20. Gael
CHAPTER TWENTY
GAEL
As I crossed the edge of town, the first drops of rain splattered against the cobblestones, quickly giving way to a steady drizzle.
The damp chill seeped through my clothes, clinging to my skin like an unwelcome reminder of the night’s chaos.
My arms felt like lead, my muscles burning with every step.
The sharp throb in my side, where a bullet had grazed me earlier, refused to let me forget how close I’d come to losing more than just blood.
The coppery scent still hung in the air, mixing with the rain-soaked pavement and the faint metallic tang of iron from my clothes.
I needed to get back. Back to the inn. Back to Asher. The thought of him lying there, vulnerable and unaware of the danger still stalking us, gnawed at my insides.
The main streets were too exposed, too open. I turned into a narrow alley, a shortcut I’d used before, eager to shave off a few precious minutes.
The dim light from the streetlamps barely reached the damp brick walls, casting long shadows that seemed to shift and stretch with the rain.
But as I stepped deeper into the alley, unease crawled up my spine.
The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and every instinct in me screamed to turn around, to be ready for something.
I quickened my face, my boots splashing through shallow puddles as I tried to shake the feeling.
Every shadow seemed to move, every sound felt amplified. The soft patter of rain, the distant creak of a door, the faint scrape of something shifting just out of sight.
I froze mid-step, my senses sharpening as I scanned the dark corridor. That’s when I saw them.
Asher.
And Bram.
My stomach dropped as Bram’s massive form loomed over Asher. He had Asher pinned against the wall, his hand wrapped around Asher’s throat.
Asher struggled, his movements uncoordinated and desperate. He’d only just turned; his strength and reflexes hadn’t fully adjusted yet.
Bram spotted me and sneered. “You’ve made a mess of things, Gael. Turning him? Betraying our nest? You’ve grown soft. Weak,” Beric said.
Before I could move, Bram hurled Asher across the alley. His body slammed into the opposite wall with a sickening thud, and he crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
“No!” I snarled, surging forward.
Bram turned, his expression cold and amused. “There you are. Just in time to watch me fix your mistake.”
I didn’t waste words. My body moved on instinct, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. I lashed out, grabbing the knife in my coat, aiming for his throat.
He caught my wrist mid-swing, his grip like iron.
“Still so predictable,” he taunted before driving his fist into my ribs.
Pain exploded through my chest, but I didn’t relent. I twisted free and landed a kick to his knee, forcing him back a step.
The alley became a battlefield, the rain-soaked ground slick beneath our feet. Bram’s movements were brutal and efficient, every strike aimed to cripple, to kill.
I ducked under a swing that would have taken my head off. I reached for my knife and countered with a slash that left a gash across his arm.
He barely flinched, his confidence maddeningly intact.
“You’re already spent, Gael,” he said, landing a blow to my shoulder that sent me staggering. “The hunters softened you up, and now you’ve got nothing left.”
I gritted my teeth, pushing past the searing pain. “You talk too much.”
I lunged again, our bodies colliding in a vicious tangle of blades and fangs. He overpowered me, slamming me into the alley wall.
My head hit the brick wall, the impact sending sharp pain through my skull as stars burst in my vision.
“Do you even understand what you’ve done?” Bram snarled, his eyes wild with fury. “Centuries, Gael. Centuries of loyalty, of working side by side, and you toss it all away for him?”
I let out a shaky laugh, tasting blood in my mouth.
“Oh, I get it perfectly,” I said, locking eyes with him. “Living at the nest, jumping every time Beric snapped his fingers? That wasn’t living. That was existing.”
Bram’s expression twisted, his jaw tightening as a low growl rumbled from his throat.
“So, this is it? You’re tying yourself to a hunter. A hunter , Gael? You’ve lost your damn mind.”
I smirked, ignoring the pounding in my head. “Better crazy and free than a lapdog for eternity.”
His fist tightened in my shirt, yanking me closer. “Then you’ve made your choice. And don’t think for a second I’ll lose sleep over killing you both.”
“Regrets don’t suit you anyway,” I shot back, my voice dripping with venom. “But you might want to focus less on monologues and more on finishing the job.”
Bram’s eyes flashed with fury, but I was already bracing myself for the next blow, adrenaline kicking in despite the pain.
I lunged at him but Bram shoved me to the ground, his boot pressing down on my chest. My ribs groaned under the pressure, and I knew I made a mistake.
