Chapter 1

Resurrection:

He stood over the hospital bed holding the limp figure of young Addilyn. Her complexion was one so pale, a piece of paper held a touch more color. Her eyelids had been shut for some time. Her chest rose and fell in a succession of slow deep breaths. Her lengthy brunette hair drooped past her shoulders. It was a dull, lifeless mass of strands collected upon her head. Her circular face wore a solemn look. It was as though the only thing the young girl desired was her life’s end. All was quiet, save the single sound of monitors steadily beeping. As of now, they were the only sign the ghost of a girl remained alive. His pale fingertips traced a lock of her hair behind her ear. His body quaked at the chill. She was so cold in spite of being safely tucked underneath blankets. His eyes traced the path of tubes coming from her nose, her mouth, as well as the ones taped to her wrists. Each did some job a child of her age’s body should be capable of completing on its own. But it wasn’t. She was sick….so very sick. The back of his hand carefully ran across one of her cheeks. Again he shivered.

“Don’t worry”, he whispered. “You shall meet your end as peacefully as I can manage.” He spoke with a clear British accent. His eyes traced over the girl, memorizing each feature down to the smallest freckle. He slowly bent to plant a chaste kiss on her forehead but stopped when his dark brown pupils caught a brief glimpse of a woman’s figure. He returned his well-toned frame to standing position.

“Who are you and what do you want?” The woman stepped out from a corner of the room the already dim light had failed to reach. As she walked further into the room, her caramel brown skin glistened though the room held little light. Her dark brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and ended just a mere two inches above her waist. Diamonds, from the elegant hair crown stretching across the length of her heart-shaped head, reflected almost blinding shimmers of light. She wore a sleeved white gown which was elegant in its simplicity. The gown subtly highlighted her shapely figure and pooled down to her feet which deigned a white satin pump ordained with flowers and pearls elegantly arranged. A single pearl necklace hung around her neck. A single small pearl decorated each of her ears. Her lips curved into a half smile which seemed to brighten the room just a bit. However, he purposefully disregarded this fact.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well”, the woman cheekily responded. The words effortlessly flowed from her lips in soft tones. Each syllable seemed to embrace the listener as the finest silk wraps itself around a body. Again, he ignored this.

“I haven’t time for your games.” He responded with as much indignation as he could manage. A flitter of a wrinkle settled across her smooth skin but fled as quickly as it came. She smiled a bit brighter for a few moments before dropping all hints of a smile. This conveyed she resolved to dismiss his uncouth choice of tone.

“I assure you I have not come to indulge in games”, the woman responded. “I am here on business.”

“Are you late for your ball? I’ll bet a carriage awaits you just outside.”

“Going to a ball dressed in this manner would simply not do. I’m afraid it lacks the elegance required for such an occasion. And they do not use carriages in this world. I believe the people of this world prefer to use a car, I believe it is called, as the preferred method of transportation.” She ended with a pointed look, as though she could not believe he did not know that.

He cut his eyes at her. His fists balled at his sides. Was she trying to be thrown into the nearest wall? He longed to permanently rearrange those perfect teeth.

“You will do no such thing”, a deep voice echoed in his head. He took a sharp breath, desperately trying not to scream.

“Must you always spoil things? And besides, I wasn’t going to actually do it.”

“I know you weren’t. If you did, your days in hell were going to seem like a vacation.”

“Yes, I am aware of your vast power.”

“I hope you are; but if you aren’t, I can arrange a demonstration.”

“I am afraid I must decline.”

“I thought as much.”

“You’ve earned his ire haven’t you?” The woman questioned. He cast his eyes towards her. They slinked up and down her figure. She maintained eye contact, however, began to grow increasingly self-conscious as the weight of his gaze ascended upon her. She began to nervously fidget with the smooth cotton fabric of her dress.

“He was thinking of doing what?” She suddenly spoke. This was the loudest he had heard her speak since their paths unfortunately crossed. Her face wore an expression appearing to be a mixture of shock and anger. However, anger soon obliterated shock. He was growing a bit remorseful for having such thoughts. However, his outside demeanor gave no hints to this.

“I have done nothing to you but try to have a conversation and you hold secret desires to see me come to harm?”

“I wasn’t going to actually do it!”, he blurted out. Why did he feel like he had to defend himself? He technically did nothing wrong. The annoying woman remained untouched. It was simply a passing thought.

“Yes because he intervened”, the woman responded.

“Was it absolutely necessary for you to tell her? I told you she would not be harmed.”

