by Kelly Oram
“That’s not true,” I said. But my voice came out in a whisper making me sound unsure. “He loves us.”
“He stayed because he knew Dani was alone and he couldn’t leave her like that,” Russ said. “She had no one and he gave her a supernatural family. He watched out for her. He wasn’t being selfish. He was sacrificing a little of our comfort for Dani, and I’m glad he did.”
The Councilor’s face softened as he looked at Russ. He was watching him with pity, but he was also being sincerely regretful when he said, “You father has lied to you son. One day you should ask him why he left the council—ask him the truth about your mother.”
Russ didn’t ask what the Councilor meant, and he looked like he really didn’t want to know.
Everyone was awkwardly quiet for a moment and then the Councilor seemed to make up his mind about something. “Come, Gabriel.” He nodded to Duncan as well. “Bring Danielle. It is time to get you both back safely home.”
“No!” I shouted. Russ yelling something much more vulgar.
“That place is not my home!” I said. “You can’t make me go back there!”
Gabriel dragged his eyes from the Councilor to look at me. He was trying to hide his feelings but it wasn’t working. “Is it so bad at the consulate?” he asked. “Have you been that unhappy with me?”
I had to shut my eyes and take a deep breath in order to not become choked up. “It’s not about you. You’re the one good thing that has come of all this mess, but you’re not worth my freedom.”
“No one is taking your freedom Danielle. The Councilor just wants us home where he can keep us safe. He’s not going to lock you up like a caged animal.”
“Open your eyes Gabriel! I am literally paralyzed right now! Do you think if I say please the Councilor is just going to release me and let me go? You think he’d break our union and let me be with Russ if I said I loved him and asked really nice?”
Gabriel’s face paled. “Is that what you want?”
“Does it matter?”
“Danielle, it matters to me.”
“You think he’d let you go either?” I interrupted before Gabriel could make me feel even guiltier. “If you really wanted to leave the consulate do you think he’d let you? If you were tired of working for the council, do you think he’d just let you quit and go live a normal life somewhere on your own?”
“I would never want that.”
“Fine. Then what if I looked into your soul right now and the Creator showed me a vision of a future where we were fulfilling the prophecy together far from the consulate. Do you think the Councilor would let us go to achieve that destiny?”
“Of course he would. If it were what the Creator wanted.”
“Well, should we ask him then? Because the last two visions I’ve received from the Creator were exactly that. The vision I had of us that night that scared me so bad, and the one this morning that moved me to tears and made me so desperate to kiss you….”
Gabriel glanced self-consciously at the Councilor and I lowered my voice. “You and I will not have those moments if we’re locked up at the consulate.”
Gabriel frowned and for the first time since I met him I saw doubt in his eyes. Not doubt in me, but doubt in the Councilor. I hated that I was making him so conflicted, but I was also grateful for it.
Gabriel turned back to the Councilor. “Forgive me Councilor, but I believe she is right. I believe she and I need to stay. Just for now.”
“Do not let her manipulate your feelings for her like that, Gabriel.”
“I wasn’t manipulating him!”
“But the visions—” Gabriel began again until the Councilor quickly cut him off.
“There are many different ways to solve a problem Gabriel. Even if we could trust that Danielle is telling the truth about her visions—”
“I am not lying!”
“—they are only glimpses of one possible future. If you did not have those moments you would have others. Danielle is irrational and very inexperienced in the ways of the supernatural. She does not yet know enough to be on her own. I’m afraid you both must return to the consulate until she can be trusted to do what she was born to do.”
“You see?” I said to Gabriel. “He couldn’t care less about what’s right.”
“Oh for pity’s sake child that is not what I said. You have no idea what is right or wrong and you don’t care. All you care about is gallivanting around with your boyfriend without any regard to the safety or feelings of your mate.”
Russ huffed and grumbled, “I wish, buddy.”
To my surprise the Councilor’s accusation hurt so much I couldn’t say anything. I was trying to do the right thing. I totally got shafted in this whole deal and I was still trying to do the right thing.
“Sir,” Gabriel said quietly. “That is not true. Danielle has always been extremely considerate of my feelings no matter what her own have been. She did not leave the consulate to be with Russ. She left to try to stop her vision.”
“Be that as it may,” the Councilor said. “This charade has gone on long enough. Come along now. It is time to go.”
The Councilor nodded to Duncan, who began to usher Russ toward the parking lot where the council’s limo was waiting. When Russ realized he was being carted along he tried to resist, but without his magic he was useless against Duncan’s vampire strength.
“I’m sorry, Russ,” Duncan said. “I’m under orders.”
“What are you doing with Russ?” I asked. My heart raced with panic.
“We’ll be holding him at the consulate,” the Councilor replied without trying to hide the satisfaction in his voice.
“You’re throwing him in jail?”
“For what?” Russ yelled. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Your father is the suspected leader of the resistance. I do not believe that you are as innocent as you claim,” the Councilor said.
“My dad’s not the leader of the resistance! I don’t know anything about them. You can’t just take me. I haven’t done anything wrong!”
Since I knew him so well I suspect I was the only person that could tell he was really scared.
I felt sick. “Are you going to torture him too?”
