Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(44)

Falon met Shya’s gaze evenly. He was unafraid, facing the demon with a stubborn set to his jaw. “I don’t need your permission to take a lover, Shya.”

“No, of course not. Who that lover happens to be, though, may affect your loyalties. I’m sure you’ve heard the human saying, don’t shit where you eat. Be careful, Falon.”

The two of them faced off, exchanging so much without saying a word. The tension was palpable, heavy enough to suffocate. If they didn’t stop staring at each other like that, my head was going to explode.

“I want to see Gabriel,” I repeated, risking Shya’s wrath. “I’m not leaving until I know he’s alive.”

“Fine.” Shya spun on his heel and motioned for me to follow. “Let’s get this over with. Once you see he’s alive and well, I expect you’ll be on your way. I’m busy.”

“I see that.” Finally, I got my chance to shoot a questioning glance at Arys. I mouthed the words, ‘What the f**k?’

I felt him, a light touch in my mind. ‘We’ll talk about this later.’

I didn’t reply. Instead, I chose to give him my best dirty look. My night was so full of chaos and shit already, I didn’t have the capacity for more. Whatever Arys was doing here with Shya, I wasn’t going to like it.

Shya led us into the living room. It was open, attached to the kitchen. With a high ceiling and a second floor balcony overlooking, it felt much bigger than it actually was. The back walls were glass from floor to ceiling. They looked out onto the backyard with its pool and sprawling lawn.

Gabriel was out there, seated on the back patio couch. Several spellcasting items were spread on the small table before him. His back was to us. I watched as he added a sprinkle of something black and dusty to a chalice. Shya had wasted no time putting him to work.

“There, you see? He’s fine. Happy, Alexa?” Shya’s expression all but dared me to argue.

“I want to speak to him.” I didn’t wait for Shya’s permission. I strode to the patio doors and let myself out into the backyard.

Gabriel raised his head, surprise registering on his face. His eyes were solid black. He was filled with the dark magic he performed.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his lips curling in annoyance. “This is a delicate spell. You’re ruining it.”

“You shouldn’t be here either. And, you sure as hell shouldn’t be messing with dark forces. It’s dangerous, Gabriel. If you get in too deep, it will never let you go.”

“I guess you would know. Do you expect me to believe your power isn’t rooted in darkness?” He reached for a bag of what looked like dried flowers and continued preparing his spell.

“It’s not,” I said softly. “Not all of it. My power is both dark and light. It’s the balance in between.”

I heard myself say it, but did I believe it? I still had so much to learn about what it meant to be a twin flame, not to mention what it meant to be a Hound of God. My fear of being an utter failure was deeply ingrained. But, what I feared most was becoming a monster that lived only for the kill and the thrill of the power that came with it.

“If you say so,” he replied with a stoic nonchalance that struck me as worrisome. “Look, I get it. You feel the need to prove to yourself that you’re not like everyone else here. That you’re better than them. It’s cool. But, it doesn’t mean you have to save me. In fact, I don’t want to be saved.”

“This is the power talking. Not you. You don’t want to stay here with a demon. Come on, Gabriel. Brogan is worried sick about you. Your mom probably is, too.”

He paused in his spellcasting. “I’m not a child. I can make my own decisions, and I choose to stay. Sorry. I don’t want to be used to make you feel better about yourself.”

Whoa. He was too far gone. Nothing I said would change his mind. The murky energy surrounding him was too thick, a possessive, manipulative entity. It had him firmly in its grasp.

“That’s your choice.” I nodded, accepting defeat. “Tell me one thing though. Tell me what you saw when you touched me at Brogan’s shop.”

He fixed me with a strange, detached stare. A shiver ran down my spine.

“I saw you as a vampire. And, it wasn’t pretty.”

Chapter Twelve

I stared at Gabriel, frozen in place. My mouth opened, and I muttered something unintelligible. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s not like I didn’t know that’s what my future held, after my death at Arys’s hand. If Gabriel had merely reiterated the warnings of the other witches, I could have accepted it. Instead, he was confirming something I now realized I’d hoped might not come to pass. For the first time since forming the blood bond with my twin flame, I had to ask myself, would I rather be dead than be a vampire?

“You don’t want details,” Gabriel said. “I prefer not to give them. I’m not a walking, talking crystal ball. Things can always change. What I see isn’t written in stone.”

“Have you ever been wrong?” I asked nervously. “Has that ever happened that you know of? A change from what you saw?”

“Just once.” Picking up a small dagger, Gabriel pressed the blade to the inside of his palm. “You should probably leave. I’ve seen enough of your bloodlust to know I don’t want to spill any blood with you around.”