DEATH BRINGER NOVEL

Chapter Six

Azriel watched as Grace walked around the empty apartment. He was unsure of what to do with himself, should he cross his arms? Would he look too severe? Should he lean against something? Maybe that’d look more casual. He was so nervous that his body felt entirely foreign to him.

The apartment was one open plan kitchen and living area, two doors led off that living area, one into a bathroom and the other into a bedroom.

The doors opened into these rooms, something Azriel cursed himself for not remembering as he leant against the bedroom door in an attempt to look casual and relaxed. Just as he’d put all of his weight on it, it swung open. Azriel went flying into the bedroom and ended up on the floor in a heap. Leaping to his feet and brushing himself off, he tried to hide the red colour blooming on his face as he emerged again.

Grace turned as he re-entered the living room. She didn’t say anything but he saw the amusement dancing in her eyes and the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. Azriel only went redder in response.

“So, you have no furniture?” She said to him, spinning in the open space again.

“I have the essentials,” Azriel responded, he picked a wall to lean on this time as the blush faded from his cheeks. Grace raised one delicately arched brow. “I have a chair and a bed in the bedroom,” he finished.

Grace shrugged and dropped to the floor, she sat crossed legged with her back against the kitchen counter. It was the most comfortable place she’d been in a long time, even with the lack of furniture. The navy hospital scrubs bunched in places as they were far too big, but she was warm, dry and free.

He had gotten her free.

“What can I call you?” she looked up at him through long lashes, her honey eyes glowing with something unreadable. He was confused for a second, it took a beat for him to realise he hadn’t actually told her his name.

“My name is Azriel,” he said gruffly.

“Az-reee-al,” she sounded it out. He realised that it was the first time anyone here had ever spoken it. He liked the way it sounded. He liked the way she said it.

Her stomach rumbled rather loudly then, interrupting his thoughts. Reaffirming the fact that she was far too thin but also, she was still covered in gore and filth after spending too much time in that cell.

“I don’t keep much food here, why don’t you have a bath and I will go out and get something hot for us to eat?” he gestured to the bathroom as he spoke and she began getting to her feet. She looked so tired. The bandages at her arms wouldn’t allow him to shake that image of how he found her.

He turned, walking towards the bathroom and she followed. He began running the bath dumping in a large helping of lavender bubble bath into the tub, the scent soothing.

“I’ll go and get you a towel and some clean clothes, they…. They will have the slits in the back though,” he said, human clothes weren’t something he kept here. “I will get you some things tomorrow,” Grace just stared at the tub, it was slowly filling, bubbles multiplied rapidly.

He didn’t expect a response as he turned to leave in search of those clothes but she put her hand on his forearm as he passed. She looked up at him, her face filled with so much emotion that for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

“Thank you,” her voice cracked as she spoke and for a moment he thought she might cry. She wondered if he knew that this kindness, running a bath for her, was the most that anyone had ever shown her.

When she didn’t burst into tears and she let go of his arm, he smiled and nodded reassuringly. He left the room and she began to undress.

Azriel didn’t think before entering, hadn’t realised she’d begun to undress. She hadn’t closed the door. As he looked up from the pile of clothes he’d bought in, he saw her.

He almost dropped the bundle. She was naked except for a pair of black panties. But it wasn’t the nakedness that stopped him in his tracks. It was the bruises.

There was no anger, no rage, he didn’t feel anything. He was completely frozen. There just seemed to be this pain in his chest, this cracking feeling as he took in the blue and black across her body.

The handprints. As he studied them, he realised that they were hand prints. They wrapped around her thighs and disappeared under the black material. He was torn between wanting to cry for her, to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness for leaving her to experience that, and wanting to vomit. He felt so sick at the thought of the situation she’d have had to have been in to get those bruises.

She turned, startled and began to open her mouth to tell him to get out but she paused seeing the devastation on his face. Azriel diverted his gaze immediately, putting the bundle of clothes on the floor in the doorway.

“Be careful not to get your bandages wet,” he murmured and then he was gone. A few seconds later the apartment door clicked closed behind him.

---------------------------------------------------

Azriel couldn’t process it. He felt winded, he couldn’t breathe.

He barely remembered to wrap his wings in darkness before entering the dimly lit restaurant. The Chinese food was good, and he could avoid bright lights in the room so he didn’t have to worry about the light cutting through the shadows around his wings.

Humans were pretty good at not seeing things that messed with their perceptions of reality anyway. He just prefered to avoid the possibility of bumping into that one person that might see them.

It wasn’t until he got to the counter that he realised he had no idea what she ate. He ordered everything. One of everything. She needed to gain weight anyway, having an abundance of food wouldn’t be a bad thing if it ensured she ate enough.

After waiting over an hour for the food he carried three huge boxes back to the apartment.

When he entered Grace was curled up on the floor in the living room by one of the huge windows, he placed the boxes on the counter and went over to her. Lay in the fetal position, she’d grabbed a blanket off his bed, her hair was still wet and she was breathing softly as she slept.

Azriel was torn, did she need food or sleep more? Should he wake her or let her sleep?

He looked at how tiny she was. Food. She needed food and could sleep afterwards.

He grabbed the boxes and placed them on the floor not too far from where she lay, he got plates and cutlery from the kitchen and then he went over to wake her.

Gently, Azriel placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Grace,” he whispered. Her eyes flew open, they were filled with fear and wrath. She jumped backwards, away from where he stood. Her breathing was ragged.

Azriel stepped back. Hands in the air between them.

Slowly, so slowly, she seemed to remember where she was. She looked up at him, the fear in her eyes began to clear.

“I got food,” he offered, gesturing behind him at the boxes. Grace took in the mass amounts of food. “I didn’t know what you’d eat,” he said quietly.

Azriel handed her a plate and began taking cartons out of the boxes. He always passed them to her first, waiting for her to take whatever she wanted and begin eating before he helped himself. They ate in silence.

Once they’d finished eating Azriel packaged up the leftover food and walked to the counter with it.

“At some point, I want you to tell me what happened,” Azriel said to her over his shoulder as he placed the food down. She didn’t respond. He turned to her, his face carefully blank. “But that doesn’t have to be tonight,” he finished, noticing how she had stiffened.

He took her hand, helping her up from the floor. He snatched up the blanket too.

“You can have the bed,” he said softly. She still held his hand and for a moment they stood less than an inch apart. He studied her face, finally some colour had come back into her cheeks, that black eye was beginning to fade and she looked up through long lashes. Even when she looked so thin and frail, she could never be anything but beautiful.

Then he turned away, tugging her gently towards the bedroom.

The room was dark as they entered. He rarely bothered to open the blinds.

She clung to his hand.

“I…” she began but stopped again. He searched her face. “Can we open the blinds? It’s too dark, I…” the look of panic on her face told him enough. He freed his hand from hers, he strode to the floor next to the bed. There was a clicking noise and then her breath rushed from her.

Stars illuminated the ceiling. She turned to him, her face glowing in the pale light, her eyes shining.

“It reminds me of home,” Azriel murmured, meeting her eyes for a second before pulling back the covers on the bed. He patted the mattress as Grace began to sway with fatigue. She sat down, nestling back against the pillows. He pulled the blankets over her.

As he turned she reached out to him.

“Don’t disappear again, please?” her eyes seemed to fill with tears as her voice cracked on the last word. He smiled at her sadly.

“I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere,” He pointed at the chair in the corner. She looked at him unsure but watched as he walked to the chair and sat down, midnight black wings curling around him.

When her eyes drifted closed Azriel kept guard, his guilt tormented him that night. He should have tried harder to find her.

LOOKOUT FOR CHAPTER SEVEN!