Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,94
to move about as I wish, so now I’ll be able to stay here and be with you.”
Gabriel pushed to his feet and rounded on her. “Be with me?” He huffed. “Rebekah, look around you. This is my life. There is no being with me.”
Rebekah stood and placed a hand on his chest. “It won’t be conventional, but I’m not going anywhere. Gabe, I never thought I’d see you again. But now, here we are. No, we won’t be together on the outside of these walls living a normal life, but I don’t care. I still love you. Always have. Always will. Don’t you get that? I’ll take as much time as I can get with you, even if it’s visiting an hour a day.”
“That’s no kind of life for you though.” Gabriel placed his hand over hers and pressed it harder against his chest. The need to kiss her, to make her truly his mate, was getting stronger by the second. But he wouldn’t do that to her.
“Shouldn’t I get to choose? We’ve missed out on so much time already. Years, Gabe. Years I’ve walked this earth with a shattered heart. I feel as though I’ve been given a second chance. I know I’m older, and you might not feel the same—”
Gabriel cut her off with a kiss. He had never kissed another woman. Never held anyone other than his mate. In the years after he disappeared from his family, Gabriel had never so much as looked at another female. Any time he jerked off, it was her face he pictured. He’d given his heart to her as well. Had been planning to propose before Flanagan got hold of him.
Rebekah slid her hands up his chest and secured them behind his neck, holding him in place. She kissed him back with all the fervor and love he remembered. His cock throbbed behind his cotton pants, and his beast urged him to take her. To toss her down on his shitty bed and complete the bond.
“Gabriel.” Rebekah pressed her body to his, rolling her hips against his erection.
“No.” Gabriel jerked away.
“I’m sorry. I thought…” Rebekah turned away, but Gabriel didn’t miss the pain in her eyes.
Scrubbing a hand down his face, Gabriel sighed. “Rebekah, I won’t do this to you. I’m a killer. I murdered both men and women with no remorse. I am not a good male.”
“You don’t regret killing? Now that you’ve had time to think about what you did, are you saying if you were let out today, you would go back to killing without a second thought?”
“Yes, I regret it, and no, I would never harm an innocent again. But that doesn’t change the past.” Gabriel ran his hands through his hair and pulled the short strands. “You can’t tell me you would willingly choose me, a stone-cold killer, as a mate.”
“From what Isabelle told me, you and I don’t have a choice in the matter. The fates choose who the mates are, and they chose me for you, which means they chose you for me. If that’s true, we are supposed to be together in whatever capacity your current situation allows.”
“What else did Izzy tell you?”
“Everything. Well, as much as she and the others could cram in during the flight from Oregon.”
“Did they tell you how the mate bond works?”
Rebekah hugged herself. “Yes.”
“My life is forfeit. I won’t be selfish and tie you to me that way. You deserve to live freely, not bound to someone unworthy.”
Rebekah stood stiffly, her face a mask of fury. “What if that’s exactly what I want you to do? Gabe, do you honestly believe if they thought so badly of you, they would seek me out and bring me here? Isabelle is your sister, so maybe she’s biased. But the others? All of them think you are worthy of redemption. You have an extended lifespan. If we complete the bond, my life will be prolonged as well. You will eventually get out of here. It might not be for many years, but it will happen. Gregor said so. I’ve waited thirty-one years for you, and I’m willing to wait that many more. Longer if that’s what it takes. I will visit you every day until you get out.”
“And what will you do while you aren’t visiting me an hour a day?”
“The first thing I’ll do is find somewhere to live. Isabelle has already offered to help with that. If it weren’t for Esmeralda, I would stay with her and