Page 77 of Finn
Gabriel pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.
“It’ll be okay, Finn,” Gabriel murmured. “We’ll be okay.”
As much as the pain of parting with Asher tore at me, Gabriel’s embrace reminded me why I’d made my choice.
This was where I belonged.
“I know,” I whispered.
CHAPTER TWENTY
GAEL/ ASHER
GAEL
Gael gritted his teeth as Bram hauled him up the stone steps to Beric’s estate.
The heavy oak doors loomed ahead, and with every step closer, his dread deepened.
His chest still ached where the silver bullets had punched through him, a phantom burn that lingered despite his rapid healing.
The humiliation stung worse than the wounds, though. Gael hated himself for it, for playing dead.
He’d fallen to the ground like a coward, clutching at the pain, while that smug hunter probably smiled in smug satisfaction.
The memory of it churned in his gut, his fists clenching as Bram shoved the doors open.
“Move,” Bram growled, his tone impatient.
Gael stumbled inside, dragging himself upright as much as his battered body allowed.
Beric’s office was at the end of the long, silent corridor.
The estate was eerily quiet tonight, the usual murmur of voices and footsteps absent.
It felt like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
He dreaded this moment more than he’d ever admit. Facing Beric after a failure was always dangerous, but this… This was worse.
When Bram pushed the office door open, Gael was immediately greeted by the oppressive weight of Beric’s presence.
His sire sat behind his massive desk, bathed in the golden glow of the lamp.
His hands were steepled in front of him, his expression unreadable.
Gael hesitated at the threshold, his stomach twisting.
“Enter,” Beric said, his voice like ice.
Gael stepped inside, swallowing hard.
He felt Bram’s presence lingering in the doorway, and silently seethed. Bram was probably soaking this all up. His failure.
Beric didn’t look up, his cold gaze fixed on a sheet of paper on his desk.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Gael shifted his weight, willing himself not to fidget.
Finally, Beric’s eyes lifted, pinning Gael in place. “Report.”