“Your word would not have been enough. I feared for the woman’s life.”

“Who exactly is she?”

“I’ll leave the two of you to figure that out.”

“Whether you believe my intentions to harm you were simply a passing thought or something I had indeed intended to act upon matters not. The bottom line is you... are... fine. Now can you please leave me be so I may complete my task?”

“I will happily leave you be as soon as I have completed mine.”

“And what, pray tell, might that be?”

“I am here to aid this deathly sick child.” She motioned to Addilyn. His gaze darted from her to Addilyn for a brief moment before returning to her. Realization suddenly dawned on him.

“You are Nivara. You represent Life, all that is good and pure…. All that is hopeful.” He muttered the latter underneath his breath.

“And you are Davon. You represent Death, all that is evil.”

“Is that what they say about me these days?”

“Well, given your line of work, wouldn’t it be more surprising if it was something good?”

“I am inclined to agree.”

“Although there was one good thing they spoke of you.”

“And what might that be?”

“Your looks. They claim you to be so handsome God himself might be tempted.”

“And I repulsed should that happen.” This remark earned a smile from her. For some inexplicable reason, he could not help but smile back.

“I am sure the sole purpose of that comparison was for educational purposes only.”

“Well, I am relieved to hear that.” She briefly smiled before replacing the smile with a more seductive look. He watched her with weary eyes as she slowly walked towards him in a succession of graceful glides. Each clack of her heels as they hit the floor, one after the other, echoed in his ears. She slowly raised her dainty hand to his cheek and traced her fingertips down his pronounced jaw. At first, he seemed taken aback; but he quickly settled. She subtly smiled at the feel of his light stubble brushing against her fingers. He inwardly shuddered at the feeling of warmth her light touch invoked as she continued to traverse his jaw. She traced down his neck until reaching his broad shoulders. As she continued, he found it to be growing increasingly harder to maintain his self-control. Her hand cupped his shoulder using it to help her stand upon her tiptoes. She released a low exhale, her warm breath creeping down his neck. She placed her other hand over his heart. It was true, one could not feel it beating. She leaned over until her lips were a mere nanometer from his ear.

“Although I must say”, she seductively remarked. The elegance that laced her voice earlier had been further accented by the unspoken promise her words now held. There was a certain sexiness to it. “That comparison doesn't nearly do you justice.” His chest began to rise and fall faster. He placed his cold hand over hers for a brief moment. She returned to her feet and positioned herself directly in front of him. She now ran both her hands down his body. She inwardly gasped at the rock-hard abs her hands were glossing over. She laced her fingers with his and led him to a chair. He wordlessly followed. His tall frame slowly bent downward until it conformed with the shape of the chair. Her hands then began to massage his shoulders, occasionally moving from his shoulders to his chest. His eyelids briefly shut as he relished the heat now coursing through his body, warming his very core.

“What are you doing to me?” He asked in a whisper. It was as though he was in some sort of trance.

She bent her head downwards until her lips were level with his ear.

“Giving you life”, she answered. At that moment, he wanted to tell her to stop. He knew he should before he did something they would both later come to regret. But he didn’t want her to stop. He wanted to go further. He wanted to peel her out of that beautiful dress. He wanted to explore every inch of her body as he was allowing her to do. As she pressed on, he could only feel himself falling deeper and deeper into her grip. It had been a long time since he had felt the touch of a woman. Before now, he had never let any woman get this close to him.

“You need to stop”, he ordered though it lacked conviction. She disregarded the order, knowing that was not what he truly wanted. Low groans of approval escaping from his lips only confirmed what she already knew. He continued to relish her touch. Enough was enough. He halted her expert touch by placing his hand over hers. His eyes opened. He yanked her around, sending her into his lap. She instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck and her face temporarily buried itself in the crook of his right shoulder. She sat up to find his eyes filled with an emotion she had not seen in a while: lust. His hand traced up her side all the way to her face. His lips tugged upwards at the feel of her soft skin. A cloud could be considered harder. He buried his face in her neck and took in a deep breath. Even her smell was breathtaking.

She cupped his face in her hands and brought it to hers so their foreheads touched.

“You are right. We should stop”, she remarked.

“It’s grown a bit late for that don’t you think?” He responded.

“I don’t think either of us is thinking at the moment.”

“Don’t be fooled by my suave manner. It has been a long time since I have behaved this way. And I sense the same of you.” She nodded her head in agreement. She had not given herself to any man since she had become the symbol of Life. And she knew he had not done so either since he had become the symbol of Death. He traced his hands up her arms until they covered her hands.

