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I turned on my heel, not sure what to expect or how even to respond to the question My eyes h the prickling in ins, re when it ca perspective

Gabriel had deeply tanned, brown skin, and black, glossy hair shaved close to his scalp that shined even in the diarb of the priesthood, the white square against his neck standing out starkly in the delicate candlelight Around his neck he wore a burgundy rosary with large, worn beads, that he fingered absentmindedly

He could easily have passed for any of the myriad of Peruvian Catholic priests, if it weren’t for his eyes Eyes that glowed orange against the poor lighting, eyes that at first I thought ht, but I soon realized that they glowed brightly as if on fire Eyes that flae as if they were the spark of light in the oppressive darkness that were the only things strong enough to burn the entire world to the ground

Turning unco stare, Gabriel clenched his jaw I took a step forward, a step towards hiether He was afraid of me, afraid of what I was capable of

But, he had no reason to be In his stance of firm determination, I sahat I needed; I sahat I wanted He had the look of a ht, desperate for blood His priest costume was only that, only a distraction frolohen blood was demanded and sacrifice expected

"I’ut reaction to this ht

"I knoho you are," Gabriel replied confidently, "your parents were here three days ago"

Chapter Eight

"They were here," I de o?"

"Yes" Gabriel tapped three of his fingers sequentially against his thigh as if o"

"And were they were they" I didn’t even kno to approach this conversation "Were they looking for me?"

"No," the priest replied sihtest orange for aflame that would warm the coldest room He took a step forward, so that he was fully inside the sanctuary, and with his step the candles surrounding the alter flared suddenly, just like his eyes, and then settled back into soft fla to the heavens

"Well," I started, trying to brush off the wave of irritation that washed violently over nantly

"They came for the same reason you have, to ask me to join your cause" Gabriel’s thick, melodic and rich Peruvian accent was answeredto life on his right cheek

"And what did you tell the inside of me

"I told the his head to the side and gazing at h his unique eyes

"So, have you?" I cut to the chase, realizing it ht not be so impossible to catch up with my parents if they were only three days ahead of ive me a lead on where they were headed

"Yes," he responded with the easiest siravity

"And?" I fought against the urge to stomp my foot impatiently

"I do not like your parents," he said candidly; his comment took me by surprise "I feel that they have played the cowards, that their absence has been too long and that their return is much too slow and calculated"

I lockeddeeply into the flesh ofmyself that I needed this man, and that he offered another link in the aret to the rest of those that needed rescuing But, who did he think he was?

His eyes flickered and flashed froht to dull, from burnt to vivid, in lowed and burned like a real fla in ht against every innate urge that I possessed to open ive him more than he for