28. Gabriel
Chapter 28
Gabriel
“ T his isn’t working.” Brinley crossed her arms.
Off of one side of the training center, there was an enclosed outdoor area, which they’d decided to use today. Gabriel also brought Paxton along to see if it would make a difference. Gabriel had tried lunging at Brinley, frightening her, for weeks, but nothing triggered her magic. As frustrating as it was, a small part of him also rejoiced in the knowledge that it was because she didn’t fear him. She could deny it all she wanted, but she trusted him not to hurt her.
Which meant they needed a different approach. He had Pax try the same things—jumping at her, shifting and growling at her, even swiping his claws near her face. But it seemed the beta didn’t scare her anymore either. Gabriel supposed he could’ve recruited someone else, someone she didn’t know, but she’d befriended all in his inner circle. Even Daci had warmed up to her, offering to work with her on her blade work—after he found out she already had training.
“I have another idea.” He motioned for Pax to join him near one of the large oak trees. They had cleared the space out, so it was just the three of them in this courtyard. He lowered his voice so Brinley couldn’t hear. “Attack me.”
“What?” Pax put his fists on his hips. “Why?”
“Just an experiment.”
“She won’t believe it; she knows we’re best friends.”
Gabriel had considered that. “So, make it look real. Draw blood.”
“Gabe—”
“Act as if you’re going for her again then turn and come for me,” Gabriel said in a commanding tone. “Swipe at my chest or neck, deep enough to make me bleed, but not to do serious damage.”
Paxton stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Perhaps he had, but he couldn’t rid himself of this hunch.
“You trust me to be that precise?” Paxton hissed.
Gabriel tilted his head to the side. “Of course I do. I trust you more than just about anyone in this world. Besides, I want to see if her instincts kick in to protect me again. If that’s what is unlocking her magic, then I can approach this differently.”
His friend sighed, grumbling under his breath, “Fine.”
To Brinley, Gabriel said, “All right, let’s try one more time.”
She looked as annoyed as Paxton, and it almost made him laugh. No wonder the two seemed to get along so well. Except, while it was just amusing with Pax, it made her more adorable. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. They’d been on better terms, but that didn’t change anything. They weren’t any closer to breaking either curse.
Paxton crouched into a fighting stance between them. His claws extended, and a beat passed before he lunged forward. Brinley raised her hands, but nothing happened.
Until Paxton’s trajectory changed. He pivoted in one swift motion and aimed for Gabriel’s chest. There was a moment when Gabriel doubted this plan. He thought his beta was right and she wouldn’t believe it. But as soon as Paxton’s claws started ripping through skin and Gabriel let out a growl of pain…
Brinley screamed. “No!”
Paxton’s hand hadn’t made it halfway across Gabriel’s broad chest before he was jerked backward. He fell to the grass with a hard thud. His claws retracted, and his hand went to his throat, like he couldn’t breathe. Brinley still held an arm extended in front of her.
Her eyes widened, and she yanked her hand in to hold it against her chest. He gasped in a lungful of air, choking.
“I’m sorry.” She rushed to him. “I’m so sorry. Are you all right? I don’t know how that happened.”
But Gabriel did. Pax glanced back and forth between them, undoubtedly seeing the truth too. Gabriel helped him to his feet, still not speaking.
“I’m fine.” Pax went to Brinley, comforting her as if she was the one tossed backward like a plaything. He comforted her the way Gabriel should, but right now, he was trying his best just to remain calm. Pax rubbed a hand along her back as he hugged her, but his eyes were on Gabriel. “I think that’s enough practice for the day. I’m on Rose duty soon anyway. I promised to let her dress me up for tonight.”
Gabriel nodded, dismissing him. As Pax walked away, Brinley said, “But I finally did it. I just found the magic; we should keep going.”
“We will tomorrow, but we don’t need him anymore.” Gabriel stepped closer to her, unable to keep his distance. “I know what triggers it, Brinley.”
The way she looked up at him, he suspected she did too. She was smart; she had to have seen it now, especially with everything else she knew. But she shook her head and whispered, “It could be a coincidence.”
He reached for her hand and held it between them. “We both know it’s not.”
“What’s tonight?” she asked.
“I’ll allow the change of topic this time, but we’re discussing it tomorrow. Deal?”
She visibly swallowed. “Fine.”
He led her in the direction of the house and realized he still had ahold of her hand. And that she wasn’t pulling away from him. His heart squeezed at the thought, at the happiness and hope rushing through his veins. They walked along the cobblestone street with the sun shining down on them. Today, the atmosphere was lighter. The villagers they passed all wore smiles as they prepared for this evening’s festivities.
