Blood of the Pure (Gaea) (76 page)

“I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed closer,” he lamented with a sad look that seriously frustrated me.

“Leabhan, you should really hear what she’s trying to say,” Gabriel whispered softly and Lea’s angry gaze shot immediately towards him with pure hostility.

“I know what I saw!” he claimed once more in that grown-up tone, and I blushed again. “And I thought you said you didn’t want to make her do anything!”

“Lea, he didn’t. He didn’t make me do anything,” I told him and his face was suddenly taken by an incredulous expression of surprise.

“He ... didn’t?” I just shook my head and Gabriel stretched and yawned lazily. “Mari ...” He whispered my name still in disbelief, as if trying to process what I’d just told him. “Does that mean ... you like ... him?” he asked.

“Yes. I do,” I admitted, too aware of Gabriel staring at me, but Lea was still doubtful.

“Really? I mean, you really like him?”

I recalled Lea’s nature, his true origin, and smiled. “Yes.”

A surprisingly huge smile brightened his entire face and he hugged me, his small arms wrapping around my neck.

“That’s great, Mari! Now I’m not the only one!” he told me, laughing and I felt relieved that he would accept all that mess so easily. I hadn’t known what to do if he’d been opposed to the idea of Gabriel and me together. And so an already embarrassing situation had just become even more embarrassing! “I also like you very much!” he said, looking at me with that smile of his, and I lined a few disarrayed strands of his hair.

“I like you too,” I replied and his mischievous smile was all the warning I needed, although I could never be fast enough to react in time. With a sudden inhuman strength, Lea’s small hands pulled me closer and he kissed my lips, just like he’d done when we’d established our agreement.

“Suileabhan!!” The thunder of that voice made my stomach squirm and, in the next instant, Lea was no longer standing in front of me but tangled in Gabriel’s arms, which threatened to strangle him. The child laughed, kicking the air as he tried to free himself, and I looked at the both of them, still wondering if Gabriel was joking or serious. “How dare you? Only I can kiss Mari!” he stated with all conviction, baffling me with his ability to say something like that out loud and with such a straight face.

“But I was the one who kissed her first!” Lea said, still laughing, and Gabriel looked at me stunned.

“What!”

“We made an agreement,” I explained, amused at the persistent way Gabriel kept holding onto him, although Lea was kicking and waving his arms all over the place.

“What agreement?”

“It’s a secret! It’s a secret, right, Mari?” Lea said, his childish voice filling the room and I smiled.

“That’s right.” Gabriel pulled Lea by the collar of his sweater as if he really were a cat and looked at him, threateningly.

“What agreement?” he inquired. “That she may hide things from me, there’s nothing I can do. But, you ...?” Lea seemed to calm down and took a deep breath, tired from all that laughing. “So?” he insisted and, with a quick movement, Lea licked his face.

“Master, are you angry with me?” he murmured and Gabriel frowned.

“Don’t change the subject!”

“But ... I said all those things,” Lea went on in a shy, regretting voice, and Gabriel ended up sighing.

“I’m not angry at you, Suileabhan. I know Mari is important to you and that you were only trying to protect her.”

“I’m so glad!” Lea said with a bright smile back on his face.

“But what the heck is going on here?” Alexander’s demanding voice made me jump to my feet, and only then did I notice the undone buttons of my blouse. In an immediate gesture, I turned my back to the door and re-buttoned them as fast as I could. “I send the cat to call you and all I hear is screaming and laughter.”

I ran my hands over my face to make sure everything was as it should be. And then I saw Jonathan, right behind Alexander, staring fixedly at me. Alexander seemed to notice the visual contact between us.

“Jonathan was too worried about your burnt roast and literally massacred me into using Magic to make it eatable, again,” Alexander declared and the boy took a step back, lowering his head, obviously embarrassed. “Since we agreed no powers in the house so to not draw too much attention, and since he wouldn’t shut up, we went shopping and tried to duplicate your recipe.” I blinked in complete disbelief. “Of course, neither of us is that experienced in kitchen matters, but by the looks of things, it doesn’t seem all that bad.”

“And I was coming to tell you that lunch is ready,” Lea added, still smiling, and Gabriel stood up with his usual slow movements, carrying Lea under his arm as if he were no more than a sack of potatoes. Lea squealed and laughed again, kicking at the air, but Gabriel just went on, as if he couldn’t even feel him.

“Let’s go then,” he simply said, but his violet eyes looked amused, even pleased, at the sound of Lea’s laughter.

Alexander stepped to the side to let him through, and followed him, poking the ‘cat’ and nagging him, telling him that he did look like a sack of potatoes.

I was finally able to stop trembling and walked to the door, warning myself that the truce would be brief. I noticed that Jonathan had stayed behind, waiting for me.

I smiled awkwardly, remembering that no matter what I did he always refused to talk to me all this time, and looked for something smart to say.

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to worry about it,” I pointed out, but he looked at me with an intimidating expression.

