Forgiveness For My Dark Angel: Angels of the Apocalypse # 2

1: Encounters With Bears

The sounds of fighting were over quickly behind me, and for a moment, I was scared. I stopped running, looking back, afraid my Angelic savior had gotten hurt.

Oh I knew all the stories. That Demons could look beautiful. But there was just something about Amy. Even before I truly knew him. I hesitated, unsure if I should go back to make sure he was alright or not.

“What are you doing?” A masculine voice suddenly asked beside me. Almost scolded, really. I jumped, spinning to see my Angelic savior standing there, arms crossed.

“It’s you!” I breathed. “Are you alright?” I moved towards him automatically without thinking, taking in his appearance, searching for wounds.

“Of course I’m ok. Why wouldn’t I be?” He legitimately looked confused and I gaped.

“You just.. Took on a bear..” I spun again, just as abruptly worried about the bear. Maybe it was still after me! “Where is it?” I panicked.

“Oh the bear? He wandered off.” Amy walked by me, picking at his nails. “Turns out he was just hungry, but easily discouraged to find easier pickings.” He was scraping blood and fur from under his nails. I shuddered slightly.

“You.. you saved me.” I murmured, unable to take my eyes from his bloodied nails. That could have been me. Only smeared across the claws and teeth of that bear instead of the nails of this gorgeous man. “Why..?” I stared at him, and something about the way his eyes looked, blue-green jewels too bright to look real, that held such hope and sadness.. I was certain I’d seen them before.

“Why are you so sad?” I let slip, then gasped as he chuckled and cupped the hand I’d placed on his cheek. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” I tried to back away, I hadn’t even realized I’d reached for him, but he held tight and shook his head.

“No, it’s alright. It’s just.. That’s the first thing you asked me the first time we met.” He shrugged and I tried to search my memory for his face. But I had never been very good with faces, and since the world fell apart, so many came and went so quickly, they all sort of blurred together..

“I’m sorry, I don’t..” I blurted, then blushed, lowering my face. Yeah, my sketchy memory was an embarrassment. Even before the apocalypse, old classmates would walk up to me and be disappointed I couldn’t remember them.

“It’s ok. You told me you were bad with faces. It’s Amy, remember?” He probed. His name.. Dimly, somewhere in the back of my mind was a memory of me trying to pronounce his name in the dimly lit bookstore in which I used to work. Never could quite get it right. Too Americanized when I said it, couldn’t quite pronounce it the way he did. And those sad eyes over a book at the checkout desk. It was a book on hobby gardening. I remembered that, because I looked up and saw those sad eyes and thought what he really needed was a pet. Or a fantasy or adventure story instead. “Ah I see it there, you remember me now, don’t you? You have such a bad memory.” He laughed lightly and wiped a smudge of dirt off my cheek. I should be offended, but his words were true, and besides.my memory might be bad, but my rising emotions were oh so good. So good.

“Come on, let me walk you back to the colony.” Amy held out his hand, and bloody or not, I gladly accepted it and let him wrap his long, thin fingers around my own. My memory may have been spotty, but I could tell you, that first touch made my skin sing like it had been electrified. And it must have affected Amy too, because when I looked up from those smooth, warm fingers, he had a look on his face I didn’t quite understand, but it definitely made my heart speed up.

“Come on.” He repeated softly after a second, and tugged me in the direction of the colony. I followed after him, keeping pace and still marvelling at how his skin felt against mine. I was pretty sure he wasn’t human, but I didn’t actually care. The way I saw it, if he wanted to hurt me, he would have done so already. Instead, he’d saved me. From a freaking bear. Using nothing but his bare hands. One of which was wrapped tightly around mine like he was afraid I might get lost if he let go. And it was still sending tingles along my skin, making all the little hairs rise. It was like the longer I held his hand the more heat travelled through his fingers somehow, seeping into me and sinking into my blood to travel through my body. I looked at our hands as we walked.

I wondered what would happen if I touched more of him.

“You’ve gone quiet. What are you thinking about back there?” Amy tossed a look over his shoulder, his long hair fanning out to settle around his face like it had a life of its own. Like he was in some shampoo commercial from the days before.

