Something damp sprinkled my nose, causing it to twitch. I squeezed my eyes tight before cracking them open. I was lying on a hard cot, my body cocooned tightly in a scratchy blanket. The fabric of the blanket rubbed against bare skin and I realized someone had removed my clothes. My cheeks flushed and I hoped it hadn't been Will after all. A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. I was too hot but was hesitant to move if I was naked. Finally, modesty lost and I sat up and untangled myself from the blanket, taking in my surroundings.
I was in a large glass enclosure filled with plants of varying species. Some I recognized and others were so exotic they seemed alien to me. The air was balmy—almost unpleasantly so—and smelled of warm earth. I looked around slowly, my brain pounding against my skull. Wincing, I lifted a hand and cupped my forehead.
"Ugh, my head...what happened?" I asked softly.
You passed out in the middle of a storm. An Angel rescued us. Rayi replied flatly. My body tensed at this revelation and I swiveled my head, eyes scanning for the angel. I ignored the vertigo that emerged from the swift moment.
"So, you're finally awake! How are you feeling?" A blond head poked out from behind a large potted plant directly beside the cot I was sitting on.
Not expecting him to be so close, I leaned backwards with a surprised cry. I tried to stand up but forgot my legs were still wound in the blanket and I unceremoniously fell to the ground, hitting my head on the stone floor. Groaning, I sat up and clutched my head as my vision temporarily blackened.
"Easy, I won't hurt you." His voice was conversant and sounded slightly closer.
I looked up and saw the Angel Zane had been with looking kindly down at me, smiling a little nervously. He was still maintaining his distance, seemingly not to want to spook me anymore than I already was. He had his palms facing me and spoke softly.
"I-is it alright if I help you up?" He asked.
I hesitated, but decided if he was going to hurt me he would have done so already. I nodded my assent and he smiled and walked over to me cautiously. His slim hands gently grabbed me by my upper arms and pulled me up. I struggled to move my legs and keep a grip on the blanket. Once I was on my feet I wrapped the blanket around me in a makeshift dress and the Angel hoisted me back onto the cot, the strength in his thin arms surprising me. Once I was situated, he took a seat at the bench across from where I was seated.
"Where am I and why am I naked?" I finally questioned after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.
"My greenhouse: it's my heaven away from Heaven!" He crossed his legs. "I found you a few hundred yards away from my greenhouse and recognized you from earlier. You were almost frozen solid; I was afraid I was too late! So, I brought you in and started to warm you up."
"U-um, as to why you are naked, I had to strip you because they were cold and wet. The Angel of Health told me once to remove wet clothes off someone suffering from cold-fever. D-don't worry; I-I didn't do anything indecent to you!"
As he explained, I regarded him closely now that my brother wasn't there to glare at me. The Angel was slight, almost feminine in build. His hair was cut to his ears with the ends turning up somewhat. His chin was startling sharp given the softness of his cheeks. He was wearing a brown long sleeved tunic, gray trousers, and boots. He stared at me with a peaceful expression.
"Why did you help me?" He blinked, as though puzzled by my question.
"Well, you're important to Zane. And it was the right thing to do." He said, fidgeting with the sleeve of his tunic.
I scrutinized him, seeing if he was being deceptive in any way. He stared into my eyes, nothing but sincerity emanating from them. He looked so earnest, like he wanted nothing more than for me to believe him. Finally, my eyes softened and I pulled my knees into my chest under the blanket.
"You certainly aren't like any other Angel I've encountered before." I mused.
"Heh, I've always been a little...different. I'm not repulsed by demons, but I suppose being open-minded comes with my job description." He said sheepishly.
I grabbed my feet and studied them. They were a little sore and my skin had a blue hue to it. Seeing where my gaze was, the Angel stated, "They're looking a lot better than when I first found you. They were almost completely black; I was worried they had to be amputated."
Subconsciously, I rubbed them. "A little longer and I would have lost them."
"Oh, I just remembered!" He suddenly exclaimed, hopping to his feet. He startled me and I looked up at him. "I made a drink to help warm you up! I'll be back momentarily."