I clawed at his leg, trying to dislodge him, but he was unyielding.
“Any last words?” he asked, his blade gleaming as he pressed it against my throat.
I thought of Asher, unconscious and vulnerable just feet away. Of the countless moments that had brought us here.
I thought of the fear in his eyes when he realized what I’d done to save him.
“No regrets,” I growled.
Bram’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “That’s your problem, Gael. Always so sentimental.”
The blade pressed harder, the cold metal biting into my skin. And then?—
A blur of motion.
Bram’s body jerked as Asher tackled him, knocking him off me. They hit the ground hard, Asher’s fists flying in a flurry of untrained but furious strikes.
Bram recovered quickly, flipping Asher off him with a snarl. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that.”
Asher staggered to his feet, his movements clumsy but driven by pure rage.
His eyes glowed with the feral intensity of a newborn vampire, his fangs bared as he lunged at Bram again.
I scrambled to my feet, my body screaming in protest, and joined the fray. Bram was a force of nature, his strength far outmatching ours. But together, we were relentless.
Asher landed a solid punch to Bram’s jaw, the impact reverberating through the alley. I followed with a slash across his chest, drawing a roar of pain from him.
“Stay down, Bram,” I warned, though I knew he wouldn’t.
“You think this changes anything?” Bram sneered, blood dripping from his mouth. “You’re both dead. You just don’t know it yet.”
Bram charged at Asher, his blade aimed for his heart.
“No!” I shouted, throwing myself between them.
The blade pierced my side instead, fire radiating from the wound as I pushed Bram back.
Asher’s scream of rage echoed through the alley. He grabbed Bram by the throat, his strength surprising even me, and slammed him into the ground.
Bram struggled, his confidence finally faltering as he realized Asher wasn’t letting go.
“It’s over,” Asher said, his fangs glinting.
With a final, savage motion, Asher drove a shard of broken brick into Bram’s chest, straight through his heart.
Bram’s body convulsed, his mouth opening in a silent scream before he went still.
The alley fell silent. Asher stood over Bram’s lifeless body, his chest heaving, his fists still clenched. The feral glow in his eyes faded slightly as he turned to me.
I managed to push myself upright, clutching my bleeding side. “Asher…”
Asher tightened his jaw, clenched his fists at his sides as he took slow, deliberate steps toward me. The air between us felt heavy, charged with everything left unsaid.
“You turned me,” he said at last.
I nodded, words sticking to the back of my throat. What could I say that wouldn’t make this worse?
Every step I’d taken to protect him now felt like it had shattered something fragile between us.
His anger and his hurt pressed down on me, and I braced myself for the full force of it.
“I hate what you’ve done to me,” he said, his voice breaking on the edges. “You took away my choice, Gael.” His hands flexed, like he didn’t know if he wanted to hit me or just scream. “But I understand why you did it.”
His words cut deeper than any blade Bram had wielded.
Relief and guilt collided in my chest, clawing at me, leaving me hollow.
My throat worked around the knot of emotions threatening to choke me, but nothing came out.
“I’m still angry,” he continued, his piercing gaze pinning me in place. His tone softened, trembling with something I couldn’t quite name. “But right now? I’m just glad you’re alive.”
The knot in my chest unraveled slightly, replaced by a fragile, tentative warmth.
The corner of my mouth twitched despite myself, the faintest smile breaking through the exhaustion. “Likewise,” I said.
For a moment, the world around us disappeared. The blood on our clothes, the bruises on our bodies, the chaos of the past few days all faded into the background.
We stood there, battered and raw, but together. The silence between us wasn’t awkward or heavy now. It was filled with unspoken promises.
I wanted to apologize, to tell him how sorry I was for taking his choice, for everything I’d dragged him into, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
They wouldn’t be enough. Maybe they never would be.
Instead, I took a step closer, testing the fragile peace.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” I said quietly, my voice rough. “But I won’t stop trying to make this right.”
Asher’s lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, I thought he might pull away. But he didn’t.
He stayed, his stance still tense, but his eyes softened just enough to let me relax.
“This isn’t something you can just fix, Gael,” he said. “But... I don’t know. Maybe we’ll figure it out.”
Hope flickered to life in my chest, tentative and fragile but there nonetheless. I nodded, knowing it was the closest thing to a truce we could manage right now.
We were a mess, both of us, but we were still standing.