16. Gabriel
Chapter 16
Gabriel
A nother section of the crops was dead, and one of the wells in the eastern part of town had dried up. As if his people weren’t struggling enough already.
Zareia had no choice but to become completely self-sustaining within its walls after the curse was set. They had managed for six years, but now their systems were failing. The village had once hummed with new electricity that gave them lights and running water. Now, most of the houses were going without those luxuries, and the people were using the old wells again.
The wells that were drying out.
Because they were running out of time, and he couldn’t remember the last time it rained.
Gabriel sighed, crossing his arms as he stood leaning against the well. He took in the street around him, the people who looked to him for answers he didn’t have. When the witch cursed them, she hadn’t said this would happen, but it wasn’t difficult to put together. She wanted to make them suffer, and she wanted to drive them out of their homes so they would have no choice but to live in their beast forms in the wild. Already, most of the humans had left. They had gone after the first direct attack on the village eighteen years ago. A few lingered to be with friends and family, but not many. The ones who remained did what they could, gathering goods in other villages and such, yet it wasn’t enough.
Beside him, Daciana and Pax spoke in hushed tones. The goal right now was to keep everyone calm. As soon as people started panicking, things became infinitely more difficult.
“For now, use the southern well,” he said to those waiting. “But only for what you absolutely need.”
He looked to the clear sky above. Not a single cloud in sight. If it would just rain, so many of these issues would be solved. At least temporarily.
“That’s not going to last,” Pax whispered, moving closer.
Gabriel lowered his voice. “I know, but there’s no other option. If you have ideas, I’m all ears.”
Pax opened his mouth, but it was Daciana who hissed, “There is another option; you’re just not willing to make it happen.”
They’d had this argument for days now. Days during which he’d been avoiding Brinley. “I can’t force her to use magic. She doesn’t know how to access it.”
He’d learned that the day after the fight with the wolves. When checking on Brinley and bringing her food, she had informed him that she didn’t know how she’d managed to bring him back and heal him. She still couldn’t reach her magic. Though, most of her scrapes and cuts had vanished. All that remained were a couple faint scratch lines on her cheek and arm. Both of which were now faded scars.
“Then, make her figure it out,” Daci said.
If only it were that simple. Brinley was still reading the books though. Pax and Joel had let him know that, as they continued taking turns bringing her food each day. Gabriel didn’t know what else to do at this point. “Again, if you have any ideas?—”
She groaned. “You’re the fucking alpha. Act like it.”
He bristled at that. Straightening his spine, he towered over her. She didn’t flinch, of course, but she did break eye contact to look away when he infused some of his power into his glare.
“All right,” Pax said. “Let’s just take a deep breath and calm down.”
“Calm down?” Gabriel growled at his beta. “My pack is barely surviving. My sister is—” His words choked off, but not because of the curse. He just couldn’t bring himself to say it. “My gamma is downright questioning me in public. I have a stubborn, infuriating witch occupying my rooms, who doesn’t know how to use her damn magic.”
“And apparently, you haven’t had sex in way too long,” Daci mumbled under her breath before raising her voice more intentionally. “Where’s Joel? He’s usually good for taking the brunt of this tension.”
Gabriel’s chest rumbled, and he stepped toward her, ready to put her in her place. He didn’t want to fight his friend, but he would. Not only for speaking to him in such a manner but for talking about Joel like that. He didn’t deserve it.
But Paxton stepped between them.
“I think I’m staying pretty fucking calm all things considered.” Gabriel looked over Paxton’s shoulder at her.
Pax turned around and gently pushed their friend away before she could undoubtedly argue. She shook her head as she stormed off, then Pax faced him again. “Go talk to Brinley,” he said. “You’re both right; we’re out of options and need her help.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“I don’t fucking care,” Pax said, making Gabriel’s eyes widen. The man so rarely lost his temper. Though, it seemed to be happening more and more the closer they got to their deadline to break the curse. “I don’t care whether you go in and beg or make her do it by force at this point. Just get her to try to help us. Please.”
His voice cracked on the last word, effectively breaking Gabriel’s heart. With a nod, Gabriel agreed and walked away. Pax was right. He needed to try again. He had to figure this out.
By the time he made it home, with Paxton following, he had a relative plan on how to approach the witch. He would start by telling her everything he could. They had made some headway before. She knew about the curse to an extent, and she knew he couldn’t talk about it specifically, but she still hadn’t accepted that these were also her people. She didn’t believe him about her father, so he’d begin there. Surely there was a way to get her to remember the past.
