“Cell,” Nico interjected, scratching his chin. “He’ll be underground. The soldiers stay in barracks on the eastern end of the complex.” He drew an imaginary circle. “The prison is at the center,” Nico then traced a smaller shape onto the paper. “The Fossa is a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels located underground, and I don’t know half of the passages. But I know where the cells are; I’ve been there before.”
“Then that’s where we’ll start looking,” Gabriel said, shooting me a brooding glare. “Come with me. Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, looking like he was heading to his own execution.
“Get what over with?”
“Feeding, Emberline. You want to go to Tazroum?” His tone was cold as ice, but his eyes wereblazing.“First, you’ll feed.”
13
GABRIEL
Nico escaped the safehouse like the roof was on fucking fire, and I didn’t blame him one bit.
I wasn’t blind.
He was as in love with Emberline as I was. Both of us, tangled in a fucking disastrous catastrophe, neither of us could extricate ourselves from.
Not that we wanted to.
No, this shitty little house had become my favorite place in the world, with Emberline’s empty coffee cups on the kitchen counter and her scent in every hallway. I used every excuse to spend all my time here, picking fights with her, just so I could hear her voice, sitting in the most uncomfortable chair in the house, just so I could watch her rummage around in the kitchen.
I was a pathetic fool, and there was nothing I could do to stop myself.
My foul fucking mood had only grown darker when I realized there was zero chance Emberline would stay here where it was safe. That she would listen to reason. That she had a reasonable bone in her petite, stubborn body.
“We’ll do this over by the fireplace,” I decided, loosening my tie, shoving down my rush of excitement, telling my cock to calm the fuck down. This was nothing. Only a feeding. A necessary biological act.
“I won’t be a liability,” she muttered, trailing a few steps behind me. “I can handle myself in a fight. I’m not some…” She paused in the doorway and sucked in a breath. “I’m not the pampered aristocrat you think I am.”
I sprawled across the couch, legs spread as I slowly unbuttoned my shirt, monitoring every miniscule shift in her expression.
The way her pupils dilated, the flush of color in her cheeks, how her tongue darted out and rimmed her ripe bottom lip. The one I dreamed of biting.
“All the training in the world won’t help you if we’re captured. Did you even consider that?” I couldn’t keep the harsh edge from my question. “That if Nico and Ifail, that if my brother isdead, you would still be alive?” I raked a hand through my hair, fear and anger boiling in my veins.
I was a fool, falling in love with my brother’s wife, but fuck if I could stop myself.
No, I wanted to do bad, bad things to Emberline.
“Stop trying to talk me out of going, Gabriel.” Her tone was determined, but she plucked at the bottom of her shirt, looking so unsure, my heart nearly gave out. “I’m here. I agreed to feed from you. How do you want to do this?”
I dragged my hand over my face and willed myself into some semblance of calm.
“Come here,” I barked. “We get this over with, then I’ll help Nico with arrangements.”
“Don’t act like I’m the one holding you back,” she snapped, giving every bit of my anger right back to me. “Feeding was your idea, protecting me like I’m some kind of?—”
“This isn’t about protecting you,” I cut her off, tie crushed in my hand. “Gods know you fight me toothand nail just for trying to keep you safe. This is about splitting up so at least one of ussurvives.” I waved my hand between us. “But be my guest. Come along, die a fucking martyr in the dirt for no good reason.”
“I’m going to save Dante.” She crossed her arms over her chest, the picture of stubbornness. “To get him out of that hellhole.”
“You think Iwantmy brother there?” My blood boiled as I met eyes as hard as diamonds. “Do you think,bella, for a single second, I don’t want him back as badly as you? You’ve known him for what? All of a few weeks? I’ve known him for over fifty fucking years, so don’t get into a pissing contest with me because you will lose.”
Face twisted in anger, she prowled toward me, and the clean scent of her, that fresh citrusy floral, punched me in the face, making my cock harden, and I suddenly realized this whole thing was a very, very bad idea.
I wanted to act out on every sick, twisted fantasy I’d ever imagined, right here on this faded couch, until she writhed and screamed out my name like a curse and begged me to fuck her harder. Damn it, what a mess.
I was in love with Emberline.
