18. Gabriel
Chapter 18
Gabriel
G abriel closed the door behind him but didn’t leave. He leaned against it, closing his eyes as he tried to figure out what in the hell he just did. Lifting a hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
What the fuck did he just do? How could he have been so stupid?
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Their first time should have been special. It should have been a moment full of love, not hate. She didn’t even remember him. This meant nothing to her, and that hurt worse than anything.
That was why he’d tried keeping his distance. He’d fought the attraction to the stubborn witch for weeks, and then the first time she pushed her ass against him, he lost control. At the first sign that she felt that same pull, he ripped open her dress and fucked her on his desk.
His mind reeled. How could she have so much power over him? It was like he was possessed.
Or obsessed. He couldn’t stop thinking about her before this. Now, he would never stop hearing the way she’d shouted his name, the way she felt around him as he drove into her over and over. The way she tasted on his fingertips.
He was getting hard again just thinking about it.
“Fuck,” he hissed, dropping his arm, remembering where those fingers had been. He stormed down the hall and into the spare room he’d been using.
In the bathing chamber, he washed his hands and rinsed off his face, letting the cool water refresh him. He heard someone enter the bedroom, and he loathed the way that, for the briefest second, he hoped it was Brinley. Whether because she wanted more or she wanted to yell at him, he didn’t care.
But it wasn’t the witch. It was his best friend, who glared at him. Paxton stopped in the open doorway of the bathroom and leaned against the frame.
“I came to talk to you about the rogues after a report came in, but you were… busy.” Paxton’s eyes stayed on his own hands.
Sighing, Gabriel fully faced him, crossing his arms.
“Just tell me… Did you ruin our chances?”
Were it anyone else, Gabriel wouldn’t allow such questions. But Pax wasn’t just his second; he was his closest friend. The only person he trusted more in this world was Rose.
Which was also why he answered honestly. “I don’t know.”
“Shit, Gabe! Seriously? You were only supposed to talk to her. You couldn’t keep it in your pants just this once? She is our last chance of saving?—”
“I know.” A low growl rumbled through his chest.
“Then, how could you risk it?”
“She started it.” He knew it was a childish response, but it was the truth. Besides, he wasn’t about to admit that he had so little control when it came to her. He physically could not deny her.
Pax rubbed a hand down his face. He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “Well, she sounded like she enjoyed it, so who knows? Maybe this will work in our favor.”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him. “And how long did you stay to listen?”
With a smirk, Pax shrugged. “Not long, but it’s not as if you two were quiet. I could still hear you from upstairs. Or rather, I could hear her screaming in between thumps.”
Shit. “Did Rose hear us?”
Unlike much of the rest of the queendom, their community wasn’t shy about sex. It wasn’t some taboo activity only done in secret between a husband and wife. The Crimson Pack was open about it, as were most packs. The DeLoup craved touch and intimacy. The luckiest of them mated for life, but they weren’t opposed to having fun before the bond was found and sealed. Not everyone found their mate early in life; many never found them at all.
Brinley was not the first person he’d fucked in his rooms. Rose had caught him sneaking women and the occasional man out more than once, so he knew she wasn’t clueless. That did not, however, mean that he wanted his baby sister hearing him. He didn’t think she could from the solarium.
Rolling his eyes, Pax said, “Daci delivered a message, and then I left her in the solarium with Rose to find you. I didn’t understand the look she gave me until I was in this hall and heard you. Then, you really started going at it, so I returned upstairs. In the garden, it was muffled, but still clear what was going on.”
“Damnit.” Gabriel sighed. They had been a lot louder than he was with his usual partners. He would need to keep that in mind for— No . There wouldn’t be a next time.
“Relax. It’s not the first time. She’s heard you and Joel before,” Pax said with a shrug. “Not to mention that time during fête de la lune when you and that one woman didn’t exactly leave the party before?—”
“All right, I get it.” He groaned. That was a memory he’d rather never talk about again.
Paxton went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “Besides, she’ll be eighteen in a couple months. She’s not a child. I’m sure she’s?—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Gabriel pointed a finger in his face.
“I was just going to say that she’s probably talked about these things with her friends. You were her age when you and Joel started sleeping together, and he wasn’t your first. It took you all of, what, one day to tell me about it?” he asked with a smirk. “And I’ve definitely seen Harris sneaking off at multiple parties with someone, so he probably tells her all about whatever he gets up to those nights.”
Gabriel did not want to think about Rose talking about this with Harris or any of her other friends. Not that she had many beyond his own. When she started getting too weak to leave the house, let alone attend school and such, most of them had grown distant. Harris was the only one who came to visit regularly. And the boy wasn’t exactly oozing charm. He was shy and awkward around most people. Gabriel honestly never thought he’d have to worry about him.
