He turned back to the file folder, intent on finishing it before they made the journey through the portal. He couldn't deny that he was somewhat apprehensive about going. He had no idea what to expect. He had been gone for so long.
He opened the folder and skimmed over the notes regarding the portal, the different locations it appeared, and the different times it would open. He glanced over the time chart and frowned when his eyes fell on the name of the place Autumn had said they were. Ireland. He looked at the corresponding location and time that the portal was supposed to be open and peered closer at the number. At first glance, it looked like a nine, but the ink had been smudged, and upon closer inspection, he could see it was a seven.
Something Curtis had said echoed in his mind. "It's going to be dawn in about two hours and we need to be at the portal at exactly nine o'clock or we'll miss it. It'll only be open for about thirty seconds."
Gabriel's eyes widened, and he turned his attention to the window, where daylight was beginning to lighten the sky. He turned to Autumn, and though he hated to wake her when she was sleeping so peacefully, he had no choice. “Autumn,” he said with a shake. “Autumn, wake up. Curtis read this wrong."
She mumbled something incoherent and rubbed at her eyes. “What?” she grumbled with a frown.
"Curtis. He read this wrong. The portal doesn't open at nine o'clock. It opens at seven."
She fumbled for where she had set her glasses on the nightstand and shoved them on, then grasped at the paper Gabriel was trying to show her. She blinked several times, then studied the chart. He knew the moment she came to the same realization as him because all the color left her face and her eyes bulged.
"Crap!” She flipped the covers off and tore out of bed, barreling out the door and into the hall.
Gabriel followed after her as she stormed into the room Curtis was in and flicked on a light.
"Curtis!” She shook his shoulder violently. “Wake up! You read the time wrong!"
Curtis rolled over, bleary-eyed and bewildered. “What are you talking about?"
She shoved the paper at him. “The ink is smudged, Curtis! It isn't a nine. It's a seven. The portal is going to open in"—she glanced at the bedside clock—"twenty minutes!"
If it were possible, he got out of bed even faster than Autumn had. “Get your shoes on and hurry up!” he ordered. “And grab a coat or something. I already have all the supplies packed. Get your stuff together and head outside ASAP."
Autumn turned and ran back the direction she had come, grasping Gabriel's hand as she did so. “Come on, we have to hurry.” She shoved her feet into a pair of strange, lace-up shoes and pulled some kind of thick shirt with a hood over the shirt she already had on. “We need to get you a coat and some shoes, Gabriel."
He shook his head. “Don't worry about me. I don't need a coat. I have my own way of staying warm.” He flashed her a smile that he hoped was playful and encouraging even though his heart was racing with adrenaline. If they didn't make it to the portal in time, he would be trapped in the human realm. That wasn't ideal for him, or for the human race.
"Fine, but you still need shoes. Come on.” She hauled him down the hall in a different direction and searched through a closet until she'd managed to locate a pair of men's black boots. He didn't really understand them either because the closed by some sort of strange device on the side, but she apparently knew what she was doing because she fastened them quickly. The device made a zzz sound as it closed, and when she had finished, Autumn grasped a hold of his hand again and led them back down the hall.
They met Curtis running toward them and they all headed down the staircase and out the door of the castle.
They were instantly blasted by a gale force wind that almost knocked them backward and rain that pelted like rocks. Autumn screamed and stumbled back in shock. Gabriel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest, trying the best he could to protect her from the harsh weather.
"Come on,” Curtis shouted. “We have to go!” He plunged out into the rain and Gabriel followed, pulling Autumn along with him.
The storm worsened as they neared the cliffs, and the sea crashed angrily below.
"Oh my gosh,” Autumn shrieked. “Curtis! Is that a freaking tornado?"
Gabriel glanced up to see a gigantic black funnel cloud making its way across the distant countryside.
"I told you,” Curtis cried. “We have to get him out of here!"
They continued to follow Curtis until they reached the very edge of the cliffs.
"There it is,” he shouted. “It's already open. Hurry!"
