6
Gabriel lay awake in his hotel bed, staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t bother to roll over and look at the clock…he knew it would tell him that only a few minutes had passed since the last time he’d glanced at it. Then, it had been four-thirty, far too early to even think about getting up. And while he understood that he should be trying to get as much sleep as possible, since he had no idea what this new day would bring, he also knew that sleep was proving to be just as elusive as his lost magical powers.
At least he knew the best way to deal with sleeplessness was to remain in bed, to close his eyes and try to rest even if sleep itself eluded him. His eyelids slipped shut, but instead of a calm, soothing darkness, he saw Ava’s lovely, earnest face, saw the bright flash of her smile
