Page 83 of Touched By Destiny

“I don’t know,” he said, thinking about Gabriel’s life and how his necromancer had hurt him. Without Eric’s parents, Gabriel would be alone. And even though Gabriel had the love of the Marwoods, he’d kept himself separate until one night had changed everything.

Next to Eric, Gabriel tensed, and he wondered if he was thinking of those dark days with Samael again and how devastated he’d been after his necro died. How many people were out in the world isolated and lonely? Eric didn’t know, and he ached for them.

“Maybe there is peace there. Something better than just drifting around as a spirit, slowly degrading into nothing,” Eric suggested.

“Eric, have you ever tried to help a spirit with no one?” Paxton asked. “Were they still compelled to take your portal?”

“I can’t say for sure. Some of them can’t communicate. Maybe I have. Or maybe the ones who have no one don’t cry out to me. I don’t know how to select the spirits on my own or I’d try to find someone with no one. They probably need my help the most. I don’t know what’s on the other side, but I refuse to believe it’s loneliness and misery.”

“Paxton, switch lanes and take the next turn,” Gabriel ordered, his voice stony. At first, Eric wondered if their conversation was unduly hurting Gabriel. But a single glance at his soulmate told Eric otherwise. Gabriel’s eyes were scanning the car mirrors, then he turned and stared out the back window of the town car.

“What’s going on?” Eric asked.

“We’re being followed,” Paxton answered as he deftly followed Gabriel’s directions and cruised down a street only slightly less busy than the main strip of Vegas.

“Is it the car from before?” Eric asked.

“Yes, and they aren’t bothering to be subtle,” Gabriel stated, kissing Eric’s temple. “Paxton, once we are around this curve, double back and drive us into the garage at the smallest Marwood casino.”

“Got it,” Paxton said.

“What’s the plan?” Eric asked. There was no question Gabriel had one in mind, and Eric trusted him to keep them both safe.

“We’re going to switch cars,” Gabriel stated. “Paxton, you’re going to take the longest route possible to your condo building. Eric and I are going to drive separately, and we’ll return to the big casino. We’ll stay there for the night. I need to call Clark and fill him in.”

“I assume we’re going to grab two inspirits to trick these fuckers into thinking you and Eric are still in the car?” Paxton asked.

“Absolutely,” Gabriel replied, then pulled out his phone to call Eric’s father.

Although Eric’s brain was telling him he should be fearful of the assholes once again following him, he was more irritated than anything else. After a wonderful night out, the last thing he wanted to do was have to sneak around with his soulmate to lose their tail. Eric wanted to be left alone to live his damn life.

Eric’s family worked too hard to keep him safe, and these idiots following them would have no opportunity to catch him unawares. Gabriel was too good at security for that, and Eric wished their pursuers would find more useful things to do with their time than their weird, inconsistent surveillance.

The second Paxton pulled into the private garage, a rolling door shuttered down and hit the pavement, closing them in. Two inspirits resurrected by Richard were waiting for them, and Eric had to hustle to get out of the car so they could get inside. Gabriel took Eric’s hand and led him to another black vehicle with darkened windows.

Once they were in the car, the garage door opened again, and Paxton swiftly pulled through the entrance with their decoys sitting close to each other in the back.

“We’re going to wait a few minutes before we take off,” Gabriel said. “We need to make sure our little friends take the bait.”

“Okay.”

“Did you want me to turn the car on so we can get some heat?” Gabriel asked.

“No, I’m fine. It’s not that cold out.”

“I’m sorry about all this.”

In the low light of the garage, Eric couldn’t make out any of the emotions in Gabriel’s eyes. “It’s not your fault.”

“I know this is scary, and I hate that these assholes are ruining your night. You deserve to be able to live your life without having to worry about your safety.”

Eric leaned across the car to kiss the corner of Gabriel’s mouth. “I’m not frightened. I’m pissed off. These people can’t get near me. I don’t know what they want. I don’t even care what they want. But I’d really love for them to leave me and my family the fuck alone.”

“Would you be willing to agree to staying home for the next couple of days?”

“No,” Eric answered forcefully. “I did that already, and it was no detriment to these people. I’m not going to ignore my spirits any longer. They deserve better. I don’t know how many destiny-touched are out there helping, but there aren’t enough of us to usher all these ghosts through portals. I have to do my part. Iwantto do my part. Compromising my schedule, my goals, and my life is no longer an option.”

“I admire your courage,” Gabriel said, his voice tight.

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