Chapter 21
Rob’s eyes go wide as he drops to his knees.
We watch in stunned silence as a red splotch blooms on his chest.
After a few seconds, he falls forward and lands with a thud.
Oh shit. Celeste shot him!
I’m in shock as I stare into the lifeless eyes of the man on the floor. He still looks like he wants to punch me in the face.
Gabi jumps up to kick his gun away, and I glance down at my torso in disbelief that I wasn’t the target this time. But there are no new wounds, just the same ugly gash from the iron dagger.
“He’s dead,” Gabi says, turning a stunned look on me.
“Good.” I’m already dreading the argument with his spirit the next time I’m in The Translucence.
“Gabi?” a weak voice says from behind us.
Gabi turns and gasps. “Mom? Oh god. Aden!”
She rushes to where her mother is hunched on the ground. Blood coats Celeste’s hands that are pressed to her stomach. Fuck. The second shot must have been Rob’s.
“I’m sorry,” Celeste whispers. “I’m so sorry, Gabi. None of this…”
“I know,” Gabi soothes. “You’re going to be okay. I’m calling for help.”
“It’s… too late. Just stay with me.”
Celeste’s eyes drift closed, and Gabi grips her shoulders. “Mom! Wake up! You can’t leave me! Mom!”
Gabi’s frantic gaze crosses to me. “What do we do?! I already lost my dad. I can’t lose her too. You have to help me get her to a hospital!”
My heart clenches in my chest at the sight of tears streaking down her face. I thought bullets hurt, but watching Gabi break down as her mother’s blood coats her skin is infinitely worse. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman. Nothing—including what I’m about to do.
With a deep breath, I swallow the pain already wracking my body and limp toward them.
“It’s too late for that.”
“I can’t just let her die!”
“I know. Move aside.”
“What?”
“Move aside, Gabi. I can help her.”
She looks equal parts angry and confused as she stares at me. Her grip on her mother tightens.
“Do you trust me?” I ask, searching her eyes.
“She tried to hurt you. Why would you help her?” Her watery voice guts me almost as much as the iron dagger.
“Because I love you more than anyone could ever hurt me.”
She inhales sharply, fresh tears filling her eyes.
“Just trust me,” I say softly. “Please.”
After another pause, she nods and lets go.
I turn my attention to Celeste, who’s barely breathing. Blood saturates her nightgown and is still gurgling from an open wound in her stomach. The bullet is probably lodged inside which means this repair will be even harder. I’m not sure I have enough strength to do it with my body already so weak. Her own stupid iron trick could cost her life.
But this isn’t about her. It’s about Gabi, and I need to give everything I have left to try.
I place my hands over the wound.
“What are you doing?” Gabi asks in alarm.
I ignore her as I close my eyes and direct every fragment of my being to this one task.
Fire rips through my arm and into my chest. It feels like every vein and artery is incinerating while life drains out of me and into her. Sweat breaks over my skin as I fight to remain upright.
Breathe…
In.
Out.
Almost there. Just… Fuck, it hurts.
I need to remain steady. I don’t want Gabi to know how much this is going to wreck me.
“She’s breathing normally again!” Gabi cries. “You’re healing her!”
Keep going.
Poison seeps through me. I feel death snaking into every recess of my body. If this was any other situation, I’d give up now. But it’s Gabi. I have to finish this no matter the cost.
My own breathing is labored and shallow, as if every bone in my body is cracking apart. Neurons exploding in my head. Muscles tearing. The pain is fucking excruciating, but I refuse to let go.
“Gabi?” her mother whispers.
It’s working.
Come on. Just a few more seconds.
The room begins to dim. The weight of eternity presses down around me in suffocating excess.
Hold. On!
Celeste’s lips curve in a weak smile as she squeezes her daughter’s hand.
With a gasp, I release her. Then, collapse to the floor.
“Aden!” Gabi twists toward me, horror on her face.
“I’m… Okay… Need a minute.”
Fuck, I need a month.
I try to push myself up, but I can’t move. Celeste’s death still claws through my veins.
“What’s happening?” Celeste asks. At least she’s getting stronger by the second. This wasn’t all for nothing.
Gabi crawls to my side and touches my forehead. “He’s burning up.”
I return a weak nod, my eyes drifting closed from the effort. “I just… need time.”
I rest my cheek on the wood floor, soaking up the cool surface. I feel myself floating into an abyss. I haven’t slept soundly in days so maybe it’s that. Maybe it’s the pain.
Either way, I can’t… Anything.
I just can’t.
“Aden?”
I jerk awake.
Shit. Must have passed out.
I blink away the stars to see a face that warms every part of me. I’m in Gabi’s arms now. She pulls me close, and her quiet sobs pierce my heart. I need her to stop crying. I already hurt too much.
“Hey,” I whisper with a weak smile.
She tightens her hold. “Hey.”
Celeste kneels beside her, and I flinch when the older woman reaches for me.
She withdraws her hand, a pained look on her face. “I’m… sorry.”
We exchange a long look, countless words passing between us. After a heavy silence, I return a nod and she seems to breathe a sigh. Her jaw clenches when her gaze lands on the ugly gash cutting into my stomach.
“Aden…” She shakes her head. “I’m going to clean up.”
She’s still weak as she pushes to her feet, but she’s much better off than I am. “I’ll be right back. We need to get him out of this house as soon as possible.”
