“Yes,” Antoine said carefully.
“Power, huh?” Gabe nodded, his gaze lingering in open admiration. “I saw you fight Jorge off. That was… fun to watch.” Admiration shifted into something more intense, before he looked away with a nonchalance that felt a touch deliberate. “I figured that Minh’s blood had boosted you, but that wasn’t it, was it?”
“No.”And now what, my ‘friend’? Is this where you fight me for Cally?“Or not only that,” he added, in subtle reminder that he had both Minh’s bloodandCally’s.
“Another reason to owe you,” Gabe said with an easy smile. “My own little power boost.” He gestured at his weight set. “It cost me a small fortune to upgrade that lot to tungsten, but since I fed on Minh’s spawns, the old set was pointless.” He shrugged his large shoulders. “Even this new one is too light.”
“How much stronger are you?”
“About twenty percent, I figure. You?”
“I haven’t measured. I don’t own any weights.”
“Well, I’m glad she’s safe,” Gabe said. “Glad it was worth it.”
Here it comes.“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I may have begun your journey, my friend. My craving can still be met by chattel, but they taste of nothing. I figured it was just me; now I know better.” He walked to one of the sofas and slumped into a seat. “Will it get worse?”
“I don’t know, truth be told. I’m sorry the blood isn’t so fulfilling.” Antoine meant it. That was like losing a sense to a vampire.
“Well, let’s hope not. Because if it does, I’m screwed, aren’t I?” Gabe looked up at him, eyes haunted. “If it gets worse and I can no longer sate the craving, will you put me out of my misery beforeI turn feral?” His voice fell quiet, the words strangely personal. “There’s no one else I’d trust with such a task. No one else I’d…” He stopped himself, jaw tightening.
“It won’t come to that,” Antoine said quickly, surprised he’d asked. And horrified. And touched. “We will find a solution before then.”With Belle’s witches all over Boston.
“Thank you. Your support means a lot.” Gabe looked unconvinced. His eyes lingered on Antoine’s face a moment longer than expected, as though committing the details to memory before he glanced away.
He hasn’t even suggested sharing Cally.
“There are always solutions. Let me do some digging. Just keep me updated if there are any changes. Don’t leave it until we’re running out of time.”
“You got it.” His grin wasn’t as vibrant as usual.
“Then I’ll leave you to it.” Antoine gave him a final nod. “Stay in the shadows.”
“You too.”
He headed for the door, but Gabe spoke again, softer and without his usual bravado. “I’m really glad you’re back. I… missed you.”
Antoine paused. “I don’t have many friends.”
“Friends,” Gabe repeated quietly. “Yes.” Something flickered in his eyes before he grinned, warmer than before. “My door’s always open. Let’s not wait weeks next time, eh?” He cleared his throat and offered a crooked smile, “Besides, I miss Cally too.”
“Right,” Antoine said slowly. “I’ll pass that on.”
Twenty-Eight
Cally sighed, resisting the urge to throw the obsidian across the room.
“Two days left, and we’ve gotnowhere.”
“It should be working by now,” Eve muttered.
“I’m sorry, I’m doing my best—”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” Eve had that look, like her phenomenal brain was on the cusp of some breakthrough. “We’ve done spells before, right? And that was without Gaeilge, an instruction manual, and with a coven full of enthusiastic amateurs.”
“Yeah?”
