Page 60 of Touched By Destiny

“No, Mom and David still haven’t brought the food in, but it’s nearly done.”

Eric walked up to Gabriel and brushed a damp strand of hair off his forehead.

“Sorry,” Eric said, dropping his hand to his side.

“Didn’t I get in trouble earlier today for apologizing for touching you?” Gabriel asked softly.

“Yeah, I retract my apology,” Eric replied with a chuckle.

“I don’t think you should come over tonight.”

Gabriel hated the hurt and disappointment in Eric’s pretty blue eyes. “Okay.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you—”

“I feel like I’ve spent my whole day interrupting people, but you don’t have to explain.”

“Yes, I do,” Gabriel countered. “Call me in front of everyone thirty minutes before ten and tell me you want to take a walk. Otherwise, it’s going to be weird that no one sees you leaving for a walk with me. Tomorrow night, we can go back to normal.”

Eric’s nose scrunched. “I didn’t think of that. Okay.”

“Hey,” Gabriel said as Eric turned to walk away.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll miss you.”

Eric gave him a dreamy smile, and it made Gabriel feel a million feet tall for pleasing him with his honesty. “I’ll miss you too.”

It was going to be a shitty, lonely night alone in his house, but Gabriel deserved it for insisting on keeping their relationship a secret. Sometimes he wondered why the fuck he was so afraid. Eric was his soulmate. Gabriel hadn’t chosen him; it was destiny. But truth be told, Gabriel could picture no one else bound to him. He didn’t want to be with anyone but Eric. How could anyone judge them for that?

Then Gabriel’s mind supplied horrible scenarios of Eric fighting with his parents over his desire to keep seeing him. Strangely, Gabriel never imagined Eric choosing to side with his folks. Was that because the idea was too painful to imagine? Or did he trust Eric’s feelings completely? Or did it come down toGabriel’s ego and his inability to believe that his soulmate would choose his family over him?

Wondering why everything was so complicated, Gabriel followed Eric into the dining room. It was a distinct pleasure to be behind the necromancer. Eric had dressed that morning in snug jeans and a light sweater in the same blue as his gorgeous eyes. Everything about Eric was graceful, including his walk, and it reminded Gabriel of how his lanky body undulated under him during their hot, sexy couplings on his couch.

Recalling that he’d be on that sofa by himself tonight soured Gabriel’s mood as he took a seat next to Eric at the table.

“Do you want me to work from home tomorrow to keep you company?” Richard asked as he grabbed the chair across from his brother.

Eric shook his head. “There’s no need to terrorize your staff from here or drive Douglas crazy. You two probably have a full day of events. I’ll be fine. I have to perfect my spell for my next resurrection. And I’ll squeeze in some more reading time. I’ve barely touched the piano this week. Plus, this is temporary.”

“We certainly aren’t going to expect you to stay confined to the house forever,” Rosalind said.

“But we aren’t rushing into danger either,” Clark added. “It’ll take me some time to get information. Until then, we’re going to assume this car represents a threat.”

“This is horribly scary,” Maribeth said. “Are you doing okay, Eric? I’d be freaking out.”

“I can’t think about why someone would want to follow me,” Eric stated calmly. His innate confidence was admirable, and Gabriel wondered yet again how he’d gotten so lucky to have someone so special tied to his soul. “If I do, I’ll drive myself nuts. All I can do is live my life and make smart choices. I can’t undo being destiny-touched, and I refuse to apologize for it. Ifsomeone has a problem with me, I can’t help that. But I’ll be damned if I’ll give up immortality without a fight.”

Richard pursed his lips. “Plus, anyone who wants to hurt you has to get through me and Gabriel.”

“No,” Gabriel retorted. “Your life is just as valuable as your brother’s, and you need to stay safe too.”

“I should learn to fight,” Richard said as if Gabriel hadn’t spoken. “There are all kinds of ways to protect myself and others. I’m going to look into it.”

“Richard dear, please don’t scare me,” Rosalind chided. “Gabriel’s right. Let’s leave the defense to our guards.”

“Maybe I’ll learn how to shoot,” Richard remarked. “I’ve thought about it before. How hard is it to get a conceal and carry permit?”

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