Chapter 25 #2
"Boys!" Dad shakes his head in displeasure, looking at Blue apologetically. "Please forgive us, they are usually better behaved at the table. I have no idea what’s gotten into them tonight, it’s not the Nolan way, I assure you!"
Dad smiles with embarrassment, and Father comes to the rescue, clearing his throat and addressing his oldest son, even though Blue seems unbothered.
"Denver, have you heard that Skye found his True Mate? His fated mate is a beta. Who would’ve thought!"
"Yes," Denver mutters so quietly, I barely hear it.
"They both studied at the same college where Gus works, right?…"
Gus admits he actually had some classes with Skye’s fated mate and praises how good of a student he was.
I breathe out in relief as he finally shifts the topic to family gossip about our cousins, some of whom have found their True Mates, which livens things up and relaxes the discussion a bit.
Dallas throws me glares from time to time, to which I respond with a heavy, warning stare, but he gives up on trying to stir things up with Blue, focusing on his plate.
When we leave dinner an hour later, I decide it was relatively successful after all.
The minor sparring between Blue and Dallas wasn’t consequential. Blue’s mood doesn’t seem to be affected.
My half-brother is known for his sour disposition and his deeply skeptical attitude toward many of the issues Blue deals with.
But violence always wins, so using it, I successfully persuaded him to shut his mouthhole, and all ended well. Yeah.
As we approach the limousine, my phone suddenly beeps.
I glance at it and see a strange text.
SNOW:
"Don’t fly to Japan tomorrow. You will die."
That’s it. My cousin Snow is low-key famous in our family for his prophetic talents. The message is typical of him, extremely concise. But it also sounds quite eerie.
"What are you talking about? Blue has a business visit."
"Don’t fly tomorrow. Reschedule. You will both die."
Wow, pretty direct. My hands start trembling. I am not one to take such a warning lightly, considering my own talent is somewhat similar, although it doesn't cover extended periods of time.
I lift my eyes to Blue, who is just getting into the limousine. I jump in after him and say,
"Look at this. It’s from my cousin, Snow Nolan, Storm’s brother. I told you before about his prophetic abilities."
I hand him the phone.
Blue’s eyes widen slightly.
There’s a moment of deep silence.
"Do you trust him? His abilities?"
"Yes. Apparently he’s never been wrong. Even his own brothers trust him less than I do, because I know that things like this are possible."
Blue looks out the limousine window, the light reflecting in his irises.
There is a long moment of silence, and then he speaks slowly.
"I’ve rented my private jet to my brother.
Sebastian needs it. As you know, he runs the Omega Red Line Agency, and sometimes they have cases where rapid intervention is required.
They use my jet to get to the scene quickly and help the victims. I would have to contact them and ask whether the jet is available at the moment and could take me to Japan.
If not tomorrow, then early on the day after tomorrow, so we can still make the meeting. "
"Wait. You don’t use your own jet? You were planning to fly on a regular commercial flight?"
"Yes, I already have tickets. And no, I don’t use my jet. I don’t believe that being wealthy entitles me to burn fuel for the convenience of one person when it could carry a hundred."
I stare at him for a moment, my mouth slightly open.
"Wow. I guess I still don’t really know you… I didn’t realize you had that kind of perspective."
Blue stays silent, not looking at me, still watching the window.
So I add, "That’s how rich people operate, and it’s normal. No one questions that they have private jets and multiple homes…"
Blue makes a slight face.
"They should. All of my houses are rented out. I currently have four in active use."
He mentioned that he had rented one of them to other people one time before, but I didn't dig into the details then.
"Rented to whom?"
"Two are rented to Sebastian. Many of the victims he helps don’t have a roof over their heads.
Not long ago, several omegas were rescued in cooperation with Detective Arnold.
You may have heard about it on the news, the Daniel Tanner case.
They were being held in a basement by that deviant who was sexually abusing them.
They needed peace and care. Sebastian’s organization provided that, and one of my houses offered them a place to stay.
The other two houses are rented to people who come to my experimental center.
Many of them have to stay here for extended periods because the research and testing can last weeks or even months, and they don’t have the funds to pay for hotels.
So those two houses are made available as space allows. "
I just stare at him.
"All of that for free?"
He nods.
Something constricts in my chest, a surge of emotion and something violent shaking through me, as if I’ve been doused in hot water.
