Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Audrey
Coldness seeped into my bones and it had nothing to do with the snow pressing against my knees and everything to do with the wet , and oh my god they were wet sounds coming from behind me.
I knew what was happening, Gabriel was beating a man to death and I had turned away so I didn’t see it happening but that didn’t mean I didn’t hear it.
It was like hiding behind a pillow watching a horror movie. The image on the screen was hidden but the sounds made you live every single second of it anyway.
Biting down on my fist, I tasted blood on my tongue.
He was killing a man, it was one thing to know he was a killer and quite another to see it- or hear it.
“Audrey.” An arm swept around my shoulders and I screamed. Lashing out with my hands and feet as someone attempted to pull me up to my feet and away.
“It’s ok, it’s ok.” A weirdly familiar voice said quickly. “It’s just me, it’s Adam. You need to come with me now.”
Adam? Blearily I turned tear filled eyes upwards.
Did I know an Adam?
I did I was sure of it but my brain couldn’t seem to make the connection between the bear of a man in front of me and the person I thought I remembered.
His hand came down on my shoulders again. Only this time it wasn’t me who screamed. It was Gabriel.
Now him I knew.
Tearing my way from his brothers hands I stumbled into his waiting arms. Sobbing against his chest, my fingers screwing up the weirdly sticky wet fabric.
“It’s ok.” Something clattered behind me and he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me even closer. “It’s ok Audrey, it’s going to be ok. I am right here-“
Surging upwards I forced my lips against his.
“You came for me.” Tears dripped down the end of my nose to land on his pronounced Adam’s apple.
Groaning low in his throat, he leant his forehead against mine. “I’ll always catch you.” He whispered.
“I don’t want to run anymore.” I whispered and it felt like heart broke.
It hit me in a rush, what had just happened and my knees felt suddenly weak. I sagged in his arms but I didn’t go down completely.
Go me-
I giggled.
“She’s going into shock.” Gabriel said. “I need to get her out of here.”
“Here.” Something warm and dry was placed over my shoulders. I tried to shrug it off. The only thing I needed to touch me was Gabriel.
My dark angel.
“It’s just Adam’s jacket.” Hooking his fingers under my chin, Gabriel tilted my face up. “Look at me Audrey. It’s just a jacket. You’re safe.”
“Ok.” I shrugged my arms into the downy warmth and it made me feel more connected even if it smelt wrong.
“You need to get her out of here brother.” This wasn’t Adam’s voice it was Michael’s and I twisted around to look at him.
The moment I did, I wished I hadn’t. There was a body laying at his feet. Or the remnants of a body and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it.
It looked like minced meat. Not a human, just meat.
Gabriel had done that.
“There’s a car, it’s gonna take you-“ Gabriel began to say and I shook my head. It wasn’t going to take me anywhere without him.
“Erika is in there. You remember her right?”
I clung to him a little tighter.
He was going to let me go again. Even though bad things happened when he didn’t catch me.
“You’re going with her, Gabriel.”
In my arms Gabriel started. “No im not Michael.” He snapped back. “I can already hear the sirens. Soon this place will be swarming with police. They will have questions and - I can’t hide from this anymore.”
“I failed to protect you once little brother.” Michael’s hands came down hard on his shoulders. “And I’ve failed to protect you every day since.”
“I don’t need protecting.”
“I know but you do deserve to be happy. Audrey makes you happy. Be with her. Don’t let her go, she needs you.” Michael’s eyes darted over to the huge hulking figure of Adam. “We will sort this out for you. Smooth it all over. It’s time to come back to life baby brother. With her.” His eyes flicked over to mine. “Take care of him for me.”
I nodded, I would take care of him. Only I couldn’t quite walk yet.
“Go home Gabriel. We will see you all tomorrow ok.”
Gabriel didn’t say anything, instead he swung me up into his arms and walked away.
He walked away from his brothers, from the man he had just beat to death and the fiery inferno that used to be my family home.
And I didn’t put up a fight. What would be the point? That part of my life was over, and there was no going back.
“Gabriel.” I came awake screaming. My fists lashing out only to be caught quickly. They were pinned to the bed on either side of my head but I didn’t stop fighting.
I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
“Audrey it’s me.” Warm soft lips brushed against the corner of my mouth and I instantly went still. This wasn’t an attacker. This wasn’t Duncan whose hard body was pressed into mine and making it impossible to move.
No, it was Gabriel’s. And I was safe.
“It’s just me, you are safe.” Again his lips found mine , this time I was ready for them.
“You didn’t leave me again.” My tongue swiped against his bottom lip but he didn’t open it for me. Instead he pressed a kiss to my forehead. Holding his weight on his elbows as he hovered over me in the dark.
“Never.”
“You slept in the same bed.” Untangling myself from his arms, I sat up clutching the heavy quilt over me and tried to make sense of the room around me.
It wasn’t any bedroom I had ever been in, I was sure of that.
“Where am I?”
“London. Home.”
Glancing behind me I found him reclining back on the pillows. His arms behind his bed. A faint light fell across his face.
“Adam’s home because it’s his time to host and Michael wanted everyone under one roof.”
Host? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask and then I remembered it was Christmas tomorrow or maybe it was Christmas today already.
It wasn’t light outside but that didn’t mean anything.
Shaking my head I turned my attention back to Gabriel. My mouth fallinb open. “You’re not wearing your mask.”
He shook his head.
“You’re not hiding your face.”