Gabi glances up at her, and I swear I see regret in Celeste’s eyes as she gazes at her daughter. Guess she has a sliver of a heart in there after all.
Once she’s gone, Gabi helps me toward the wall. I lean my head back, concentrating on each breath. My insides are still throbbing and burning.
“You saved Mom’s life. After everything she did to you, you still sacrificed yourself for her.”
“Not her… you. Just you, Gabi.”
She spreads her hands over my cheeks as she searches my face.
“Thank you. For everything you’ve done, everything you are. I love you too. So much.”
I want to respond but can’t manage more than a brief smile.
Her face floods with concern again. “You need to concentrate on healing yourself now, okay?”
“Yes, just…”
She cuts me off with a kiss. The shock of it immediately gives way to relief as the soothing warmth spreads through the pain. Her palms slide up my neck and over my cheeks, deepening the kiss. Streaks of light break through the thick crust of agony caked around my body. It feels like the diseased sediment is cracking apart. Small pieces are chipping off and dissolving into oblivion.
I pull back when I realize what’s happening.
“This could be dangerous. Are you sure?” I ask.
“So sure. I want you and I trust you.” She searches my eyes, confirming it with one look. “My beautiful God of Sunlight.”
I lower my gaze, not sure what to say. God of Sunlight? She’s the only shred of light in my fucked-up world right now. The only reason I have to keep fighting for survival.
I don’t just want to kiss her. I want to kiss her every second of every fucking day.
She leans in again, and this time when our lips meet, I don’t hold back. I sift my fingers into her hair to pull her closer. She adjusts to straddle me on the floor and lock our bodies together. It feels so good to feel good. To feel her. The first kiss was like a bolt of lightning. This one feels cosmic.
“Are you getting what you need?” she gasps out.
I tug her hair back to kiss down her neck. “You’ll always be what I need,” I say against her skin.
She moans as she rocks against me, forcing her hips into a slow, hard roll over mine. Five minutes ago, I wanted to die. Right now, I’ve never felt so alive.
We resume our kiss, this time with painful urgency. Lips and tongues claw for more. Hands grip whatever they can reach. Time is limited. We need too much too fast, and our bodies are burning with desperation. For relief. For each other. For any ray of light in this nightmare.
The door bursts open, and we freeze in alarm.
Shit.
Celeste scans us slowly as we cuddle together. Gabi returns a defiant look and rests her cheek on my shoulder. My arms tighten around her, and I meet Celeste’s gaze with a direct stare. There’s no point trying to hide what was happening, but we also can’t guess how she’ll react. Just because she seems to be having a change of heart, doesn’t mean the irrational side will stick with the result.
I hold my breath as she studies us. I’m scared, but I’m also not going to back down. If I end up locked in the basement, so be it. As long as the woman in my arms is safe.
“I’ve asked Dave to take you to a secure location,” Celeste says. “The Shadow knows about this place. They’ll be alarmed when they find out about Rob and will come looking.”
“Why did you kill Rob?” Gabi asks.
Celeste’s expression softens as she gazes at her daughter. “I told you. When it comes to your safety, I always choose you. Always. You were right. Rob was more of a threat than I realized. Plus…” She takes a breath and flickers a glance between us. “I saw the truth about you two in that moment. I couldn’t believe your love for each other could possibly be real. In my experience, love like that doesn’t even exist, but the way you sacrificed…” Her focus lands on me. “You were ready to die for her. Give up everything. All I ever wanted was for someone to love my daughter the way you do.”
She offers a tight smile as I pull Gabi against me.
I stand corrected. Maybe this woman has two slivers of a heart.
“Dad should have loved you like that,” Gabi whispers. “I’m sorry he didn’t.”
Pain flashes in Celeste’s eyes before she clears her throat. “Yes, well. That’s the past. In the present, I need to deal with… this.” She waves over the body on the floor. “We’ll figure out what to do next once Aden’s recovered.”
“There’s only one thing to do next,” Gabi says. “We need to find Dad and turn him over to The Shadow.”
Celeste and I stare at her in surprise.
Gabi shrugs. “That’s the only thing that will end this, right? The Shadow will never stop hunting us. Dad made his choice. We deserve to make one too.”
“Gabi…” Celeste says. “Why don’t you just rest and?—”
“No. I’m done watching other people determine my fate. I want to live my own life, make my own decisions. I’m not spending the rest of my life paying the penalty for someone else’s sin. Will you help me find my father?” she asks me.
“You know I will.”
She squeezes my hand. “Good. Then let’s get out of this iron tomb and go find my dad.”
“Are you sure?” Celeste interrupts. “He’s your family. If we turn him over, they’ll probably kill him.”
“No, he gave up his place in this family when he chose greed over us.”
Celeste is silent as something works through her mind. She studies each of us, still evaluating. I can’t exactly blame her. I don’t fully trust her either after everything that’s happened, but we’re out of time—and options. We have to move forward as allies or enemies. There’s nothing in between.
“I’ll give you what information I have,” she says finally. “I don’t know where he is, but I’ve gathered some pieces. I just don’t know enough about The Shadow and Slate City’s criminal networks to fit them together.”
“Get us the information and we’ll find him,” I say confidently.
“You know enough to interpret it?” Gabi asks.
“No. But I know someone who does.”