his spell.
“It’s not,” I said softly. “Not all of it. My power is both dark and light. It’s the balance in between.”
I heard myself say it, but did I believe it? I still had so much to learn about what it meant to be a twin flame, not to mention what it meant to be a Hound of God. My fear of being an utter failure was deeply ingrained. But, what I feared most was becoming a monster that lived only for the kill and the thrill of the power that came with it.
“If you say so,” he replied with a stoic nonchalance that struck me as worrisome. “Look, I get it. You feel the need to prove to yourself that you’re not like everyone else here. That you’re better than them. It’s cool. But, it doesn’t mean you have to save me. In fact, I don’t want to be saved.”
“This is the power talking. Not you. You don’t want to stay here with a demon. Come on, Gabriel. Brogan is worried sick about you. Your mom probably is, too.”
He paused in his spellcasting. “I’m not a child. I can make my own decisions, and I choose to stay. Sorry. I don’t want to be used to make you feel better about yourself.”
Whoa. He was too far gone. Nothing I said would change his mind. The murky energy surrounding him was too thick, a possessive, manipulative entity. It had him firmly in its grasp.
“That’s your choice.” I nodded, accepting defeat. “Tell me one thing though. Tell me what you saw when you touched me at Brogan’s shop.”
He fixed me with a strange, detached stare. A shiver ran down my spine.
“I saw you as a vampire. And, it wasn’t pretty.”
Chapter Twelve
I stared at Gabriel, frozen in place. My mouth opened, and I muttered something unintelligible. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s not like I didn’t know that’s what my future held, after my death at Arys’s hand. If Gabriel had merely reiterated the warnings of the other witches, I could have accepted it. Instead, he was confirming something I now realized I’d hoped might not come to pass. For the first time since forming the blood bond with my twin flame, I had to ask myself, would I rather be dead than be a vampire?
“You don’t want details,” Gabriel said. “I prefer not to give them. I’m not a walking, talking crystal ball. Things can always change. What I see isn’t written in stone.”
“Have you ever been wrong?” I asked nervously. “Has that ever happened that you know of? A change from what you saw?”
“Just once.” Picking up a small dagger, Gabriel pressed the blade to the inside of his palm. “You should probably leave. I’ve seen enough of your bloodlust to know I don’t want to spill any blood with you around.”
I beat a hasty retreat back into the house. The quiet lull of conversation between Arys and Jez died. Falon was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t doubt he’d run to tell Lilah their little secret had been revealed. It was time I paid the bitch a visit, too.
Shya spread his hands expectantly. “Satisfied? Gabriel and I had a little chat, and he’s more than happy to be here. Now, unless you have other business, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“I know what you’re doing, Shya.” I closed the patio door and turned my full attention on the haughty demon. “You talk a good game. You promise people things they didn’t even know they wanted. For the most part, you’re not so bad. Until you fail to get what you want.”
“Your point?” He did his best to appear bored.
“Your sweet talk might work on someone as young and new to this world as Gabriel, but I see right through you. I won’t be manipulated. I’ll find out what you’re up to, and when I’m done with Lilah, I’m coming back for you.” Sure, those words put my ass on the line, but I was furious and ready to fight back.
A fiery burst of energy accompanied Shya’s laughter. My instinctive reaction was to harden myself against it. It easily burned a hole in my shields. I made a split-second decision to pull the aggressive force through me, channeling it back out and into the earth beneath the foundation under my feet. It left me feeling uncomfortably hot inside but otherwise unharmed.
“I look forward to it,” Shya quipped. Rather than the anger I’d anticipated, he seemed impressed, genuinely pleased.