"Why do you do that? You don’t have to. No one would blame you if you didn’t. People don’t even know about it. They only think you’re that evil scientist, a heartless rich man, the head of a huge company who doesn’t care about anyone and only wants to multiply his fortune…"
Blue shrugs slightly. "People will always think that. It’s easier to divide the world into good and bad, without any shades in between."
"So… why?"
"I don’t see anything unusual in it, Gabriel. If I’m not using something, why shouldn’t others?"
I blink like an idiot, still in disbelief. I had no idea he has this approach.
"That penthouse you live in… it’s actually pretty modest in size. Is that the only home you actively use? Because I know you’ve rented out your yacht too…"
"Yes, for now that’s the only one. I also have a house by a lake, in a forest town called Rainbow Springs. It’s more of a vacation house, but it’s currently under renovation, so it’s not usable."
I fall silent. All of this shocks me, almost shakes me. I realize how much I’ve based on assumptions and stereotypes from when I was still under Marcel’s influence.
The worst part is that even after I met him, I kept low-key thinking that Blue was unnecessarily rich, that yes, he supported his patients, but still surrounded himself with excess, and meanwhile…
I need time to process this, but right now this matters more.
"I think in this situation you’re fully justified in taking the jet. Please, let’s not risk flying commercial tomorrow."
Blue slowly turns his gaze away from the window.
Our eyes meet, and he speaks in a somewhat peculiar tone.
"Alright. As a scientist I should be skeptical, but I agree."
"Thank you. I don’t want us to take even the slightest risk."
His hand makes a small gesture toward me, and I really want to take his hand, but unexpectedly there’s a kind of fear in me, feeling that I’m not worthy of it.
How easy it was to judge him while sitting in a room full of other activists spewing their hatred, fuming with hostility. I got caught up in the same energy without ever reflecting on it, and now I feel shitty for it.
"I didn’t deserve this," I blurt out on a wave of emotions. "To have you. I don’t know how it happened that Fate matched us together. That’s just wild…"
Blue turns toward me again almost sharply, as if my words upset him.
"Why would you say that? You don’t understand how I see these things. My perspective is completely different."
"If we weren’t True Mates, you wouldn’t even look at me, Blue. That’s the truth."
His sapphire eyes move over my face, attentive, as if trying to understand the real cause of my outburst.
"Don’t do this, Gabriel. Don’t put yourself so low. Don’t feel like we aren’t equals."
But I keep going, recklessly.
"We’re not. I haven’t done anything to deserve you except being genetically compatible. That’s my only merit. It’s a sickening feeling. Like I’m taking something, stealing something I didn’t earn."
"Gabriel, stop. You saved my life."
I squeeze my eyes shut and burst out,
"I have a request! When we arrive at your family estate, please let me stay in the limousine. I need more time before I face them. Please."
Blue falls silent, his eyes fixed on my face.
"What caused this, Gabriel? Will you explain what you’re feeling?"
I don’t answer for a long time, searching within myself, but eventually one specific image rises from my memory.
"I feel guilty over the way I acted against you, spreading lies and slander. In Marcel’s room, where we always met, there was a picture of you with a bullseye drawn over it.
Marcel liked throwing darts. Sometimes he asked me to throw them, because he knew I never missed.
Day after day, every time we met, we threw darts at your face until only scraps were left hanging on the wall…
How could you ever love someone like that?
A stupid punk, a worthless piece of shit… "
Blue’s expression doesn’t change. He watches me closely, as if trying to see straight through me.
I squeeze my eyes shut again.
"Please, let me stay in the car. I don’t want to go in."
Blue lowers his head.
"Alright. I won’t insist," he says calmly, his eyes now fixed on his hands as he slowly moves his fingers, interlacing and separating them in thought.
I watch him, his dark blue hair carrying the faint scent of eucalyptus, his soft lips pink and inviting. I want to feel them against mine, but I realize I shouldn’t be the one reaching for that.
We spend the rest of the drive in silence. Blue is lost in thought, looking out the window, and I can clearly sense some kind of emotional turbulence inside him.
We arrive at the massive residence of the Lowen patriarch. Even from a distance, I can see the imposing structure of the estate, surrounded by gardens.
Soon the guards let us through one gate, and then… another.
We stop in a wide driveway.