Gabriel saw the strange swirling mass of color through the rain and wind and he pulled Autumn toward it. She slipped in the mud and went down with a shriek. Curtis shouted her name, but Gabriel pulled her into his arms and lifted his wings. He couldn't risk them not getting through. With three powerful flaps of his wings, they reached the entrance, and he touched back down to the ground. “Go, Autumn!” he commanded.
"Wait!” she cried. “Curtis! Hurry up!” She turned toward him and shielded her eyes against the deluge as he hurried to catch up.
Lightning crashed down from the furious sky, struck right in front of Curtis's path, and knocked him backward.
"Curtis!” Autumn shouted.
She started forward, but Gabriel grabbed hold of her arm. “We have to go through!"
She shook her head. “He could be hurt!"
"Autumn, go!” Curtis shouted. “I'm fine! Go now!"
"Come on!” she urged. “You can make it! Get up! Come on!"
He stood and began running in their direction, but he yanked the pack off his shoulder and grasped the strap. “You have to go! Gabriel, take her through! Now!” He threw the pack with all his force right as Gabriel grabbed a hold of Autumn's arm and pushed her into the portal.
She screamed, and there was a strange sensation of falling and floating at the same time before they both landed on cold, hard, snowy ground. Autumn pushed herself up and turned to face the direction they had come. “Curtis!” she called, her voice panicked.
The pack came sailing through and skidded to a halt in front of them right before the swirling ball of color disappeared. Autumn gasped and stumbled forward. “No! Oh my gosh! He didn't make it through! How am I going to get home?” She spun to face him, and terror reflected in her eyes. “Gabriel!"
He stepped forward and took her by the shoulders. “Autumn, shhh,” he soothed. “It's all right. You'll be fine. I'm here."
"And are you going to be able to get me home again?” she bellowed. She reached up, tangled her fingers in her hair, then looked around at the blowing snow and howling wind that was not that different from the storm they had just left. “Where are we? Oh, this can't be happening. This can't be happening."
Gabriel reached down and grabbed hold of the pack Curtis had thrown through. He opened it up and saw many supplies that would serve them well, as well as the leather folder full of information. He smiled. “Lovely one, look.” He showed her the folder. “This has everything you need to get you home again. You are not stuck here."
She stared at the folder and a look of relief flashed across her face before she glanced up at him in bewilderment. “Wh-What did you just call me?"
He grinned and reached up to tuck back a wild, wet strand of hair. “I believe I called you ‘lovely one'.” He had to shout to be heard over the wind so the moment was not as tender as he would have liked, but he let his fingers caress down her cheek, relishing the texture of her skin.
She closed her eyes for just a moment before she shook her head, folded her arms across her chest, and turned slowly in a circle. “Where the crap are we?"
"I think these are the Reynauld Mountains. They're treacherous, but I know how to get down. We need to find shelter from this storm first, or I'll get lost and you'll freeze to death."
She faced him with a look of shock. “Comforting!” She frowned for a second and looked as if she was f
ocusing on something behind him before her eyes widened and she screamed.
A horrendous, hideous growl sounded behind Gabriel and he spun just in time to see a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth set in a white, furry, ugly head. He held his arms out in front of him and shot a ball of fire from his palms, illuminating the stark whiteness around them and driving the creature back long enough for Gabriel to grab a hold of Autumn and take to the sky.
It was difficult for him to fly with the wind and the blowing snow, but he managed to find a cave among some craggy cliffs that would serve as adequate shelter until the storm passed over. He took them inside and tried to set Autumn on her feet, but her knees buckled almost instantly, and he caught her, easing them both down to the damp ground.
She was shaking and tears coursed down her cheeks. The sight stabbed his heart, and he took her face gently in his hands, removing her glasses and wiping her tears with his thumbs.
"What was that thing?” she rasped.
"That was an abominable snowman,” he stated.