“Mariane, if you are thinking about running away, now is the time! You should do it while you still can,” he added in a whisper. The smile that up till then had stubbornly persisted on my lips withered away. “Your Guardian is about to wake up. And when he does, the life you now know, all this, will be over,” he said without the shadow of a doubt and turned to walk away towards the stairs, leaving me behind still confused about what I’d just heard.

I just couldn’t understand how, just seconds ago, I’d felt so happy and fulfilled, and now those simple words had stolen it all away, leaving me cold and empty inside.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

ZOM

– The Magus of the Tarot. Mayan, the Maker of Illusion. The Seer in Illusion – Lilith
.
1
–

“If they tell me I’m condemned, I won’t doubt it.

It’s of my own free will that I dive into the darkness that, with arms wide open, invites me in.

And, for your arms of ice around my trembling, naked body, condemning my Soul seems a small price to pay …”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

lexander and Jonathan’s late lunch was really more of a feast than of a simple lunch, easily erasing the heavy weight that Jonathan’s words had left in my chest.

They’d set the table in the living room, under the excuse that we’d never fit in the kitchen, and the decoration was much like one would expect to find in a first class restaurant. I didn’t even question the origin of the golden hand-painted plates, or the tall delicate crystal glasses. The tablecloth was pure white linen and there were dark-red velvet pillows on each and every chair.

Lea skipped around the table, climbing onto a chair so that he could see the contents of the golden platters and his silver eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Maybe it was because we were all together, or maybe because we were having lunch in the living room, a place where we only ate on special occasions, but I remembered to go and get Rachel’s small digital camera, that, after a few brief explanations, was delivered into Lea’s curious hands. He immediately started taking pictures, flashing the camera everywhere, and I smiled at his childish happiness.

I served them all feeling strangely comfortable in the middle of the ruckus they made. Even Jonathan, I noticed, smiled when Lea started taking pictures of the plates filled with food like they were true pieces of art.

It was as if we were just normal people, I thought. As if there weren’t any powers, or differences, and no war to be fought somewhere. I recalled Gabriel’s words when he’d said he wished time could stop, and I wished it too. There, near them, I felt I was living in another world, a world where my pains and sufferings had no place at all.

We sat at the table long after there was nothing left, either from the veal or from the vanilla pudding they’d made. And I just kept quiet, listening as they shared normal everyday things that they’d seen and considered interesting. Alexander had seen a dog dressed in a coat, to which Lea immediately added that he’d seen a lady using a dog’s collar. Gabriel had found it strange the man in the uniform, waving his arms in the air in the middle of the street, trying to command the cars around him and make the machines obey him; surely, Humans had an enough knowledge and technology to find a better way to avoid traffic jams. Lea wanted a pair of sneakers with flashing lights on the heels. Alexander still couldn’t understand how it was possible that hours of moving pictures could fit into something as small and thin as a DVD.

No one talked about serious matters, like combat strategies or Telane’s disappearance. No one wanted to burst that false and fleeting bubble of happiness, making it extend to its limits.

It was already dark outside when the phone rang, interrupting our conversation. My heart jumped at the shrieking sound and I knew in an instant who it was, and yet wished I could pretend I hadn’t heard it and just keep sitting with them.

Gabriel’s gaze on me turned hard and cold, and it was so I didn’t have to face it any longer that I finally stood up and ran to the corridor.

“Hello?”

“Mari ...”
Michael’s voice sounded hoarse and spent, reopening the wound that had torn me inside that morning and which I’d managed to forget.

“Michael,” I murmured, not knowing what else to say, and he sighed heavily.

“Mari … I’m really sorry for what happened,”
he said, struggling against his own words, and the pain that filled me inside stole my strength away, making me hold on to the small dresser just so I could keep standing. I didn’t want him to be sorry! The fault was all mine.
“I don’t know what came over me. To tell you the truth, I haven’t been feeling all that well and I know it’s no excuse, but I wanted you to know and maybe ... forgive me.”

I felt myself falling into a dark pit of despair.

“Michael! There’s nothing to forgive! Please believe me. All this, all this mess, I’m the only one to blame! If anyone should be asking for forgiveness, then it’s me. I was the one who dragged you into all this,” I added, my voice breaking halfway, and he was silent for a moment.

“I wish ... I wish I could see you right now just to make sure you don’t ... despise me. But I’m afraid of what I might do,”
He said softly and the tremors that made me shiver were warning enough of his proximity. I looked back, over my shoulder, and saw his cold, harsh gaze that filled me with dread, while Michael’s voice, on the other side of the phone, tore a deep gash in my heart.
“I’m probably not going to school, tomorrow. I’ll take the weekend off and try to ... sort things out and then maybe we can talk Monday?”

“Yes ... sure, of course.” I felt like crying.

“I’ll see you Monday then.”

“Ok,” I replied and felt him hesitate.

“See you.”