To remember him.
He’d given her a few days to rest, but now it was time to follow Joel’s advice. Perhaps bringing her around the village would help somehow.
He opened the door to his study as Paxton walked past him toward the stairs. Gabriel suppressed a sigh. His sister’s infatuation with the man was only going to get worse if Pax continued spending all of his spare time with her. But neither of them could deny her anything anymore, and he understood Pax was struggling with this. It was like he needed to stay with her for himself, not just because it was what she wanted.
A jangling sound caught Gabriel’s attention, and he faced forward. The top of Brinley’s head was just visible behind the desk. She clearly hadn’t heard him enter.
Gabriel quietly closed the door and moved closer, rounding the side of the desk. She was crouched near the drawers and picking at one of the locks with that damn letter opener. He thought he got rid of it, but then he remembered he’d been distracted and left it on the shelf.
“Can I help you?” He leaned a hip against the hard corner.
Brinley startled and let out a short shriek of surprise as she fell backward onto her butt. She looked from him to the letter opener sticking straight out of the keyhole. “I-I… I was just…”
He raised a brow, genuinely curious. “What are you looking for?”
“I… don’t know.” She visibly swallowed.
In truth, he didn’t have much hiding in the drawers. Nothing really secret. He kept them locked primarily out of habit because he kept some bags of coins in them, ledgers regarding trade with the outside world from before the curse, and various other documents of his father’s. Because his home was open to his pack at all times, he liked to keep them secure. Just in case.
He pulled the keyring from his belt and leaned forward. Brinley snatched the letter opener and stood, gripping it at her side like she feared he would take her only means of defense. Staring at her, Gabriel tried to stay calm. He clenched his jaw and straightened. “I was just going to open the drawer for you.”
“Why?”
With a sigh, he tossed the keys onto the desk. “Because I don’t care if you look in there. I’m not hiding anything.”
She scoffed, and it made his jaw twitch.
“Don’t test me, bijou,” he warned. “I didn’t come up here to argue.”
“Then, why are you here?”
He took a step toward her, and she retreated, the small, sharp object raising a fraction. The responding rumble in his chest was involuntary. “Did you forget this is my room? My home?”
“Of course not.”
Ignoring her, he instead tried to focus on his actual reason for returning. “I came to talk to you about your magic.”
“I told you, I don’t know?—”
“How to reach it,” he finished for her. “I’m aware. But we need to figure out a way to change that.”
“No, you need a way to change that,” she said with a scowl.
Even mad, she was distractingly beautiful. Actually, she might have been more attractive like this. It only made him angrier. “You’ve been sitting in this window watching the villagers go about their business below. If you won’t do it for me, do it for them. For the children whose hearts haven’t been darkened yet by war.”
Her gaze softened. But then, as if remembering herself, she shielded those emotions once more, putting on a mask of indifference. He’d seen it though. Beneath the act, she cared at least a little bit. Enough to give him hope.
“These are your people?—”
“No, they’re not.” She bared her teeth in a look that screamed DeLoup.
He took another step, and she rounded the desk to put it between them. “Yes, they are. Your father was my godfather.”
Brinley shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Keir was a good man. He was a great leader.” Gabriel moved to the side of the desk. “He loved you so much and wouldn’t want?—”
“Stop!” she shouted. “Just stop it. That’s enough; I don’t want to hear your lies.”
“They’re not lies.” He slammed a hand onto his desk. His blood rushed through his veins, pounding in his ears. This witch was under his skin. “Your father was a DeLoup. I don’t know what they did to make you forget, but I need you to at least hear me out.”
She gaped at him in clear disbelief. “No one made me forget anything. You’ve got the wrong girl.”
His chest tightened, and he tried to tell himself it was just because of his anger, but he knew that wasn’t true. It hurt that she didn’t remember. “I don’t have the wrong girl,” he said in a quieter tone. “It’s been six years since I last saw you, but?—”
“We’ve never seen each other before you kidnapped me,” she screamed, this time charging at him with her silver weapon raised, aiming for his throat.
But she was no match for him. For a full-grown alpha who stood at least a whole head taller than her and nearly twice as wide. She was tiny compared to him, and she didn’t have her magic.
Gabriel grabbed her wrist before she could even touch him and twisted it behind her back.