“She and Harris aren’t…” He couldn’t bring himself to continue.
Luckily, Paxton knew him well enough to understand. “Goddess, no.” He made a face. “There aren’t any feelings like that between them.”
“Are you sure? At her last birthday, they were dancing awfully close. There doesn’t always need to be deep feelings to?—”
“They’re not sleeping together,” Pax said, cutting him off with a dark look. “They were goofing around at her birthday ball to see who would make those assumptions. It was a joke.”
“All right,” Gabriel raised his hands in front of him. “Relax. I was just asking. I didn’t know if I should send Daci in to chat with her about… things.”
Pax rolled his eyes. “They had that conversation years ago.”
Gabriel scowled at him.
“Just as a precaution. Rose hasn’t been with anyone,” he said. “Trust me; she tells me way too much about everything. I would know if there was anyone we needed to bury.”
Gabriel chuckled with a nod. It didn’t matter if she was practically an adult; she would always be his little sister. The one he’d raised since she was twelve. Even before then, he’d been the one taking care of her while their father was busy. Sure, they had Brighid, but he’d been there every day, making sure she was safe and loved and not afraid of the horrible things happening throughout their lands.
Clearing his throat, he redirected the conversation. “Just don’t say anything to Brinley about all this. It’s bad enough we… She doesn’t need to know that anyone heard us.”
A curious look passed through Pax’s gaze. “So, you do still care about her feelings.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Real convincing.”
Gabriel clenched his jaw. He would not admit to caring for Brinley again; he’d already confessed it to Rose. “We need her not to hate us, remember? I’m just saying, don’t embarrass her and make the situation worse. We’re running out of time.”
“I’m aware,” Pax whispered, lowering his eyes to the floor. But not before Gabriel saw the pain.
“We’ll figure it out, Pax. She’ll be all right.” He stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Rose’s deterioration was weighing on him more with each passing day.
Paxton nodded but didn’t respond.
With a sigh, Gabriel asked, “What news did Daci bring?”
“Another small pack has been spotted beyond the walls,” he said before heading into the bedroom proper.
Gabriel followed and took a seat on the edge of the mattress. He missed his own bed.
Pax sat in one of the armchairs near the window. “The sentries can’t tell if any are from the same group that attacked Brinley. They’re sticking to the shadows more, and we can’t get a good look at them.”
“They haven’t tried to approach the gates or anything?”
“No. It… it feels like they’re waiting for something.”
Running a hand over his hair, Gabriel looked toward the wall that separated this room from his study. He tried to think through everything he knew, to consider the various possibilities and put the pieces together.
“I can see the wheels turning,” Pax said. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know.” It was the truth. There was something staring him in the face, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. “I just can’t help but feel like it’s all connected. Like they’re waiting for her to escape again, but why? Why do they want… the heiress…”
He turned his attention back to his beta, whose eyes widened. Pax cursed before saying, “They want her .”
“Either to ransom her or…” Gabriel pushed to his feet. His long strides had him reaching the door a second later.
“Where are you going?” Pax followed him to the hall.
Gabriel paused long enough to tell him, “To talk to the sentries and increase security, and to see if they think it’s the Shadow Pack.”
The look Pax gave him made his stomach twist. Because it wasn’t one of shock or even fear. It was understanding.
Shaking it off, Gabriel said, “She hasn’t left that room since trying to run the first time, so I don’t think it will be an issue, but make sure she doesn’t leave this house without a guard.”
He didn’t wait for a response, knowing his second would take care of it. There wasn’t any time to waste. If one of the rogue packs was truly after Brinley, he’d do everything in his power to protect her. The rogues would likely try to use her as ransom, but if her grandmother was killed in the attack on their village, would the royal council step in to ensure Brinley’s safety?
Somehow, he didn’t think so. Based on what he knew, they would pass on the crown to someone else without batting an eye. The witches were cold and cruel, and even for one of their own, he didn’t think they would give in to the wolves’ demands.
With Brinley’s past… If they knew who her father was, they would be even less inclined.
And if it wasn’t just a random rogue pack, if the Shadow Pack had come for her, he didn’t know what they planned. They had their own personal vendetta against the royals.
He shook his head and stormed out of his house. It didn’t matter; either way, he knew Brinley’s death would serve the rogues’ higher needs.
For thirty years, they had been after one thing: an end to the fragile peace between the two races. They were behind most of the attacks throughout the queendom.
If they were here for Brinley, it was because they wanted to kill her and reignite the war.