“Well? How did it go?” asked Gabriel, his dark hair sweeping low on his forehead as he furrowed his brows.
“It went really good,” I said, unsure how to even describe it. “I want to do it again.”
Trace chuckled behind me as Dominic smirked at me like I was being cute.
“I’m serious,” I said and eyed them pointedly. “I’d like to try porting to Temple next.”
“Out of the question,” snapped Gabriel.
“Not for the book. Not yet anyway,” I explained quickly before he could fully make up his mind. “But I think we need to make sure that we can even get in there otherwise we’re going to do this all for nothing. If they’ve put up some kind of block like they did with Morgan’s visions, I’d rather know now and not waste any more time on this when we could be using it to come up with another plan.”
The three of them exchanged looks as they mulled it over.
“She does have a point,” mused Dominic as he circled the rim of his tumbler with his index finger, his hard gaze on his brother.
Gabriel shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“But it’s not going to be anylessdangerous tomorrow or in a week from now,” I pointed out, my tenor restrained. “We need to make sure we can even port there before we waste any more time on it.”
Gabriel’s gaze shifted over my shoulder to Trace. “Whatdo you think?” he asked him, and I could tell by the divot between his brows that he was hoping Trace would back him up on this.
I glanced back at Trace as his own gaze skittered across my face. “As long as she doesn’t try to go anywhere near the book yet,” he said purposely and then met Gabriel’s eyes. “I think a trial run is probably a smart move right now.”
I turned back to Gabriel, my expression carefully neutral. For some reason, even though we already outnumbered him, it didn’t feel right doing it without Gabriel’s approval—without his vote of confidence. “I can do this,” I said, doing my best to reassure him, to ease his trepidation.
“Fine,” he said through a tensed jaw. “But you do not, and I repeat,do not,under any circumstances, go anywhere near the book. Do you understand me, Jemma?”
“I understand.” I nodded, and in that moment, I truly had meant it.
58. A FOOL’S BARGAIN
Convincing Gabriel to let me attempt a trial run into Temple was a small victory. But, of course, he’d still insisted on me doing several more test runs to otherless dangerouslocations first: Trace’s house. Huntington Manor. The freaking janitor’s closet at school.
I’d gone along with it all without complaint, wanting him to feel comfortable, to be fully on board. But after spending four minutes in the broom closet at Weston Academy, twiddling my thumbs, I finally put my foot down and insisted we start the trial run into Temple before I expired from boredom.
And to my relief, Gabriel agreed to it. Albeit warily.
“It’s imperative that you follow the same exact rules as before,” lectured Gabriel as I made myself comfortable on Trace’s lap after taking a quick bathroom break. “No touching anything. No talking to anyone. No funny business. And no attempts to locate or secure the Sang Noir. This trial is for one reason and one reason alone. To attempt to gain access into the building. If something should go wrong, you port back here immediately. If for some reason you cannot port back here, you immediately make your way to our meeting spot. If for some reason you cannot make it there, you—”
“Gabriel, I got it,” I interrupted softly. “I know the plan, and I’ll stick to it just like I did all the other times.”
He hesitated, his anxious eyes scanning my face. The way he was looking at me, so troubled and afraid, it almost made me want to back out of the whole thing just to put his mind at ease.
But where would that get us?
So long as the Horsemen were earthbound, they still needed a fourth to activate the Power of Four and that meant that both my life and the baby’s life were at risk. We still had no idea how to stop them, how to call them off and send them packing, and getting our hands on the book was the only lead we had.
It didn’t matter which way we sliced it. Ineededthat book.
Gabriel’s expression softened, though the deep-rooted worry never fully left his eyes. “Just…pleasebe careful, Jemma. Stick to the plan and remain focused and alert at all times,” he pleaded, his voice gentler then. “Your safety is the only thing that matters. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I nodded, my throat narrowing with emotion at the intensity of Gabriel’s concern. “I understand,” I said, my voice far steadier than I felt. “I promise I'll be careful.”
Gabriel held my gaze for a moment longer before giving a curt nod. He turned to Dominic, who was standing nearby with his expensive-looking wristwatch in hand. “Are we ready?” he asked him.
Dominic checked the time on the watch and then nodded before turning his eyes to me. “You have two minutes, angel, and not a second more. Is that clear?”
“Crystal.” The tension in the air was palpable, but I refused to let it shake me.