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"But we don't convene tonight," Gabriel said. "Tonight, we live and breathe and love and enjoy the company of our friends and family. Tonight," he said, winking at me, "we eat." Another ten or fifteen minutes passed before Gabriel padded through the crowd to us, his expression a bevy of emotions. Even the magic around him seemed conflicted.
"Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to be here," Ethan told him. "It was quite a thing to witness." Gabriel nodded. "You took a risk that not all would have taken."
"It was the least we could do," Ethan said.
Gabriel looked at me. "You went after her. You risked yourself to get her out of harm's way, to make her safe."
"I did what anyone would have done."
"You saved a life." The words were earnest, but there was still something sharp in his tone, something unhappy in his expression. He seems pretty conflicted about that, I told Ethan.
"Are you . . . concerned about something?" Ethan asked.
He shook his head. "I will owe Merit a debt," he said. "I've repaid part of it - dealing with the Breckenridges and their unfounded animosity."
We already knew that part - Gabriel had confessed it when he'd visited Cadogan House. I had no idea what debt he was referring to, but it had something, I thought, to do with family. Whether his or mine, Pack or vampire, I didn't know.
And I figured there was no harm in asking. "What's the debt you'll owe?"
"I can't reveal that, Sentinel. The future is fluid. I can see the ripples, far into the water, but that doesn't mean the future is immutable, that events cannot be altered." Shifters were different from sorcerers on that point; sorcerers prophesized whenever they could, although the prophecies themselves were usually hard to understand.
"Can you give me a hint? You said something about family. Mine? Yours?" Gabriel looked up and across the room. I followed his gaze to a woman who stood on the edge of it, friends or relations at her side. Her dark hair was loose around her face, her cheeks freshly pink, her hands supporting the swell of her belly. This was Tonya, his wife, and Connor, his child, a future member of the Keene clan and the North American Central Pack. A future Apex?
"I won't be giving away too much," he said, "to suggest that the safety of my family lies within your sphere of influence."
We were all silent for a moment, the weight of that pronouncement between us. I wasn't sure if I should be flattered that Gabriel deemed me capable of protecting his family - or worried that the responsibility lay on my shoulders.
"On the other hand, the Packs shouldn't carry the burden of my debts to others." He swallowed thickly.
"I can't make any guarantees about alliances. All I can say is that I won't shut down the idea entirely.
That's all I can offer."
And with that simple suggestion - the idea that he might be willing to consider an alliance with vampires - Gabriel Keene made history.
"Before we go," I said, bringing us back around to current concerns, "have you heard about Tony's bike? About the forensic results?"
He nodded. "I know they found GSR."
"Have you heard anything from him?" Ethan asked.
"Not word one. Why?"
"We wondered if he'd take responsibility for the bar," Ethan said, "maybe try to take an overt stand against you or the convocation. If he was involved, and he's really trying to sway the balance of power, that'd be the logical way to go."
Gabriel furrowed his brow, then shook his head. "We haven't heard from him, and Tony's lieutenant hasn't heard from him, either. I assumed he'd gone underground to save his ass."
"That is a possibility," Ethan agreed.
Gabriel's gaze shifted as Fallon waved to him from the other side of the room. "I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow night."
Without another word, he turned and walked back to the bar, leaving Ethan and me staring after him.
Ethan didn't wait before getting to the good stuff. "He may not have offered a formal allegiance, but that is by far the closest we've come."
"We're a good team," I said with a cheeky smile.
He humphed, but there was a smile on his face.
"Now that I've gotten us into a Pack potluck and maybe dropped an alliance into your lap, I'm going to check out the buffet."
"You just ate."
I gave him a sardonic look. "I'm a vampire with a metabolism faster than a speeding bullet. Besides, that plate was all meat and sides. I didn't get dessert."
"Go," he said, shooing me with a hand. "Go find chocolate." I smiled grandly, then took off for the giant buffet.
It was even more impressive up close than it had been from far away. The food was homemade, from steaming casseroles and roasted vegetables to pink-frosted and coconut-topped cakes. I aimed straight for the desserts, picking up a small plate and fork along the way to host my bounty. Trouble came calling just as I put a homemade cookie on my plate.
"Vampire, huh?"
I looked over at the shifter who'd spoken. He was tall and broad shouldered, his thick dark hair pulled into a low ponytail and braid. Most of his face was covered by a thick beard.
"Yep," I politely said, offering him a smile. "Vampire." He grunted, then leaned toward me, the smells of leather, cheap whiskey, and cigar smoke moving with him. "You think you're so hot, right? Little vampire?" Gabriel's willingness to extend friendship to vampires was clearly not a unanimous emotion. But that friendship was on the line, so I kept my rising ire to myself and moved a couple of feet down the table.
"Just having some dessert," I said lightly. "Looks delicious." He made a couple of warthogish snorts, as if shocked that I had the gall to ignore his attempt to rile me up. "I was talking to you," he finally said, his voice low and menacing.
"And I was politely ignoring you." I mustered up my bravery and slid him a warning glance. "I'm a guest in this house, and I plan on acting like one. Maybe you should, too." That was the end of the discussion - because his next step was physical. He reached out and grabbed my arm, then jerked me forward, spewing curses at me as he moved. I jerked back to try to free my arm, dropping the plate in my hand. It hit the floor and shattered, crumbs and porcelain flying across the floor. But before I could react, he was gone.
Because before I could react, Ethan had the man by the collar of his shirt and was pushing him back toward the wall.
"Keep your hands off her," he gritted out.
