Page 7 of Forbidden Obsession
I glare at them for interrupting. Not meanly. I like that they’re so caught up in my tale they speak out of turn. They quiet down.
Jindal scoots closer to me and whispers, “What happened next, Rahz?”
A smile curls my lips. “The Gatekeeper straightened to his full height, and the vampire realized at once what he’d done. The fatal mistake he’d made. One that might mean his true death.
“They squared up again, circling as each attempted to stare the other down. ‘You’re no match for me, fledgling,’ said the vampire, but what did he know? He’d never encountered a fae before, and the Gatekeeper’s bloodline is the most powerful of our entire realm.
“The fight was brutal, tooth and nail, wing and claw, but the Gatekeeper had an edge now. He’d win this fight, and win he did, standing over the vampire in victory, both of them raw and bloodied. ‘You should not have invaded Luminia. But don’t let it be said I show no mercy. For your crimes, you may choose your fate. Either I take your head, thus granting you a true death, or you may live out your immortal years imprisoned in my dungeons. Choose.’”
“What did the vampire pick?” Jindal’s voice is soft, hesitant. He clutches the edge of his sleep satchel, wringing it between his hands.
“What do you think?” I ask. “Did the Gatekeeper saw off his head and leave him in pieces? Or does the demon rot in the dark, dank dungeon to this very night?”
“I think he’s in the dungeon,” says Salah. Lemon nods her agreement.
“No,” says Petzyl. “He wouldn’t choose to suffer for all eternity. Better off dead.”
“Head cut off for sure.” Basil backs him up.
I shrug. “No one knows. And no one ever will. The Gatekeeper is a master at keeping secrets and allows no visitors to his frozen palace.”
My audience is silent, each of them processing the tale in their own way. Vander’s jaw is clenched, lips pressed to a tight line. He knows he’s lost—I definitely scared him—but will he admit it? I have my doubts.
“That’s a stupid ending,” he says. “You didn’t even tell us what happened.”
I roll my eyes. “Sometimes stories end that way, whether you like it or not. Sometimes the ending is for you to determine.”
He scowls. “Well, you didn’t scare me.”
“Yes, I did. I saw you over there shivering in your sleep sack. Don’t pretend you weren’t.”
“Was not.”
“Was so,” say Salah and Lemon together.
As much as I like having the others come to my defense, I don’t care if I won or not. So long as Vander leaves me alone. “Lie all you want. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep, and it won’t bemehaving nightmares.”
ChapterFour
Jindal
Panic surges through me.My chest is tight, and my heart is beating so fast I’m afraid it will seize any second. Can a person live in this much terror? Can I?
The Gatekeeper’s long black hair tickles my cheeks as he looms over me, ice-blue eyes piercing deep into my soul. “Come, little one. With me forevermore.” His voice is gentle, mesmerizing but no less frightening for its softness.
I shake my head frantically and grip my blankets in clenched fists. “No, you can’t have me. I won’t go.”
He leans in closer. His winter-cold breath chills me to the bone. Sharp teeth gleam pearlescent from an even sharper smile. “But you’re all alone. Younglings with dormant parents can’t survive on their own. You need me.”
“I don’t.” I have parents, don’t I? My mom is sleeping, but Father counts. He has to. “My father—”
“Is as good as dormant, sweetling. You cannot lie to the prince of lies.”
Long fingers with sleek black talons reach for me. Ebony wings shade all light from view. I toss and turn, fighting to escape his clutches, but it’s too late. The Gatekeeper’s got me.
I scream.
Hands squeeze my shoulders.I struggle, but my fight is doomed to failure. Should I accept my fate gracefully? No parents, so I belong to the Gatekeeper now. Rules are rules. Maybe I should give in.
