Gabriel (7 page)

“
Yeah, everything is great. I just needed some time off.”

“
The hospital offers a counseling service for its employees at no
cost. They are really good. After seeing all the victims with their throats
ripped out, that came through in the buses…” Eric turned towards the door. “I
was having nightmares myself, so I went down there and talked to someone.”

Calla wrapped her arms around
herself. “I’m sorry, Eric, and I’ll keep that in mind.”

Eric and his partner walked
out the door.

“
I guess I’ll be leaving, too.” The sheriff took a card out of his
wallet and handed it to Calla. “If you need anything give me a call.”

Calla took the card and slid
it in her pocket. She reached out and hugged the old man, his round belly
squishing against her chest. “Thank you, and thanks for coming. I’m sorry if I
worried you.”

She stepped back and crossed
her arms as he walked out the door. Once the door closed, the image of Calla
faded away. A card stock drifted to the ground.

Gabriel reached down and
picked it up. “You are loved by many, Calla.”

He returned to Calla, then
tied the rope to the bed and secured her arms and legs. Bringing the chair, he
set it next to the bed and waited.

Gabriel opened his mind to
his brother. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to, but it
needed to happen.

“
Brother, you cannot love a single soul. We love all of humanity.
We do not love one human above another.”

“
You may not, Michael, but I do. I’m the reason she was almost
killed, and I won’t stand back and watch her die.”

“
You are not the reason they escaped. Do not continue to punish
yourself, Gabriel.”

Gabriel sat down and brushed
a few pieces of honey-colored hair from Calla’s brow. He applied the cool wash
cloth to her forehead. “Fine, brother, we are all responsible for those
monsters escaping, and for the lives they have taken. We should have killed
them when we had the chance, instead of putting them in that prison.”

“
If I had foreseen the destruction of their cell, I would have done
everything in my power to prevent them from escaping. If killing them had been
an option it would have been done. You are letting your grief rewrite history,
Gabriel. We were all nearly killed when we trapped them there to begin with. If
we had another option we would have chosen it, but we did what we could to save
humanity at the time.”

“
I vow to hunt down every last one of them.”

“
That is a good vow, brother. How do you intend to do that now that
you have this added complication?”

“
She is not a complication. She almost died because of us … because
of me.” Gabriel placed his head in his hands. “I would not tell her about the
Kematians. I thought she would be safer if I left. She went out to try to find
out why people were being attacked. If I had told her the truth, she would be
safe. If I gave her the explanation she deserved, she would be going on with
her life, unharmed.”

“
Humans have free will, Gabriel. This is no fault of yours. She may
have made the same choice if you had given her the information she requested.
You must not blame yourself for her actions. She must face those consequences.
Gabriel, she must die.”

“
No!” Gabriel screamed. “You threaten her, brother, and you will
cross a line that will only have one outcome. I do not wish to fight you, but
if you harm her I will kill you.”

“
Do you hear what you are saying? You are placing the life of a
stranger before the life of your own brother. What has happened to you? Are you
infected with sickness?”

Gabriel laughed. “Sickness?
Oh yes, the great Michael would call falling in love a sickness. I take Calla
as my mate.”

Gabriel pulled a knife from
his pocket and sliced her hand.

“
Gabriel, stop! Stop this now. You are placing one human above all
humanity. Think about what you are doing.”

Then Gabriel sliced his hand.
“I will treasure and protect her for all eternity.”

“
Gabriel, she may not live, and if she does she may not be the
same. She has been infected. We do not know what the effects will be if she
survives. When she wakes up, she may not even know you. I beg you, brother,
wait. I will not harm her. I offer my assistance to you. Please stop this.”

Gabriel reached out to take
Calla’s hand in his, but stopped before he combined their blood.

“
I can’t lose her, brother. She holds the heart I did not know I
had.”

“
If you choose to do this, I will support this as long as Calla
agrees. If you do this without her consent you are taking away the free will we
shed blood to protect. You will be no better than the demons we hunt.”

Gabriel dropped her hand.
Tears filled his eyes and covered his cheeks. What was happening to him? How
could he bind himself to someone without their consent? A violent storm of
emotions clashed inside of him. He extended his hand that wasn’t cut and healed
the wound he had inflicted on Calla while his continued to drip.

“
You are right about taking her free will away from her. I will
always be grateful to you for stopping me. But, Michael, make no mistake, I
will not let you harm her.”

“
I give you my word. She will not be harmed by me, unless it
becomes necessary for the safety of the other humans.”

“
If it comes down to that, I will be the one to kill her, not you
or anyone else. I hope we are clear on this, brother.”

“
I hope for your sake she can be saved,” Michael said.

“
We do not know what the effects will be. It is possible that she
will wake with no lingering consequences.”

“
That is true. That is the outcome I will pray for.”

“
Michael, I wish I could explain this to you, but I cannot find the
words. The feelings are raw, jumbled, but the expression escapes me.”

“
I am here. I can feel the confusion, anger, and love that battle
within you, brother. I do not know how to help.”

“
There is no one to help me understand this except for Calla. I am
sorry for my sharp tongue. Forgive me.”

“
All is forgiven. Let me know when she awakens. Reach out to me if
you need assistance. You do not have to carry this burden alone.”

Michael severed the
connection, and Gabriel was left alone with his turbulent feelings. He paced
the room. The decisions he made, the consequences Calla would pay, played
continuously through his mind.

