The Watcher (19 page)

*****

Lily

I glanced at the clock and realized I only had an hour before Gabriel picked me up and I really needed a shower. Thank goodness my new landlord had let me move in so early. Emma and some of our friends had gotten all my stuff moved out of my old place and into the new one in a matter of hours earlier this morning. All my IKEA purchases had also arrived this morning and it was a good thing I knew such handy men. It would have taken me days to put things together! I was totally in love with my new place and couldn’t wait to break it in with Gabriel. He and I had agreed to meet up late this afternoon and spend the rest of the day together. He had told me to dress comfortably for the outdoors. 

As I got undressed, I started to get excited and hopeful. I hoped he was going to divulge at least some of his secrets today. I wanted to trust him, there was just something about him that made me think I could. But I needed proof, not just promises of answers to come. After jumping in the shower, I put on some more yoga pants, yes I had a gazillion pairs, and a t-shirt and hoodie just in case it was chilly where we were going. Heading to the bathroom, I mentally calmed my anxiety about today, and put on some mascara and lip gloss, threw my hair on top of my head in a haphazard bun.

I heard a quiet knock on the door and my heart jumped. I opened it wide and my heart stopped. He was in khakis, hiking boots, and a zip up fleece the same color as his eyes. My mouth dried up and I couldn’t speak. He was beautiful, his hair tied back and his arm resting casually against my door jamb. I could feel the ache between my legs start to reappear and I licked my lips to try to coax some moisture from them.

He smirked and shook his head slowly, “Glutton for punishment, aren’t we Lily?” Then his arms were around me and his lips were sealed to my throat. He nibbled and licked his way down to my collarbone, making my breath rush out in a gasp.

“Dammit,” I said, “I forgot again didn’t I?”

He bit down on my collarbone in response, a sweet combination of pleasure and pain.

“I hope you continue to forget,” came his reply. I pushed him away and poked him in the chest.

“You’re as much of a brat as I am, aren’t you naughty boy?” I said with a big smile.

He laughed and said, “You have no idea.”

“I’m beginning to get one! Now let’s go, you have secrets to spill.” I turned around to grab my wallet and keys and kissed my kids goodbye. Gabriel smiled at this last part.

“You’re adorable,” he said with a smile. Ryan had thought I was a cat freak…just goes to show who’s a better person. It’s always the guy who likes cats.

I shut the door and locked it and followed Gabriel outside. It was a workday so there weren’t many cars parked nearby. I saw a Civic, my Beetle, and a shiny black motorcycle. It had two helmets attached, a black one and a smaller hot pink one. I looked up at him in wonder.

“Is that yours?”

“Sure is, darlin’. And that pink helmet is yours.” I walked closer, excitement building in my stomach. He had had my name painted in cursive on the side. It actually WAS my helmet.

“I love it!” I exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to ride on one of these babies. I’m so excited!”

“I knew you would be, beautiful. Let’s get on the road; we have a bit of a drive.”

After putting our helmets on, he climbed onto the bike then helped me on behind him. I put my feet on the pegs on each side and put my arms around him.

“Hold on kitten,” his soft voice came through my helmet. He must have speakers and mics in these! I tightened my hold and leaned my head against his back.

We drove for nearly an hour and I loved every minute of it. I could tell he had a bit of a lead foot, but was taking it easy on me since I was a first timer. I couldn’t stop smiling and my cheeks were beginning to hurt. It was a perfect day, sun shining and temperature just right for a change. I was able to look at all the scenery and just enjoy not having to worry about anything as Gabriel played a steady stream of classic rock. He pulled off onto a dirt road into a clearing in the trees and drove through the winding forest for a few more minutes. He finally came to a stop and allowed me to get off first. He rolled the bike over to rest on a giant tree and hooked both of our helmets back to the bike. I fixed my ponytail and gave him my wallet and keys to lock up.