She stared at him in horror. “An abominable snowman?” she cried. She shook her head violently. “What am I doing here? I can't stay here. Take me home, Gabriel! I have to go back! I don't belong here! I'm freaking freezing to death, and I don't even have any decent clothes! I'm still in my pajamas! I just almost got eaten by a child's nightmare! Get me out of here!"
Her voice bordered on hysteria, and Gabriel pulled her into his arms, rocking her while she sobbed. He summoned enough fire power to emanate comforting heat, and he searched through Curtis's pack with one hand while he held her close with the other. He located a blanket, which he pulled out and wrapped around the both of them. “I'll keep you warm,” he whispered against her hair. “I'll protect you, Autumn. I promise. Nothing is going to hurt you."
"My uncle was insane!"
He smirked to himself and continued to soothe her to the best of his ability until her overwhelming emotions ran their course. When her sobs had abated into soft sniffles, he gathered her up close to him so that she was curled in his lap, her head resting against his shoulder. “Not all of Algoria is this frightening,” he assured her. “After this storm passes, I'll get us out of the mountains. I'll show you the beautiful, lush forests and spacious meadows, full of wildflowers.” He smiled down into her large, brown eyes.
She squeezed her eyes shut in a wince. “Just don't let anything eat me, okay?"
He chuckled, squeezed her tight, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I won't. You took care of me when I was lost and confused in your world. I will do the same for you. You're in my world now, and everything you have done for me, I will repay one hundredfold."
Her eyes filled with a warm emotion that he could not name, but tugged at his heart in a strange manner. It made his gaze stray to her luscious lips and all he wanted to do was have his fill of them, kiss them until they were swollen and red. A wave of heat he was powerless to stop surged over and out of him, which made Autumn snuggle closer. He closed his eyes and tried to temper the blaze of his blood while he suffered silently.
"Don't let me go,” she whispered. “I'm so cold."
He smiled and rested his cheek on top of her head. “I won't,” he promised. And he meant it. What troubled him was the fact that he was positive he meant it in more ways than one.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Five
Autumn had to give Gabriel some serious credit. For a man who'd been a statue for the last five hundred years, he remembered his world remarkably well. The storm had passed over the night, and being exhausted from the events over the last twenty-four hours, Autumn had fallen asleep in Gabriel's arms. His warmth had permeated her, his gentleness soothed her, and the protective hold he'd had on her had chased away her fear of the unknown and terror of almost becoming an abominable snowman's midnight snack.
Gabriel had still been awake when she'd finally stirred. Like a diligent, alert sentinel, he remained stoic and strong. She also noticed that, between passing back over into a world that was familiar, and having more time to remember how to function as a living, moving creature, some of the poised, proud posture he'd had as a statue had returned to him. His broad shoulders were no longer hunched. His amazing face was no longer riddled with sorrow. He had a quiet strength about him that, if it was possible, made him even sexier than he had been. Autumn secretly hoped that he didn't get any more desirable. She probably wouldn't be able to handle it if he did. She was having a hard enough time as it was.
He'd led them out of the mountains and down through a green valley that turned into a thick, dense forest. They'd wandered that much of the day while Gabriel told Autumn the things he remembered from his life before the loneliness had claimed him. The different people he'd encountered, the things he'd learned. She, in turn, told him of her life with Uncle Sal and all of the crazy things he had put her through over the years.
When they'd first started traveling, Autumn had been apprehensive and riddled with anxiety over what was so unfamiliar to her. Considering her first five minutes in Algoria had resulted in a blizzard and an abominable snowman attack, she really didn't know what to expect or what kind of strange creatures she was going to have to fend off. But as she followed Gabriel, who seemed so sure of himself, and shared stories and laughter with him, she found her nervousness abating. She started to pay more attention to her surroundings, the amazing, lush plant life and woodland creatures. She felt like she was traveling in some kind of fairy tale.
"Sword fighting was always my favorite,” Gabriel said, continuing on a line of conversation they'd been having about combat. “I'm good with a spear, also."
Autumn giggled. “Yeah, just ask Curtis."
