Page 30 of Finn
His face softened, his expression tender, and for a moment, I felt like we were the only two people in the world.
Just Gabriel and me, nothing else.
Before I could think, his lips were on mine.
The kiss started soft, tentative, as if he was testing the waters, uncertain if I’d pull away. But I didn’t.
Instead, I leaned into him, desperate, needing the contact, the reassurance that he was here, alive.
He responded, his hold tightening, and the kiss deepened, losing any hesitancy as he claimed my mouth fully.
The world around us faded, the alley, the blood on the ground, the shadows.
All of it melted away, leaving only the warmth of his mouth, the way his hand tangled in my hair, pulling me closer.
My heart pounded as the kiss grew fierce, the months of separation, the grief, the longing, all pouring out in a flood of heat and need.
For the first time, there was no line dividing us, no hunter and monster. Just us. Gabriel and Finn.
He pulled back slightly, his lips brushing mine as he caught his breath, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go, pressing my forehead to his.
His hand slipped to my jaw, his thumb tracing gentle, soothing circles there.
He stared at me, his gaze intense, filled with emotions I could barely begin to decipher.
“I thought I lost you,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I thought… I’d killed you.”
“You almost did,” he replied, and despite the words, there was a hint of amusement in his tone.
A fresh wave of emotion surged through me.
I pressed my face into his shoulder again, overwhelmed by the simple truth in his words.
He’d survived, somehow, against the odds, and now he was here, holding me like I was the only thing that mattered.
I didn’t know what the future held, didn’t know how we’d move forward from here, but for now, I let myself savor the moment.
After a long moment, Gabriel gently eased me back, his expression sobering. He glanced around the alley, his senses clearly on alert.
“We need to get out of here,” he said.
I nodded, though the thought of breaking the fragile moment between us made my heart ache. But he was right.
We were both in danger here, and lingering in the open wasn’t an option.
Gabriel kept his arm around me as we moved, a silent reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere.
I leaned into him, feeling the strength of his presence, grounding me, steadying the rush of emotions still swirling inside me.
We slipped through the shadows, moving quickly and quietly.
But every so often, Gabriel would glance at me, as if he were making sure I was real and wouldn’t just disappear on him.
CHAPTER NINE
GABRIEL/ FINN
GABRIEL
