Untouchable Darkness (The Dark Ones Saga, #2)(58)

My mother stumbled out of her hut, then fell to her knees in loud choking sobs.

The man, the same one who had flinched while watching, stopped in front of her then knelt down. “Woman, why do you cry?”

His voice was so hollow, as if he didn’t understand emotion.

“My son.” She choked out a long horrendous sob. “He was thrown in the fire…” Even through tears stained cheeks, blood caked to her fingers, and her hair matted, she was beautiful. The man sucked in a sharp breath, admiring her for the first time. “He was only a year, sir.”

“A year,” he repeated. “To be so new…” He shook his head. “I cannot comprehend such a short amount of time.”

“It wasn’t enough.” My mother hung her head. “I’ll mourn him forever.”

As an angelic being, the man could feel the woman’s sadness as if it was his own. He pulled off his helmet, set down his armor, and helped her to her feet.

It was his first mistake.

For without his armor.

He’d forgotten his purpose.

And when he touched her.

He closed his eyes. For the first time in his existence.

And when he opened them—her.

Only her.

And nothing else existed.

How, he wondered, had he gone so long watching, but not truly seeing?

As his men walked back up the mountain, to regain their rightful place, to stay awake, to watch.

He hesitated.

He never hesitated.

He wasn’t aware of the meaning of it.

Until that moment.

So beautiful.

I.

Want.

His breath came out in a whoosh.

Want.

Want.

Want.

Heartbeat slowing, he pressed her hand to his cheek as his blood roared for something more—than watching.

Watching was no longer enough.

He closed his eyes again.

And again.

And again as she continued to touch his face.

“Why are you crying?” the woman asked.

“Name?” he whispered. “What do they call you?”

“Nephal,” she answered. “It means—”

“—fallen.” He jerked away, took one step, then two. As if his very life depended on it, he put distance between him and Nephal.

“And yours?” she asked.

Want.

Want.

Want.

He knew he shouldn’t tell her, something cried out inside of him, that it was wrong, the entire exchange, something told him it would not end well, but he only wanted seconds, minutes, hours, maybe he wanted days, and was it wrong to want time? When he was given so much of it? After all, he was still watching, he was just watching. Her.

“Sariel.” The minute his name was released into the atmosphere, the wind picked up, a warning, from nature, from the very earth that he’d sworn to protect.

Do not do this. The mountains trembled.

Do not do this. The wind hissed.

Do not do this. The ground shook.

“I will not do this.” Sariel repeated out loud as the wind died down.

The woman hung her head. “Thank you… for all you’ve done.”

She turned her back.

He didn’t want her to.

He wanted.

Want.

Want.

Want.

“Sariel!” One of his men barked out his name. “We return to the mountain.”

“To watch,” Sariel said, his tone bitter.

Azeel looked stricken. “Brother, of course we watch. It is our purpose.”

And for the first time, Sariel… wanted more.

The earth shifted that day, without his brother’s knowledge, for when he watched, he watched Nephal.

When he watched, he dreamed of her.

And when his brothers were doing their duty.

He was closing his eyes and remembering her hand on his face.

It was years before he would see her again.

And the opportunity arose as the village was yet again attacked. The men, disbursed from the mountain.

They went in all directions.

But Sariel went to Nephal.

Once he reached her hut, he knocked on the door then burst through when she did not answer. “Nephal? Are you hurt?”

“No.” She frowned, rising up from her bed, the fur fell from her naked body. Sariel had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life.

Already he could sense that the battle was nearly over, his brothers, returning back to the mountain.

“I missed you.” Tears filled her eyes. “I do not know who you are… but I miss you. Why do I miss you?”

He didn’t know why.

He just knew he felt the same way.

“Why do you only come when we are in trouble?”

“I cannot answer that.”

“Why do I feel strongly for you? A man? A stranger I do not know?”

“I cannot answer that either.”

She nodded, covering herself with the fur and laid down.

Sariel was immobile, and then he found himself peeling his armor off, layer by layer.

He lay by her, pulling the woman in his arms as his body whispered mine.

But his heart.

His heart was in the most danger of all.

For when she sighed against him, it was as if time, did not slow, but picked up, reminding him, that it would run out. And his precious woman, would die.