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“Let’s get going. They must have heard the gunshots. Police won't be far off.”
He sent a text to Levi and Frederic to head back to the compound.
They ran back the way they had come, waves of sirens beginning to sound just before vaulting over the fence. Gabriel took the time to place the handle inside the same silk bag that the beetle-sized bulb was nestling in, then pushed it under the passenger's seat.
It was precious to him and his kind. She knew by the way he held each piece like a bomb that was ready to go off at any second.
“Strap in, honey,” he said, clicking his seat belt on. “We’ve got a long drive home."
He slammed on the gas, screeching over the roadway, and hightailed it out of the state.
* * *
Gabriel suggestedthey stop at a motel for the night to rest, but Lily wasn't interested in that. Despite her fatigue, she would likely be restless and get very little sleep. There was so much going on, and she just wanted to get home and attempt to relax.
Gabriel’s eyes glistened when she called it her home. She meant it, too. She thought of it that way. It made her heart warm when she thought about curling up in bed with Gabriel.
“We will do that then,” he said, grasping her hand with his. “I want to be home too. Though, wherever I am with you tends to feel like home now.”
Her cheeks blushed, and she settled her head against his shoulder. No one had ever made her their home before. It felt like magic bubbling up inside her with the strength of an ocean tide.
She wasn't going to let Malcolm and his hunters take that from them.
Lily dozed as they drove through the night, arriving at the crest of dawn the next day. Gabriel had contacted the two other teams who had been searching for other pieces of the Lantern's Eye to meet at his home base. When they pulled into the driveway, a gang of hefty men were waiting on his porch.
Lily felt like her eyelids were glued shut, but she heaved her body out of the car, knowing that the discussion about the relics would take precedence over sleep. Gabriel held her hand as they moved through the crowd of shifters, feeling like a queen being led by her handsome king.
He held the silk bag in his other hand, moving cautiously past the threshold of his home. For a moment, Lily thought she saw him hold his breath.
Lily expected Claire to already be inside the estate, but she wasn’t. Gabriel had contacted her during one of their stops, so she knew they were on their way. With Lily still in tow, the pride's alpha led all ten of his men into the kitchen. She continued to be drawn to the way he effortlessly led, even during catastrophic times such as the one they were in.
He placed the silk bag on the marble island. Two more men stepped forward and did the same, then took a step back. Gabriel gazed around the room, his stony expression returned.
“You haven't found Lucas yet?”
One of the men shook their heads sheepishly.
“They keep moving around. These humans know us well. They aren't like any others we've dealt with.”
Gabriel rubbed the bridge of his nose. Lily could feel his worry radiating off him like an electric charge. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. It seemed to center him for the time being.
“Lay out the relics,” he said, still holding onto Lily. “Do it gently. We only have a limited amount of information about this artifact, so we have to be careful.”
The two men who had placed their silk bags on the counter stepped forward again and unraveled the thread that sealed it shut. Both men peered inside the receptacle with great weariness, awkwardly aware of the size of their own hands and potential for clumsiness.
“You got this,” Lily heard herself say. “I ran with one in my pocket. I think they are far sturdier than they seem.”
She expected an argument from Gabriel, but he offered her none. Perhaps he was too worn out, or maybe he thought she was right.
The men removed the pieces of the relics with Lily's encouragement, then, with the most tender care, placed them upon the marble. Gabriel did the same for the beetle bulb and the rusted handle.
All ten of the men crowded around.
“Is it whole?” Levi asked.
“When we put it together, it will be,” another man named Peter said.
“Let's not get ahead of ourselves,” Gabriel warned. “We still need to find Lucas. That will be the first task on our list before any of us attempt to piece this thing together. Got it?”
