Page 125 of De-Witched

Fear chilled her skin and she scrambled to move, to get away. A weapon, she needed a weapon. She staggered up, a wild thumping in her ears all she could hear.

At least until a hand gripped the back of her head, forcing her still. “You’re just the right leverage,” a man murmured, voice too low to make out who. “Incantartum.”

Instant lethargy hit her bloodstream. She wanted to fight—sleep was the enemy—but she was only human. Fragile after all.

Gabe, her mind called out. God, she wanted Gabriel.

Then she was lost to unconsciousness.

27

“Say it again.”

Gabriel gritted his teeth. Henry was drawing too much pleasure out of this. “I fucked up,” he enunciated.

Henry shook his head like there was water in his ears. “Sorry, just once more.”

“I’ll go get Tia.”

“Asshole.”

Gabriel flicked him a look. They stood waiting for a cab—or Gabriel did. Both of them had been kicked out of Toil and Trouble, and his former friend now seemed content to needle him. He should’ve kept his mouth shut.

The noise on the street was overwhelming, cars rumbling past, the people swarming and chattering like magpies. Yet, there was quiet inside him now. A stillness he’d never felt before.

Shame Henry wasn’t letting him appreciate it.

“Explain to me again how you fucked up.”

Bastian piped up from the other side. “Yeah, I’d like to know that, too.”

Gabriel scowled. “I don’t even know why you’re here.”

Bastian affected a hurt look. “We’re friends. When a friend is hurting, you support them.”

He was surrounded by assholes. But even as he thought it, Gabriel’s lips twitched.

Although it went against his nature, he figured backup couldn’t hurt and so, summarized the situation. Again.

Bastian nodded shrewdly. “You did fuck up. Oomph.” He staggered when Gabriel pushed some telekinesis at him. The pain was worth it.

“So, what’s your plan? Grovel?” Henry looked around the city, at the cabs crawling past. “Don’t you have to flag one down?”

Gabriel belatedly stuck out a hand. “I’m going to tell the truth.” He was supposed to be good at that.

“And the truth is...?”

He refused to say those important three words to anyone but Leah for the first time. “I took the decision away from her,” he said, nerves skittering down his spine. He flexed his hands. “She deserves to know everything and then...” Then he’d see.

His protective instincts went haywire, jockeying for control, but he breathed through it. By holding on too tight, he’d lose her. He had to try. Had to take this risk.

A few seconds went by. So did two cabs.

“Well.” Bastian clapped his hands together. “Bro trip, then?”

“Bro trip?” Gabriel echoed, and found his arm seized by Bastian, who towed him away from the road toward an alleyway. When they stopped, he blinked at the piles of garbage. “Excellent destination.”

Having followed them, Henry snickered as Bastian threw up a shield. “We’ll portal.”

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