AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He sounds disappointed, and as I glance up, I see that he’s watching me with a hint of pity. The fact that he’s giving me the opportunity to tell them my side of the story gives me hope that I could salvage the situation. It’s clear that he wants to believe that I’m innocent.
I desperately want to look towards Zane and Jack, wanting their support and encouragement, but shame makes it impossible, and I keep facing forward.
“Last night, I was really struggling emotionally, and Gabriel found me and suggested getting some fresh air.” Pausing for a moment, I glance up to see Richards’ encouraging nod. Taking a steadying breath, I continue. “We went into the garden out back, and he took me flying. He’s allowed to leave to stretch his wings. I never touched the ground. We just got some air and came back.” Panic grips me as I speak, my words becoming faster, my voice tighter as I try to explain myself. “I promise, I wasn’t trying to escape.”
Dorine makes a disgruntled noise and clicks her tongue. “Gabriel may be allowed to fly, but you were given strict instructions not to leave the facility.” She appears fierce, but I can see the glee in her expression that she’s not quite able to hide. “You broke those rules. You are a flight risk and should be treated as such.”
Both Zane and Jack protest, their words merging together as they fight to be heard. I don’t bother to speak up, a dull sense of dread filling me and confirming my worst thoughts.
“She didn’t set foot on the ground outside. You can’t penalise her for the actions of a known criminal!” Zane shouts, his arms going wide as he gesticulates. His anger is so close to the surface, I can almost see it shimmering from him in waves. Zane always warned me away from Gabriel. There is some history between them, so I’m not surprised that he’s trying to turn this all on the winged male.
More chatter goes on as they argue back and forth, but I can see that Dorine has already made up her mind, and she seems determined to convince the others that I shouldn’t be released. Richards, on the other hand, seems to be attempting to see the light in the situation, while the quiet assessor is listening intently to everything that my parole officer is saying.
I end up tuning out the rest of the meeting, knowing that nothing I say will change the outcome at this point. Mostly, my thoughts just dwell on the fact that Gabriel betrayed me. I feel numb with the pain of that information. Did he go straight to the guards once he dropped me off, or was he not given an option, forced to confess? Even so, I can’t believe he would do this to me.
“We’ll appeal, Emmy.” Jack’s soothing voice follows me as we walk through the assessment building to get back into the main part of the facility.
“They can’t fucking do this,” Zane growls behind me, still furious at the outcome of the meeting.
I’m in a daze, a state of numbness, their voices washing over me.
“Unfortunately, they can,” Jack replies, his voice heavy with regret. “Your parole officer seems to have it out for you. At least we managed to stop them from sending you to a locked facility.”
When I’m not feeling so dazed, I’m sure I will be upset at Dorine’s blatant dislike of me. It’s one thing not to like someone, but to revel in their pain and attempt to lock them away is a whole new level of deviousness.
The panel of assessors only agreed not to send me away, keeping me here instead, because Zane told them he was my mate. Locking me away in one of those facilities with no access to my mate would be detrimental to both of us. It seems that they are trying to come down hard on first-time offenders to stop them from offending again—an interesting strategy.
Zane snarls, and although I can’t see his face, I can almost imagine his expression. “That never should have been an option in the first place! Murderers and dangerous felons are sent to those places.”
I don’t mention the fact that I did accidently kill Colin, and that’s what got me here in the first place. I know what he’s trying to say, and to be honest, the idea of being sent away is terrifying.
As I step out into the courtyard, I’m grateful for the dull weather today, the clouds blocking the sun from being its strongest. None of us mention the fact that this is where the great escape happened, although from the awkward atmosphere that settles over us, I know they are thinking about it too.
“That fucking Black,” Zane mutters under his breath. “This is his fault.”
Sighing, I close my eyes for a second, having heard these accusations towards Gabriel a lot in the last couple of hours. I have to take some accountability for my actions. While I thought a flight would be fine, I was obviously wrong. My mind had been so overwhelmed at the time that I was only thinking about my mental health and trying to keep myself sane.
Turning so I can see the two of them, I make sure they are both paying attention. “I’m the one who left, and I’m being punished for it. It’s not his fault.”
When we reach the alcove that leads into the main building, I’m glad for the coverage, my skin sensitive from my short time in the sun. I don’t know why all of these meetings are arranged during the day when most of the supernatural creatures here are nocturnal. It just seems like an odd choice, unless it’s aimed to make us feel uncomfortable before the meeting even takes place.
Zane and Jack fall into step beside me, and while it doesn’t take away the pain I feel, having them both so close does help settle me.
“You never would have done it if he hadn’t encouraged you,” Zane points out, his voice low but still loud enough that anyone with sensitive hearing would hear.
The corridor lights up as it leads us to the reception, the room open and wide. As soon as I step over the threshold, I know something is different. Something is off. A figure stands in the opposite doorway. My eyes are automatically drawn to him like a magnet. There is no hope in resisting no matter how much I don’t want to see him right now.
“Emily,” Gabriel calls, that one word full of so much meaning. He’s not simply calling my name, but I can hear his longing and apology in his voice. I’ve never seen him like this before, his emotions openly showing on his face. Usually he’s so good at keeping his mask in place. Is he lowering it to let me see his true feelings, or is he unable to hide the rush of emotion?
Everyone seems to hold their breath, waiting for one of us to move, to speak, to do anything. I want to go to him and breathe him in, to hold him against me, yet I also want to smack him and demand he tell me why he betrayed me. I don’t do any of that though. Instead, I just stare at him, my chest aching with the pain.
“You fucking bastard,” Zane roars. Until now, he’s been quiet, looking between the two of us, but I could feel his anger building, caught between comforting his mate and defending her honour. The bond is wrapping around him tightly, but he manages to hold himself in place.
The rest of the world fades away as I take a small step forward, my eyes locked on his. I don’t move any closer, just that one step, but it causes a throb in my chest, and I stop, pressing my hand to my collarbone.
“Why did you betray me?” My voice is a croak, holding far too much emotion when I wanted the question to sound firm. Instead, I sound weak and damaged, revealing my raw emotions for the world to hear.
The frown that mars his brow contains confusion and concern. I don’t know if that’s because of my accusation, or because of how much this has clearly upset me, but I don’t have it in me to ask.