He ran off somewhere, leaving me alone for a minute. A strong smelling tree was beside me, its white flowers brushing against my shoulder. I leaned toward it and sniffed, wrinkling my nose at the minty scent. The wind blew against the glass walls and I was almost concerned the building wouldn't hold before I reminded myself Angels built this place. The smell of warm, damp earth filled my nostrils, reminding me of Zane. I half expected him to be in the building, but I could only hear my and the angel's heartbeats.
The angel reemerged holding two steaming mugs. He handed me one and I took it, smiling tensely at him. He made himself comfortable on the stone bench across from me, crossing his legs at the ankles.
"Thank you," I murmured sincerely, placing the mug carefully between my feet, "...for taking me in. I would have frozen out there."
"No problem!" Tobias smiled genuinely at me, despite the wariness still present in his amethyst eyes. His lingering mistrust of me was obvious, not that I blamed him. "But, uh, what were you doing out there alone? Why wasn't Will with you?"
I looked down, taking a chary sip of the hot liquid. It was rich and unlike anything I'd ever tasted. I briefly forgot his question and asked, "What is this?"
He didn't like that I didn't answer him, but he replied, "Hot chocolate. It's new in the area."
"I like it." I declared, taking a larger sip. Then, I remembered he has asked me something. "Sorry, what was the question?"
With a patient sigh, Tobias repeated his question. I muttered, "We had a...falling out."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?" I looked up sharply at him, a flare of suspicion rising.
"Why do you want to know? And how do you know my brother?" I demanded, setting the half empty mug beside me. I didn't rise to my feet, knowing my strength hadn't returned yet.
He seemed to shrink under my glare, poking his index fingers together timidly. "W-well, I find talking about my problems help...as for how I know Zane, I think you should ask him that. I don't believe it is my place to tell you."
I was still a little wary of him, but relaxed when I could smell him. He had no icy under-scent like the Archangels. At best, he was a Lesser Angel. He didn't strike me as one to fight; he was soft physically.
I shrugged and mumbled, "Just how much do you know about me and Will?"
"It's obvious you're lovers. The weather may have been less than ideal for scents, but I could tell by the pheromones." He shrugged as well, taking a sip of his hot chocolate
His words reminded me of his job and I said aloud, "That's right. You're the Angel of Love. Forgive me, your name escapes me."
He smiled and nodded, pointing at himself. "That's me! I'm Tobias."
"It's nice to meet you; I'm Melanie." I didn't return his smile, still somewhat wary of him.
I grabbed my mug and gulped down the rest of my hot chocolate. The warmth of the drink spread through my body, making my bones tingle pleasantly. I kept my cool fingers wrapped around the mug, licking my lips at the chocolate clinging to the corners of my mouth.
"So, what happened between you and Will? Things seemed a little tense and Zane didn't elaborate on what happened." Tobias inquired after a moment's silence.
"He didn't believe me when I said I truly have feelings for him. He didn't understand why you and my brother are acquainted, like me, but he lashed out at me. He thought my kind are scheming, even though we're not as far as I know. He hurt me." I rubbed my throat and I could feel his forearm pressing down again.
The movement was not missed by Tobias and his eyes softened. "Will is a bit of a hothead. He tends to get overemotional and let his emotions rule his actions. This wouldn't be the first time he's gotten physical with someone because of his temper."
"That doesn't justify hurting me like that. I've never given him any reason to mistrust me before this. When we first met, I didn't fight back, even when he attacked." I murmured, thinking back to the first time I encountered him.
"Why? From my understanding, demons usually fight back the moment they are attacked. At least, that's what Zane does."
"I didn't want to hurt him. He fascinated me the moment I saw him." I admitted. "I'd never seen an Angel before and even though I was terrified, I was enraptured at the same time."
Tobias blinked knowingly at me. "We're like that for demons, while the opposite is true for us. We're repulsed by demons. Except me and maybe a couple others."
