by Raquel Dove
“I see,” Gabrielle said. Kasen could see her mind putting things together, but he decided to further explain to her anyway.
“When you got hit by that Darkling,” he said, “You didn’t get a scratch on you, whereas I, obviously, didn’t fare so well. To be honest, I’m rather surprised that you didn’t get a single injury from that attack. It was pretty powerful, and even Dark Fighters would normally sustain injuries from something like that. It’s actually sort of remarkable.”
Gabrielle sat up a little, looking at him thoughtfully for a moment. He was afraid for a moment that she would get back on the subject of Sebastian and he would need to steer the conversation away from that. He would tell her one day why it was that Sebastian had done what he had done, but if he did that right now, he would probably give away his true identity. He felt a deep guilt at not having told her yet, but now just wasn’t the right time. He wanted to tell her though and he knew that she had deserved to know long before now. He just hoped that she would forgive him when he did tell her. In the scheme of things he didn’t think it was that big of a falsehood. He had never lied about the way he felt about her. Only his name and position.
As badly as Kasen wanted to lay in bed with Gabrielle for the rest of eternity, he knew he had to go now. He had put off the doctor too long, and now he had injuries that needed to be healed, on top of his quickly encroaching Sickness. He had to pry himself out of her bed and go home.
“I have to go home,” he said regretfully, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him and bit her lip. “Will you see me again tomorrow?”
“I have to work,” she said, lifting her eyebrows. Her voice was disappointed. “I don’t think I can ask Mr. Black for another day off.”
“After work then,” he said. “Just for a little bit. I have something that I want to tell you.”
She sat up in the bed so that she was sitting on top of her heels. She hadn’t bothered to bring the sheet with her, so he got a glorious view of her still naked body and his concentration on the conversation wavered.
“What?” she asked, her face scrunching up a little bit. “What do you have to tell me?”
“Tomorrow,” he said, smiling back at her as he pulled himself out of the bed. “I think it would be better.”
He could see her forming an argument, so he quickly bent over the bed and caught her lips with his, silencing any argument she might make with a kiss. He pulled away from her lips and gently kissed her on the forehead.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said softly. He quickly got dressed and left before she had time to try and convince him to tell his secret tonight. It just didn’t feel right, it wasn’t right. He would tell her tomorrow, when he had made all the preparations he needed and he could tell her gently the truth about who he was. He just really hoped that she would take it as well as he thought she would.
Chapter Twenty One
Sebastian needed backup, and fast. This was easily one of the largest Darklings he had ever encountered. How the hell had it ended up in the mortal world without even a blip on their radar? Something was terribly off here, and in the back of his mind it registered that it had to have something to do with the mysterious reports that he and Kasen had found. Actually, it was Gabrielle that had brought it to his attention. The fact that she had been here when the Darkling appeared wasn’t lost on him. Also rolling around in the back of his mind was the fact that recently everything that had to do with the oddities in the Death Angel Society seemed to in some way be related or connected to Gabrielle. Sebastian was a practical man and he didn’t believe in coincidences. He made it a mental point to question Gabrielle when he returned. But he couldn’t concentrate on such things at the moment.
His energy was fading quickly and all he had managed to do was amputate this creature’s left arm. That certainly wouldn’t kill it, and it didn’t even seem to slow it down. From what they knew of Darklings, they didn’t seem to feel physical pain, at least not from injuries. They felt the burning internal pain of their own despair and sorrow constantly, and that’s essentially what made them what they were.
Sebastian narrowly dodged a swipe from the creature, but it was surprisingly fast for its size and his jagged teeth clamped down on his shoulder as he moved. He growled at the pain but tried not to focus on it. He raised his sword and was able to slice a thick chunk of skin from the Darklings massive jaw, forcing it to release him. He tried to put some distance between the Darkling and himself. He needed it if he was going to us an energy blast to injure the Darkling. Unfortunately, he had already expended three blasts on the creature, and while they did moderate damage, they had also severely drained him of his power. If he could hold the creature off long enough for another General to arrive, they would be able to put the beast down together. But it was the Death Festival holiday and it would take time to track one of them down, and even more time for them to prepare to come to the mortal world.
Sebastian lifted his sword, preparing to strike but there was suddenly a hand on his wrist, holding him back. He whirled his head around to see what it was and his eyes grew wide with shock at what he saw.
“I wouldn’t want you to kill my favorite pet so soon,” the red eyed being said, before flinging him across the room with a mere flick of his hand. Sebastian crashed into a brick wall that was holding up the ceiling of the abandoned building he had been fighting in. He quickly recovered and brushed himself off. His eyes glided swiftly around the room, searching for his newest opponent, but he was nowhere to be found. His mind was foggy with confusion as he tried to assess this new threat. When the Darkling swiped at him, he wasn’t prepared for it at all. He was clipped on his right arm, a deep gash tearing into his muscle and his sword clanging on the concrete floor, out of his reach. He looked up at the Darkling, who was much closer than he was comfortable with and his mouth was opening wide, preparing to devour him. Sebastian didn’t have many options, and he was becoming increasingly immobile. He could try to make a run for it. He was already weak from the fight and he was rapidly losing blood. He would likely die, but if he was lucky it wouldn’t be from the Darkling devouring him. Just as he was willing his legs to move and flee from the creature, he felt an energy blast forming and he knew that his backup had finally come. He wouldn’t die today. Not likely anyway. He knew right away that it was Eliot, as he felt the massive blast sweeping past the Darkling. It knocked the creature down to the ground and did some pretty heavy damage.