Gabriel shot her a sly, playful smile over his shoulder before he continued leading them down the winding forest path. “It was never my first choice, though. I like the power of a sword, the way it feels in my hand. It feels strong, if that makes sense."
Autumn smiled as she followed, studying the ripples of muscle across his bare back and shoulders as he moved. “It makes sense. My uncle tried to make me do fencing when I was younger."
He looked back at her again with an arched eyebrow. “Oh?"
She nodded. “Yeah, but I almost put out my instructor's eye and then managed to stab myself in the head. How? Who knows, but it's a good thing I had protective gear on.” His chuckle made her own laughter surface as another memory came to the fore. “And then my uncle tried to learn knife and axe throwing from this medieval combat guru once. He tried to teach me that too, but I accidentally lobbed a knife straight into the instructor's foot."
Gabriel turned and smirked at her. “That either means you have no aptitude for any kind of self-defense or you really have a hatred for instructors."
She laughed and shook her head. “I was a disaster."
He turned back to the path and continued walking. “Of course, I also enjoy using the elements as my defense."
"As Curtis would also know,” she pointed out. She glanced up when she realized he had come to a stop, and her breath caught in her throat. It was nearing twilight, and he was standing at the edge of a cliff. The trees broke, which afforded them a view of a spectacular mountain range. The sun was sinking just behind it, and its rays reached out and touched Gabriel, as if caressing him. The sunlight danced across his skin and reflected off the golden, red, and amber hues in his hair and on his wings. It made him look like a glowing, radiant entity of light, and she stepped forward, unable to stop the overwhelming urge she had to touch him.
She'd never seen anything as magnificent as he was. He was power and strength and humble grace. He was a creature of myth and the extraordinary, something she had been taught to believe in but had never really thought existed. He was not of her world, yet she felt more at ease with him than she did with her own race.
"Gabriel.” His name left her lips as her fingers touched his warm skin. Both things she did out of blind compulsion. She was not a bold person. Sh
e was not forward, but she had to touch him. It was a need she couldn't control even if she'd wanted to.
Her hands splayed across his back, feeling the lines of lithe muscle. She trailed them up in an exploratory caress, reaching her fingers out to lightly touch his wings. They looked as if they would burn, but they were as soft as regular feathers. She smiled, then felt foolish as he turned to face her. Was she out of her mind?
A warm flush crept into her cheeks and she tried to step away, but he captured her hands with his and held them to his chest, restraining her, keeping her pinned to him and his fire. She struggled for words, but found nothing. She glanced up at him to find his intense gaze on hers. It made her face grow even hotter, and she averted her eyes to the ground. Still, he held her hands.
She cleared her throat. “Um, how are you feeling?” she asked lamely. “I mean..."
He positioned one of her palms over the pounding pulse of his heart, and he lowered his forehead to rest against hers. “Alive,” he whispered.
She closed her eyes, studied his heartbeat for a long, silent moment, then felt herself slip back into his warmth, back into the place she wanted to remain. It was so calm, so peaceful.
Her arms slid around his neck, and she rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying the nearness and the way he cradled her close. She sighed in contentment and briefly wondered how she had managed to live her life in solitude for so long. Even as a teenager, when she'd lived with Uncle Sal, she had kept relatively to herself. She studied. She read. She'd never been extremely social or outgoing. She preferred her quiet time alone.
For some reason, Gabriel's presence made her realize how achingly lonely she had been, but never realized. Perhaps she'd convinced herself that she liked to be alone to avoid the pain of her solitude. She couldn't be sure. All she knew was, now that she'd experienced and enjoyed him, his company, his presence, his touch, she had no idea how she would be able to go back to normal, ordinary life once he returned home. She didn't know if she wanted to. She felt like she'd been asleep her whole life, only to have Gabriel open her eyes to what her existence could be like. A person couldn't return to ignorance after that. She understood a tiny bit of what Uncle Sal's passion had been all about. Who wanted nine to five, seven days a week when you could have new worlds and adventures? Who wanted a bed-and-breakfast when you could have a man made of the elements?
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