“If this is something you truly do not want then I shall stop. But I think you do.”

“This is reckless, irresponsible, the behavior of two teenagers. And we’ve only just really met: I know this. And we work for God. Surely he knows of this.”

“Naturally he knows but he has not stopped us. So he must approve.”

“Is this not the type of thing he would shun?”

“Perhaps or perhaps not. I somehow think he would understand though.”

“We don’t know the first thing about each other.”

“You started this. You should finish it.” This last line seemed to cause her to dispose of any logic she had been using up until that point.

“You are right”, she agreed.

“Then perhaps we should go somewhere a bit more comfortable”, he remarked as he swooped her up into his arms bridal style. She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. His lips immediately enveloped hers. His tongue ran across the seam of her lip. It was not long before her tongue began mingling with his. Her teeth sunk into his bottom lip. He brandished his hands in front of him to reveal a kind of portal consisting of black matter. He stepped into it. The whole time, their lips did not break their embrace.

***

Nivara’s eyelids fluttered open to reveal a set of decadently rich chocolate brown irises. She peered down at the black satin sheets serving as the only source of coverage for her bare body. She slowly sat up, making sure to hug the sheets to her body. Her hair draped over her shoulders. Her eyes slowly peered around the large room. The floor was a glossy onyx while the walls donned an arrangement of black and a deep red only a few shades lighter than burgundy. The room was sparsely furnished, complete with only the essentials. Opposite each of her sides was a black nightstand holding only a lamp. She briefly wondered what secrets the drawers might have contained but her curiosity soon wandered elsewhere. Pushed against the wall on the left of the bed, which seemed to sit in the center of the room, were two tall black bookcases, each of them loaded with books. Her eyes darted to a door painted a glossy black with a red trim. No doubt this was the bathroom. They then wandered over to a set of double doors, also sporting the colors black and red, save their handles which were a sterling silver. She concluded that was his closet. Finally, they focused on the only source of light for the room save the lighting fixtures spaced out across the black ceiling: the french doors leading to a balcony. The two doors welcomed a flood of sunlight. She noted they had been hidden by two silk burgundy curtains. Her gaze trained on Davon who stood outside with his back to her. His hands were wrapped around an onyx railing, his muscles slightly bulging. He wore nothing save a pair of black jeans. Heat crept up to her cheeks as her mind recalled the events of the night before. The sudden urge to run her fingers through his hair overtook her as she watched his fingers rake through his hair. She quickly contained herself.

Her legs slowly slid from the warmth of the sheets and into the slight chill the room held. Her feet hit the cold hard floor. She desperately wanted to retreat into the covers once more but refrained. She wrapped the silk around her body and slowly stood up from the bed. Her feet padded across the floor and towards the balcony. She wrapped her hand around the black handle of one of the doors peering back at her. She pulled the door open. She leaned against the jamb of the door, careful to keep the sheet wrapped around her. In hindsight, she concluded she should have thrown on a shirt instead of a sheet.

“Good morning”, she remarked. She saw that her remark startled him by the sudden tension creeping into his muscles. He whipped around, his face set into a glare, his eyes radiating anger. She hugged the sheet even closer to her body, desperately wishing she could sink into the soft silk. Her gaze dropped to the floor. She did not look up until she felt that his heavy gaze had shed some of its weight. Still, she cautiously looked upwards to find his expression had softened greatly. A small smile even played with the corner of his lips.

“I’m sorry I frightened you for a moment. I don’t normally take women to bed so your presence temporarily eluded me.”

“You seemed to be quite aware of me last night.” Her response earned a smile. She could not help but return it.

“I was also trapped in the confinement of my thoughts”, he added.

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to be understanding, especially considering that I often find myself at the mercy of my thoughts.”

“I knew you’d see things my way.”

“You are quite the arrogant character.”

“I prefer to think of myself more along the lines of confident.”

“Whatever aids your sleep at night.” A brief chuckle rumbled in his throat.

“Well you certainly aided in that last night.” A wave of heat suddenly crept to her cheeks. She dropped her gaze, now suddenly feeling an overabundance of self-consciousness.

“Are you ashamed?”

“No.” She shook her head and returned her gaze to his. “It’s simply recalling the events of last night has left me feeling a tad self-conscious.”

“I see”, he responded. He extended his hand to hers.

“Come join me”, he requested.

“Is that an order?” She cut her eyes at him.

“It is whatever will get you on this balcony”, he reassured.

