by Chelsea Fine
Scarlet was so vulnerable, so weak. She could never have defended herself against a full-grown man. She could have been hurt or kidnapped, and Gabriel would never have known what happened to her.
If Tristan hadn’t been there, Scarlet wouldn’t have stood a chance.
If Tristan hadn’t been there, Gabriel’s world would have imploded.
Which begged the question, why had Tristan been there?
Gabriel fisted and flexed his hands as a familiar suspicion settled on him.
He heard Tristan marching upstairs from the basement and waited until his twin was within earshot before asking, “Why were you at Scarlet’s house tonight?”
His palms began to sweat.
Freshly showered and wearing clean clothes, Tristan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was trying to get some sleep.”
Gabriel raised a brow.
“In my car. Outside her house.” Tristan rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I was sleeping in her bed or anything. I haven’t been able to sleep for two nights now and I thought being near her would help.”
Gabriel nodded. “Is it that bad, now?”
“It’s…bad. It’s worse than ever before.”
“Why?”
Tristan shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
Gabriel looked at the floor, unsure of what to say. He knew Tristan suffered when Scarlet was far away but, with her house being only miles from the cabin, he should be able to sleep without discomfort.
“So,” Tristan said. “Our little dilemma just got way worse. What should we do?”
Gabriel rubbed the side of his face and looked at the black band on the table. “We need to find out what that thing is.”
Tristan nodded. “And we need to make sure no one else comes after Scarlet.”
A few moments passed.
“We need to talk to Nate,” Gabriel said.
“Yeah…Nate will probably have a better idea than us.”
Gabriel pulled out his cell phone and called their longtime friend.
Nate’s voicemail picked up on the third ring. “Hey, this is Nate. I’m currently in the cave of concentration. Leave a message and I’ll call you back in seven-to-ten business days. May the force be with you.” A long beep followed.
Gabriel lowered the phone with a sigh.
“What’s up?” Tristan looked at Gabriel’s phone.
“Nate’s in the ‘cave of concentration’.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “He’s probably practicing for the video game Olympics or whatever.”
“Video game Olympics?”
“Yeah, he mentioned something about a championship to me a few weeks ago. We won’t be able to reach him. You know how he is when he’s in the ‘cave’.”
Gabriel shook his head, frustrated. Nate was always falling off the face of the earth for brief periods of time when he was working on something.
Sometimes, it was admirable.
Right now? It was inconvenient.
“We need to talk to Nate. What should we do?”
Tristan sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Let me think about it,” Gabriel responded. “We’ll figure something out in the morning. Tonight, we just need to make sure Scarlet’s safe.”
Tristan smiled without humor as he turned to leave. “Well, in that case, I’ll be downstairs, as far away from her as possible.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”
Tristan spun around, his face fierce. “Did you not see her eyes tonight? They were flashing all over the place.”
“She was scared.” Gabriel tried to calm Tristan down. “Relax. She’s fine.”
Tristan shook his head and exhaled. “Every time I’m close to her it makes her heart beat harder, tearing it in half that much faster. Don’t you get that? I’m killing her, Gabe.”
For a second, Tristan looked as vulnerable and afraid as Gabriel felt. But, in an instant, Tristan’s eyes hardened. “Scarlet needs to stay as far away from me as possible.”
“Tristan.” Gabriel held his palms up, surprised by his brother’s panic. It was out of character for him. “Calm down. Scarlet’s eyes were flashing but she’s not sick yet. She’s fine.”
Scarlet was fine.
Right?
Tristan squared his jaw and left the room saying, “For her sake, I hope you’re right.”
Gabriel thought about the ramifications of Tristan being around Scarlet.
Her condition would accelerate around Tristan, simply because the blood in his body was more powerful than hers. But a few hours—even a whole night around Tristan—shouldn’t be cause for concern…right?
Gabriel went upstairs with a nervous feeling in his stomach.
47
Scarlet sat up straight in bed, fear pulsing through her.
No, not fear. Worry.
She was worried sick.
She felt…helpless?
Scarlet blinked and looked around the dark room. Gabriel was sleeping peacefully beside her, his breaths even and soft. She didn’t remember him coming back in the room, but there he was.
Scarlet laid back down and took a deep breath, hoping her heart would relax—it was pounding crazily in her chest.
She scooted closer to Gabriel, soaking up comfort from his warm body.
She was totally safe.
So…why was she so worried?
48
Tristan stared at himself in the bathroom mirror again, unable to calm his nerves.
His gut churned with worry.
All he’d wanted to do tonight was get some sleep—some peace from his torment. And now that Scarlet was only two flights of stairs above him, he finally had the physical relief he’d sought out.
But there was no way sleep would come tonight. Tristan’s gut churned with worry. Someone had come after Scarlet. Someone had walked into her room….
Tristan wanted to scream.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he left the bathroom and paced his large bedroom, his fear mounting with every step.
He felt helpless.
So much for sleep.
49
The next day, Scarlet made her way down the cabin stairs to find Tristan making coffee in the kitchen. Upon seeing him, she immediately turned around and headed back upstairs—her heart pounding.