Gabriel glanced sharply at the Councilor. “Sir, I can attest that Russ does not know anything. If he knew about the resistance he could have easily misdirected us, or given up our location to them. Instead he has done everything he could to help us. It was him who figured out which warehouse we needed to find, and he nearly saw the man behind the spell.”
Russ looked shocked that Gabriel had defended him but I wasn’t surprised. It was the right thing to do and Gabriel always did the right thing.
“The Devereauxs are known for their charm, Gabriel. I am not surprised the boy was able to gain your favor. However I know his father, and I do not trust him.”
The Councilor waved his hand to dismiss our conversation and began to walk back up the beach toward the parking lot where his limo was waiting.
“Councilor,” Gabriel said again. “I assure you Russ is innocent. Holding him is unnecessary. You have Danielle and me back. You should let him go.”
The Councilor whirled around and snapped, “Gabriel I will have no further arguments from you! If your wretched mate continues to influence you in this manner I will have no choice but to separate the two of you. You disappointed me enough when you left the consulate without permission. Please do not let me down again.”
I felt Gabriel stiffen. There was no doubt in my mind that the Councilor’s words broke his heart. I was also sure that the Councilor knew how much he’d hurt Gabriel and that he’d done it on purpose to make Gabriel obey. And Gabriel did. He scooped up my frozen body and followed the Councilor.
I wished I could take away the guilt he was torturing himself with at the moment. “You didn’t do the wrong thing,” I insisted. “You may have disappointed the Councilor when you left, but you made me very proud. The Creator too—I’m
sure of it.”
That caught Gabriel’s attention. “You believe so?”
“I know so,” I said. And believe me I didn’t bother to talk quietly. I made sure that even Duncan and Russ could hear what I was saying despite the struggle Russ was giving Duncan.
“You told me that the Creator can show me whatever she wants. That means anything I see in my visions is something she specifically needed to show me. If the Councilor really cared about what the Creator wanted, he wouldn’t have ignored my vision about that family. If you’d blown me off like he did then we would have no idea that the man in my vision was spelled. We wouldn’t know there was a traitor in the council. My vision was important! And then when we told him about my glimpses of your future, he disregarded those too. He told you they didn’t matter. That’s the same as defying the Creator. He’s not interested in doing what’s right, only what he wants.”
“But—”
“He says I’m unreasonable, but I’m supposed to be the freaking Chosen One and he won’t listen to me. He doesn’t like me. He doesn’t trust me. He doesn’t even believe me about my visions. When I do try to help, he refuses to do anything about it. And now that you’re starting to take my side, he won’t listen to you either. How are we supposed to stop anything when he won’t let us?”
The Councilor said nothing through my speech but he was walking like he had a giant stick shoved up his backside, so I’m betting that if he were capable of magically evaporating me from existence he would have.
Gabriel was silent for a few heartbeats and then said, “Danielle, do you trust me?”
“I—” The question surprised me. “Yes, I do. But Gabriel—”
“Then hide us.”
“What?”
As I asked the question Gabriel shifted me in his arms so that he was not touching any part of my skin. Then just as Duncan, Russ and the Councilor all turned around to see what Gabriel meant, he grabbed my arm by the sleeve and touched my hand to the Councilor’s hand. “Hide us,” he said again.
As soon as I felt the prick of the Councilor’s magic, I cloaked us. “Done,” I said, though that was unnecessary because the Councilor’s eyes had gone wide and Russ was already shouting for us.
Gabriel walked away from the Councilor taking extra care not to come into contact with my skin. I was suddenly grateful for the long pants and jacket I’d had to wear.
“What about Russ?”
“We will not leave without him,” Gabriel assured me. He carried me a few feet away from the others and set me carefully on the ground. “Do you think you can break the Councilor’s spells while you are hiding us?”
“I’ll have to,” I said and then closed my eyes.
The Councilor’s spell felt like a blanket that had been wrapped around me and with a deep breath, I tried to use my own magic to push it off me. At first I underestimated the strength of the spell and felt like I’d been violently shocked when I tried to remove it. But the Councilor was not stronger than me. I could do this.
“Danielle!” the Councilor hollered. “I can feel what you’re doing. You will not be able to break my spell, and you will exhaust yourself quickly by trying.”
I tried again to break his spell and got closer, but just as I felt it lifting off me it snapped back into place rattling my insides so much that I nearly dropped the cloaking spell.
“Danielle?” Gabriel asked with worry in his voice.
“I can do it!” I snapped and then pushed with all the rage I had in me.
The blanket of magic trapping my body shattered and the Councilor actually fell to his knees, panting and sweating.
“Councilor!” Duncan rushed to the Councilor’s side leaving Russ standing alone cuffed and without magic, but unguarded.
“I’m all right,” the Councilor wheezed. “Do not let the boy escape!”
As quick as I could I concentrated on the restraints that bound Russ’s magic. I wished with everything I had left in me, and Russ’s cuffs fell to the ground at the same time as I collapsed in the sand.
Russ wasted no time hitting Duncan with a spell that blew him off his feet and then he disappeared. “Russ…Russ?” I called his name but barely had the strength left to whisper.
