The following interview appeared on UnderTheCoversBookBlog.blogspot.com, Oct 2011.
Interview with Adrian Mitchell
I’m not overly surprised to find Adrian in a pensive mood when I visit him for this interview. I know he’s under a great deal of pressure now, although he hides it beautifully, as always.
I find him in his office, looking out the window at the native Southern California landscape. His hands are clasped beneath his wings and his inky black hair touches the collar of his dress shirt, having grown longer over the last few weeks as his world has steadily unraveled. Those beautiful wings of his, so pristinely and blindingly white except for the crimson tips, reveal so much about him. I wonder if he realizes that. He can hide them at will and the fact that he’s chosen not to do so today tells me how agitated he is. They stretch and flex when he’s of a mood, the only visible sign he gives of how he’s feeling.
I know it’s those feelings that are exacerbating his problems now. He’s a Sentinel, after all. An angel created to hunt and punish other angels. He was designed and built to feel no emotion, to function almost like a machine. A Terminator, perhaps. One mission, one purpose, no deviations. But he’s deviated a lot over the years. Now more so than ever before. And he’s paid the price. He’s paying it even now.
“Hi, Adrian,” I say in greeting, although he knows I’ve been standing here watching him.
He faces me and I’m struck, as I always am, by the brilliance of his cerulean eyes. All of the Sentinels have blue eyes and he explained why when I asked him previously. The Sentinels are seraphim angels—the “burning ones.” The blue of their irises is literally the flame inside them. Pure and hot. Beautiful in an eerie, preternatural way.
“Ms. Day,” he returns, in his smooth deep voice with its unique resonance. He can compel with that voice, but so far he’s resisted compelling me to do anything. At least I think he’s resisted... “Ah, you’re dressed today. I’d almost forgotten how you look when you’re not wearing your pajamas.”
I grin. “Hey, it’s one of the perks of being a writer. How are you today?”
“As well as can be expected.”
“Where’s Lindsay?”
“Training.”
I nod, understanding. The woman he loves can kick some serious ass, but she’s still fragile compared to the vampires she hunts and the Sentinels who are training her. “Are you ready for the interview?”
“No.” But he moves to his desk, gesturing for me to take a seat.
His wings dissipate like mist just before he sits, which always fascinates me. They’re so much a part of him and yet he can tuck them away where mortals like me can’t see them.
I eye him as he gets comfortable, admiring the savage beauty of his face. He’s stunning, with a dark and edgy sensuality that makes him seem more fallen angel than not.
“What do you like most about yourself?” I ask.
His brows rise. He leans back in his chair and studies me in return. “Is this part of the interview?”
“It can be.”
“Hmm... That I can still learn, I suppose. That I can change my mind, be surprised, discover something new.”
“You’re evolving.”
“Yes, perhaps that’s the way to say it. After all these years... after all I’ve seen, I’m not done formulating new opinions of things that should be old hat to me.”
“What do you like least about yourself?”
His lips curved wryly. “How much time do you have?”
Now it’s my brows that rise. “Really?”
“Part of evolution is trial and error, and I’ve made more than my share of mistakes. Unfortunately, I also keep making new ones.”
“That’s part of being human,” I point out.
“But I’m not human.”
Right. I consider him further. “What haven’t you done that you would like to do?”
“Take Lindsay away,” he says without hesitation. “For a week at least, longer if we could manage it.”
“Where would you go?”
“She likes the water. I like the mountains.”
“So you can fly.”
“Yes.” He smiles, which is a sign of how Lindsay is changing him. “So I suppose it would be somewhere with mountains overlooking the ocean.”
“Something to look forward to.”
“Yes.”
“What are you most afraid of?”
“Failure,” he responds, with the same alacrity as the previous question. “Too much is riding on me... too many people are dependent on my getting the job done. There’s too much at stake. And I have Lindsay now.”
“You won’t fail.” I have no doubt about that.
“No,” he agrees with conviction. “I won’t.”
And really, that’s the number one thing there is to know about Adrian right there.