Chapter 16 #2
“No,” Miles wheezed. The blow didn’t slow Joe down. He struggled, clawing at the threadbare carpet to drag himself towards Gabriel. “The grimoire is controlling him. Put it in the box.”
“Oh.”
Gabriel darted away. Joe twisted, flailing around in Miles’s grip to try and follow. Miles narrowly avoided getting an elbow to the jaw. He only needed to hold on for one more—
Joe went limp. Rolling away with a groan, Miles flopped against the floor, arms and legs trembling. He ached like he’d just tried to wrestle a buffalo on steroids.
Panting, Gabriel reappeared, the closed containment box in his hands. His shoulders slumped in relief as Miles got to his feet. “Are you—”
“Ow!” Blinking in bewilderment, Joe sat up and clutched at the shoulder he’d landed on when Miles shoved him. There was a tear at the collar of his shirt. “What happened?” “I think you got hit by a book,” Miles lied breathlessly. “You were unconscious when we came over.”
“I…” His gaze darted from the books on the floor to the broken shelf he’d pinned Gabriel against. His bushy eyebrows furrowed. “I was in my office…”
The door behind the checkout counter was ajar—that explained where Joe had come from.
He must’ve been working after hours, and the grimoire’s energy had crept over.
Miles should’ve known better; he’d sensed it reaching through the floor of his bedroom in search of a victim the first night he’d brought it home.
“Here, let me help you up.” Miles gingerly pulled Joe to his feet. “You might have a concussion.”
He wondered what the grimoire had told him to make him so desperate to steal it. When he mentally reached out to check that Joe wasn’t hurt, he found only a low thrum of pain beneath his confusion and unease.
Joe declined when Miles offered to see if the nurse was still here, stiffly putting his croc back on and tugging at the rip in his shirt. Every time he looked at Gabriel, his forehead crease got deeper. He didn’t protest when they went to leave, muttering about cleaning up.
Miles snagged the waist of Gabriel’s sweater vest, tugging him away. “Let’s grab our stuff and go, before we accidentally summon another murderous hippie.” Talk about new fear unlocked.
It was pouring as they went out the front entrance, the sky an angry charcoal, so they sat on the empty covered stairs instead of their usual table on the grass. The cold of the concrete immediately seeped through Miles’s jeans, making him shiver.
Gabriel set the containment box a step below them, flexing his fingers. He didn’t say anything, but leaned in until their arms pressed together, grounding Miles against the jittery adrenaline aftershocks.
They listened to the thunderous rain against the pavement and the cawing of crows in the nearby trees.
Tension uncoiled from between Miles’s shoulder blades.
He rarely got to be this close to Gabriel and simply enjoy his nearness, to breathe in his clean laundry and crisp winter air smell and feel his warmth where they touched.
He would give anything to stay like this for a little longer.
Gabriel exhaled. “What did I do to give you the impression that sacrifice is necessary for my company?”
Heat crawled up Miles’s face. “Leave me alone. I just saved you from a very scary librarian, I get a free pass on embarrassing thoughts for the next ten minutes.”
“I’ll give you fifteen because it was such an impressive rescue.”
Miles worked an elbow between them enough to nudge him in the ribs. Jerk. “I’ll have you know, that move is called the Human Octopus and it’s reserved for the direst of situations. You should feel lucky you got to see it in person.”
“It’s a sight I’ll never forget, that’s for certain.”
“You’re not funny.” Miles turned his face back to his knees, but he knew Gabriel could hear his smile.
They were cracking jokes, but if Miles hadn’t been there, hadn’t heard the attack, hadn’t been fast enough…
“You can’t watch me every moment.” Wet leaves fell through the air to stick against the stairs, decorating the stone with shades of autumn. “Though, if you insist on performing such daring rescues, I might consider hiring you as a full-time bodyguard.”
Miles’s laugh got stuck in his throat. He’d almost lost Gabriel twice in the last twenty-four hours.
“Foolish of you to think you could get rid of me so easily.” Gabriel plucked at Miles’s jacket sleeve, refusing to let him wallow. “I can’t die until I get the football popcorn you promised.”
“Are you trying to cheer me up? I appreciate the effort, but maybe leave out the death reminder in the future.”
“I happen to know you like my morbid sense of humor.”
Before Miles could answer, Gabriel’s phone vibrated against him where they were pressed together. He glanced at the screen, typed quickly, then slipped it away. “Edmund is almost here.”
Time just kept moving, no matter how desperately Miles wished it would stop.
He raked a hand through his tangled hair. “We should talk about the curse.”
“Not right now. I need space to think.” It might’ve stung, if Gabriel’s voice wasn’t uncharacteristically soft, almost a plea.
“Okay.” It was an easy thing to give him. He eased Gabriel’s hand out of where he’d tucked it into his pocket, running his thumb along the groove of his knuckles. “I’m here whenever you’re ready.”
Exhaling slowly, Gabriel lowered his head to rest against Miles’s shoulder, making Miles’s heart clench. “I know you are.”