Bulletproof(Blood Dupre x OC)

♡Four♡

A scream tore from her throat as she felt herself plummeting. Annabelle squeezed her eyes shut, gravity working its magic on her as she fell back. Annabelle waited for her back to throb in pain, tensing up as she expected the ground to suddenly slam into her. Instead, she felt someone's arms come around her and catch her. Annabelle held onto whoever it was, breathing hard. Annabelle swallowed. Slowly, she peeked her eyes open, blinking a few times. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. She slowly slid her eyes over to meet a pair of warm, golden eyes. She noted the owner's masculine features, and his dark black hair. Her red eyes went wide in surprise. Who is this? She wondered. She stared at him quietly. Where did he come from? 

"Are you alright?"He asked her. Annabelle swallowed, breathing hard. She slowly nodded. It was a lie. She was still trembling in fear. The person knew this, but moved, setting her gently on the ground, his hands hovering at her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall over. Annabelle winced in pain, holding her already injured shoulder. The shock from having it yanked on just as she'd done before it had fully healed weighed on her. Great going Annabelle, you're going to have a ruined shoulder. "You're injured." 

"No! No, I'm fine,"Annabelle quickly lied to him. She held her hands up in defense, wincing in regret at having moved her shoulder. The man moved, his hand gently feeling around her arm. She blinked at him in surprise. 

"Nothing's broken,"he murmured. Annabelle swallowed. He lifted his head up, turning and looking to the side. Annabelle blinked when she spotted the lizard tattoo on the side of his neck. She looked down. Annabelle sighed and moved, her hands sliding around her backpack straps. "What are you doing walking around at night? It's dangerous, especially for Outsiders. And women." Annabelle blinked up at him as he turned his golden gaze back on her. She opened her mouth and then closed it, unsure of how to respond. He sighed and moved, grabbing her left hand. "Come on." 

"W-Wait-!"Annabelle protested as he started to drag her off. "Who are you?" 

"My name is Gray Ringmarc,"he told her. His hand was tight on hers, making sure they wouldn't get separated or anything. He hurried her along. Annabelle looked down at their hands, blinking to herself. What's this I'm feeling? She wondered. He's kind...and warm...."Lord Nightmare sent me to escort you to the Clover Tower. It seems I showed up just in time." Annabelle sighed hard. Gray fell silent, leading her quickly through a small town. It was nearly dead to all activity. There was no one out during the night, and only a few lamps that were lit could be seen inside the houses they passed. Annabelle spotted a really tall tower, with lights outside so the steps could be seen. Gray slowed down a little, his hand not loosening on hers. She frowned. 

When Gray got her sat down inside of what looked like an office room, he stood in front of Annabelle. He pointed at her arm. She blinked and looked down at it. 

"What?"She asked. Her eyes returned up to his. He put his hands on his hips. Annabelle blinked in surprise. Like a mom?

"Let me see the injury,"Gray told her. Annabelle's eyes went wide. 

"Uh...no...I'm not injured,"Annabelle lied. Gray narrowed his eyes at her. Annabelle took that moment to really assess Gray. She saw in the light that rather than black, as she'd first thought, his hair was actually a soft blue. He moved and grabbed her arm as she sat silently. She winced as he squeezed on one of her bruises. "Ow!" 

"See?"Gray muttered. Annabelle pulled her aching arm from his grasp. Gray frowned. "Why won't you let me see it?" Annabelle looked down. Her brows pinched together. It's not important, Annabelle thought. She sighed. He gave her a hard look. 

"Because--" Annabelle stopped, unsure of what else to say to him. Should she tell him the truth? Should she lie and say it was just a pulled muscle? Tell him she fell down stairs?