“You’re beautiful.” I burst out, making myself blush, and Amy paused, a shocked look on his face. Then he dissolved into a fit of laughter, and everything in my entire soul and being wanted to bathe in that laugh. If I could disappear into it, I would. I think it was then that I knew.. I was falling for him, and I didn’t even know him that well. But crushes are like that, I guess. “Also, my skin feels alive where it touches you. Like really, really alive. Like I’m finally warm, and I’ve been cold all my life and didn’t know… I was just wondering if that would happen all over, or if it was just a fluke.” I muttered with embarrassment. Amy stopped laughing and his fingers briefly tightened on mine.

“So you can feel that too, can you?” Amy murmured, lifting our joined hands. “It’s like your energy calls to me, and mine responds.” I looked up at him from under my lashes and watched as he examined our hands. Tentatively, he reached his other hand towards me, and ran his fingertips up my arm. I shuddered as the hairs on my arms raised, and the tingling warmth made its way deep into my tissues. I didn't realize I was breathing harder until Amy looked at me with concern. “Are you ok?” He asked softly. In response, I nodded, swallowing hard.

“It feels good.” Slipped from me before I could stifle it, and once again Amy laughed.

“Whatever you think just comes right out of your mouth, doesn’t it?” He chortled. I blushed.

“I’m sorry.” I tried to pull my hand back. Even wanting to drown in his laughter couldn’t hide my mortification. Instead, he tugged me closer.

“No, I.. find it refreshing.” His fingertips slipped up my arm to my shoulder. Covered in material now, I couldn’t feel the tingle, but I swore it was like the hair on my arm raised anyway. Like running an electrified balloon close to your hair without touching it. Amy’s thumb brushed my neck and a jolt like lightning shot through me, carrying heat straight through my body. I jerked and an involuntary moan escaped me. Unconsciously, I tilted my head away so he could do more. “This is.. Dangerous…” He whispered hoarsely, his fingertips hovering over my pulse as he stared at my skin with a mix of trepidation and fascination.

“Why.. dangerous?” I breathed. Deciding to be daring, I reached up to cup his hand to my cheek. Instant heat and sparks made my world fade away to white.

“Because, I can’t jeopardize my chance to get back home. And you’re a temptation.” Amy’s voice came through afog. A fog in which I saw a winged being that resembled nothing human falling from a great height to crash into another realm. It reached skyward with tears in its eyes, but there was no way back. No way until the sentence had been served. Amy gently pulled his hand from mine and I opened my eyes, the fog fading. The sad expression was back on Amy’s face, and he turned away from me, only maintaining his grip on my fingers as he lightly tugged me forward again. “Come now, it’ll be night soon. Let’s get you safe.” I was pretty sure a little piece of me shattered as he closed himself off from me.

It took a little longer than I expected to get back to the colony’s razor wire gates. It was a former institution or something, I think is what they told me. Either way, the guards yelled when they saw me, and I called back everything was ok. They were probably worried because Amy was just too perfect to be human. Even dishevelled and bloody from his fight with the bear.

He stopped about twenty feet from the gate, my hand slipping from his almost like he was reluctant to let it go. I turned back to face him, clasping my still tingling hand to my chest, hoping to hold onto the feeling.

“Will I.. see you again?” I mumbled, almost afraid to meet his eyes in case he rejected me. He straightened as if surprised.

“You want to?” He asked incredulously. I nodded, biting my lip.

“I’d very much like it.” I responded, darting a quick glance at him to gauge his expression. He looked bewildered, but a smile broke across his face.

“I’ll be around.” He said cryptically, then turned to go.

“Wait!” I called, stepping forward swiftly. He turned into my forward rush and I crashed into his chest. Apologizing profusely, I backed up a space, but once again made a rash decision and darted forward swiftly.

I was aiming to kiss his cheek, but again, he moved into the motion unexpectedly, and as my lips brushed his I knew without a doubt. I would chase this man, human or Demon, all the way to the ends of the earth.

An explosion went off behind my eyelids and I wasn’t the only one who reacted. Amy’s sharp intake of breath told me he was just as affected, and as the soft moan escaped my lips, Amy disappeared. A clamor went up behind me, but I didn’t care.

“Thank you for saving me.” I whispered. Somehow, I knew he heard me.