Gabriel smiled. Uncertain. Warm. Terrified.
He held a mug of something hot in his hand, the steam curling up around him.
“Is that tea?” she asked, catching the scent of mint and vanilla.
He joined her on the bed, sitting next to her and handing it over. His eyes were a brighter green today, no touch of last night’s storm, only a slight frost clinging to the edges. She gazed into them now, trying desperately to remember why the fuck she’d ever hated him. How it was even possible.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to start rationing the mint,” he teased. “Last time, I bought out the bodega’s entire supply. The owner accused me of trying to impress a woman.”
Jaci rolled her eyes and laughed. “And what did you tell him?”
“I told him you’renota woman, you’re a witch, and therefore infinitely more difficult to impress.”
“Did he believe you?”
“The mortal men never do. That’s the fun of it.” He cupped the back of her head, touching his forehead to hers, his words a teasing whisper against her lips. “You’re my dirty little secret.”
Jaci let out a soft hum, but she knew Gabriel Redthorne’srealsecret now.
He wasn’t the cold, ruthless vampire he pretended to be. Deep down, beneath all the ice, was a core of molten heat that had awakened her and challenged her and saved her in ways she was still trying to understand. To accept. To allow.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she blurted out, unable to accept another moment of this peace, this warmth. It felt like borrowed time, and the thought of losing it already filled her heart with a deep well of sadness. “I wish I could’ve gotten more information about Renault, but things went sideways fast, and I just… It all fell apart.”
Gabriel shook his head. “None of that was your fault. I should’ve gone in with you. I should’ve…” His jaw clenched tight, and he sighed through his nose. “Anyway, youdidget information. Good information. Cole is already looking into recent warehouse purchase in and around Newark. If the mage was right about that, we might be able to track the location.”
“And then what?”
“Cole will let us know, and we’ll make a plan.”
Us. We’ll.The words were a balm on her aching heart. Temporary, but soothing nevertheless.
“Jacinda, last night…I’mthe one who should be apologizing. I was so confused about what happened, about the magic, the storm. Everything just… It all came out wrong. I made a right mess of things. I had so many questions—I still have questions—and I don’t know how to ask them.”
He fingered a lock of her hair, tugging the curl straight, then releasing it, watching it spring back up, fascinated.
“Whatwasthat?” he whispered, and she knew he wasn’t talking about her hair.
“You’re familiar with empathic witches?”
Gabriel nodded. “Like Isabelle.”
“Think of my magic sort of like that. Not empathic, but empathic-adjacent.”
“What do you mean?”
“Empathic witches sense emotions. The more sensitive the witch, the greater that sense becomes. Some witches can use that gift to understand people, to help them. Others have trouble knowing whether something they’re feeling is their own emotion or someone else’s—they basically take on the emotions of everyone around them.” She sipped her tea, letting it warm her from the inside out. “A witch like Isabelle, with all her skill and experience, probably doesn’t struggle with it so much. But the way mine works is different. Even with time and experience, Ican’tlearn to separate mine. It’s not possible.”
“So when you sense emotion, you always feel it as if its your own?”
“I don’tsenseemotions. Iabsorbthem. Fully. I always know they’re not mine, but I can’t stop them from invading my body and making it react as if theyaremine. It only happens with humans—not other supernaturals—but that’s still a lot to deal with.”
“It’s constant? You’re always picking up human emotion?”
Jaci nodded. “But normally, I can ground myself and the energy just dissipates. But there were so many mages last night, the moment so intense, and when you killed them, their emotions—the darkest, worst parts—had nowhere else to go. They filled me right up, fused with my own magic, and turned me into a bomb. That’s what you saw on the beach. I detonated.”
“Bloody hell, Jacinda. Has anything like that ever happened before?” His eyes filled with terror. With wonder. With compassion.
Jaci lowered her gaze, unable to bear the weight of his. The sincerity. She couldn’t answer him. Didn’t want to go back there, back to hell and the vicious experiments her so-called family had put her through.
