of him. There was something about her that seemed so familiar, and it wasn't the smell of lavender that had saturated the bed where she had slept. She looked like an angel, and he suddenly felt an aching sadness in his chest as he watched her.

Suddenly she realised she was being watched and her eyes opened to meet his. He had been ready to say something, but the words died on his lips as he looked into her eyes. They were a strange mix of green and grey and some other colour he had no name for. They were instantly captivating, and he couldn't find the strength to even blink.

"Do you have a name?" he asked, adopting his most cocky tone. She was just some chick he had picked up in a bar, nothing special. His heart had long ago stopped functioning that way.

"Um, Gabrielle." she said, "You?"

"Cayden." he replied automatically. He had lost himself in her eyes again. She bit her bottom lip, and his eyes were drawn down to her mouth.

"I should... Do you have a shower?" she asked. He blinked, breaking out of the reverie. What is it with this girl?

"Down the hall, first door on your left." he replied. She smiled at him, and he was lost again. He opened his mouth to tell her something else, but she had already walked out of the room, clutching the sheet around her.

He sank down onto the bed, resting his head in his palms. What the hell dude? She is just a chick, a one-time thing. She's going to gone in an hour, and you'll never see her again...

The demon steadfastly ignored the jab of pain that thought sent into his heart, because his kind did not feel pain.

 Gabrielle

What the... she thought to herself as she leaned against the bathroom door. He had been even more gorgeous awake, if that was even possible. His eyes were emerald green, and they were sparkling with mischief. But she was sure there had been something else in them, something softer. His voice was deep and canorous, and it had been so familiar, as if she had heard it every day.

She couldn't help but feel attracted to him. It wasn't his eyes or his voice or his looks. There was something inside him that made her want to fold herself into him and stay there forever. There was an ache in her heart from the constant yearning to be with him. Suddenly she remembered Michael, and she froze.

Oh God, what is he going to say? She refused to think of what her boss would say of her illicit activities, and instead unwound the sheet and got into the shower.

-X-X-X-

When she stepped out, the entire bathroom was full of steam. She found a towel in the small cupboard under the sink, and she quickly rubbed her hair and wrapped it around her body. She took a deep calming breath, before turning to the door.

She froze, and her eyes widened. She slowly walked towards the closed door, her hand outstretched. She touched the symbol that had been painted on and immediately jerked back.

No, no, it's impossible... she thought. She leaned forward and sniffed the cross, immediately recoiling again at the stench of blood. No human would've been able to smell it, and none would have understood it for what it was, but Gabrielle was not a human. She took a step back and examined it, quickly recognizing it as an equal-armed cross, used by evil beings to keep out those who were unwelcome in their home.

Her eyes narrowed and she turned to look at the window that overlooked the alleyway next to the apartment building. She slowly moved to the sill and bent down to examine it. There, so thin it was barely visible even to the angel, was a line of yellow sulphur. She gasped in shock and quickly moved back from the window.

Cross, sulphur, tattoo... Oh my God, he's a DEMON! Gabrielle immediately froze, turning her head slightly to listen for any movement in the flat. When she heard none, she relaxed, though minutely. She had to get out of there as soon as possible; it was too dangerous for even a high-ranking angel like her to be in a demon's lair alone with no back-up. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and pulled open the bathroom door.