Page 74 of Finn
I forced myself to speak, keeping my voice steady and calm, despite the rage boiling inside me.
“Gael,” I said, taking a cautious step forward.
His eyes snapped to me, and the knife pressed harder against Finn’s throat. I froze, holding up my hands.
“Let him go, and we’ll settle this. Just you and me,” I told him. Finn shot me a questioning look.
Gael scoffed, shaking his head. “And deprive myself of the satisfaction of watching you crumble? I don’t think so, Gabriel. No, I think I’ll finish him first, and then?—”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FINN
Gael didn’t finishhis words. Gabriel ducked just as a shot rang out, splitting the night with a deafening crack.
The sound echoed in my ears, and for a heartbeat, everything seemed frozen.
Then I felt the sudden slackening of Gael’s grip as he stumbled backward, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.
The bullet had hit him square in the chest.
Another shot followed before I could fully register what was happening, the force knocking Gael to the ground.
His body jerked once, then went still.
My breath came in shallow, rapid bursts as I twisted to look behind me, toward the direction of the shot.
A figure emerged from the shadows, shotgun in hand. Asher.
My stomach clenched, a mix of relief and dread churning inside me. Gabriel swore next to me.
Asher’s shotgun shifted, no longer aimed at Gael’s unmoving form. Instead, Asher swung the barrel directly toward Gabriel.
My breath caught in my throat, my heart hammering so loud it drowned out everything else.
For a fleeting, terrifying second, I was certain my brother would pull the trigger without a moment’s hesitation.
That all the sacrifices we’d made, all the risks we’d taken, had been for nothing.
Asher’s eyes were hard and unwavering. There wasn’t even a flicker of doubt in his expression, no hesitation that hinted at mercy.
It was the look of a hunter, the same one he’d worn every time he stared down a supernatural creature, prepared to end their existence without a shred of regret.
But this wasn’t just any vampire. It was Gabriel. The man I’d chosen. The man I loved.
“No!” The word tore from my throat, raw and desperate, before I could think of anything else to say.
My body moved on instinct, stepping fully in front of Gabriel, shielding him with my own.
My arms spread wide as if I could somehow make myself an impenetrable barrier.
“Finn, don’t.” Gabriel’s voice was low, a growl of warning.
I ignored him, keeping my focus on Asher.
“Let me handle this,” I told Gabriel over my shoulder, my voice steadier than I felt.
Asher stopped a few feet away, his expression hard as stone.
