Sixteen
Gabriel
My nerves had me getting dressed for our date at five, and once I was ready and left with nothing to do, I found myself pulling out my violin again.
I'd done that often since I met Xin, and while I'd believed it was because of the mission's progress, I wondered now if the feelings Xin elicited in me had anything to do with my renewed interest.
What would Xin think of my music? Were they even interested in music?
I couldn't imagine a human who didn't enjoy some kind of music, but maybe things were different for demons. I had no idea what the demon realm was like. Did they even have music there?
Almost on autopilot, I found myself tucking the violin in place, then positioning the bow over the strings.
It had been so long since I'd played, but the moment I started moving my hand, everything came rushing back. All the time I'd spent practicing, all the recitals, Miss Lily's gentle corrections, my parents' and Kevin's proud faces.
The memories turned the music into something sadder, a requiem for all the family I'd lost.
I didn't realize I'd closed my eyes until I opened them at the end of the song, and I startled when I saw someone leaning against the bedroom doorway, watching me.
They looked completely different, but I knew instantly who they were.
Instead of short hair, their midnight-black hair was in long braids tied into a bun at the top of their head. They were a few inches taller than before, maybe 6?2?? Their eyes were the same pale brown, but they were tilted now, their brows sharp and slim.
The otherworldly aura they'd always exuded now showed on their face too, and I realized how much better this look suited them than that of 'Ben.'
"Xin, you look..." I shook my head, hoping the expression on my face said what I couldn't find the words for.
The smile on their face told me it did. A loose, floaty, dark-red silk shirt hung off their slim frame, the full sleeves flared at the wrists like a flower blooming open, and the wide hem of their white pants swished as they stepped into the room. They looked absolutely stunning.
"I didn't know you played," they said, eyes sliding from me to the violin I still had tucked between my neck and shoulder.
"I haven't in a while," I said, and they hummed as they settled on the edge of the bed.
"Will you play something for me?"
"I don't know how good I'll be," I warned, and they chuckled.
"You seemed to be doing pretty well when I came in," they said, then pursed their lips. "Though maybe you could play something a little happier?"
With a chuckle, I placed my bow back in proper position, and started playing. I chose a happier song, one full of hope and joy, and this time, I didn't close my eyes. Instead, I gazed at Xin as they watched me, their lips curved in a small, satisfied smile.
We stayed like that until the song ended and I placed my bow and violin on my lap. Then, Xin leaned forward and pressed a hot, soft kiss against my forehead.
"You are magnificent," they said, and heat rushed to my cheeks.
"I'm out of practice," I mumbled, having nothing better to say.
"Then the world better watch out for the day you aren't."
Shaking my head at their unfounded confidence, I packed the violin away and stood up, my forehead still tingling from the kiss.
I checked my watch, and my eyes went wide. Shit.
"We're going to miss our reservation," I declared, grabbing my phone and stuffing it into my pocket before searching for what else I needed.
Xin grabbed me by the shoulders, stopping me in my tracks. "Which restaurant is it?"
I told them the name and address, and they nodded, then pulled me closer, their arms sliding around my waist.
Their lips were so close, I realized as our chests pressed together. If I leaned up just a little...
"Hold on tight," they said before I could do anything, and I'd just circled their torso with my arms when the world around us blurred and dropped away.
For a single, terrifying moment, I was weightless, Xin's body against me the only solid thing in the world.
Then my feet touched solid ground, and the world around us became a little less dark.
The scent of cigarette smoke and ammonia told me where I was before my vision cleared enough to reveal the alley we stood in.
"Sorry," Xin said as I took a shaky breath, and I wasn't sure if they were apologizing for teleporting me or for the alley we had arrived in.
I shook my head, then stumbled as I tried to walk toward the mouth of the alley.
Xin grabbed my waist, steadying me, then kept their hand there as we exited the alley.
The restaurant was two doors down, and I breathed in the open air to clear away the smokey scent clinging to my nostrils.
"Will we make it?" Xin asked with a grin, and I chuckled.
"Yes, we will."
"Good."
Xin moved their hand from my waist to my hand, and I linked my fingers with theirs.
I'd always thought that seeing Patrick in prison would be the best moment of my life, that nothing would make me happier. I'd been so so wrong.
I'd never planned for this. I'd never hoped for or wanted it either.
For years, I'd lived with a singular goal in my mind, and it definitely hasn't involved a stunning demon with the sweetest smile.
Thank fuck the world didn't work according to my plans. Thank heavens—or Fate, according to Xin—for sending this wonderful person to me when I most needed them.
"Shall we?" Xin asked, and I hummed, holding their hand tighter and hoping I'd never, ever have to let go.
"Let's go."
Xin
I could see why dinner was such a staple date, especially as the first one, among humans.
