51. Gabriel
Chapter 51
Gabriel
P ain. All Gabriel felt was pain—his and hers.
Brinley . He wanted to soothe her fear. Her friend worked to heal him, but Gabriel focused on his mate. She was stuck in her beautiful white wolf form, and she was desperately trying to shift to help him.
He would forever be grateful for Joel knowing exactly how to get her to connect to her human side again. Gabriel used every bit of strength he had to send her his memories, and she slowly began to transform. He showed her their first time together, followed by the night he held her a few weeks ago and promised her more.
I love you, Brinley. Forever. He hadn’t been able to return the words when she said them before leaving, and it had nearly killed him. He’d been so angry that it didn’t break the curse, yes, but he was also frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t tell her that he loved her back.
She sniffed, blinking her blue human eyes at him. Sitting up, she glanced down at her body with a small smile before leaning over to press those lips against his. “I love you too.”
Then, she was beside the wizard, her hands pressed to his arm. The man had already woven Gabriel’s abdomen wound back together and was healing his broken ribs, and he looked on the brink of collapsing.
“Stop,” she told her friend. “I’ve got it now.” Brinley met Gabriel’s gaze and put a palm against his cheek. “I’ve got you.”
That’s my line , he sent her down that mental bridge that was now open.
Without another word, while he was distracted, she straightened his arm, and agony shot through him.
“Fuck!” He growled.
“Sorry,” she said with a wince. “It’s almost over, I promise.”
It took a couple minutes, but his bones mended.
“Where else?” she asked, reminding him of the various times he’d tended to her.
He reached up to put his palm to her cheek, and she leaned into it with a sigh. It still hurt tremendously, but he would survive. Ignoring everyone’s protests, he pushed himself into a sitting position. “I’m fine.”
Brinley opened her mouth, no doubt to argue, but he slipped his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss.
Behind him, Joel chuckled and patted him on the shoulder before standing.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Daci said, and he could practically hear her eyes rolling as she got up too.
He broke the kiss but refused to release her yet. With the moonlight shining once more, he held her gaze. “I love you, bijou.”
Smiling, she pressed her lips to his again. But they couldn’t stay here all night. He needed to stop this fight, kill the queen, and save his sister. He and Brinley had forever to continue this.
Gabriel slowly shifted to his knees, standing with Brinley and Daci’s help. He then offered a hand to her friend, who took it and pushed to his feet, and she helped Joel. Both men looked a little worse for wear.
“Thank you for healing me,” Gabriel said. “And I assume for looking after her?” He pulled Brinley against his side and noticed her trembling on her feet. She’d used too much magic and shifted for the first time. She was drained. They all were. He looked up at the tall village wall and shook his head. That had been a hard fall, but he’d already been mostly unconscious when it… happened. He lowered his gaze to his mate. “Where’s the queen?”
Her lips parted, and she whipped around, her wet hair sending rain droplets flying about. “I’d been so focused on you that I didn’t look to see if she survived.”
“She fell too?” Joel asked as they searched.
“Yes…” Brinley’s brow furrowed. “Where is she?”
Her body was nowhere in sight. Daci headed down to the ravine to see if she’d rolled farther or crawled away while the others made their way up to the wall.
“She’s gone,” André said.
“Dead?” Joel asked as he turned toward the gate.
They followed him. As Daci caught up with them and confirmed she wasn’t down by the stream, André said, “I doubt it. She has an extreme amount of power. I’d guess she saved herself but used too much magic, so she ran.”
“Seems like they all did,” Daci said when they reached the gate and saw the destruction beyond. The fighting was over, any surviving sorcières vanished in the night. Wounded and dead lay scattered across the bloody streets. They walked farther into the village, and Gabriel’s stomach churned. How many of his people had perished yet again because of that vile woman?
“Daci!” Darren limped toward them. His sister, showing a rare glimpse of the emotions she usually hid so well, ran into his arms. The two hugged for a moment before joining the others. Dare looked at Brinley. “You broke the curse.”
She nodded with a smile, leaning into Gabriel’s sore side. He didn’t care so long as she was here and safe. But then, she stiffened at the same moment he realized it. Rose.
“What time is it?” he asked, already whirling around to race home.
“Just after midnight,” Brinley said, keeping up with him. “I heard the chimes just after you were stabbed—right after I shifted.”
They quickened their pace. His entire body screamed at him to stop and lie down, but he couldn’t. Not until he knew if his sister was all right. And he knew Brinley was struggling just as much.
The queen was still out there; he believed Brinley’s friend was correct in his guess at what happened. If she truly survived, this was far from over. They could not continue sitting by as she reigned in terror. He was done playing the idle alpha trapped behind these walls. The last thing he ever wanted to do was align himself with the rogues, especially when there were clearly some who did the witches’ dirty work, but perhaps they were right in wanting this war to come to fruition. At least then, it could end one way or another. No more of this teetering on the edge of a blade.
There was one rogue out there he thought he could trust, and now that the curse was broken, he could get to him. Gabriel looked at his mate, knowing it would hurt her. She’d lost so much already—they both had—but she’d also been lied to nonstop her entire life. He didn’t want to tell her that there was even more she didn’t know. And yet, she had the right to know.
She believed the only family she had left in this world was her evil grandmother. He’d told her once that wasn’t true, but he hadn’t just meant because the DeLoup here were her family.
But one thing at a time. Right now, he just needed to get to Rose and see for himself that the curse was lifted and she’d made it past midnight. Then, he’d tell his mate about the alpha of the Shadow Pack.
As they raced up the steps to his front door, his friends following, he reached for Brinley’s hand.
Together , he said through their bond, making sure to shield the rest of his thoughts.
Together. She opened the door with her magic before he could even attempt to search for a key, and they raced inside.
He knew this fight against the High Sorceress was only beginning. There were more storms on the horizon, but they would face it all together. Side by side. Just as La Déesse meant them to be.