Page 14 of Dark Angel

Tobias pulls away, their noses still touching. “I will always love you, Jose, no matter what.”

A smile creeps onto her face. “I will always love you too, Tobi.”

6

Phantasm

The first thing that catches her eye in the white abyss is his hair. Chestnut strands curling around his ears and the nape of his neck. Irises a deep green shade, like a haze covered forest, watch her from afar as he grins uneasily. It’s not a comforting, warming grin, but more something that turns her insides to stone and makes her pulse pound rapidly.

Skin tingling with nerves, he stands before her with his shadowed expression. His posture is tall and proud, like a knight. A dark shirt clings tight against his developed frame, exposing his muscled arms to her.

There’s a shadowed aura surrounding him, enticing her closer, despite Daisy wanting nothing more than to run away from him. Something is drawing her nearer, as if she longs to know who he is. Whether he’s dangerous or not.

There’s no light above them. Or no distinct light source, at least. It’s as if the place they’re standing in is somehow lit from every angle. A faint illumination encircling the two of them. No clear-cut wall connecting with the ground. Just a glowing expanse.

Her long white nightgown flowing freely around her falls to her ankles, revealing them. Bare feet digging gently into the soft sandy surface beneath her.

“Daisy.” The male’s voice calls to her gently. But his tone seems to tickle the back of her neck like a feather being dragged against herflesh. The bones of her spine rattling in place as shivers stream down uncontrollably. His timbre is beautiful yet haunting. Capturing yet terrifying.

“Who are you?” Daisy questions. Her own voice is raw and raspy, as if she hasn’t drunk anything in days, feeling as though it’s on fire.

His head tilts to one side as he takes all of her in.

She suddenly feels too bare. Her thin dark arms wrapping themselves around her chest, covering the thin material showing more than she’d like to this stranger.

His chin lifts, showing off more of his angular face, which is possibly the handsomest one she’s ever come across. Clarence’s is squarer and more approachable. His is more angular and menacing. “I have been watching you for a while now,Petal.”

Daisy’s eyebrows crease as he takes one step towards her. Instinctively, she moves backwards, keeping an equal distance between them. “Petal?” she echoes, not knowing if she likes his name for her or not.

He notices her movement because his smile deepens, a wrinkle growing in one cheek, and his eyes seem to glisten with amusement. “I must say. You have triedso hardto keep me out of your mind. I applaud you in your efforts.”

She flinches as he slowly claps. It’s an unhurried, almost mocking applause that seems to reverberate around the endless abyss. Daisy swallows, feeling the temperature of her insides rise as she panics. Glistening sweat clings to her skin.

“You’ve been watching me?” she questions again, stepping backwards once more in the cold granulates of sand.

“You made it quite easy, yes.” He admits, dropping his hands and strolling in her direction.

Stepping backwards, she feels the harshness of something solid behind her, halting her in her effort to escape him. It wasn’t there before. Her palms splay on the smoothness. “Why have you been watching me?” she rasps out.

His tongue licks his bottom lip, and he looks as though he’s about to chuckle when he simply asks, “Are you afraid of me, Petal?”

She nods without hesitation. “Yes. Yes, I am.” Stuttering out as her chest rapidly palpitates.

He sighs roughly. “You fought against me for a bit. I was finding it rather hard to open up your mind, but then you gave me a gateway.” He pauses just a few feet away from her. The chilled surface remains behind her, entrapping her heels. “Tell me now. Do you often think about him?”

Daisy shivers again.Clarence.

“Yes. The boy, Clarence, you seem so fond of. You seem to dream of him more often than not.”

Her lips part as she stares at him in shock. Can he really read her mind like that?

“Yes.” He responds, sounding a little bored.

Her jaw clamps shut as rage boils through her veins. “Why do you need to be inside my mind? I’m of no use to you. I don’t even know who you are!”

“Yet.” He says teasingly. “You don’t know of meyet.”

He gives a light chuckle as her fingers curl into fists at her sides. “What do you want from me?”

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