“There’s a special event.” He wanted to keep it a surprise, but he knew she wouldn’t let it go without some sort of explanation. They’d come to an unspoken truce since going to the lake house a couple weeks ago. Something had shifted between them. She was less hostile and seemed to genuinely want to break the curse. They still bickered and irritated each other, but that usually just resulted in more sex. The bond between them, despite her lack of memories, was undeniable at this point. He found himself spending more and more time with her outside of training and fucking. They sat with Rose a lot, especially in the evenings, and Brinley had started accompanying him on his rounds through the village. It scared him how much he’d enjoyed just being with her. He was absolutely terrified she would be ripped away from him again.
So much that he still hadn’t kissed her again or shared a bed with her, save for when he held her through the nightmares, which had plagued her often in the last month. But they never did more on those nights, and he always left before she woke again. Except, this morning, he had returned only to take her hard in the bathing chamber because he couldn’t stay away. He could still picture her sitting on the counter as he held her knees almost to her shoulders, practically folding her in half as he thrust into her.
“Gabriel?” Brinley squeezed his hand, bringing him back to the present.
“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “It’s, um, a celebration of sorts.”
“For what?”
He waved at Darren across the street. “Life in general. There’s more to it, but it’s something you have to see and experience to understand.”
She raised a brow at him. “You’re really not going to tell me?”
“I’m really not going to tell you.” He grinned in earnest, and she smiled back at him.
It nearly stopped him in his tracks, and his own smile slipped. His chest ached bad enough that he lifted his free hand to it. There was a reason he’d drawn that line the first time in his study. Because he knew it would be so easy to fall in love with this woman who frustrated him more than anyone he’d ever met. This woman who captivated him more than anyone he’d ever met.
And that couldn’t happen.
Not when she was made to hate his kind.
Not when he refused to let anyone in like that.
He couldn’t lose another person he cared about. She could not claim part of his heart.
Because it had already almost shattered beyond repair. When Keir died. When his parents died. When he realized Rose was the cursed one, not him. When his people were cursed.
When Brinley was literally taken from his arms over and over again.
He couldn’t handle it. There was nothing left to give.
And if she rejected the bond, it might actually kill him. He didn’t know if he could survive that kind of pain on top of it all.
The mate bond was a sacred gift from the moon goddess. A rare gift not everyone received. Therefore, few ever turned it away. But that didn’t mean it never happened, and with the way the witches poisoned Brinley’s mind, it was a risk to even bring it up.
Not that he could. Part of the spell forbade him from telling her.
If she remembered though, or if she put the pieces together, there was a chance she could reject it and break the thread tying them together. It was possible she wouldn’t have a choice. He didn’t know what they convinced her of these past six years.
Seeming to sense his mood shift, Brinley tightened her hold on him and changed their trajectory. She led him to a dark alley a few blocks from home. Once in the shadows, she released him. Only to push him up against the brick wall with a mischievous grin.
His hands immediately landed on her hips. She brought her lips to his in a fiery kiss. He didn’t even care that they were breaking that rule right now. The way she claimed him made him forget all of that. He slid a hand up into her hair as he deepened the kiss.
She broke it off too soon, and he let out a low growl.
Smiling, she rubbed a hand over his dick through his pants. “If it’s a day of celebration, you can’t be in a bad mood.”
Gabriel chewed the inside of his cheek. He didn’t stop her when she undid the buttons and slipped her hand beneath the fabric. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back against the wall with a sigh. They were hidden in the shadows but still outside. Anyone could walk over here and see them.
And he did not care.
Her lips brushed his throat once, and he opened his eyes to find her lowering to her knees. She tugged at his pants during her descent, just enough to free him. He was already half-hard. It took almost no time to get the rest of the way there when she sucked him into her mouth.
She gagged slightly, making his own grin return.
He ignored the small voice in his head telling him this was a bad idea. And the other voice telling him it was far too late, that he already cared way too much about her.
Instead, he focused on the way her lips felt sliding over his skin, the softness of her hair in between his fingers, and the increasing pleasure building inside of him, like a coil ready to spring.
Gabriel focused on the way she used her small hands on the portion that wouldn’t fit in her mouth.
He did not focus on that tether holding them together. On the pull that had led him straight to her that night two months ago, not the village.
On the way he’d always been drawn to her.
As a child and young adolescent, it was in a protective manner. He needed to keep her safe, but he’d also wanted to make her happy. When he and his father brought her back here six years ago, it had been more intense than ever.
And that paled in comparison to what it was now. How it continued to grow stronger with each passing day around one another, and even more so when they were together intimately like this. It might have been fast and hard most of the time, but it didn’t lessen the effects.
It didn’t lessen how much he wanted this to be real. How much he wanted her to remember and to accept it all.
To love him as much as he loved her.