“Where are we?” I asked. He simply took my hand and began to lead me through the trees. It wasn’t long before we came to a clearing that opened up into the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. The woods had given away to a giant waterfall. We were on a cliff overlooking a river about halfway up the waterfall. Oh my god, this was the place from my dream.

I gasped quietly and asked, “What is this place?”

“It’s where I tell the wind my secrets, Lily. You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” he asked as he searched my eyes, “The dream you had the other night?”

I stared incredulously at him, “H…how do you know about that?”

“I was there too, remember? It was my dream you were in, Lily. I was dreaming about my past.”

He pulled me to the edge and took a bottle of water out of his pack. He handed it to me and I took a big gulp. How in the hell did he know about my dream? I handed the water back to him with shaky hands and he set the pack on the ground and knelt beside it. He pulled out a blanket and spread it out. Sitting down he patted the ground next to him. I sat down, not saying anything, giving him my full attention.

He pulled off his shirt and turned his back to me. It was covered with a multitude of beautiful black ink tattoos, but the one that stood out the most was in the center of his back. It was a giant Celtic cross with intricate knots of ivy weaving around it. If you looked closely, the ivy looked as though it was choking the cross. It was then that I noticed the scars, one on each shoulder blade. They looked like they had been very deep wounds at one point, about a foot long and several inches wide. His muscles were tense and I could tell he was nervous about showing me his scars.

“Jesus, Gabriel, what the hell happened?” I asked incredulously as I reached up to run my fingers over the tattoo. He shivered under my touch and took a deep breath. I moved my hand to the right scar, tracing the long pattern with my fingers, nervously awaiting his answer.

“Please don’t run Lily. I couldn’t bear to lose you,” he said quietly.

“I’m here, Gabriel, I promise.”

He took another deep breath and answered. “I’m a Watcher, Lily, a fallen angel”

*****

Gabriel

“A…a…a what?” she asked quietly.

“An angel, well I used to be. Have you heard of the legends of the Watchers?” she shook her head, unable to speak. She knew this was why I had asked her not to run, I knew how badly she’d want to. But something in my voice held her in place. I could feel the pain emanating from myself and I knew it wasn’t fair to expect her to stay. My heart broke at the lost sound in her voice and I wondered if she was contemplating leaving me. I was trying hard not to listen in to her thoughts, but I started to hope that maybe she’d understand as she slowly traced the left scar, letting me know she wasn’t going anywhere yet.

“I’m sorry Gabriel, I don’t know what a Watcher is,” she said softly. I decided to give her the entire truth.

“The Watchers were a breed of angels who were in charge of keeping an eye on the humans here on earth. After many years of watching, some of the angels began to lust after the human women. They descended from heaven and seduced them, hence the name “fallen angel.” The women started to get pregnant with half-breeds. These were considered an abomination among the angels, but they didn’t know what to do. They had made a vow to protect humans, but the Watchers became jealous of the mothers’ love for their children. They began to kill the children off one by one in the middle of the night. They used the jealousy of the men in the village to their advantage so they didn’t have to get their hands dirty. This went on for many, many generations. The angels would fall to earth, seduce the women, and destroy any evidence.”

“My father was a Watcher and my mother was a human. She knew of the stories of the babies and knew she had to save me the moment I was born. She took great pains to hide me away when I was very young. She sacrificed her life for me, as it turns out my father had her killed by her fellow villagers, calling her a traitor and an adulterer. He began his journey to find me and clear the rest of the evidence. The rest of the angels ascended into heaven, but he continued to roam the earth.”

“So your father was the angel, not you. I don’t understand why you have these scars…” she trailed off as she ran her fingers lightly over them. I shivered and turned to my pack. I pulled out cheese and crackers and grapes and wine and plastic cups.

“I’d like to make this an official date,” I said quietly, “Is that ok?”

“Oh Gabriel, of course it’s ok! It’s more than ok. I want to know your story, and I’m not going to run. I…I…I don’t really know what to say and frankly I’m a little frightened. But I’m frightened for you, not of you,” she said as she helped me spread out the food. I took her hands, stilling her for a moment.