“Danielle you have to change your spell to allow Russ to see us,” Gabriel instructed.
“I’m going to drop it,” I said. “I’m exhausted. The Councilor’s spells were so powerful. I can’t hide us much longer.”
“Find Russ. He will be able to give you strength.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. Fighting against sleep, I altered my spell.
“Russ!” Gabriel called immediately. “Over here!”
I opened my eyes just as Russ fell to the ground beside me.
“Quickly,” Gabriel said. “If she drops the spell before we are gone we will not get another chance. The Councilor will have us all locked up.”
Russ understood before I did. He bent over—I thought to pick me up—and surprised me with a kiss. I was too exhausted to fight him off. After a moment though I understood why he’d done it. When his lips came into contact with mine, my cravings flared to life.
I didn’t mean to kiss him back but I couldn’t stop myself. My body was just reacting instinctively. I could practically feel myself sucking Russ’s energy out of him. It was almost as regenerating as when Gabriel held me.
After a minute Russ pulled away from me shaking and gasping. He laughed as he scooped me into his arms. “Damn Dani!” He shook off another shiver and then glanced at Gabriel. “How did you stand it after the Councilor starved her?”
“I am much stronger than you,” Gabriel whispered. “And I never shared a connection like that with her or else she might have killed me,” He met my eyes for the tiniest second then turned his attention back to the Councilor and Duncan. “I imagine she does not react to my energy quite as eagerly as that either.”
I was suddenly horrified. “What’s that supposed to mean? What happened? I hardly remember—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Russ teased, winking at me. “Are you feeling better? Think you can hold the spell long enough to get us off this beach?”
“I think so, but let’s hurry just in case.”
Russ was giddy as he carried me toward the car. Gabriel, on the other hand, was more stoic than I’d ever seen him. Whatever just happened must have been one hell of a kiss. “Where’s the Councilor?” I asked hoping to distract Gabriel.
Gabriel pointed to the parking lot. Both the Councilor and Duncan were standing next to the limo. As we got closer we could hear the Councilor’s angry shouts. “—betrayed us like that!” he was saying. “I do not understand what has gotten into that boy!”
“Councilor, Gabriel has always had unwavering loyalty. Did you really not expect him to show that loyalty to his mate?”
“When I get my hands on that selfish, ungrateful brat! Danielle!” he shouted as loud as he could to the open air. “If anything happens to the Seer I swear by the Creator you will feel the wrath of the council—prophecy or not!”
Duncan ushered the Councilor into the limo. “Come on, Councilor. I’m sure they’re long gone by now. Let’s just get back to the consulate and concentrate on finding Devereaux. You know that’s where they’re headed.”
The Councilor continued to rant. “This is Alexander’s fault! She is just like him! Stupid, stubborn, selfish girl! Find him, Duncan!”
I assumed he was talking about Alex until he climbed into the car shouting, “Find my son and bring him home to me!”
Gabriel’s gasp snapped us all out of our trances. I don’t think the Councilor had ever referred to Gabriel as his son before. At least not that Gabriel knew. “Gabriel,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“It is nothing, Danielle. You were right. The Councilor is ignoring the Creator’s will.” He watched the limo drive out of sight and said, “He is letting his personal feelings cloud his judgment.”
“Still. It’s not nothing. I’m sorry
I’ve caused you so much trouble, but thank you for what you did.”
“Yeah,” Russ said. “Even if it was your fault they were here, it was pretty decent of you to help us escape.”
“Do not mention it,” Gabriel said and then climbed into the back seat of the stolen car.
It sounded like he meant that literally, so neither Russ nor I said another word the entire way back to the house.
After we got home Gabriel said that he’d like to be alone for a while and disappeared upstairs.
“He’ll be all right, Dani,” Russ assured me for the twentieth time.
I’d paced the living room until Russ persuaded me to wait it out with him on the couch watching a movie. He’d even let me pick, so the Kira Knightly version of “Pride and Prejudice” was on, but it couldn’t keep my attention.
“Even though the Councilor is awful, he’s the closest thing Gabriel has to a father. He’s his only family. The consulate is Gabriel’s home. I’ve just done to him exactly what the Councilor did to me. He must hate me.”
“He made his choice, Dani, and he didn’t help us escape because he hates you.” Russ frowned. “Actually it was pretty awesome of him. I have to admit I didn’t think he had the balls. Damn it all if I’m not impressed with the guy right now.”
I feigned a heart attack. “Why, Russ. Was that—did you just say something nice about Gabriel?”
“Of course, he’s acting like a total pansy about it. If it were me, I’d have played it off as a romantic gesture and used it to get you into the sack.”
I laughed. “There’s the jerk I know and love.”
Russ’s attempt to cheer me up finally succeeded and I relaxed a little.
“Oh! I forgot! I have something for you.” Russ jumped off the couch suddenly. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back a moment later holding the antique necklace with the beautiful turquoise amulet he’d given me for my birthday. “Your parents gave it back to my dad about two weeks after you went missing.”
“You’ve had it with you all this time? How come you didn’t mention it sooner? It would have come in handy when I was passing out from exhaustion all those times.”
