Page 20 of Finn
By the time I stepped out into the night air, I could barely breathe.
The city lights blurred as memories clawed their way to the surface, each one sharper, more painful than the last.
I had to know. Had to see him.
Because if Gabriel was truly alive, how could I bring myself to kill the only person I’d ever truly loved?
My mind was still a jumble of confusion, when I heard a soft, breathy moan drifting from a nearby alley.
The sound jolted me, cutting through the storm of emotions. Was someone hurt?
I pulled my knife from its sheath, gripping it tight as I moved toward the source of the noise, every nerve on edge.
As I turned the corner, I spotted two figures entwined in the shadows.
One man was holding the other, cradling him close, the movement gentle but oddly… possessive.
My cheeks burned when I realized I might’ve just interrupted something I had no business seeing.
But then, with a faint shudder, the man in the embrace slumped to the ground, his head tilting back, revealing two tiny red marks on his neck.
My stomach dropped. Vampire.
The other figure shifted, turning slightly, and that’s when I caught sight of his face.
Familiar features, sharper than before but unmistakable. Blue-green eyes met mine, their confusion flashing quickly to shock.
His gaze pinned me where I stood, and in that moment, I felt like the ground was yanked out from under me.
“Gabriel,” I whispered, barely aware that the word had escaped my lips.
It was him. The same Gabriel I’d once held, loved, mourned. The one I’d thought was lost to me forever.
And here he was, standing right in front of me, every bit as real as he’d been in my memories. But he was changed in ways I could hardly comprehend.
I stumbled back, gripping my knife tighter, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.
The Elders had really sent me here to kill this vampire. To kill him.
The weight of it crashed over me like a tidal wave, nearly stealing the breath from my lungs.
Gabriel's expression shifted, morphing from shock to something darker, a wary recognition mingling with a spark of something else, something dangerous.
His lips parted, and I watched as he took a cautious step forward, his eyes flickering over me, scanning my face as if searching for answers.
“Finn?” His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it cut through the night like a knife.
Hearing him say my name sent a shiver down my spine, stirring memories that were at once comforting and painful.
My whole body tensed, the blade in my hand feeling like dead weight.
I’d come here to finish a job, but now… now I didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know if Iwantedto.
“Gabriel,” I repeated, as if saying it aloud would make it all make sense. “They… they told me you were dead.”
His face softened, if only for a second, and I caught a glimpse of the Gabriel I’d once known.
“I was,” he murmured, a hollow note threading his voice. “In a way, I suppose I still am.”
