Page 43 of Finn
“Then he changed you?” I asked.
“He found it amusing to turn me, an ex-hunter, into one of his own. ‘A collector,’ he calls himself. He couldn’t resist the irony of having a former hunter in his nest.” Gabriel’s eyes flashed, and I could see the raw anger there.
Gabriel continued, “He knew I had no choice. He didn’t ask. He just... made it happen.”
I could only stare at him, trying to take it all in. The gravity of his past hit me with a weight I hadn’t expected.
He was trapped in a nightmare, a life he never asked for.
“So... you’ve just followed orders, done what he’s told you,” I said. “Is that why you’re... well, Scar mentioned that you’re currently Beric’s favorite.”
Gabriel’s mouth twisted in a wry, bitter smile.
“Favorite is putting it kindly. More like his most useful weapon. I followed orders because... I’m good at killing. That’s all I’ve ever been good at,” Gabriel said.
The intensity of his gaze was almost too much.
He reached out, his fingers tracing along my hand, lingering there as if grounding himself.
“Enough about me,” he murmured. “How did you get tangled up in this mess, Finn?”
I took a deep breath, but his gentle touch made it easier to speak.
“The Guild assigned me to take you out,” I admitted. “At first, I didn’t even know it was you. They just gave me an alias. Scar was my informant.”
I hesitated, glancing away. “He led me right to you.”
Gabriel absorbed this in silence, his gaze turning thoughtful, faraway.
I watched him carefully, wondering what he was thinking, desperate for him to say something, anything.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it.
“What are you thinking?” I whispered, needing him to pull me back from the unknown.
A shadow crossed his face. “I was thinking... that if they’d sent another hunter who wasn’t you, I might’ve just let him finish the job,” he admitted.
I felt a sharp pang in my chest. “Don’t say that.”
My hand moved on its own, reaching up to cup his cheek, grounding him back here with me.
His skin was cool under my touch, and it reminded me just how much had changed about him and how much hadn’t.
His eyes softened, his hand lifting to cover mine, pressing it gently to his face.
Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, nuzzling into my palm, as if he could find solace there.
“I feel like I’ve been sleepwalking for years, just an empty vessel carrying out orders,” he admitted quietly. “But then... you showed up. And somehow, I felt alive again. If a vampire can feel alive.”
Heat crept up my face, my heart pounding.
His words were raw, vulnerable, like he was peeling away the walls he’d spent so long building. And he was doing it for me.
My fingers traced along his cheek, my voice coming out soft, barely above a whisper.
“For a long time I refused to believe you were dead, Gabriel.” I bit my lip, “Finding our you’re alive and that I was sent to kill you…it was a shock.”
The space between us seemed to disappear.
