Beyond the Fairy Gate

Chapter 23

Gabriel

Gabriel's heart squeezed as he watched Nyline turn away from him. As much as he tried to not let her words affect him, they still stung. He planned on following his words and letting her go if she wanted it. However, this was all more difficult than he had originally expected.

"If you want to go back to the fairy gate, I will take you, and pay your way."

"Sophia and Olivia wouldn't charge me," she whispered, and his heart clenched for her in that moment. What she had said earlier about not really having anyone must have been a slight understatement.

"Either way," Gabriel spoke clearing his voice. "I will take you if that is where you want to go. I would hope that you would let me, and my scouts stay with you long enough to ensure that you are safe." She didn't look at him, but shook her head, her red waves bouncing around.

"It's not safe," She confessed, "The second Damien crossed the gate, I was no longer hidden."

"What were you hiding from?" Her green orbs connected with his before she turned her gaze away.

"I don't know honestly... I just know that we were hiding. Not from you or Damien."

"How do you know that?"

"Stolen memories... Ones that I no longer have because John took them back." Her face fell slightly as she pushed some of those amazing red locks behind her ear.

"It sounds like you got into a lot of trouble stealing your uncle's memories?" Her face brightened slightly at the topic, and she spoke without looking at him.

"When I was very young, I would steal everything without even meaning to. Truthfully, I'm a memory kelpto. My uncle knew when I started asking about things that I wouldn't have known, because I was too small at the time. I stole a lot from him and made copies, hid the copies, kept some. He never knew exactly which memories I had taken so he didn't know what he needed back. However, it became apparent that no matter how small I was, I remembered it all. So, he had to start getting creative because he would have to figure out if I had been there as a baby or if it was from his perspective. I think in the end I gave all of them back to him. Except for the two... those I've had since before I could remember, and I couldn't give them away."

"Are you talking about the ballroom?" Nyline nodded.

"And the memory of what happened to Thaul." Her green orbs turned downcast as she looked down at the patchwork teddy in her hands. "Did your kingdom attack my kingdom around our birth?"

"No," He said instantly. "We have zero records of any war, attack, or flux in lesser daemons in our area during our birth." Gabriel watched as she tightened her grip on her patchwork teddy before she forced herself to relax.

"I thought it was weird... That you would show up out of now where to find me if your people had killed mine." There was a moment before she ran her hands up and down her face and let out a breath.

"Where did that memory of Thaul come from?" She shrugged.

"I'm not sure, I've had it since before I could remember, which is weird. I remember everything. I always figured I got it from my uncle, but I guess that isn't right, either."

"Would you let me see the full memory?" His voice was soft, already bracing for her no.

"Maybe one day, but not today..." She shook her head slightly.

They lulled into a silence where Nyline was just watching the scenery and Gabriel was watching her. After several minutes, Gabriel reached over and touched her arm softly making her look at him.