“Please don’t ever be afraid of me Lily, I’ll never hurt you. I may be a freak, but I swear I’ll always treat you right.”

“You’re not a freak Gabriel, you’re amazing,” she said as she looked up into my eyes. “Please tell me why you have these scars.”

I took a deep breath and said, “I’ll start with a little bit about my past. As I said, my mother had hidden me well, in a small village in the middle of nowhere. She had told me what I was, how special I was, and that I needed to stay hidden at all costs. I was raised by a small village overseas, full of tribes-people. They thought I was a gift from God, as they had never seen anyone with such pale skin or green eyes. They spoke broken English so I was able to learn a bit here and there. They treated me like a king, taking care of my every want and every need. They were a poor village, so I was able to learn to be humble, never asking or wanting for much.”

I paused, opening the wine and pouring it into two of the glasses. I handed one to her and we clinked the plastic together. “To fate,” I said with a small smile. She smiled in return, and I made the jump into the abyss of the subject of my childhood.

I continued my story in a soft voice, “There was a boy, however, who was about the same age as me. I discovered him when I was about 10 years old. He was evil, through and through. He killed the wild animals for sport instead of for food and supplies. He tortured the other children and bullied them. He had seen how they treated me and wanted what I had. This continued on for a few years, and I helped the others when I could, but I mostly steered clear of him.”

“When I turned 13, there was a huge celebration, as I was now considered to be a man. I went down to the creek to my secret place to bathe. You see, no one had seen my wings. I had been able to keep them hidden once they grew in the year before. By this time, the boy had grown into an evil and jealous young man, and he had followed me to the creek. He saw my wings and freaked out. He ran back to the village, telling everyone he could that I was an abomination, a demon.”

“My wings, they were black, not white like angel’s wings. I knew it was because I was a hybrid, that I wasn’t a pureblood angel, which was another thing my mother had warned me about. That’s why I kept them hidden. I knew people would be frightened. I didn’t know the man had seen them until I went back to the village and people began yelling and screaming and pointing at me. He rushed up behind me and pulled off my cloak, exposing my wings to everyone. They called me a demon, a monster, and abomination. I tried explaining that I was a hybrid, but they wouldn’t listen. He had instilled fear in them and there was nothing I could do to change their minds. I flew away that very minute. I flew far away from the village and the life I had known. I came to the US, hid out, and tried to make a life for myself.” I stopped talking and took a shaky breath. I knew she could tell I was hiding something from her as she lifted the cup to her mouth and took a large gulp of her wine. She set down her cup and took mine out of my hands. She got up on her knees and scooted over to me.

“Can I hug you?” she asked

“Always, beautiful, always,” I said with a sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my neck. She took a deep breath, no doubt smelling my soap and laundry detergent and sweat. I began to harden as dirty thoughts of taking her right here in the woods filled my mind.

“Did you just sniff me, sweetheart?” I chuckled.

“Maybe,” she laughed and sat back down on the blanket. I poured us some more wine and handed her cup to her. “What did you do after you flew away? She asked, “I mean your English is perfect and if the other night is any indication, you can play a mean guitar.”
“I think that’s enough about me for the day, sweetheart.”

“Gabriel! You can’t just spring all of this on me and not tell me the entire story. What happened when you got to the states? What happened to your wings? Why do you have these scars?” she said, getting louder with each question.

“Lily, I said that’s enough for today. I’ll continue my story another time. I’d like to enjoy the rest of my day with you.”

“Are you kidding me? You drop this bomb on me, expect me to take it at face value, trust that you’re telling the truth, and not know what the hell happened to you? That’s not fair, Gabriel. I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to this story or if I’m even supposed to believe it. You tell me you’re an angel, well half an angel, but you have no wings. You tell me that you’re a Watcher and that you’ve been watching me for two years? That’s a really long time to stalk someone and here I am just trusting you and taking off with you into the middle of nowhere. This is scaring me Gabriel. You need to tell me what’s going on, all of it, before I freak out.”