Diane found herself swaying under his full glare. The last time she remembered, he was sitting on the rock. How on earth is he now standing before her? Had he moved that fast? Or was this some kind of magic?
The breeze carried the faint scent of sea between them. Diane tried to guess what could be going on in his mind as their gaze met, but his expression was unreadable, as if properly guarded. There was something else beneath it, something sharp and aware.
Diane stepped back, as if trying to run away from him. She missed a step and almost fell. His hand shot out and caught her, steadying her before she hit the ground.
"For someone who would rather have me fall on a hard rock than make body contact, you really have no trouble touching others". She gave him a sarcastic look just as she wriggled free from him.
He looked at her, from her pale face to her feet.
"You shouldn't be out here alone. The cliffs are more dangerous than you can imagine."
His concern sounded more like an observation than an actual worry, but it still caught her off guard.
"I'm fine. I come here often," she said, trying to steady her breathing. If there is one thing Diane has learnt all her life, it is to never look vulnerable to a stranger. You are more likely to be mugged if they know it is your first time there, she would say.
Diane, a step away from him now, watched his expression change from blank to something else; something that went as quickly as it appeared. Was it a coy smile?
He raised a brow, clearly not convinced in the least. "Do you now?"
She looked away, feeling oddly exposed under his gaze. Her heart was beating so loud that she feared he might hear and mistake it for something Diane was not willing to admit. There was also something about him that made her so uneasy. Maybe it was the way he seemed to take cognizance of everything, like he saw more than what was visible.
A sudden chill brushed over Diane's skin. The air shifted around him strangely, as if the space itself bent for a second. Diane's heart thudded once, but hard. For the first time, she felt something she did not understand. Something about him wasn't normal.
He seemed to notice the surprise in Diane, and he stepped back, as if trying hard to conceal something. He didn't look away, though, and for some reason, she couldn't either.
"You", he said finally, his tone was steady but low. "Why exactly are you here alone?"
Diane swallowed hard, wondering why he was suddenly talking a lot.
"I could ask you the same thing".
Diane thought she saw a raised brow; was that amusement? Or almost?
"I prefer quiet places," he replied. "And this part of the shore is usually empty. No one comes this way, ever."
"Well, at least we have something in common," she said with a smile before she could stop herself.
Diane watched as his expression remained blank. She was about to regret her ounce of faux familiarity, until something in his eyes shifted, was that interest or curiosity, she wasn't sure.
A sudden gust of wind blew past them, making her hair whip across her face. She raised her hand to brush them aside, but felt a sharp pain in her ribs, and she winced. His eyes lowered to her hand, and to the subtle stiffness in her posture. Without a word, he stepped a little closer, still maintaining a space between them lest he get found out.
"You are hurt."
"I'm fine", she said rather too quickly.
He lifted his gaze to hers again, and in a very calm voice, he said, "You are not."
Diane immediately looked away. She could not imagine a stranger worrying about her. Especially not one who made her chest tighten for reasons she didn't understand. One who had such a dark aura around him. She suddenly felt she needed to get away from him, to run far away to a place she won't be found. There was something about the way the air around them kept changing; it felt just too dangerous to be around him.
He stepped closer now, just a breath away from her. The air around them tightened once more. Something caught Diane's eyes, something flickering at his fingertips. He didn't seem aware of this. Diane met his gaze, and realized that the silvery eyes had been replaced with hazy deep blue ones. Different emotions surged through Diane; she went from curiosity to fear, and soon her whole body was trembling.
"Who are you?" she managed to ask as she swallowed hard, her heart threatening to leave her.
His eyes held hers for a very long second, unreadable.
Instead of answering, he lifted a hand and brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek. He tucked the loose hair behind her ear. This act wasn't rough, but to Diane, calling it gentle was an unfair comparison. It all just felt controlled, like he was scared of hurting her.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly. He let out a soft groan that Diane wondered if he was perhaps wounded.
"It's not safe".
Before she could ask what he meant, a strong wind surged between them. His expression darkened further. He stepped back fast, almost as if he sensed something approaching. Diane looked around frantically but saw nothing other than that the moon was now hidden under a thick cloak of clouds. She wondered if it had something to do with his sudden change.
"What is happening?" She asked in a whisper as she took a few steps close to him, now worried for this stranger who seemed to be going through different stages in one night. He retreated as she came closer to him.
Then she heard it, for the first time, her name shouted from a place not so far away:
"Lady Athea!"
Mira's voice. A voice she had so longed to hear since she found herself at this very unfamiliar place.
Diane spun towards the sound. When she turned back, he was gone.
Just… gone
Vanished like he was never there at all.