Greys III - Revelations

Chapter 43 - Forest Songs

James seemed quite pleased with himself as he sauntered over to our haphazardly discarded clothing. He tossed me my shirt with a self-satisfied smirk, managing a semi-apologetic look at my ruined bra before smirking again like he thought of something funny as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"Well, that was a new type of training, wasn't it?"

Even his voice had a proud note in it as he pushed his long, dark hair out of his face, though the humor under his words stopped me from rolling my eyes.

When I had struggled into my inside out pants and still-ruined, bloody and stabbed shirt, now with new red stains spreading from James' bites, James wasn't smiling anymore. His brow furrowed instead.

"This is forever, isn't it? Or until we die, I guess. But, it's just us?"

James was still cute when he was nervous, unsure, which seemed to be every time he tried to talk about us...which seemed to be rather often for the amount of discomfort it brought him. I found that cute too. But I still decided to play with him and pretended to be bashful as I fanned a hand over my chest.

"Gabriel James Darke, are you asking me to marry you?"

He scoffed but smiled, his bright teeth flashing momentarily.

"I just want...I want this to be only you, only me. I want this to be forever, however long that is for us."

Now it was my turn to smile, a trilling feeling thrumming through my chest.

"Yes, it's only us. I want that too, this, forever."

He nodded, standing a few feet away, watching his feet and looking very much like he was ready to change the subject.

"Why did Malachi stab you?"

I couldn't tell if his tone was condemning Malachi's action, or assuming I had done something to deserve it, but I answered honestly anyway.

"I don't actually know. I thought we were having a moment."

James cocked an eyebrow at my words, his mouth a thin line.

"Not like that. I mean we were talking, really talking, and he had just healed my hand, used his blood. Then I asked him what we had to do to prove to him we could win, to get him to join us. He was thinking about it and flipping his dagger one second, and then stabbing me the next. I didn't even see it coming, I didn't get any inkling from him that that was what he was planning. We had been training just before, so the collar didn't stop him, though it wasn't in a deadly place either, just the ribs."

"It was a high rib though. I saw it."

James motioned to the rip in my shirt. High enough to make me wish my bra wasn't in shreds. I rolled my eyes at the indignation in his voice.

"I'm not blaming you for attacking him, and I know we have to train our Second Shifts more, today proved that. If we can't control them, then the added power doesn't help us. I just don't know why he acted that way...and then with you, his reaction to the collar triggering."

James' jaw was tight again, his eyes hard as he stiffly stood. After a long pause, he spoke.

"I think Ailech's been working in Malachi, trying to heal him, the brokenness inside of him, like he tried to with me. But I think it's working with Malachi. Plus, even just his time here with us, being away from my Father for this long, I think that's helping him too. He's seeing another way, another path for his life, maybe something he never imagined, never knew existed. Even if he doesn't believe in it yet, at least he sees it. I've been watching him, trying to use my Gift on him and see who he'll become, and I may be biased, in fact I know I am, but he's already different. At least a little."