Page 70 of When Monsters Fight
I pour a large glass of water and down it in three gulps. My hand trembles as I set it down, and I grab my wrist to calm the involuntary spasm.
“How bad is it?” Gabriel says from the doorway.
“It’s getting worse.” I shake my hand, but the tremor lasts for several seconds more.
He steps into the room with a sigh. “I have to ask…Are you up to the mission?”
I hold out my now steady hand. “Yes. They don’t last long.”
“Does Rue know about them?”
“No. And she doesn’t need to. Not yet.”
I refill the glass and drain it.
“Thirst is another symptom,” Gabriel says, his voice tainted with sorrow.
“I figured.”
“How is Rue? She looked upset when she came back from seeing Kabiel. I spoke to him, but he was…evasive.”
“She’s fine, just…Look, Gabriel, you and I don’t know each other too well, but Shem trusted you, and Rue…well, you guys have a bond, so?—”
“We broke that bond in Gehenna,” he says flatly. “I died for a moment. Rue brought me back.” His mouth slants in a smile. “That woman is something special.”
The look in his eyes isn’t one of lust, it’s fondness. It’s…love. The green-eyed beast inside me stirs, but I slap it down. “She’ll be broken once I’m gone. She’s lost so much. I need you to promise me that you’ll do everything in your power to make sure she doesn’t lose you.”
His eyes flare in surprise. “I promised Shem I would protect her and?—”
“I’m not talking about protecting her, although that’s important too. No. I’m talking about love.”
“Rue and I aren’t in love.”
“The road to love looks different for everyone, and sometimes those on it don’t see it for what it is. But those on the sidelines…we have more of a perspective.”
He dropped his gaze. “I care for her, more than…more than I have for anyone in…forever.”
“Then I need you to fight to stay with her once this is over. You, the watchers, and Kabiel.”
He arches a brow. “Kabiel?”
“Rue is a woman with deep feelings. Fiercely loyal to those she gives her heart to, and that heart will need mending. Healing. Nurturing. I need you to promise me you’ll be there to do that when…when I’m gone.”
He considers for several moments before replying. “I promise.”
I like him. I like the fact that he doesn’t try to give me false platitudes, telling me that it will be okay. That they’ll find a cure for me. I appreciate that.
“Thank you.”
A sense of peace settles over me in knowing that no matter what tomorrow brings, Rue will be looked after, and when she feels that her heart is dead, there’ll be someone to bring it back to life.
No matter what tomorrow brings, I can walk into it in peace.
Chapter 36
STORM
I’ve lived underground all my life, but for some reason, today, I long for a window to the outside world. Even the sunroom, a chamber designed to provide our bodies with the necessary vitamins, doesn’t lift my mood. Not even looking at the landscape through our hidden cameras helps.
