Gabriel had seen people die, most of them in his hands. And though he was driven by instinct or the primal desire to survive, there was no joy in doing it. Normally, the guilt would follow when one did it for the first time. You could see a person's tormented face whenever you closed your eyes or took a nap. Sleep would be a luxury for a couple of days.
But then you'd get used to it. Like one who had slaughtered a chicken for dinner, you'd sleep soundly and have the greatest of dreams. But the death of a loved one, that was something he hadn't experienced.
He had seen it the day Elena held Andrian's hand as the life seeped out of him, fading into the wind. It was the saddest day he'd ever experienced in his life, yet.
Seeing Elena cry by Andrian's side was one thing, but holding her unmoving body in his hands was another. The horror in his eyes as he lifted her hands to only fall softly on the floor was something you wouldn't see occasionally.
