She wanted to be with him, but it did not occur today, tomorrow, or yesterday. It’s been going on since she first dreamed of him. She was terrified when he arrived, and he let go of her. She now realizes he was supposed to take her away, but he didn’t. After a while, she dreamed about him again, and she remembered being terrified, but he comforted her that day. It was like a wave of memories crashing upon the shore of her mind. She recalls walking into the meadow every night after she fell asleep. She remembers it as if she had visited the place, not as if she had dreamed about it. They would frequently sit in the meadow together. The distance grew wider as she grew older. As she grew older, she began to sit closer to him and talk about trivial matters such as her high school days, her English test, and her C in physics. She told him about her acceptance to NYU and her parents’ deaths when she returned home for the summer. He did not spare them because there were rules. He’d already broken them for her. She was angry at him for everything, she asked him to take her, but he didn’t, time passed, the draw became more potent, and the meadow became beautiful, but it would all change soon, the birds chirping, the perfume of the flowers, and the sunlight shifting. The flames would arrive, and She would awaken. She recalls her developing feeling now that all of the sensations, experiences, and feeling when he embraced her had crept from her dream to reality.
She lurched back, stunned by the memories. Azrael gently snatched her arms, his touch alone giving her chills.
Azrael’s eyes were intense and took her breath away.
She felt convinced her heart would burst through her rib cage. She leaned against Azrael unconsciously. His breath brushed against her cheek, his face so close…close enough to touch his lips to hers. She remembered wanting to do it so many times in the meadow, but he would never let her. He never comes close to her intending to seduce her. He never allowed her to get close to him. Will he let her in now?
The song sounds like a distant breeze.
“Are you going to take me away?” She asked, wanting him to say yes. She recalls that they talked, but the dream didn’t end with just fire. There is a lot of time she spends there.
“Not yet,” He said as she felt his hand slide from her arms to her back, stopping at her spine and leaving a fire trail in its wake.
“What are you doing then?” She muttered.
Every cell and every fiber He touched her. She closed her eyes as he slid his figure tips against her spine, her lips slightly open. She can still hear the music darkening into a cold night. On the other hand, his touch was like embers searing into her skin. She mustered the mental fortitude to organize her thoughts and break free from his hold. She turned around and walked to the dance floor to experience reality.
“I have to find Jody….” She made an effort to recall herself.
“Don’t worry, she’s okay,” he muttered, mouth close to her ears.
“But…”
“No one is looking for her,” he replied.
“But they’re after me,” She says.
“Yes,”
The crowd swayed to the sensual pace of the song, the golden light flashing over their faces. She took long breaths to slow her heartbeat and sensed him behind her. She remembers her bewilderment, her questions, and Aris outside.
He stroked her elbow. She turned to see him, his eyes swiftly scanning the corner of the hall. She kept her eyes on him. Six, they were six, and they were the first to enter the room, tall, board, and muscular in back suits, joining the other men she had seen previously. They wore no masks and had motionless faces. They stick out like a sore thumb amid the bright lights and hectic atmosphere.
“Who exactly are they?”
“They are Realm Of Light soldiers,”
“Realm Of Light soldiers?” ”
Azrael took another quick bend to look, leading them deep into the crowd. He was on high alert, enraged, and his grip on her tightened. Her heart raced with fear.
“Those morons!” He murmured something under his breath.
“They want to take you to the domain of lost souls,”
“I thought I had some time….” She said
“Stay close to me; I’ve camouflaged our aura.”
We must wait till they can reach an agreement. “We are not here,” Azrael’s refusal to let her go makes no sense. She kept staring at him, trying to decipher his concerned eyes, his slightly shrunken pale cheeks accentuating the edges of his cheekbones as his jaw tightened and his sharp stare stuck to every corner of the hall while he held her as if he would never let go.
She understands why he is here. Why not do it? Why doesn’t he take her? What is he thinking? Why is he making her feel things she shouldn’t be feeling right now?
“How come you haven’t taken me yet?” She asked of him.
Azrael returned his attention to her.
“I remember those dreams, and I know you,” he said, nodding.
“So, Azrael, why haven’t you taken me? I am no longer a little girl, and I understand that everyone must go.” She swallowed, not taking her gaze away from him.
“Do you want to die?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as the music changed to something dark and eerie.
“No one wants to die, but it’s time, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but…” the but hovers in the air between them like a brewing storm.
“But, what?”
“Nothing,”
“You didn’t answer me; why?” Why isn’t she already dead? If this is such a claustrophobic, why hasn’t he taken her? But he said nothing, so she took a long breath and expelled it. This is getting out of hand; if he doesn’t tell her anything, she will be forced to…she stares at those celestial soldiers.
“If you’re not going to tell me anything, why do you keep me around? Why does it matter to you to lose another soul?” She turned to walk away.
He grabbed her firmly and spun her around, yanking her back to him.
“I want you all to myself,” He drew her in closer, his eyes riveted with her, and her heart squeezed at his revelation.
“For yourself?” Dazed, she inquired as his hands caressed her bare back; she shivered and closed her eyes.
“Scared?” His deep voice spoke into her ears.
“No,” she murmured as she opened her eyes and looked into his. She took a step back from his arms, one hand resting on his side as the other gripped her arms hard, anchoring her to him. She tries to break free, but he pulls her back in.
“What are you doing ?” As he walked them around the dance floor, she asked. He didn’t respond, whirling her around and pulling her back, her back to him, and felt his every muscle move to the dark beats of the music, which was developing into something alluring.
Natasha’s breath hitched as he spoke, “I want to bind your soul to mine and never let you go.” She leans into him, unconcerned by her behavior.
She could feel his lips on her ears. “I don’t want anything between us, the Realm of Light or the rules; there would be no separation and no turning back.”
Heat rose to her neck due to his possessive words, and she squeaked at the sensation. His fingers slid down on her bare arms, causing shivers. The power of his touch kindled something within her, searing her and engulfing her. When he turned her around and flushed her against his body, his eyes drew her gaze in. His arms encircled her so tightly that there was no place for anything, air or even her thoughts. She looked at him helplessly, knowing she couldn’t fight this any longer. The music halted, the spell broke, and she blinked to clear her head. He took a step back and let her go. She fills with a sense of emptiness. When he turned to leave, her heart pounded terribly in her chest. She takes his hand in hers. He takes a look at her.
“Don’t,” she said, shaking her head.
“Take a step back and let me go.”
“No,” she answered emphatically. An emotion touched Azrael’s eyes but vanished as quickly as it appeared. She became irritated.
“You just said you wanted me.”
“I shouldn’t want you; I’m not sure what got into me.” He looked away. “Forgive me; I will take you to the Realm of Light when they leave.”
The realm of light is enticing to every human, including her. It is the last thing on her mind right now, right here.
“Will I see you there?”
“No, you will never see me again,” Natasha recoils, her legs weakening.
“You don’t want to see me,” She says.
Azrael stopped breathing, his stern, steely gaze softening to the point of pleading.
“I am condemned; I will never enter Realm of Light,”
Panic gripped her. She tries to slow her breathing.
“No, no, I don’t want….” Can’t he see it? Can’t he sense what she wants?
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” she could hear the agony in his voice. The air surrounding them then changed.
“Damn it!” Azrael curse.
Everything seemed to move slowly, and she saw those celestial soldiers approaching. They jumped, her eyes wide with alarm, and before she could say anything else.
Azrael looks around before snatching her to him. Natasha’s mask falls behind.
A tidal surge of air struck her, she felt weightless, and suddenly she was falling; the air rushed past her ears, her stomach recoiled in fear, and the wind was knocked out of her. It stopped.