“That was a close one,” Eliot said, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian. “I think Ara would never forgive me if her big brother died on my account.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Sebastian managed to get the words out through the searing pain that was wracking his body with all the injuries he had sustained. “Just hurry up and kill the thing so we can get out of here.”
“Can do,” Eliot said simply, turning to the still downed Darkling and raising his blade to swat at it. That’s when Sebastian felt it. There was a massive pooling of dark energy in front of the Darkling and there before it stood the red-eyed being he had seen earlier. He got a good look at him now, but that only served to confuse him more. The creature, for the most part, looked like a man. But he had deep, angry crimson eyes that were so inescapably Darkling. His skin was as pale as he’d ever seen and his waifish appearance betrayed the strength that Sebastian had experienced first hand bundled up inside of him. He had never seen a creature like him and he had absolutely no idea what he was looking at, but for once in all his long life and career as a Death Angel, he was disturbed, perhaps even frightened.
“Who the hell is that?” Eliot asked, his utter shock apparent in his tone. He hesitated to swing his sword and release the blast that he had built up.
“I do wish I had more time to properly introduce myself,” the red eyed man said, his hands resting casually in his pockets as if he wasn’t the least bit threatened by them. “Unfortunately, I have to get this guy back. He’s had a bit too much fun today. But don’t worr
y. I’ll be seeing you both again soon.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he disappeared and the massive Darkling with him. For a moment, he and Eliot were silently stunned by what they had just seen. Had it not been for Eliot seeing it with him, Sebastian would have thought he was maybe coming down with the Sickness and suffering from deliria.
“Who the hell was that?” Eliot asked again, finally turning to Sebastian with his forehead crinkled.
“I have no idea,” Sebastian said, and he was sure that his face showed his confusion. Unfortunately, they would have to wait to further discuss this. He was losing blood quickly and he needed to get back to the Death Angel Society and get treated. “Let’s just get out of here.”
“Of course,” Eliot said, snapping out of his own confusion as he continued to stare at the spot where the Darkling had been. He rushed over to where Sebastian was struggling to stay standing and maintain his composure. He pulled out a small metal box that was a portable portal and to Sebastian’s great relief, they were on their way back to the Death Angel Society.
“I would appreciate it if you kept all this between us for now,” he said to Eliot as they passed through the portal. The words were a struggle to get out, but it was important. With all the new information that had been coming out, and knowing that there was at least one General connected to whatever was going on, he didn’t want to risk finding anything out by the wrong person knowing. There were few Generals that Sebastian trusted before he found this out. Now there were even less. Kasen was one of them, Eliot was the other.
“Yeah, sure,” Eliot said, shrugging his shoulders. His words were in agreement, but he looked back at Sebastian with confusion.
“What we just saw…,” he tried to elaborate, keeping his words as concise as possible to keep from hurting himself too much more, “…we don’t even have a name for. It is best to not cause a panic if it is unnecessary. We will speak with the Head General privately.”
“Okay,” Eliot readily agreed, shrugging his shoulders. That would give Sebastian a day to heal from his injuries, speak with Kasen, and try to put together whatever the hell was going on around here.
Chapter Twenty Two
Gabrielle had been summoned to the Head General's office, and she was wandering around trying to find it as her mind scrambled for a reason why. Perhaps it had to do with her petition. Or maybe it was the encounter with the Darkling in the mortal world. Either way she had a terrible sense of foreboding about this meeting. She gently touched at the necklace that hung around her neck, the thoughts of Matthew and the night they had shared giving her some comfort. It was the Death Angel equivalent of an engagement ring and she proudly brandished it to the world. She had picked out a low cut black top to wear today just so that she could be sure that everyone saw it. She wanted to show it off.
She turned the corner that she instinctively knew would lead to the Head General's office and she was relieved to see the door with a plaque on it that read simply 'Head General'. It was painted a dull gray, and all the people that bustled around in the desks and cubicles outside his office were wearing gray. She remembered the awful gray uniform she was dressed in when she first arrived. It seemed like so long ago, even though it hadn’t really been.
When Gabrielle knocked on the door she heard no answer, and the people working in the office seemed to completely ignore her, so she tentatively pushed the door open and poked her head in. An old man sat behind a large oak desk, reading something and shaking his head as he grumbled to himself. He had a stubbly white beard that she thought should have been fuller for his age and was peppered with spots of dark brown. He had a pile of wispy white hair on the top of his head and his eyes had creases that showed his age. He looked up sharply at her. His eyes were a crisp green and made him look so much younger than the rest of them. He had a hardened expression when he had looked up, which she assumed was due to whatever he was reading, but when his eyes landed on her they softened.
