Chapter Thirty-Five #2
This time, I thought I was ready, tossing the flame in my hand toward him as I called my shield forward.
Gabriel rushed, and though he couldn’t reach me through the shield, that didn’t stop him from using his momentum to shove me backward, using my own power against me.
I went airborne, my heart stuttering as the shield around me snapped back into my body.
My arms reached out on instinct to break my fall as the ground rushed up for my face.
Something jerked me to a stop at the last second, leaving me a hair’s breadth away from hands touching the ground before letting me drop the rest of the way.
Looking over my shoulder, I found Gabriel standing over me, another infuriating smirk on his face.
“As entertaining as it would be to see you break your arms, I’m not quite done having fun with you yet.”
“Asshole,” I bit out, shoving myself off the ground. Stomping back to our training mat, I called fire into my hands and sank back into my stance. “One of these days, Gabriel, I’m going to roast your ass.”
His smile was razor sharp as he took his position opposite me. “Good. Then maybe you’ll finally be a worthy sparring partner.”
Gabriel alternated between tearing me apart with sharp words and throwing me around just hard enough to rattle my bones for the remainder of class.
Every time I managed to singe his leathers, he’d find a way to sneer it into nothing.
Every time he put me on my back, he made it a point to call out my failure in a tone that left me furious and humiliated.
It was only as we returned to our starting stances that he’d hiss out what seemed to be helpful tips, but I couldn’t fathom why, aside from using them to keep me off-kilter.
By the time Rumlock barked our dismissal, my body ached, and my pride was shredded.
I didn’t bother sparing the infuriating vampire a second glance as I stormed into the female locker rooms to shower and change.
Gabriel was just leaving the stadium when I emerged. At the sight of him, my anger boiled over, and I couldn’t stop myself from chasing after him.
“Gabriel!” my voice cracked across the cobble path like a whip, but he didn’t slow. “I know you can hear me, you fucking bastard!”
This time, he slowed to a stop, his shoulders tensing as he turned to face me. His expression was twisted into something dark I couldn’t decipher, but I refused to let that stop me from confronting him. It had been his choice to spar with me, all so he could belittle me, and I was done with it.
“You finally decided to chase me,” he said, mockery curling through every word as I stomped toward him. “Careful, little mage. I’m not sure you could handle playing that particular game.”
I closed the distance between us; my fist balled at my side. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I demanded, stopping within arm’s reach.
Gabriel cocked his head in a predatory tilt. “Wrong with me?”
“Yes, asshole.” I seethed, jabbing my finger into his chest. “You’re a complete jerk to me one minute, then standing up for me the next to fucking Dante.
Not to mention the fucking mating mark you put on my neck that you blamed me for.
And the dreams, for fuck’s sake, those damned dreams. You know those aren’t because of something I did.
God, it’s like you enjoy flip-flopping how you treat me!
I refuse to stand for it. I demand to know what the fuck you’re playing at, and I want it to fucking stop! ” my voice rising with each word.
Gabriel moved, grabbing my arms and pressing my back against the side of the stadium so fast I didn’t have time to react. “What am I playing at?” he growled. “You have no fucking clue, not a one. You have no idea what it means to be chained to me, and yet the fates have made you mine.”
“I. Am. Not. Yours.” I bit the words out, but even as I spoke them, some part of me knew they were a lie.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. “That mark on your neck wouldn’t be there if you weren’t. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t want it, that you’re fucking dangerous. If I let myself have this, Selir knows what terrible things will happen, but the gods don’t care!”
“What the hell are you even talking about?” I demanded.
“Did you know I have a sister?” Gabriel asked, his voice softening. “My obedience is the only thing that keeps her safe from my father, and yet you’ve shown up and torn away my common sense. I tried to find a way to undo this, but I can’t— it doesn’t fucking exist.”
My body swayed as my mind worked overtime to make sense of his words.
As if pulled by the same force that drew me toward him, Gabriel leaned down, his lips a breath away from my own.
Realizing what was happening, he slammed his fist into the stone wall of the stadium with a snarl and jerked away from me, his chest heaving.
“Stay away from me, Bechora. I mean it,” he snapped before turning on his heel and speeding away.
My body slumped against the stone, and my hand flew up to press against my racing heart.
I stayed like that for several minutes, working to steady myself as my mind spun with everything Gabriel had said.
With a final heavy breath, I shoved away from the cold stone and trudged toward the dining hall, still unsure what to make of the exchange between the vampire and me.