AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My shoulders slump as I process his words, finally moving forward to grab the whiskey and take a seat. I drink it all in one gulp, putting the glass back down with a sharp ring.
“You expect me to believe this?” I demand, my voice thick with disbelief and anger. The weight of Vance’s revelation sits heavy on my chest, threatening to crush me under the reality of Aisling’s truth. She played us both, manipulated our emotions with a concoction of pheromones. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that the warmth of her touch and the light in her eyes were nothing but a facade.
Vance watches me closely, his expression unreadable for a moment before softening with a hint of sympathy. “I know it’s hard to hear, Gunnar. But we have to focus on what’s coming next.”
“Which is what, exactly?” I snap, the acrid taste of betrayal still lingering in my mouth.
Vance leans forward, his gaze unwavering. “Caius won’t stop until he has what he wants. And now that he knows your connection to me, you’re in danger. We all are.”
“I want nothing to do with your plan,” I mutter. “In fact…I have plans of my own.”
“Which are?” Vance challenges, leaning back in his chair with deceptive casualness.
“Find her. Bring her back. And when we do…” I let the threat hang in the air between us.
“Go on,” he prompts, a test in his tone.
“Then we reevaluate who’s fit to lead the Angels.”
Vance’s eyes narrow at my words, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before he schools his expression into a mask of calm authority. “You think you can take me on, Gunnar?” His voice is low, a coiled threat beneath the surface.
“I know I can,” I retort, standing up from my seat and meeting his gaze head-on. The tension crackles between us, thick with unspoken challenges and old wounds that refuse to heal.
“You forget who you’re talking to,” Vance reminds me, rising slowly from his chair. The air in the room seems to vibrate with the weight of our confrontation, the unspoken power struggle that has been brewing beneath the surface for far too long.
“I haven’t forgotten,” I respond, my voice steady with determination. “But I won’t stand by while you play puppet master with our lives.”
Vance’s eyes flash with a mix of emotions—anger, resignation, maybe even a hint of respect.
And then…then he just sits back down.
If anything, he looks just as tired as I am.
“Bold words,” Vance says. “But if you think you can do better, prove it. Find her.”
“Watch me.” The words come out as a growl, my resolve hardening into concrete certainty.
“Remember, Gunnar,” Vance says as I get up to leave, his voice cold as ice. “In this world, blood doesn’t make you brothers. Loyalty does.”
“Then earn it,” I shoot back without looking at him, already out the door.
The hunt begins. For Aisling, for truth, for vengeance. Whatever it takes, I’ll bring her back.
And then, we’ll see who’s really fit to lead.
Epilogue
Luka
Ican tell I’m close…that I’ve almost found her.
The Stargazer, Aisling Faye.
I step onto the swaying houseboat, Echo Beach’s murky waters lapping at the hull like a sloppy kiss. Inside, the close air hums with whispers and the scent of incense that’s too sweet, masking something rotten underneath. The deck creaks underfoot as I make my way through the throng of bodies, all here for the same twisted devotion.
The High Priestess is up ahead—wearing a gauzy black dress, red lips twisted in a sadistic smile.
“Brother Luka,” she says, and there’s an edge in her tone now, “you’ve come far with us. Are you ready to devote yourself?”
