But all of that was gone, shattered in a foolish instant, and now she stared at him helplessly, knowing she’d never run her fingers through his thick hair, never taste the devastating sweetness of that kiss again…
She couldn’t fucking breathe.
“Gabriel,” she whispered. It was all she could manage—a name. A name that melted on her tongue and damn near obliterated her weary heart.
But all the vampire prince had to offer the witch he’d once so passionately claimed was ice.
He stood with his back rigid against the front door, arms crossed over his shoulders, gaze casting her in a deep freeze she felt all the way to her bones. There wasn’t even hatred there. Hatred she could’ve dealt with, because it was still a feeling—a sign that some part of him, however deeply buried, still cared.
But Gabriel’s eyes were distant, his face an impassive wall.
The only sign of any emotion at all was in the tight coil of his muscles, spring-loaded and ready to pounce.
To destroy.
“I’ve come here to end you,witch,” he said coolly. “You’ve got three minutes to talk me out of it.”
Chapter Four
It was a shite thing to say—harsh, cruel, pitiful. Gabriel knew it even before the words were out, but he’d spent the cold walk over to the apartment convincing himself he meant it, and he wasn’t about to back down now.
No matter that the sight of her squeezed his heart like a fucking vise.
No matter that he still couldn’t bring himself to hurt her.
No matter that he still, after everything, wanted to cover her lying mouth with his hand and fuck her until they both forgot they were ever supposed to hate each other in the first place.
“So that’s what you’re leading with, then?” Jacinda asked.
Gabriel didn’t reply.
“I’m a big, bad bloodsucker and I’ve come here to end you,” she mocked. “Honestly, Prince. I expected a little originality.”
“Sarcasm? So that’syourmove?” Gabriel tsked. “I’m glad you find your imminent death amusing, but—”
“But you’re here to end me. Yes, yes I understand.” Jacinda shook her head, anger flashing in her eyes. Behind them, Gabriel saw a lifetime of pain and anguish and misery, all of it conspiring to mold the dark soul inside. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that in my life?”
Bloody hell, how he longed to go to her. To fall to his knees and beg her to forgive him for all the things he said, for all the times he threatened her, for all the ways he didn’t—couldn’t—save her.
His leg muscles twitched, already imagining his feet moving across the floor—three steps to close the distance. Three steps to gather her into his arms, press his lips to her ear, and whisper all the secrets he’d kept locked inside, too afraid to let them out in the open.
But Gabriel knew he couldn’t. Loving Jacinda Colburn was a foolish fantasy—it always had been.
“Considering you’re still breathing?” he said instead, folding his arms across his chest and offering a casual shrug. “Not nearly enough.”
“Oh yeah? Say it again, then,” she taunted, gripping her bottle of booze like a weapon. “Say it again!”
His cock stiffened at the fire in her voice, flooding his mind with memories of her warm body pinned beneath him, writhing against him, begging him for more.
Desire simmered inside, but Gabriel ignored it. “After everything you’ve done,witch, it’s no less than you deserve.”
“Deservethis, dickhead!” She pitched the bottle at him, narrowly missing his head. It struck the door behind him, exploding in an unexpected burst of light and heat.
Gabriel spun around, instinctively ducking to avoid the wild, silver-blue sunburst.
It could only be one thing.
Hellfire.
