Chapter 6

Flame turned in her sleep. She couldn't recall the last time she had slept so peacefully. It was as if her steel bed had been replaced by pure silk.

Soft... so very soft.

She flattered her lashes open lazily. Not wanting to meet the darkness that was all she saw each morning. But there wasn't any darkness. 

Far from it. 

She let her gaze flicker over her very different surrounding. 

She was in a well lit room. A very fancy one if the golden window drapes and high roof were any indication. 

She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes, expecting the scene to change once she opened them again. But it didn't. She smiled and shook her head. 

She was dreaming. Of course she was. What else could explain it? Those damn nurses must have changed her dosage. 

"You're up... good, " she heard someone say beside her and she gasped. Then she quickly turned and her body froze in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief. 

Lying on the bed next to her was the most magnificent person she'd ever seen. Scratch that.... he was no person. She might be high on drugs but even she knew that people didn't have wings. So that was the soft silk she had been lying on. 

She jumped off the bed and took several steps back. Then she narrowed her gaze and tilted her head to the side quizzically. Studying him like a puzzle she was trying to solve. 

He also stood ,staring at her with penetrating intensity. His surreal silver eyes unblinking. He took a step towards her and she moved back. 

"There's no need to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you, " his voice was like gravel dipped in honey. Low... husky.... completely sweet and unresistable . She wanted him to talk again. She didn't care what he said as long as he spoke. He stalked closer to her and she held out her hand, stopping him in his tracks. 

"Don't come any closer, " she breathily said and he did as asked. Though she was sure his expression seemed a little hurt by her words. So what if he was an angel? She still had no idea where she was and how she had gotten there. Though she was sure that she wasn't in heaven. She'd committed too many sins .Plus it didn't sound right for angels to just sleep next to you in bed. Cause if they did then heaven was more messed up than people realised. 

She placed her hands on her waist and bit her lower lip. Then she stared at him. His wings were too white, not even snow could compare since they seemed to gleam with their brightness. 

She let out a breath. She must still be dreaming. That was definitely it. Or maybe the stress had finally gotten to her and she had completely lost it. And she was probably standing in the middle of the asylums cafeteria talking to herself. 

Yes... that made more sense. 

All she had to do was close her eyes for a while and once she opened them, everything would be back to normal. She did just that, squeezing them shut and willing herself to stay calm. Then she slowly let her lashes flatter open.

He wasn't there. She was still in that room but he wasn't there, and that was all the proof she needed to know that none of it was real. She let out a short laugh and shook her head.

"What's so amusing? " 

She yelped and turned around. He was right behind her."Christ! " she exclaimed as she placed her hand on her pounding heart. 

"Actually it's Nuriel.... not Christ, " he casually stated. He looked even more intriguing up close. His dark hair shone in the places where the light caught it. His nose was perfectly tipped. His jawline firm and his cheek bones were high. He wasn't handsome, that was too petty a name. 

He was perfect. And it took guts to stare at him. For his gaze was too much to bear. 

She wanted to look away but she found herself unable to. Was this it? she wondered. Had she finally crossed the line between what was real and what was fiction? 

"What's going on here? " she asked as she pinched herself. Surely it couldn't be real... could it? 

Was she really standing in front if an angel? He watched her with unhidden fascination. 

"You're not dreaming. And you're not dead either. " he answered her unasked question. Which was also her only other logical conclusion. If she wasn't dead then what was she doing there. 

"How... who... what.... " The perfect statement to showcase how confused she was. 

She took a step back .Her mind coming up with answers of its own. Sorcery maybe? she wondered. 

"Do you remember anything from yesterday? " he asked and she looked up at him. It was crazy how his appearance shocked her each time she stared at him. She thought about his question. 

She tried her best to recall the events of the previous day. And little by little it all started coming back to her. She had planned on killing herself. She had the pills and everything. Then the nurses had gone to give her her injection and then... the director! 

Her breathing started to hike up as she recalled what he had tried to do.

But he hadn't been successful in his attempt because..... NO! That wasn't right. She recalled him being up in flames. 

She recalled putting him up in flames before three angels appeared. . That couldn't be true. It was not possible ,things like that didn't just happen. 

She hadn't done that cause if she had then everything those people had said was true and she was nothing more but a murderer. 

"No.. no.. no.. NO! " she shouted as she squeezed her eyes shut with her palms. 

Then suddenly he was there, wrapping his arm around her. And a familiar feeling of safety washed through her, chasing away her fears and instantly calming her. She leaned into him. And it felt right to be in his arms. It was like each and every one of the fears she had ever possessed just vanished. And all that was left was him. 

"Calm down. It's okay m'eudail, " he murmured and she could feel the vibration of his words in his chest as he inched closer and held her head next to his heartbeat. It was surprisingly steady. 

She breathed in and out. Deep breaths to help her calm down and try to pin everything together. 

But wait! What was she doing? 

She stepped away from him though she immediately missed his closeness. 

"This isn't real, " she muttered to herself. Still doubtful.It might seem real but it wasn't. 

"Of course it is, " he calmly stated and she pointed at him. 

"Hey! Don't talk! I know what's going on here, " she shook the hand she had pointing to him and laughed hysterically. 

"They want me to think I'm crazy, right? They want me to believe that I've gone mad so...so they put me here and sent you to play tricks on me! " she spoke so fast she hardly heard her own words. 

" You must still be in shock.Or maybe you overworked yourself when you used your powers, " he stated more to himself than to her.

Powers? That was right about as much crap as she could handle. 

"Tell me, how much are they paying you to do this?.. huh? They must be really determined considering your getup and everything, " she waved her hands, gesturing to his wings and eyes. 

"Well let me tell you something mister , it won't work! Get that? And if I were you I'd leave right this instant before-" Her words were cut short. 

He closed the gap between them instantly and leaned in till their lips were only inches apart. His features were no longer calm and collected. They seemed to turn cold, almost eery. 

"I am going to say this for the last time. You are not dreaming, none of this is false and don't you ever dare accuse me of being untruthful... at least not where you're concerned! " the words didn't scare her. She was too busy noticing how close his lips were. How strange that nearness made her feel. He smelt of a dark untamed spice she couldn't even name. 

The scent seemed to compel her to lean closer, but she fought against the urge.

"Do you get that? " he asked and she swallowed. Then she looked up at him and sucked in a long needed breath. 

"Are you trying to tell me that this is all real? " she indicated her surrounding."That's precisely what I'm saying. "

Part of her knew he was telling the truth. But the other reasonable part refused to believe him. To accept that everything that had happened the previous day had actually... happened.She looked at him with a horrified expression. 

Then she rubbed her palm over her forehead. 

" Oh God!... " she exclaimed, " ..I've officially gone mad!! "

Nuriel shook his head. 

" I assure you that your sanity is perfectly intact. "