“And what will happen if I refuse?”

He slowly stalked towards her, mischief dancing around in his eyes. Within a matter of moments, he was a mere couple inches from her face. Her eyes ran all around him but always returned to him. His eyes slithered up and down her body for a few moments. An instant later, she found herself being scooped up in his arms. Her eyes briefly widened in surprise but quickly settled.

“You were simply going to scoop me up in your arms?” She asked. “That is hardly what I was expecting.”

“And what exactly were you expecting?”

“It hardly matters.”

“This is what I do for a first-time offense. Were you to defy me again, you would receive a more…  colorful punishment.” Her eyes widened at the latter of his statement. A sudden surge of heat began its course throughout her body.

“Are you threatening me?” Her eyes reflected the mischief she now so clearly felt.

“Do you feel threatened?” His voice grew low and husky.

“Oddly”, she thought about it for a minute. “No, I don’t.”

“What do you feel?”

“In a nutshell”, she answered. “Excited.”

“I see. Well, i’ll have to explore your level of excitement later. In the meantime, you are growing a bit heavy.” As he started to put her down, her grip on her sheet slipped. Feeling mortified, she quickly bent down to pick it up. She rewrapped the blanket around her and curled herself into a ball as small as she could make it. Her head buried itself in her knees.

“There’s no need to feel so embarrassed. Unless your body has drastically changed since last night, which I highly doubt, it is nothing I have not already seen.” She did not respond.

Her ears registered the soft padding of his feet hitting the floor. The sound grew more and more distant with each moment that passed by. He must have left. She lifted her head and turned her gaze towards the light gray sky. Not a single patch of blue could be seen. She suddenly found herself longing for her home, where the sky was almost always blue and the gray was short lived. The feel of something tickling her cheek yanked her from her thoughts. She jumped.

“Did you forget about me already? I wasn’t gone that long.”

“Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.” She again felt some type of cloth brush against her skin. She looked up at him then at the piece of cloth he held out to her. She took it from his hands and held it out in front of her. It was a black t-shirt.

“I don’t have women’s clothes here so that’ll have to do.” A nod and small smile conveyed her gratitude.

“Could you turn around?” A loud fit of laughter abruptly escaped from his lips.

“Why do you women get so self-conscious after you’ve slept with the person?”

“Could you please just turn around?” He shook his head but conceded. She quickly put the shirt on. She picked up the sheet and stood up.  

“You can turn around now.” He turned. His eyes slid up and down her body.

“I won’t lie. You do look hot in my shirt but”, he remarked, stressing the latter. A few strides closed the small gap between them. He leaned down. She inwardly shivered at the feel of his breath slowly slipping down her neck, making the fine little hairs stand on end.

“You looked even hotter in just my sheet”, he whispered. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a bit faint.

“You’re quite forward”, she responded a bit breathless.

“When it comes to what I want, absolutely.” His hand hooked around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She gasped.

“What are we doing?” She asked. His features twisted into a puzzled look. As if she had read his mind, she continued.

“I won’t deny the chemistry between us but what are we doing? We’ve only just met yesterday and I won’t have you thinking I’m some kind of, and I really hate this word but, s**t.”

“I wouldn’t even compare you to that. You’re too beautiful, too real.” He placed his hand against her cheek. She melted into his touch.

“We should slow things down”, she breathed out. “Get to know each other first.” He nodded in agreement as he leaned in to kiss her. Her mouth immediately embraced his.

“Yes we should”, he remarked in between kisses. One hand traced up her side while the other ran through her hair. Their kiss quickly escalated. His tongue pried her mouth open, slipping in to mingle with hers. Her hand fisted a handful of his hair. He lifted her up. Her legs hooked around his waist. His lips continued to envelop hers as they somehow traveled through the French doors without bumping into them and back to his bed. He placed her on his bed and quickly pulled the shirt over her head. He casually tossed it to some unknown part of the room and quickly discarded his pants. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing the two bodies against each other.

“Here we go again.” She responded with a grin, her top teeth sinking into her bottom lip. She leaned back into the bed, sending him following behind her. Their lips collided with each other.

***

Davon looked down at the beautiful woman resting soundly on his chest. He brushed a wisp of her hair behind her ear. Again, he marveled at how soft her skin was. He absently put his hand to his chin, allowing his fingertips to trace over his subtle stubble. He suddenly wondered if he should have shaved. His fingers ran through his now messy bed head, in an attempt to smooth it out.

A groan escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms tighter around him. Her head jostled around on his chest.