The wind was dying down, the blizzard mostly over. Snow clung to the windows and pressed against the transparent door. The moon was bright, creating an ethereal glow on the twinkling snow. I continued rubbing my feet, feeling them warm with each rub. Across from me, Tobias lit a couple candles.
"It's beautiful outside." He sighed wistfully. "It is a shame frost is so cruel to flowers, though. Winter is the most tragic season."
I had little experience with the winter of the Human World. Hell was always warm, sometimes unbearably so. I disliked winter now, though, associating it with the Angel of Death and his terrifying scythe. That was why I liked Will. His clement skin against mine was enough to make my eyes droop in contentment. Thinking back to the way he looked at me earlier forced a lump in my throat, making it hard to swallow.
"I shouldn't have come here today." I choked out, not quite crying but close.
"Perhaps not." Tobias agreed, looking out the windows, "Today wasn't a good day, but you had no way of knowing. And, I don't know where the portal is, so I can't take you there myself. You're welcome to stay as long as the storm lasts."
I stood, pleased to see that the strength in my legs had returned. "No need. I will be able to locate the portal myself now I don't have a blizzard blinding me."
He got to his feet, too, holding a hand out to me. "Then, it was nice meeting you, Melanie."
"Thank you for helping me, Tobias." I replied sincerely, taking his hand and shaking it once before dropping my own hand back at my side.
We had been in the very back of the greenhouse, I noticed, as I walked down the stone path to the front. Tobias' sanctuary was surprisingly large, something I failed to see earlier. The path twisted and turned, became a crossroad at several points. I had to backtrack twice before I finally came to the entrance. I paused beneath the overhang and looked slowly around, my ears twitching. The portal was in the opposite direction I was facing and turned into a raven.
************************************************
I landed hard in my room, back in my true form. I lied there, panting and gasping for air. My heart was pounding in my chest but it felt like it was in my throat. Flying over a mile to the portal and another half a mile to home had eaten away at my stamina; my body was used to me transforming sparingly.
"I-I made it. Oh, thank Lucifer. I thought I was a goner." I whispered, sitting up once my breathing evened out somewhat.
I changed into a cotton dress and slid socks onto my still tender feet. Bed looked inviting, with my soft comforter and fluffy pillows. I had been about to lie down when my brother barged in. Zane knocked once, entered my room, and grabbed my arm.
"Release me; I am in no mood to be touched." I growled, shaking his hand off me.
He ignored me and forced me into his room, slamming the door shut. He turned on me, snarling, "What was that Angel doing near Tobias's sanctuary?"
I was shocked by the aggression in his voice. My own anger dissipated as I stammered, "H-he sensed you there and got worried. Tobias isn't all that strong to face a demon, so Will went to check it out. Why were you there anyway?"
I faintly recalled my conversation with Mikayla earlier about how Zane seemed twitchy. His hostility lessened significantly from my question and he looked embarrassed. He backed away from me, rubbing the back of his neck like he did whenever he felt uncomfortable. Despite the embarrassed expression on his face, his tone remained hard, "No reason."
Thinking back to my conversation with Tobias about his relationship with my brother, I thought of prying but decided against it. I was dead on my feet, my body swaying as though to remind me just how fatigued I felt. And, honestly, I didn't care enough to really push him for answers. I blinked tiredly up at him as the pink left his cheeks.
"It's been a long day for me, Zane, are we done? I really just want to sleep."
Zane grunted, flopping on his bed with his thick arms folded behind his head. He shut his eyes. "Whatever."
I exited his room and went to mine. After I closed the door behind me, I ran to my bed and crawled under my covers until I was completely hidden. My warm quilt seeped into my still somewhat chilled flesh, causing it to feel like it was tingling.
My ceiling was black and the surrounding walls sky blue. The darkness of my room was soothing and my eyes drooped. I snuggled into my mattress until I was more comfortable. I was laying on my left side, my legs pulled close to my chest. I blinked slowly and forced Will out of my head.
I had a rough night of sleep that evening, plagued with dreams of being stuck in ice while Will looked on with indifferent eyes.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