Tristan, first thing in the morning, was a bad idea.
“Morning, beautiful,” came Gabriel’s voice behind her. “Or rather, good afternoon.”
She turned to see Gabriel exiting a room at the end of the main floor hallway. “Hey,” she said, walking back downstairs. “Is it afternoon already? Did I sleep that long?”
“Yep.” He smiled and greeted her with a brief kiss. “But I’m glad you got to rest. How did you sleep?”
Scarlet thought about it. She hadn’t had any nightmares, but after waking up stricken with fear and worry, she’d had a hard time getting back to sleep.
“Fine,” she said, because what else was she going to say? I’m a big chicken?
She looked him over for a moment. He was fully dressed. “Are you going somewhere?”
Gabriel smiled at her reassuringly. “Yes. I have to go find Nate.”
“Your immortal friend who knows about curses?”
Gabriel nodded. “He knows about a lot of stuff, not just curses, and I think he’ll be able to help us figure out what’s going on. But since he’s not answering his phone, I’m going to go visit him. He might be able to tell me what that band thing is and help us figure out how to better protect you.”
Scarlet’s eyes went wide. “No, no. Don’t leave. At least wait until Laura gets home. I can’t do this without you…I’m freaked out, Gabriel.”
He looked at her softly. “I know. And I promise I wouldn’t leave you if I didn’t have to. But it will just be for a day or two, I swear.”
Scarlet’s mouth dropped open. “Someone tried to kill me last night and you’re just gonna leave town today? You’re gonna leave me
alone with all the creepsters who are out to get me?”
It was a bit dramatic to say, but Scarlet couldn’t imagine trying to go back home and sleep peacefully without Gabriel.
“No one is trying to kill you. At least,” Gabriel thought about it, “I don’t think anyone is trying to kill you.” He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. “Everything will be fine, don’t worry. I’m not leaving you alone,” Gabriel led her into the kitchen. “I have a plan.”
Tristan looked up at the two of them from his coffee mug and walked to the far end of the counter.
Far away from Scarlet.
Whatever.
She avoided his green eyes and looked at Gabriel. “What plan?”
Gabriel shrugged. “You’re going to stay here with Tristan while I go to New York.”
Tristan coughed into his coffee mug and Scarlet’s eyes went wide.
“No,” Tristan said. “Not a chance.”
Gabriel looked at him sharply. “Yes.”
“I’m not a babysitter, Gabe.”
Scarlet narrowed her eyes at Tristan.
“You’re not babysitting her, Tristan. You’re making sure no one kills her.”
Scarlet panicked. “I thought you said no one was trying to kill me.”
Gabriel sighed. “Right. But since we don’t know what he, or she, or they are trying to do to you, we can’t afford to take any chances.”
Tristan put his mug down. “I’m not doing it.”
“You are doing it. Nate’s in his ‘cave’ for who knows how long, so someone has to go find him. We need to understand what we’re dealing with.” Gabriel looked at Tristan long and hard.
“Then have Tristan go,” Scarlet said.
Problem solved.
Tristan could disappear and take his mean mouth with him, and she and Gabriel could have the romantic cabin all to themselves, safe from potential killers.
Tristan and Gabriel shared a tense look.
“Tristan…can’t leave,” Gabriel said, his eyes leaving Tristan and looking at Scarlet. “So, I’m going instead.”
“Then take me with you.” Scarlet stood up straight.
Gabriel sighed. “You can’t leave either. And even if you could, I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe while we were traveling.”
Without a word, Tristan stormed out of the kitchen.
Scarlet watched him leave and turned to Gabriel, frustrated. “I don’t understand why Tristan can’t go instead of you.”
Gabriel looked at Scarlet with an apologetic face. “Can you wait here a minute?”
Without waiting for her to agree, Gabriel left the kitchen.
With a huff, Scarlet made herself a cup of coffee. She sat down with her hot mug in uncomfortable silence and decided she didn’t like being left alone in the kitchen. She wanted to know what was going on.
Leaving the the kitchen, Scarlet heard Gabriel’s voice in the next room.
“Dude, you have to do this!”
The brothers were in the living room, just a few yards away from her and probably assumed she was out of earshot. Scarlet didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but she that’s what she did.
Because secrets weren’t her thing anymore.
“No,” Tristan said. “I don’t have to do it. And I don’t want to do it. If you’re so determined to see Nate, then find somewhere else for Scarlet to stay. She’s not staying here.”
“I can’t do that Tristan. It’s too dangerous.”
“Scarlet is not staying here with me. End of discussion.”
He still hated her. Wonderful.
Scarlet found a spot against the hallway wall and peeked out so she could see the brothers.
“What’s your problem?” Gabriel stood in front of Tristan, his body tense. “We have a real situation here. We need help and Nate is our best option. And since you’re not able to go fetch him—“
“Why do we need to ‘fetch’ anybody? Have Nate come here.”
“We don’t have time to wait around for Nate to return phone calls. We need answers now.”
Tristan shook his head and laughed without humor. “You are an idiot.”
“I’m trying to save Scarlet’s life.”
