Page 54 of Touched By Destiny

“Mutual licking it is,” Gabriel said.

They were both smiling as their mouths met. Somehow, in that moment, Eric grew fonder of his soulmate. It didn’t matter if their relationship remained a secret. Not now anyway. They were building something meaningful and special, and Eric eagerly awaited the next step of their journey.

Chapter 23

Turmoil was nothing new for Gabriel. But he doubted there had ever been another point in his life when he’d carried around so many varied emotions. Being with Eric was better than he’d imagined. Although they’d been friends before, they had a newfound closeness as they met up nearly every night and shared their days together. They discussed their respective work, whatever minor issues sprang up for the Marwoods, and larger concerns too.

Alden had quickly sold his house and moved to Los Angeles. Everyone had worried it would mean further distance in the family, but strangely, Alden was now sharing dinner with them at least once a week. He’d put a crystal in the house, and he always hopped on the private plane to return to California. Deep in his house hunt, Alden shared photos of the places he’d visited, but he had yet to settle on anything.

With her father suddenly more accessible, Maribeth had stopped dragging Richard out to the club every night, giving them both the chance to sleep. Thankfully, Maribeth hadn’t ended her social life and was still eagerly seeking her soulmate, while Gabriel remained conflicted about his.

That wasn’t entirely true. Gabriel had no qualms about having his essence bound with Eric’s. The necromancer was far more than he deserved.

And that was the ultimate problem, Gabriel thought as he headed for Clark’s office for a meeting. Dreams of a long, beautiful life together chased Gabriel.

But when he woke up, he wondered how a future would work between them. More accurately, he worried that they’d never get the chance to combine their lives. It was fantastic to be with the caring, intelligent, and gifted Eric, but nothing had changed.

Gabriel remained the foolish man who’d believed the words of a butcher for a decade and a half. Clark and Rosalind had rescued him from a prison sentence, but that didn’t mean they’d approve of a relationship between him and Eric. Not to mention how badly they’d freak out when they discovered they were soulmates and stuck together forever.

Irritated at his thoughts, Gabriel slapped a smile on his face as he approached Clark’s assistant. Thankfully, he was told to go straight in, and Gabriel carefully blanked his expression as he strode through the door.

“Hmm, you’re pensive, what’s up?” Clark asked.

“I’m not pensive,” Gabriel lied as he perched on a chair across from his boss.

Clark lifted a brow. “I’ve known you for over thirty years. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

“Fine,” Gabriel said. “I was just thinking about a couple of things. Nothing major, I promise.”

“I’d argue, but you’ve been in a far better mood lately, so I’ll let you keep your secrets. Rosalind and I are still worried about you though. Something has been going on in your life in the last several months, and I think it’s been very impactful. Ifyou ever need someone to talk to about anything, Rosalind and I are always here for you.”

Gabriel felt like shit for keeping such a monumental and life-changing secret from Clark, and he assumed Clark would hardly be feeling kindly toward him if he knew the truth. Gabriel nodded and clutched the chair arms in frustration. “Thanks, you’ll be the first to know if I need a shoulder to lean on.”

“Okay,” Clark replied, a furrow between his brows. The necromancer wasn’t happy about Gabriel’s unwillingness to confide in anyone about the issue plaguing him, but Clark was far too good a friend to push.

Thankfully, the door swung open, and Rhonda stalked in. Gabriel wasn’t sure if it was her mismatched outfit or the glassiness in her gaze, but he was on his feet before his brain had even registered his body was moving. On the other side of the desk, Clark had also risen swiftly.

“What the fuck is wrong?” Gabriel blurted.

Rhonda leaned against the door after closing it and grabbed fistfuls of her long braids. “I’m freaking out.”

Clark rushed to her side and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Okay. Take a deep breath and tell us what’s wrong.”

“I have this friend,” Rhonda said, her words tumbling over each other. “Her name is Tasha. I met her at the hair salon. She’s not my stylist. I have another. I started seeing her before Tasha took the job there. We started hanging out, you know? Going to movies. Shopping. Shit like that. Then this happened. What am I going to do?”

“Did something happen to your friend?” Gabriel asked.

Moving in a flash, Rhonda burrowed into Clark, who hugged her and rubbed her back to comfort her. “I left her at my condo. She’s a human. She doesn’t understand. I didn’t plan this. What the fuck am I going to do?”

“Tell us what the problem is, and we’ll help you if we can,” Clark assured her.

“We stayed up all night,” Rhonda said, squeezing Clark one last time, then pacing the office as her flip-flops slapped against the bottoms of her feet. She’d paired the casual shoes with a flowing floral skirt and an exquisitely beaded silk top far too dressy for a day at work. “It started with a movie. We put on some music afterward. Time just passed. Next thing I know, the sun is coming up. I didn’t sleep. Not even for a few minutes. She fell asleep, though. I went to get dressed, and she was there in my bed sleeping.”

“Is the problem you don’t want her staying at the condo?” Gabriel asked. “I can go over and break it to her. Give her a lift home.”

Rhonda yanked on her long braids and whipped around to face him.

“No, Gabe,” she shouted. “We had sex. She’s my fucking soulmate. Of course I want her in my condo. My problem is explaining all of this. Or figuring this out. I saw our souls. Hers was purple. She loves purple. Her hair is purple. It’s stunning. Mine was white because I’m an inspirit. She doesn’t know that, and she didn’t mention seeing our souls. I was so relieved. How do I tell her about this shit?”

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