"Come in, come in," he said, leaning back a little in his chair and motioning his hand for her to enter. As she stepped inside and walked the short distance toward him, she could feel him appraising her. His expression softened a bit more and his lips parted into a wide smile that felt genuine.
"Ms. Gabrielle?" he said as he gestured for her to have a seat across from him.
"Yes," she said, her voice meek as she took a seat. She fiddled nervously with the hem of her skirt as his eyes continued to study her. The moment became a little awkward but she didn't know what to say. She tried to keep her eyes from resting in one spot for too long.
"Remarkable," he said almost breathlessly. A sudden flash of understanding crossed his face but before Gabrielle could comment or ask what he meant, his face suddenly shifted.
"I suppose you are wondering why your here," he said, looking back at her with a kind but knowing smirk. Gabrielle simply smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"Don't worry, you're not in any trouble," he said, holding his hands up with a smirk that made his skin creased around his eyes.
"Okay, good," Gabrielle breathed a little sigh of relief and she hadn't realized how nervous she actually was until that very moment. Her shoulders relaxed a bit.
"Although," he said, his shoulders shrugging as his expression suddenly changed to something noncommittal that made her shoulders tense again. "I'm not sure how pleasant this is going to be for you."
"Okay," she said slowly, gulping down a lump that suddenly lodged itself in her throat. She waited for him to continue. He leaned forward, crossing his fingers together on his desk as he studied her carefully again. His eyebrows suddenly shifted up.
"How are you enjoying your position?" he asked. "With Sebastian?"
"Mr. Black?" she said instinctively. She wasn't used to hearing people call him by his first name. After she saw what had happened with Ms. Blankenship she had etched a mental note in her brain to always call him by a proper title. The Head General nodded once, still looking curiously at her.
"I...it's good, I guess," she said with a shrug. Her eyes avoided his.
"Hmm," he intoned. "Is Sebastian working you too hard, dear?"
Something in the tone of his voice told her that his question was more of a sarcastic one. He was testing her for something, trying to get some kind of information that she just couldn't give.
"He's been very good to me," she said, being as honest as she could be. "I know he has a terrible reputation, but honestly, I haven't seen it."
"I bet not," he said, smiling widely at her. It made her a little uncomfortable and she shifted in her seat. Suddenly he clapped his hands together. "Down to business then."
He shot up from his seat and with surprising speed for what his age appeared to be, he came around the desk and made his way towards the door. Gabrielle was stunned by his sudden movement and sat dumbfounded in the chair, gawking back at him. He turned around as he got to the door and looked at her with an expression that said she should have known what he wanted.
"Well, come on girl," he said with his eyebrows raised. "I haven't got all day to wait for you."
Gabrielle shot up from her chair and followed after him. He led her through a series of hallways before they came to a door without a label. She didn't know why, but looking at it made her stomach twist up in knots. Before they went in, the Head General turned to look at her.
"I don't want them to intimidate you now," he said very kindly with a soft voice. "Many people get very nervous around the Council of the Generals. But you needn't worry."
He winked at her which she was sure was meant to quell her fears, but his words only served to raise her level of anxiety. When they walked in, she immediately saw him. His eyes met hers and she felt the electricity passing through her.
Mr. Black sat in one of six chairs that flanked either side of a long table. The moment she saw him, the way that his eyes connected with hers, sent a bolt of electric heat through her. When he had appeared the night before to save her and Matth
ew from the Darkling, there hadn’t been enough time for her to have a second thought. With everything that had gone on between now and then, she simply hadn’t thought about him. But now that she was standing there looking at him, the memory stabbed her straight in the chest. That night he walked her home, he had kissed her. She still had no idea why, but she just knew that he had done it. The memory of that kiss, the heat that it had sent through her, and the intensity with which he stared at her now, all worked to stain her cheeks a deep rosy hue. She had to force herself to look away from him.
The chair at the head of the table, and the one at the bottom were empty. A spot for the Head General, and a spot for her. There were people sitting in all but one of the chairs that were on the sides of the table. These were all the Generals of the Death Angel Society. Some looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and pity, others glared at her with what she could swear was anger. Two of them were wearing all white, and three of them were dressed in all black. The Head General took his seat and motioned for Gabrielle to take hers.
“Where is General Kasen?” the Head General asked, seeing the empty chair. There was a hint of disapproval in his tone, but it was still kind.
“Recovering,” one of the men wearing white spoke up. He looked awfully familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place him. She knew she must have seen him at some point, but she couldn’t recall where. Mr. Black was still staring at her and it made her mind foggy as she struggled not to look at him. Actually, they were all looking at her, but his gaze seemed to be the only one affecting her.
“Ah, the sickness again?” the Head General said with understanding. His words were posed as a question but it was obvious that it didn’t need to be answered. “It’s been quite a while since the last bout, I suppose it is time. Though I was hoping that perhaps he had finally beaten it. Ah well…”