Why
is she more important to me than other humans? Is this what love feels like, to
place one person above all others? I feel like I have fallen from grace, but at
the same time I am filled with wonder and awe by this woman. Father, I am in
need of your guidance. I do not understand what is happening to me.
Gabriel’s mind began to quiet, and a sense of peace filled him.

Gabriel nodded. “I
understand, Father.”

Calla was drenched in
perspiration as she began fighting a battle for her existence. Her future was
uncertain. Gabriel retrieved the washcloth and ran it under the faucet in the
bathroom. He came back into the bedroom and placed it on her forehead. Her skin
was on fire, and a curtain of sweat covered her face.

Her body began to convulse.
The ropes pulled taut against her ankles and wrists and rubbed against the
exposed skin. Her head snapped back, and she let out a heinous scream. Gabriel
placed his hand behind her neck to support her head, and with the other hand he
wiped her forehead with the washcloth.

 
“
Shhh, it’s
going to be okay.”

The convulsions continued to
increase, one rolling into the next. The ropes stretched to their capacity, and
the nylon began to slice into her skin. The headboard slammed into the wall
over and over again. Her eyes popped open and rolled back into her head. Frothy
white foam slid out of the corner of her mouth. Gabriel continued to support
her head, all the while murmuring sweet reassurances.

Calla started to whisper in a
foreign tongue. Gabriel lowered his head to hear her, and she attacked him with
her teeth. He pulled away, and Calla glared at him. Blood dripped from her mouth
and down his neck.

A smile slid across her face.
“If you untie me I can fuck you properly.”

Gabriel reached for the rope
closest to him and checked it to make sure it was still tight. Walking around
the bed, he made sure all the ropes were still tied.

“
Oh, you like it rough? Fine. Leave me tied me up, but I need to
feel your dick inside me.”

“
Calla, you don’t know what you are saying. It is the poison
battling inside you. Be strong, and you can defeat the venom.”

“
You can blame my lust on the poison, but what do you blame yours
on? Hmmm, angel boy? You want me. I can see it in your eyes. You can’t blame
the desire in your eyes on the venom that burns through my veins.”

“
I do not know what you want me to say. I feel something for you;
that is true. If you see desire in my eyes, then you can also see love.”

Calla turned her head and
spat towards Gabriel. “Do not speak to me of love. Is this how you express your
love?” She pulled against the ropes.

“
Those are for the protection of you and all others. I am not
trying to hurt you. I am going to save you.”

“
Save me?” Calla laughed her voice deeper. “I feel better now than
I ever have. Now why don’t you be a good angel and slip off your pants? I want
you to feel as good as I feel right now. Come on, I need a little help.” Calla
grasped the ropes. “I can’t undo them for you unless you untie these.”

Calla raised and lowered her
hips, rubbing her bottom on the bed each time she made contact. Gabriel watched
as she continued to rub her body against the air and then the bed. He swallowed
hard, his chest constricting, and he then turned towards the door.

He glanced over his shoulder.
“When you are finished let me know. Until then, I’ll be outside the door if you
need me.” Gabriel closed the door partially and saw Calla writhing and moaning
in the bed. He took a few deep breaths. When he thought he could, he slid down
the wall keeping an eye on Calla.

A little while later the
moaning and cursing stopped. Gabriel went into the room to find Calla passed
out. Her wrists and ankles trickled blood down the ropes. He checked them all
again to make sure she wouldn’t get free.

Throughout the night, Calla
repeated her sexual advances a few more times, and passed out each time they
were over. Blood leaked from her eyes, nose, and mouth. The ropes were stained
red, and the mattress lay on the floor. Gabriel wanted to make sure she was
comfortable but was afraid to wake her. He didn’t know what he was going to be
confronted with each time she awoke.

She started to stir, and
Gabriel prepared for the onslaught of sexual advances. She opened her eyes and
stared at the ceiling. Her mouth started to move, but there wasn’t any sound.

 
Gabriel
approached the bed with caution and lowered his head keeping it just out of
reach.

She wrapped her arms around
herself as a tear slid down her cheek. “I’m scared. What’s happening to me?”

“
You were bitten by a Kematian. I tried to heal you, but I could
not remove the venom from your body. You have been fighting the poison flowing
through your veins.”

“
Am I going to die?”

“
Not if I can help it.”

Calla closed her eyes and was
out cold again.

Chapter Five

Gabriel stood at the window
watching the sun rise. The promise of a new day called to him. Birds chirped;
squirrels ran up and down the trees, and the neighbor’s dog found the nearest
bush, lifted his leg, and peed. Still bound by ropes, Calla had slept for the
last twenty-four hours. He approached the bed and untied her. Then he placed
the mattress back on the bed. Calla didn’t wake, but she lay there peaceful.

So much had happened in the
past few days, and Gabriel tried to wrap his mind around all them. An archangel
one day, a ball of raw emotions and uncertainty the next. These feelings, new
and confusing, shook him to his very core. Was this love?
 
He was filled with joy one minute and then
consumed with fear of losing Calla to the Kematian’s poison and anger that he
might not be able to save her.

Feelings of unease washed
through him when he thought about Calla’s future. Would he have to kill her? He
glanced toward the sleeping woman who held the power to destroy him. He knew
deep down that if she had to die it would not be by his hand. He only hoped
that Michael would be willing to end his life as well. Without Calla there was
no future for him.