Chapter 38“What are you doing here, Gabriel? I’ll bet Mother doesn’t know what you are up to. Hades, I don’t know what you are up to but maybe Mother would like to know where you are at.” Adora was furious and jealous.Her loyaltes were being pulled in different directions. She came here to find out what was so fascinating about Arabella that Mother protected her and now, Gabriel. What to do about Gabriel.“Don’t preach to me, Adora, I’m sure Mother doesn’t know what you are up to either. By the way, what are you up to?” Gabriel side stepped Adora’s questions and threw a few of his own back at her.”You’ve been around her a lot, Adora. Don’t you find her an unusual human?”“Well, yes but … ““No buts about it.” Gabriel cut Adora off before she could utter another word. “She is as different from humans as we are. I don’t know what it is or why she exists quite frankly. Arabella is an anomaly, don’t you see that Adora? Does that not interest you? We, you and I and many others, come to e
Chapter 39It was time to do something drastic. Lucian tried everything he could think of to bring Arabella back to him. He was at his wits end.“I can help you if you’ll let me.” Lucian took his eyes off the dance floor and Arabella. Adora was standing beside him.“What are you talking about?” He was taken slightly by surprise. Then he laughed at himself. There was no way this woman knew what he was thinking.Adora gave him a mocking smile and pointed to herself. “I know what happened to you two and I know what is happening now. I seem to be in the same boat as you. Maybe, Lucian Alexander, we can help each other.”Lucian stopped staring at Arabella and turned to face Adora giving her his complete attention“What do you mean by saying we are in the same boat. I’m not sure I know what you are talking about.”Adora sighed; Lucian was going to be difficult and make her spell it out for him. Fine!! She would do just that.“Gabriel is mine.” Adora was blunt and to the point. “He has always
Chapter 40Arabella posed in front of the full length mirror admiring her new red dress. She turned to look at her back side. The dress swooped low in the back while the front was mostly lace with an under shift to keep her skin from showing. the material clung to her curves like a second skin. Red stiletto hills complimented the outfit. There was one thing missing to complete the ensemble.Taking the heart necklace from it’s jewelry box, Arabella held it up to her dress. The missing stone was obvious but Arabella wanted to wear it anyway. The complete outfit help draw the eyes away from the empty setting. She made a mental note to get the jewel back from Lucian. One upon a time the necklace symbolized their love; now it was just a beautiful ruby necklace..Arabella checked her makeup in her compact; touched up her lipstick and descended the stairs where Gabriel awaited her. They were going on a real date; something Arabella had not done in years. Dinner and a movie. Arabella smiled a
Chapter 41Arabella placed the red heart necklace around her throat. Gabriel was taking Arabella dining and afterwards they were to hit a club downtown. She smoothed out the hearts as she thought about the missing heart and where it was. She felt a twinge in her own heart as the memories of Lucian came pouring in. Arabella did not try to stop them; it would have been a useless endeavor. She could not believe she had been so young and naive. Well, she wasn’t naive anymore; or young.Finally shaking away the memories, Arabella continued to get ready for her date. For some reason, she was not really looking forward to it. Arabella and Gabriel has been on several dates. He was a wonderful story teller that had Arabella laughing or close to crying. It sounded like Gabriel had been quite the world traveler. So why was he in Boulder? It must be boring after all of the adventures Gabriel pursued.Gabriel sat in Arabella’s living room having some of the same thoughts as Arabella. She asked him,
Chapter 42“How could you? I thought you were my friend.” Arabella yelled. “You, you’re just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, aren’t you? Does Lucian know? Is he in on this too?”Arabella didn’t care how unreasonable she sounded; anger was coming off her in waves. She was almost sick from all that Gabriel told her.“I am your friend, really I am. I …” Arabella did not let Adora continue. There was nothing she could say anyway that would make any of this right.“Just … just don’t say anything.” Arabella ran her hands through hair that was already messy from the same treatment all day. Black, curly locks bounced as Arabella vented her anger. “Of course Lucian would be in on it. After all, it seems to be you three against me. Did you enjoy making a fool of me? Did Lucian and Gabriel? Oh, you are all despicable. Leave, go away and don’t come back. Leave me and mine alone.”Adora and Arabella stood facing off on the veranda outside Arabella’s cabin. Adora come up to see if Arabella wanted to g
Chapter 43Her heart was broken once again. ‘I thought I learned my lesson years ago with what happened with Lucian.’ She thought to herself. ‘What was I thinking? What made me think I could have friends?’ Arabella steadily climbed the mountain, mumbling to herself as she went.Reaching the top, Arabella looked out crossed the world. It’s beauty could not be denied. The world looked so huge it made her feel insignificant. Anyone looking out tfrom here would feel that same feeling of being so small in a large world.Arabella shook her head to clear it of sad musing. She came here to be alone with the world; trying to make sense of all that happened in her life. For now, she was hungry. Reaching into her back pack, Arabella pulled out a squashed sandwich and crushed potato chips. Taking a warm coke from the net on the outside of her pack, Arabella sat down on the rocky ledge.“This is the life,” she whispered, “No one to bother you or fool you. Yeah, this is the life.”A cool breeze ros
Chapter 44Arabella sat on the steps leading to Lucian’s front door. She watched as the fog swirled around the few cars that passed out on the street. The words kept playing over and over again in her head. Lucian is gone. Her heart felt the same as it did the night she confronted Adrian. A tear slowly rolled down Arabella’s cheek.Suddenly, she shook herself. What was she doing, sitting here feeling sorry for herself. She found Lucian once, somehow, she would do it again. Pray to the Gods that it did not take her another twelve years.Lucian was staying at the Hilton in Manhattan, New York. His buddy Marcus was getting all the necessary paper work for Lucian’s trip. He decided it was time to go abroad. Time to let the past go the same way Arabella did. He did not blame her; their history was pretty tangled. Now he just wanted to get away. It sounded cliche, but Lucian needed to find himself. He spent these last few years trying to bring Arabella to him only to see her get further and
Chapter 45Adora held her head high as she walked past Gabriel and the lowest gate of hell. Mother’s anger knew no bounds. Both Adora and Gabriel had been demoted to the lower gate of hell for their part in the fiasco on earth. Mother had hopes that maybe Adora’’s and Gabriel’s foolishness on earth might actually bring Arabella and Lucian closer together. Instead, Lucian was off to Italy and Arabella was heartbroken again.“You two have meddled enough in the business of man. You have over stepped your bounds and caused the situation to worsen. I do not want to see or hear from you two for the next millennium if you know what is good for you. Dismissed.”Adora hung her head in embarrassment at Mother’s words. Gabriel remained stone faced; it would not be his first trip to the lower gates of hell. He worried more for Adora who never stepped wrong so never got demoted to the lower gates. There, one did not take turns; you guarded that gate night and day. Hopefully Mother would get over h