Page 48 of Touched By Destiny

“I’ve never felt like that though,” Eric confided. “I hear constantly about how gifted I am, but in the next breath I’m reminded of the danger. As much as I love helping ghosts, it’d be nice to be normal. Or at least as normal as a necromancer gets. Plus, I feel all this pressure to push myself. My uncle doesn’t believe I’m using my gifts properly, but I try every day to think of new ways to test myself. Many of those ideas result in failure. Like the fucking crystals thing.”

“It sucks that you have to work in the dark, and I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks—you’re doing the best you can. And with each failure, you at least know what isn’t possible, so you don’t keep theorizing down the wrong path.”

“Do you like being an inspirit?”

“To be honest, that word trips me up,” Gabriel said. “I never use it for myself. Maybe because my summoner didn’t call me that. He resurrected me. I was the product of his magic. He reminded me of that a lot. I didn’t realize at the time that I was being conditioned to be constantly grateful for my very existence. The last thirty-three years have been completely different from my first fifteen. I like my life, and being alive is a gift.”

“Does it bother you to be called an inspirit?”

“No, it doesn’t bother me.” Gabriel shrugged. “I can’t really explain why I still don’t think of myself as an inspirit. In my head, the resurrected people around me are inspirits, but somehow, I’m still not. It’s weird. Have you ever dreamed of being just a human instead of a sorcerer?”

“I like magic. I don’t want to lose mine. It’d just be nice to use it without worrying I’m not pushing it far enough or thatI’m depriving an inspirit of something vital because I don’t really know what it means to be destiny-touched.”

“You get to define it, Eric. It’s who you are. None of the rest of us understand it. I’m sorry you have to live with the constant threat of danger. It sucks, and your parents are continually trying to find ways to aid you. We all want you to have your immortality.

“Look, no one told me I couldn’t tell you this, and we’re trying to do this relationship thing. I don’t want secrets. I had to go on a long run today because I was frustrated. We had this meeting with other necro families. It was supposed to be about an alliance. Instead, minutes in, we’re fighting over the destiny-touched. These assholes were split over whether they should be protected or fucking hunted.”

“I wish I understood why my existence scares so many people,” Eric said softly, his gaze again dropping to the hand marked at his birth. “I’d never hurt anyone or endanger a single necro.”

Gabriel reached out and laced their fingers. “I know that. But people are assholes. Some of these families may not have destiny-touched. Maybe it’s jealousy. Maybe it’s fear of the unknown. In the end, it doesn’t matter. If they aren’t willing to listen, we can’t convince them of shit. Which is why we’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

“I’m lucky to have such a sexy bodyguard.”

“Sexy isn’t in my job description.”

“It’s one hell of a side benefit,” Eric said, scooting closer to Gabriel and setting his beer on a nearby table.

Gabriel laid a hand on Eric’s hip and teased him with a little squeeze. That hot palm was like a brand despite the clothing preventing them from being skin to skin. Eric slid his fingers into Gabriel’s still-damp hair and sealed their lips together.

Their tongues met, and Gabriel lazily caressed every recess of Eric’s mouth. His taste was all it took to have Eric’s heart rate skyrocketing and his balls growing heavy. Eric shifted until he was more than halfway in Gabriel’s lap.

Gabriel held him close, and along with the rampant desire that flared whenever they touched was a beautiful sweetness. They had plenty of peril awaiting them as they navigated their relationship, but Eric refused to be anything but confident that someday they’d be soulmates in every sense of the word.

Chapter 21

Gabriel was lost in a spectacular dream rich with Eric’s smile and blue eyes soft with emotion. His initial reaction to being ripped from sleep was irritation. He lifted an arm to slap the alarm clock button to get it to shut up, but it didn’t work. Forcing himself to focus, Gabriel opened his eyes and scowled at the discordant noise. The time on the clock read three twenty-two. And it was his cellphone making the racket.

Gabriel’s annoyance disappeared when he grabbed his cell and saw Richard’s name on the screen.

“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked as he rolled, flipped the covers out of the way, and swung his feet to the floor.

“Sorry to wake you,” Richard said, his voice low but vibrating with anger. “I finally convinced Mari I need a night away from the club, and I can’t fucking sleep. I got up to pee, and I don’t know…something told me to look out the window. There’s a car out there. Just sitting outside the house. No lights or anything. It’s too far away and too fucking dark to see if there’s anyone inside it.”

Snatching pants from his dresser, Gabriel wiggled into them. He hoped it was someone with car trouble, but theylived on a quiet street, and random vehicles were rare. It was imperative he take every precaution.

“Get Eric and everyone else in the vault. I’ll check it out and let you guys out as soon as I can.”

“Mari’s not home. She went on a date and isn’t back yet.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it,” Gabriel promised.

“Be safe, Gabriel,” Richard replied.

Anxious to have Eric in the safety of the vault, Gabriel was relieved when Richard hung up to fetch his brother and family. Richard was far too protective of his brother to dawdle, which helped only a little to lessen Gabriel’s unease. He shoved his feet into his shoes and called Maribeth’s driver. As he instructed the inspirit to keep Maribeth away from the house, Gabriel grabbed his gun and holster.

Gabriel snatched a flashlight out of the closet near his front door but kept it off as he went outside. His heart pounded with adrenaline and fear. The night was still and soundless. Inside the mansion, there were plenty of lights on since Maribeth wasn’t home yet. Although nothing had tripped the alarm, Gabriel walked swiftly to the east side of the house.

As he passed the side door Eric snuck in every night, lights swept across the front yard. With a curse, Gabriel watched a sedan pull away from the curb and cruise up the road. He was too far away to make out the license plate. Irritated that he may have given himself away, Gabriel kept his gaze trained on the road in case the vehicle returned.

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