Page 34 of When Monsters Fight
He handed me my clothes. “You might want to put these on first.”
He turned away while I dressed. “I’m done.”
We settled under the blanket together, face to face thistime because spooning was much too intimate when I wasn’t freezing to death.
“How long till dawn, do you think?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Several hours…The locals have agreed to escort us to the bridge. They’ll also provide us with some furs for you and Jilyana.”
Jilyana…Shit. “She knows about Lucifer now.”
His expression was serious. “Yes, so be on your guard.”
He still didn’t trust her. “I know she did some bad shit, believe me I know, but she’s trying to atone.”
“That’s her story, and if it’s true, then we have lost nothing, but if she’s lying and we’re not on our guard, then we risk losing everything.”
“Even if she did want the relics, now she knows we’re taking them to Lucifer, her plan is fucked. She won’t get a chance to steal them off us when we get out of here because we’ll no longer have them.” But I didn’t believe that. I didn’t believe Jilyana would betray us. Betraying us would negate everything Shem stood for. It would be a slap in the face to his sacrifice.
“Will you promise me something?” Gabriel asked.
“What?”
“You won’t hand over those relics until I’ve spoken to Lucifer.”
“Why?”
“I just need to gauge her true intentions.”
“You think she lied? That she can’t fix things?”
“I’m concerned what will happen to you once Lucifer is whole and in control of her power again. What she will do to a mortal able to channel the power that belongs to her.”
My pulse skipped. “I…I didn’t think about that.”
“That’s why you have me, Rue. I’ll always consider every angle.”
“Do you think she’ll kill me? No. Don’t answer that. It doesn’t matter. As long as she saves my world, I don’t care what happens to me. Shem isn’t the only one who can make a sacrifice.”
“And what about Bastian? You think he’d be happy hearing you speak like this?”
He didn’t know Bastian at all. “Bastian would do the same thing if it meant saving humanity.”
His mouth tightened at the corners. “Well, I won’t allow it to come to that.”
“What?” I smiled up at him playfully. “You’ll fight Lucifer? God’s favorite?”
His gaze bore into me with intensity. “Yes, Rue. I will fight to keep you safe. Always.”
My pulse sped up, and the urge to press closer to him washed over me. “This bond thing is powerful, isn’t it?” I was aiming for a light, teasing tone but delivered an intimate whisper instead.
Gabriel slid his hand into my hair, angling my head so our mouths were inches apart. “This isn’t just the bond, Rue, but if it’s easier for you to believe that, then so be it.”
I wanted him to kiss me, but I needed him to stop touching me. I wanted him to pull me into his arms, but I needed space from him.
He slowly pulled away. Had he sensed the tumult of emotions bubbling inside me?
“This bond isn’t going anywhere, Rue, but I swear to you that I won’t let it ruin our friendship.”
