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One of his hands moves to cup the back of my head, his fingers stroking my hair comfortingly. “I promised I would find you, and here I am.”
He was true to his word, proving that I can trust him.
Taking a deep breath, I attempt to control my emotions and release my stranglehold on his shirt, taking a half step back to look up into his face. I’m still within the circle of his arms, neither of us willing to let go just yet.
“I tried to find you.” I scan his face as I speak, hoping he can see that I’m telling him the truth. For some reason, it seems really important that he understands I never forgot him. “I wanted to visit you, but there were no records of where they took you.”
His expression darkens a little, his eyes going distant for a moment as he gets lost in his memory. “They moved me around a lot,” he explains, brushing my wayward curls back from my face so he can cup my cheek. “To be honest, Emily, I’m glad you never came to any of those places. I wouldn’t have wanted you to see me like that.”
“You’re free now then? With no restrictions?” Jack asks, and I can hear the frown in his voice, but he’s obviously trying to make an effort for me.
One of the things he mentioned when we were discussing Gabriel’s eventual release was that he might have restrictions placed on him, meaning that he might not be able to see me, and if he did, it could send him back to jail.
Gabriel shifts his gaze over my shoulder as he addresses Jack. “Yes. The only condition is that I have to check in with my parole officer every week, but otherwise, I am free.”
We shouldn’t be having this conversation in an open doorway where anyone can hear us, and honestly, I want to be curled up against him and making up for lost time.
“Come sit with me.” Taking his hand, I start to lead him towards the sofa, but I don’t get far before he pulls me to a stop. Glancing over my shoulder with a questioning look, I take in his wince.
“If you don’t mind, is there anywhere we can go outside so I can stretch my wings? They’ve been locked up for a while and are restless.”
He speaks about his wings like they have a life of their own, and as I peek over his shoulder, I watch them twitch and shift, seemingly moving of their own accord.
Huh. I never noticed that before.
Shaking my head to bring my focus back to the matter at hand, I nod excitedly, knowing exactly where I can take him.
“Of course! We have a little roof garden that’s secluded enough for you to stretch.”
Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Of course he’s going to want to be out in the open and not cooped up in the apartment. Zane and Jack shift behind me, and as I glance over my shoulder at them, I find them watching me with varying levels of concern. They’ve never really liked Gabriel, but time seems to have eased some of the tension between them.
“No flying,” Zane comments dryly. I take this as his reluctant agreement. He’s the most protective of the two, so if he’s accepting this little trip to the roof with Gabriel, then he must trust him slightly. If he had any suspicions that the winged male was going to hurt me, he wouldn’t allow it.
The look Gabriel levels on my vampire mate is enough to make me bite my lip. With his hands on my shoulders, he holds me close while still focusing on Zane. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
Before either of my mates can say anything, he guides me from the apartment, his body only relaxing when the door shuts behind us and I’m alone with him in the stairwell. I lead him up the short flight of steps that takes us to the roof.
The sun is just setting, so I push the door open and step out onto the roof. Our apartment is part of a tall block of townhouses, all connected together. A brick division separates us from our neighbours on either side, and a wooden fence borders the rest of the square space. It’s the perfect little area to hide away. I’ve done my best to cultivate a small garden, but once again, I can only work on it at night. Even so, the long planters that are dotted around are overflowing with brightly coloured flowers.
An archway with climbing roses separates the top of the garden from the bottom, the scent of the flowers making me smile. Smiling up at Gabriel, I thread my fingers through his and lead him through the arch and to the edge of the fence so he can take in the view. It’s pretty spectacular, even if I do have to stand on my toes to see over the fence.
Gabriel stretches his wings out behind him, shaking the feathers and groaning with pleasure at the sensation of freedom. We stand at the edge of the roof and enjoy watching the setting sun, our arms brushing.
“The only thing that got me through the last two years was knowing you were out here waiting for me.”
My heart tightens in my chest, imagining what he’s been through over the last two years. I’ve missed him like crazy, but I’ve had my other two mates to help level me out. He didn’t have that.
Turning so I can see his profile, I watch him as he looks out over the city. “I thought about you all the time,” I tell him quietly. It feels important that he knows I didn’t forget about him while he was away.
Smiling, he continues looking ahead, allowing me to admire his handsome face. “I know, I could feel you.”
He finally turns to look at me and chuckles at my raised brows. Holding his hand up, palms out, he smirks. “Don’t ask me to explain how. I assume it’s something to do with being your mate.”
This makes sense. There’s a lot of mate stuff that we do or simply just know about each other that would be impossible if we weren’t mated.
“Mate,” I whisper, taking a small step towards him and sliding my hands up his chest, coming to rest on his shoulders.
This should feel crazy. We’ve not even kissed yet, and here we are, about to seal a connection that will bind us forever, but it just feels right. Being separated from him again is something I’m not prepared to tolerate. He seems to think the same thing as he surges forward and presses his lips to mine.