The pain that pierced my chest stole my breath away and the idea that he was about to hang up, cutting off that frail connection that had been reestablished between us sent me swilling down a spiral of panic.

“Wait!” I called out, before he could hang up, my hand shaking as I pressed the receiver against my ear, and the words just flowed out of my mouth, cruel words, but still words I just couldn’t stop myself from saying. “Michael! Please listen! And please, please don’t answer,” I told him and he waited in silence, as my throat dried. “I ... just need you to know ... that ... I do love you! Even though I may not show it. I’ve always loved you, since the moment I first saw you.”

He kept silent as my heart drummed against my throat, until I finally heard him breathe in, and his coarse voice filled my ears again.

“See you Monday.”

Disappointment washed over me, as if I’d been expecting something else, even though I’d been the one making unreasonable demands, forbidding him to give me any other answer.

“See you Monday, Michael,” I forced myself to answer and the line went dead, leaving me only with that repetitive sound ringing in my ears.

The terrifying shadow that hovered over me ripped the phone from my hands, throwing it hard against the wall, plastic pieces flying everywhere. I coward instinctively against the dresser, in a sharp gasp that didn’t even give me time to scream, and his white hand stopped inches from my face, trembling furiously, as if it had been held back by invisible chains. His crimson eyes were pure hatred, making me sink into a pool of dark terror. And then, the hand that almost touched me crashed against the wall, right beside my head, making me jump, as I heard pieces of plaster falling on the floor. His face came so close to mine that I could feel his sweet scent and, even shaking in terror, I still wished he would touch me.

“I’ll be going now before I do something really stupid.” I heard his voice in a cold hiss and his lips touched mine that kept trembling, in the cruelest most empty of kisses, before he disappeared in a thin rain of dark glitter.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That night it took me a very long time to fall asleep, my head filled with too many things to grant me a moment of peace.

I tried reading a book, like I used to do when I couldn’t sleep, but just couldn’t focus enough, ending up having to read the same sentences more than once. Inevitably, I hoped and waited for Gabriel’s return, constantly searching the air for his presence, but he never came back.

I tortured myself with questions, wondering where he’d gone or what he was doing after leaving like that. I feared he’d gone after Telane, and only the idea that Lea had gone after him made me a bit more at ease.

I finally ended up falling asleep, too tired to keep waiting, and the dream where Michael was lying dead at my feet came back to torment me. I was sure that I’d be seeing the same nightmare the whole night, as usually happened with my recurring dreams, but suddenly the scene around me changed, and I was no longer sitting on that cold, hard floor.

I was outside, it was night, and it was raining. The cold made me shiver but even so I didn’t look for a place where I could take shelter. The icy cold water drenched my hair, dripping down my face, making me colder by the minute, and I opened a hand, allowing the drops of rain to slide slowly over my skin.

The cold rain touched my lips, almost as it was kissing me, and I closed my eyes as my blood slowly warmed, pushing the cold away.

”Mari …”

I jumped suddenly awake and was immediately still, not knowing if I was really awake. My heart raced in my chest, stealing my breath away, as I looked into those eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness.

The tip of his fingers touched my lips again, sliding over my skin, and I knew that he’d been the one to push my nightmare away and that I’d been dreaming about him. And yet, I could very well still be dreaming, I mused, too dazed by his surreal appearance, certain that someone like him couldn’t possibly exist in the same world I did.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” he whispered and slightly pulled away, making me feel cold again at the loss of his touch. “I didn’t want to, but ... I just needed to make sure you could still look at me, that you wouldn’t reject me.”

My feelings were a mix of anger for his constant doubts and happiness that he’d come back; of desire for his touch, and pain for the pain in his voice.

In an impulse I pulled the quilt back and, as he watched me with a disturbed expression, crawled on my hands and knees across the bed, and sat on his lap. I held the collar of his shirt and he was immediately stiff as if his muscles had turned into stone.

“Did you put the phone back?” I asked and he nodded, almost automatically. “And the hole in the wall?” His expression became darker as if the question had made him remember something he’d rather forget. “If you still haven’t fixed it, do it in the morning.” I demanded, noticing he wasn’t going to answer, and dared touch the skin of his neck, ending up wrapping my arms around him.

“Mariane!” His warning tone made me aware of just how close our faces were and I faced him with a teasing smile.

“If you’re so afraid to break me, as if I were some porcelain doll, just be still,” I told him, almost touching his lips, and kissed him, giving way to the irresistible desire to feel the contrast between his cold lips and the warmth of his mouth against mine.

I tangled my fingers in his soft hair, the strange feeling making me shiver, and pressed my body against his, trying to provoke him, to draw a reaction out of him, any reaction, even if painful, as long as it showed me that he wanted me at least as much as I wanted him. And yet, no matter what I did, he still remained that unfeeling, cold statue.

Gabriel sat still, allowing his lips to be dragged by mine as if he’d given them as a plaything to a child. His cold tranquility, compared to my labored breath made me annoyingly flustered, and even more desperate to break his stone-like face.