A Demon's Past

Chapter 7

I looked at the alluring man for what seemed like hours. I was sure this was a dream, that soon I would wake up to Mist licking my face. But he had eyes I could get lost in, they were ocean blue and if I concentrated enough, I swore I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

This man's beauty was supernatural, the darkness that he secreted was pure temptation, he was pure temptation. I was too busy checking him out to notice he was just standing there taking me in, that devilish smile had disappeared. He was assessing me, almost cautiously, like he was expecting something.

His inspection seemed to be over in less than a second as a confident smirk appeared on his face. 

"Hello, darling" he drawled with a British accent in a way that let me know he enjoyed how nervous I was. But I couldn't control myself around him, I still wasn't sure he was real.

This couldn't be. Was it really him?

"Hey," I replied, trying to remember how to talk to men. I used to be so good at this, I refrained from thinking about why I had stopped going out and enjoying myself. I decided to concentrate on him, on the fact that his darkness called my name.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Arella Céleste" I was suddenly self-conscious of it. How could this man make me feel this way with a single glance? It was like my whole body was on fire. He looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world like I had every ounce of his attention.

"Such a curious name," he mused "Are you aware of what it means?" was he?

"No" I answered truthfully, I had never really asked my parents why they chose my name.

"Arella is of Hebrew origin, obviously," he started "It means angel." His delighted smile was different, he looked different.

The boy I'd seen didn't have piercings, on his ears or the one in the mouth, pulling my attention to his extremely kissable lips. The boy in my dreams didn't have tattoos, like the one visible in his chest because his shirt was missing a few buttons.

The boy I've dreamed about every night had kind, innocent eyes, not ones full of pride and knowledge. The boy I saw was a boy. He was a man. But he was still the same in a way, maybe it was his fluffy black hair or something else, something I couldn't quite place.

And I saw him again, in that same place, where the ground was opening and the sky was falling. 

Falling, falling, falling.

His voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

It was him, alright. And I didn't know what to make of it.

"And you must know what Céleste means, right?" that I did know.

"Celestial" I responded.

"Right," he smiled at me "Your name is quite interesting. But I don't think anything else would suit you as well."

I can't be sure why, but around him, I felt so much bolder, so I just said "But you don't know me, we've just met."

"Have we?" he stared at me intently again, from head to toe.

Did he know it too? Did he dream about me every night as well? He looked at me expectantly and, even though I was certain we'd met I said "Yes."

He blinked, and I could sense his disappointment even though his smug smile never wavered. "What is your name?" I made myself ask, pretending I didn't already know it.

"Andras," he said, and I kept waiting for his last name, realizing this he simply said "Killian."

"Andras Killian," I said, his name not feeling foreign in my mouth at all. Such an unusual name, I wondered where it was from and whether he'd know.

A pure feline smile appeared on his face the moment I said his name. Something purely predatorial. And I usually steered clear of men like him, so confident and bold, and so beautiful I could stare at his face and strong body for hours and not get bored. 

Such men intimidated me and made me feel unsafe. But him... I couldn't explain why but I simply didn't want to get away. Even if he was so at odds with the version of him I always dreamed of.

He put his hands in his pockets and said "Do you come here often?"

Small talk, I could do small talk. "I... no" I looked away, I simply couldn't think under his gaze. "You?" I managed to say, thinking of a way to make sense of what was happening.

"A friend of mine owns the club, I come when I can," he replied and I remembered I had walked into a beautiful girl straddling him.

I looked toward the girl in the red dress who looked like me but not at the same time. Her features were sharper and more elegant. Mine were rounder and baby-like. "You should probably get back to your girlfriend" I suggested, seeing as she was glaring at him from her seat.

He was confused for a second and then followed my gaze and laughed "She is not my girlfriend" he said simply "Violette there is..." he thought for a second "Let's just say she is in a really committed relationship with someone else, as committed as it gets, actually" he smiled mostly to himself and I guessed there was more to that story.

But I didn't care about that story, not when a strange wave of relief hit me. Why was I glad he didn't have a girlfriend? Let's break it down.

 Had I been in love with the boy of my dreams since I was a kid? Yes. Had I always thought he was my soulmate or something like that? Yes, why else would I dream of him every night since I can remember?

I thought I was over my crush, but now that I've found out he is a real person, I can not help but want to meet him. I want to know more, I want to find out if there's a reason he visits me in my dreams each night.

He adverted his gaze for a second, the first time he'd done so since we locked eyes earlier. "It seems like your friend is looking for you," he said calmly, and I looked behind me to see Anika. Damn, I'd forgotten about her.

"I..." I sighed "I need to go, it was nice meeting you," I said, turning away to start walking toward her, but he grabbed my wrist. His touch was so gentle yet sent shivers down my spine. This was familiar, way too familiar.

"Wait," he said, and I could have sworn I saw a flash of alarm behind his cool mask. "Take this," he said, giving me his business card "I'd love to get to know you, Arella," he said letting go of me and the loss of contact hurt me in a way I couldn't explain "If only to confirm I was right about you."

"In what way?"

"What I'm saying is," he started "I want to find out if you're an angel in disguise," he said with a rare flash of honesty behind his smirk "Or if you're just like me"

"And what are you?" I asked breathlessly. He assessed me for a long moment as if he were staring into my soul. There was something in his eyes I couldn't quite place, but in a flash, it was gone.

"A wolf, little lamb," he said, almost like a warning. "A wolf," he said before turning away and leaving.

He's coming for you, Ellie. 

Who?

The wolf.