Sharing a meal in a romantic restaurant with no thieving dog in sight was much different than the meals we'd shared before.
There was no TV here, nothing to focus on but each other and the food, and I liked it.
Now that Gabriel knew the truth, I could answer all his questions, which made the conversation so much easier than before.
"Are your family demons too?" Gabriel asked as he took a bite of his pasta.
"Ah, not in the way you mean. I don't remember the family I had in my original human life, so I can't say. But the demons I lived with, the ones who are here now, I consider them my family."
"That makes sense," Gabriel murmured, then opened his mouth to ask something else before quickly closing it.
"You can ask me anything you want, Gabriel."
He nodded, then blew out a breath. "The people you're here to capture, how... how dangerous are they?"
Reaching across the table, I clasped his free hand. "They won't touch you."
Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It's not me I'm worried about."
I blinked, surprised. It had been a long time since someone had worried about me.
"I'll be fine. The dark souls on their own are easy to handle. We just have to be careful about Mammon."
"That's the demon who went bad, right?"
I hummed, and Gabriel tilted his head. "How does that happen? Could it happen to anyone?" Could it happen to you? was what he probably wanted to ask.
"It's a number of things. The demons that still exist are split into two generations, so to speak.
Mammon belongs to the older one, which means he was exposed to dark souls a lot longer than most of us.
That plays a big part in it. Other than that, his personality, his experiences, any memories he retained of his previous life, they all played a role.
I honestly didn't know him well enough to say for certain. "
Maybe that played a role too. Star was from that generation too, but he'd had Ryk and Nico, friends—who later turned out to be his mates—who kept him from sinking into the darkness that had taken Mammon.
"Oh, okay," Gabriel said, then chucked. "This isn't really a first-date conversation, is it?"
"I wouldn't know," I said with a shrug, and his brows furrowed.
"You haven't been on a first date before?"
"Not really. I've been in relationships before, though never with a human, but they were based on convenience more than anything."
Gabriel nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. "Well, if you don't count some awkward teen dates, I haven't really dated either."
While my feral demon side liked the fact that I would be his first real relationship, the sane part of me wished he hadn't been so alone, that he'd had someone to lean on while he went through the toughest years of his life.
"I'm glad you said yes," I said, and Gabriel's eyes sparkled as he smiled.
"I believe I asked you out on a date, so you said yes."
"But I asked you out before that, so you said yes first," I reminded, making him laugh.
"How could I not? You've been there for me every step of the way, and I don't think I could've done this without you."
"You give me too much credit. I'm sure you would've done just fine without me."
Gabriel was far too determined not to. Even if it had been some other hacker helping him, he would have found a way to make it happen.
"You don't give yourself enough," Gabriel countered, leaning forward as he moved his empty plate to the side.
Lowering his voice, he continued, "You're the one who figured out how to get irrefutable proof showing he paid you to steal from him, you put his face on the storage unit CCTV—which I'm now realizing you must've done by changing your appearance to his, which is a bit creepy to be honest. Any face on you would look beautiful except that.
Anyway, none of this would've happened without you, at least not so quickly. Admit it."
"Okay, okay," I murmured once I found my voice, my lips curving up in an involuntary smile. "Does that mean it's my competence you find attractive?" I teased, relishing the slight blush that raced up his stubbled cheeks.
"It's not the only thing," he finally said, and my smile widened. Then he turned the question on me.
"Did you ask me out simply because I'm your mate?"
Shaking my head, I squeezed his hand. "Like you said, it wasn't the only reason.
If it was, I would've asked you out the day we met.
But I like you, Gabriel. I like how fierce you are, I like your determination, your devotion to your brother, your strength, your kindness, your music," I added as I remembered walking into his house—he'd told me to come right in—and following the beautiful, heartwrenching melody coming out of his bedroom.
I'd been stunned to find him sitting on the floor, eyes closed and lost in the music, and I'd just stood there, letting the grief and pain wash over me. Mind-reading wasn't one of my powers, but in that moment, I'd felt as if I was getting a peek inside Gabriel, into his heart and soul.
Gabriel stared at me, his cheeks pinker than before, and our stare-off broke only when the server came up to take our empty plates away. We ordered some dessert, and it was only once he'd left that Gabriel spoke.
"I have to ask you something," he said, voice low and hesitant, and my brows furrowed.
"Of course. What is it?"
Taking a deep breath, he asked, "What happens once the people you're looking for are caught? Once your work is over?" Will you have to leave?
I was starting to realize Gabriel often didn't ask what he actually wanted to, and I wondered why that was. Was he afraid of the answer?
"Nothing, really. They'll be sent back to the Burning Chasm, and that will be it. Then I'll be free to do whatever I want."
"And what do you want?"
Pulling his hand to me, I pressed my lips against the back of his hand, lingering as I spoke the word against his skin. "You."