“So am I!” Tristan shouted. “The difference is that I actually understand how things work. You don’t. If Scarlet stays at her own house with you until we hear back from Nate, she’ll be fine. But,” Tristan drew near to Gabriel’s face, lowering his voice to the point where Scarlet almost couldn’t hear him, “if Scarlet stays here, with me, she’ll die. She. Will. Die.”
Scarlet’s breath caught.
What the…?
“Look,” Gabriel softened his voice. “I understand you’re worried, but we have time, Tristan. Scarlet’s still healthy. Nothing will happen while I’m gone.”
Healthy? Were they worried about her heart? Was she closer to death than they’d led her to believe?
Her heart hammered inside her.
Tristan threw his hands in the air. “That’s the problem, Gabe. You’re always so willing to take stupid risks.”
“It’s not like I’m leaving for a year, Tristan. It’s just for a day or so. Someone came after her last night and we need to know why. We need Nate’s help, immediately. I’d rather risk two days of her in the house with you, than two weeks of strangers coming after her…wouldn’t you?”
Tristan paced around the living room for a minute, tension tracing his movements.
Scarlet didn’t understand why he was so angry. She didn’t exactly want to shack up with him either, but at least she wasn’t pitching a giant fit about it.
Finally, Tristan exhaled. “Fine. Leave your precious girlfriend here. I’ll keep her safe from bad guys and monsters.” He leaned back into Gabriel. “But I can’t promise to keep her safe from me. What if her heart weakens and she’s dangerously sick when you get back? What then?”
Dangerously sick? Did being around Tristan make her heart…worse?
Gabriel hesitated before nodding. “I’d rather she be sick and safe, than dead because we don’t know what to protect her from.”
Dead? So, Gabriel did think her life was in danger?
Scarlet bit back a groan.
Great.
“Whatever.” Tristan shook his head and left the room.
Scarlet stood against the wall and waited until Tristan had disappeared out the back door before making her way back into the kitchen. She sat down at the breakfast counter like she’d never left—like she’d been sitting there staring at the blank wall as though it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.
Gabriel entered the kitchen with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Scarlet. I know this is all so weird for you and probably more confusing than I could ever understand.”
Scarlet said nothing.
She honestly didn’t know if she was mad or scared.
“Here’s the thing. I need to protect you, and in order to do that I need to go to New York and find Nate. You understand that, right?”
No. Not at all.
“Um…can’t you just wait a few days? I don’t really want to stay here with…Tristan.” Scarlet made her eyes sad, hoping Gabriel would pander to her request.
“Tristan’s harmless. He’s grumpy and rude,” Gabriel said, “but he’d never let anything bad happen to you.”
Scarlet wanted to scoff.
The guy had practically promised Scarlet would die in his care. That didn’t make her feel very safe.
She stood from her seat and put down her coffee. “I think I’m just going to call Laura and have her come back. That way, I can just stay at home until you get back.”
“No.” Gabriel shook his head. “You can’t call Laura. You can’t tell Laura anything.”
“And why not?”
Why were the Archers brothers always telling her what to do?
“Because it could put Laura in danger.” Gabriel took a step toward Scarlet. “If this guy—whoever he is—finds out that Laura knows something, he might hurt her
in order to get to you. You can’t tell her.”
Scarlet blinked. She didn’t want to put Laura at risk, but she also didn’t want to stay here with Tristan. “Then I’ll stay at a hotel.”
Gabriel dropped his head. “Please don’t make this difficult. You know a hotel isn’t nearly as safe as a cabin with an immortal guy living in it.”
“Yeah, but Tristan doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t…like me.” Scarlet tried not to sound like an offended third grader.
But that’s exactly how she felt.
“The way Tristan feels about you doesn’t matter. What matters is keeping you safe. Please let me keep you safe.” Gabriel looked at her with his pretty brown eyes, filled with sincere love and worry. “Please stay here so I know you’re safe.”
Scarlet looked up at him for a long moment before exhaling. “Okay.” She was reluctant to agree but she didn’t know where else she could go and not get attacked by psychos.
Gabriel smiled and kissed her head.
“But,” Scarlet said, “if Tristan gets mean and nasty,” or of he tries to kill me in my sleep or something, “I’m totally leaving. Got it?”
Gabriel breathed out a laugh. “That’s fair. Now,” he took her hands in his and brought them to his mouth to kiss, “let me give you the grand tour.”
Scarlet nodded, upset she wasn’t able to convince Gabriel to stay.
He led her around the main floor and into a room that looked like an office. Books lined the walls and a large desk was in the back.
It looked like something you’d see in a movie, with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows and fancy leather furniture everywhere.
Next to the office was a closed door. “This room,” Gabriel stood at the door hesitantly, “is where we keep our collection of weapons so,” Gabriel turned the knob, “don’t freak out or anything.”
Gabriel pushed the door open and Scarlet’s eyes took in a giant wall covered in deadly-looking arsenal. Knives, axes, swords, arrows, and many other tools lined the great wall.
And some of them looked rather used.
She started to freak out. “Uh…why do you have so many?”
Were they gearing up for battle?
Gabriel shrugged. “It’s a hobby. It’s more Tristan’s thing than mine, though.”