CHAPTER 11

"Gabe," I whisper softly. I don't know why but I felt that this Gabe was not the one I saw these last days. And this feeling transpired in my dreams. Here I was, again in the same dark place, surrounded by the same mixture of blood, spearmint, and honey. However, this time I could also sense a different smell. I can't remember sensing this scent before, but it seemed so familiar. The scent was a mixture of cinnamon and black tea and some other spice. It was a very odd combination, a combination that one would not naturally think of. And yet it made my heart throb strangely. I tried to adjust my sight so I could see around me better. As I began to make my way towards what seemed to be a human silhouette, I heard steps. I hid behind a pillar and instinctively checked my pockets for the little bottles of wolfsbane perfume. But then I reminded myself that I was in a dream. It didn't take long for my eyes to adjust, just in time to see to whom those approaching steps belonged. It was the cinnamon person, the nauseating fragrance surrounded me and almost made me lose my composure. I've been around him for days and I have never noticed such fragrance around him before.

"I am sorry, I am truly sorry," Gabe said, touching the sleeping silhouette, the silhouette didn't budge. Gabe crouched closer to the silhouette and put something on the floor next to the silhouette. "I don't know what to do!" Gabe whispered the words to himself just before he rushed out of the place, not looking back. Ella made her way towards the silhouette, her curiosity burned too strong to ignore it. She approached it with great caution. She felt like she needed to know who it was, again the same fragrance of spearmint and honey surrounded her. She focussed her eyes on the chained silhouette sitting down still like a corpse. She could hear their heartbeat; they were still alive, but they were so still that she initially thought they were no longer alive. She gasped when she saw his face.

"Gabe!?" She spoke, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands. She lost her balance for a millisecond, stumbling over the object the previous Gabe left by this Gabe looking man. The metal bowl echoed in the big stone room.

"Who's there?" The man asked in a hoarse voice. Ella jumped out of her skin hearing the man speak, and because of the loud alarm pulling her back to reality.

"Damn it! Is so freaking early! I should have moved to Oxford!" Ella scolded herself, her lecture doesn't begin until 9 am, yet she must wake up at 6 am to get there in time. Ella got herself up and begun readying herself in a hurry so she can catch the bus and train in time. She rushed to the lecture, barely catching her breath. She settled down on her chair ready for Gabe's lecture, today's topic was on romantic love and evolutionary attachment development in humans. Ella's would describe herself as a hard-core atheist if someone was to consider romantic love as a religion, and yet she was curious about the topic. Even more now, because of her newfound mate.

"Good morning class, I hope you're awake," Gabe chimed in, setting some files on his desk. Ella didn't notice when he entered the class, she was busy browsing her social media. When she looked at him, the intense dream she had returned in a flash, she tried to ignore it. But when she looked at him again, the dream seemed to blend with her reality and sip in the present moment, the stone dark and cold place replaced the bright classroom, and Gabe was covered in fresh blood. A gag reflex made Ella feel without air, she rushed out of class. Gabe hurriedly rushed after her, as he noticed that something didn't seem right.

"Ella," Gabe called her name softly. She didn't realize he followed her.

"Gabe," Ella called his name, without looking at him.

"Are you ok?" He asked with concern decorated all over his face.

"Gabe, I don't know...I... I," Ella stumbled over her words, she didn't know how to put it, but lately, these intense dreams had been plaguing her nights leaving her with little sleep, and now they bleed into her reality.

"That's ok, you can tell me." He encouraged her, hugging her.

"People are going to see us," Ella scolded him weakly.

"Let them see us," He whispered in her hair, tightening his arms around her. "I'll protect you," He whispered.

"Lately these dreams are plaguing my sleep, and now even in class," Ella confessed breathing in, "they are all about you." Ella continued.

"Hmm...are they sexy dreams?" He asked mischievously, nibbling on her ear. She was already melting in his arms.

"They are not...they are horrible dreams,"

"Hmm..." He acknowledged moving his lips on her neck. Ella could barely focus on their conversation; she felt her body catching fire. "So, nightmares, you're saying?" He asked, his voice so low and deep.

"Nightmares," She replied, a quiet moan escaping her lips.

"Maybe you should stop using these wolfsbane perfumes, I will protect you!" He spoke in clear words, removing her from his embrace and turning her towards him, so he could look into her eyes. "I will protect you! Even at the cost of my life, do you hear me?" Gabe promised her, looking her straight in her eyes. Ella nodded her head.

"Thank you. This is something I've never got the chance to experiment." She confessed looking down at her shoes and tugging on his coat. He pulled her close to him and started tracing her face with his fingers. When his phone begun to annoyingly ring.

"I need to take this," he said, walking away from her.

Ella returned to class, her horror dreams were now replaced by daydreaming about dreamy Gabe, as she decided to call him.