Page 77 of Witch's Promise

Riley's grin widened, sensing weakness. "Am I? Why don't you ask him yourself? Oh wait, you can't. Because you were too weak, too slow to save him. Just like you're too weak to save yourself now."

Something inside Sean snapped. With a wordless howl of rage and pain, he hurled himself at Riley one last time. He poured every ounce of strength, every scrap of skill he had left into this final, desperate attack.

For a brief, shining moment, it seemed like it might actually work. Sean's fist connected solidly with Riley's face, the impact strong enough to snap the demon's head back. But before Sean could press his advantage, Riley's tail lashed out, catching him across the chest with devastating force.

Sean flew backward, crashing through the rickety attic railing and plummeting to the floor below. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, pain exploding through every nerve ending. As he lay there, struggling to breathe through what were almost certainly broken ribs, Sean heard Riley's mocking laughter from above.

"Oh, Sean," the demon called down, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "Did you really think it would be that easy?That you could defeat a being like me with your pathetic human strength?"

Sean tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out, sending him crashing back to the floor. Blood pooled beneath him, seeping from wounds he couldn't even begin to catalog. His vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges.

As consciousness began to slip away, Sean's thoughts turned to Gabe. To the life they might have had if things had been different. To all the words left unsaid between them.

"I'm sorry," Sean whispered, his voice barely audible even to his own ears. "I'm so fucking sorry, Gabe. I tried."

Chapter 23

Gabe

Where the hell was Sean?

The phone call shouldn't have taken this long.

"Excuse me," Gabe muttered, cutting Alex off mid-sentence. "I need to check on something."

He ignored the questioning looks from his team as he headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. The wrongness intensified with each step, a pit of dread forming in his stomach.

As Gabe reached the top of the stairs, the scene that greeted him confirmed his worst fears. Jessy sat huddled on the couch, her face streaked with tears and her body wracked with silent sobs. Finn paced back and forth like a caged animal, tension radiating from every line of his body.

"What the fuck is going on?" Gabe demanded, his voice sharper than he'd intended.

Finn whirled to face him, guilt and worry warring for dominance in his expression. "Gabe, I... Sean's gone."

The words hit Gabe like a physical blow. "What do you mean, gone? He just stepped out to take a phone call."

Finn's explanation came out in a rush, each word driving the knife of betrayal deeper into Gabe's heart. Sean had run off to confront Riley alone, throwing himself into danger without a second thought for the consequences.

"Goddamn it, Sean," Gabe muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "What the hell were you thinking?"

A choked sob from Jessy drew his attention. The girl looked utterly wrecked, her eyes red-rimmed and haunted. "It's my fault," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Riley wanted me. I should have gone, should have given myself up. But Sean, he told me to stay here where it's safe."

Gabe felt his anger deflate, replaced by a familiar weight of responsibility. He knelt in front of Jessy, taking her trembling hands in his own. "Hey, look at me," he said gently. "This isn't your fault, okay? No matter how pissed I am at Sean for pulling this stunt, he was right to tell you to stay here."

Jessy's eyes met his, filled with a mixture of guilt and desperate hope. "You're not mad at him? He was just trying to protect me, to protect all of us."

Gabe sighed, the conflict inside him evident in the tightness of his jaw. "I'm furious," he admitted. "But not at you. Sean made his choice, and now we have to deal with the consequences."

As Gabe stood, ready to rally his team and go after Sean, Jessy's voice stopped him. "Wait," she said, her tone urgent. "There's something you need to know. All of you."

Gabe hesitated for a moment, torn between the need for information and the pressing urgency to find Sean. But the look in Jessy's eyes told him this was important. "Finn," he said, not taking his eyes off Jessy, "get the others up here. Now."

Moments later, the living room was crowded with tense bodies and worried faces. Lucas, Marcus, and Alex stood in a loose semicircle, their postures alert and ready for action. Jessyremained on the couch, her body curled in on itself as if trying to physically hold back the sobs that threatened to escape.

Gabe knelt beside her once more, his voice gentle but firm. "Whenever you're ready, Jessy. Take your time."

Jessy took a shuddering breath, visibly steeling herself for what she was about to say. "My brother," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "he died when I was little. Cancer. My mother, she... she couldn't handle it. I remember her trying spells, rituals, anything to bring him back."

The room was silent save for the sound of Jessy's ragged breathing. Gabe felt his heart clench, recognizing the desperate grief that could drive a person to such extremes.

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