Again he shook his head, only this time his hands reached for me. “There’s no point now Audrey. You’ve seen me. Really seen me.” Back and forth over the back of my hand his thumb brushed.
Sending shockwaves over me.
“But I can put it back on if you need me to.”
I hesitated just for a second before launching myself on top of him. Flattening my body against his. I cupped his face between my palms.
“I love your face.” I said honestly. “Scars and all. There’s not one part of you that I don’t-“
Too late I realised what I had said. Blushing in the half light, I forced myself to smile.
“I just mean,” falling silent I shook my head. “I don’t even remember getting back.”
“You wouldn’t, you passed out before we even got to the car. I cleaned you up and put you to bed when we got here. I hope that’s ok?”
Shocked I arched an eyebrow. “You have never once asked me if it’s ok to touch my body Gabriel. In fact I seem to remember several times when you went against what I said and touched me anyway.”
He smiled at the reminder. “That’s because you have always belonged to me but this is different.”
“How so?” Confused I scanned his face.
He looked away quickly. “What we had was different but what you went through-“
I smashed my mouth on to his. Silencing him.
“You got to me in time.” I mumbled against his mouth. His eyes closed. “When I saw you naked and under him-“ he groaned as I swiped my tongue against the seam of his mouth.
“Damn Audrey, I’m trying to be serious.”
“And I’m trying to kiss you.” Placing my hands flat on his shoulders I lifted my weight from him but kept my legs on either side of his hips. “Duncan is gone. You killed him.”
“He was your friend; it’s ok to not be ok right now. I remember when I was rescued. I remember how I felt.”
“Relieved?” I arched up an eyebrow. Gabriel stared at me.
“I don’t feel anything.” I admitted with a sigh. “I want to grieve my friend, I want to be disgusted and appalled by what happened but I,” I shrugged. “I can’t. He deserved everything he got.” For a second I looked away. “His body?”
“Is disposed of. You don’t need to worry about that and the fire brigade saved the bones of your grandmas house. We will have to rebuild if that’s what you want to do but if not then the new caretaker can take over the old Kings house.”
A ripple of grief flowed through me. I’d forgetten the house. All of the years of memories. Gone up in flame and smoke.
“We will go back up in a few days and go through everything,” he began to say.
“You said something about a caretaker?” I was sure he had but in the grand scheme of things I hadn’t really paid attention.
From the other side of the door I heard footsteps. But not loud masculine footsteps these were quick and quiet and there was more than one pair.
I quirked up eyebrows. Was there children here?
“Your grandparents were our caretakers, corals parents before that. They look after the property and the graves that lay there.”
I sucked in a breath. The bone I had found just under the surface of the snow.
“Whose?”
“He was nicknamed the dentist.” Gabriel said softly instantly knowing what I was thinking.
“The man who hurt you.” I whispered.
He nodded silently. “My family have been burying our enemies on your family's property for a long time.” He mumbled. “It probably sounds odd to you.”
It did but in a way it made perfect sense. Why my grandparents had been so adamant that no work was ever done to the gardens and grounds. Why I was never allowed near the lake.
The whole place was a grave yard.
“He was my first kill.” Gabriel whispered. “Michael thought it was important I was the one to end his life and I felt like a monster. Maybe that was the moment I became one. Nothing seemed to matter after that,” his eyes met mine.
“Well nothing but you.”
I sucked in a breath. “That’s the first time I saw you. You were burying his body under the apple tree.” I mused. “You used his bones to protect me.”
Shaking his head roughly, he caught my face between his hands and drew my face down to his. “No audrey. You saved me. The irony isn’t lost on me. But we don’t need to go back. You never have to see that place again-“
I nipped at his lip, pulling it away from his teeth. “I want to go back. With you. And that place, well it’s our destiny don’t you think?”
“You want to go back?”
“With you, we can be -“ I was about to say caretakers, like my family had always been but there was a rap of small knuckles against the door.
“Uncle Gabriel?” A small girls voice called out excitedly. “Daddy told me to come and get you, it’s CHRISTMAS.”
Under me Gabriel stiffened.
“You don’t like Christmas?”
“I haven’t really celebrated since the Christmas after I was rescued. In this house actually.” His fingers closed around my hips, rocking me against him.
For several long seconds I lost myself in the feel of his body under mine and the tightness of his finger digging into my hips.
“I wouldn’t mind celebrating right here with you though,” his eyes clashed with mine. And the meaning in them was clear. “All day long.”
The knocking started again, but this time a boys voice called out. “Dad said to -“ there was two giggles. “Put the girl down you mad bastard and come downstairs so we can open present.”
“Yeah presents.” The girl said firmly.
I lifted my eyebrows in shock.
“Adam’s oldest. Those are my brothers words.” Gabriel shook his head. “Do you want to go downstairs and meet my family? All of them?”
“Do you want me too. I know you aren’t close.”
He paused and then nodded. “Yeah I think I do. You’re part of the family now, Audrey. You should probably meet them.”
“Then I would love to.”
“Good, but first -“ he pulled me down , wrapping his arms around me so he could kiss me. “I love you as well Audrey.” He murmured against my mouth. “Always have and always will.”
Smiling against his mouth, I ran my fingers through his hair. “Always.” I nodded. “I love you as well.”
“You know that makes you as mad as me right?”
Gabriel was a King. The mad one sure he was still a King.
So what did that make me?
The Mad queen?
Or just his?