Greys II - Ghosts

Chapter 22 - The Vault

I feel a little lost in this world.
I try a little noise and choke.
I've honestly never felt this alone. 

You Me At Six - Room To Breathe

Warmth began to spread through me, a tingle in my fingers, little fires over my skin, and then they became stronger, fiercer, until it burned like an inferno was raging around me. My mind reeled, wondering if this was Hell, if I had died waiting for Abraham in the snow and now I was finally where I belonged. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't listen to me. I tried to move, but my limbs felt too heavy.

The air around me sizzled, power and heat rushing into me and then I felt it, him, the electricity that meant he was near. He was there, my Pair. He was using his Sign to warm or kill me, I couldn't yet tell. I wasn't in Hell, but I was close enough. I wished I could see him, so I could glare into his face, send all my hate out through my eyes, through my stare so he would know that he was my enemy, that I hadn't forgiven him, that I never could.

I fought to open my eyes so I could see the beautiful, damned navy of his, so I could look at the only man I had ever truly loved, but now despised. My eyelids fluttered and I knew I had won. I could move my arms too, everything working again. I let my Shift cover me as I opened my eyes, now black, bottomless pools in my face. My arm flew forward, sensing where he was before I could even focus my sight on him. My hand closed around his throat, my fingers digging into his skin, but something was wrong. He didn't feel right. A beard scratched the top of my hand, his skin felt wrong, different. The electricity on my skin didn't feel right either. It was the prickle of a heal, a strong one, but not my Pair.

A moment later my eyes focused on the world around me. I was no longer in the woods, no longer leaning against cold stone in the snow. Instead, I was in a bed, warm light glowed around me and a fire crackled on my right. A man stood over me, his eyes wide with shock and pain, my hand wrapped around his neck, his quick pulse thrumming strongly beneath my fingers. I let go as I rolled the opposite direction, leaving the bed and landing on my feet in one smooth motion, turning to him as my body coiled, ready to attack if necessary.

"Where am I?"

My voice came out in a rasp that burned my throat.

"You're at the Vault. I'm your healer, Ailech."

The man's voice was even, despite the fact that he had red marks spreading across his neck where I had grabbed him. He hadn't moved from his spot next to my bed, even his hands were still stretched downwards, as if he had laid them on me as I slept, healing me, or more likely, thawing me. I let my Shift sink below my skin, ink and ice bleeding away as colors began to appear.

"Abby will explain what you need to know. We aren't going to hurt you."

He moved his hands to his sides, standing tall like a soldier and I felt my chest loosen a degree. This is what I wanted, to be somewhere where people would have answers, plans. Somewhere where people were prepared for what was coming, whether for me or from me.

"You couldn't hurt me."

The words slipped out and I wished they had sounded more confident, like I didn't think he had the skills, or the power to hurt someone like me. In actuality it just sounded defeated, like I was admitting to him that I was already in so much pain he couldn't possibly damage me any more than I already was. He seemed to notice too, watching me for a moment before respectfully dropping his eyes to the bed.

With the silence hanging between us, and it appearing he didn't plan to look up anytime soon, I took a moment to appraise him. He was about my height, maybe an inch taller, maybe an inch shy of six feet, with a dark stubbly beard that covered most of the lower portion of his face. His eyes were dark green, like shadows in a forest, though the way he was looking down made his thick lashes hide most of their color. His skin was tanned despite the weather outside. Maybe a hint of Native I guessed from his hair and the rich tint to his skin, though the beard threw me off. There was something about him that seemed out of place, but I couldn't decide what. I watched him for a moment longer, before feeling my Gift shiver in my mind, a gentle prod asking to be used.