Gabe's face flushed, his calm features contorting as he held back his anger. "No, Lorelei, you won't do this. I'll take you somewhere safe—until we figure this out."
"Stop telling me what to do—you said I needed to make my own choices, and this is what I choose. You're not taking me anywhere. Why would I want to exile myself with you? I mean nothing to you." She paused, hearing the hitch in her voice. "I have a life to lead, and I'm going to lead it the way I want. Isn't it better for you to know where I am than for me to resist and disappear?"
Lorelei stepped backwards in alarm as he lunged forward, ready to defend herself if he grabbed her. He wouldn’t dare. She stared back at him in defiance, and something different to anger flickered across Gabe’s features.
“So be it,” he said slowly before storming to the back of the room. The door slammed, and Lorelei cast her gaze down, shaking.
"You're making a grave mistake, Lorelei," said Nathaniel.
"Am I? Didn't things get a whole lot worse for everyone as soon as Gabe revealed my identity?"
"This threatens us all," said Jonquil.
"And I refuse to be a frightened girl running from demons anymore."
"Caleb knows where you live. The first thing he’ll do is find you," Jonquil added.
"And Gabe will stop them," said Lorelei emphatically. “He’ll stop Caleb.”
Jonquil shook her head. "How can you be sure?"
"Because he has protected the Hosts for hundreds of years."
"Go somewhere else, not back there," Jonquil pleaded. "Caleb knows where to find you."
"No. That’s where my life is now."
Jonquil looked down at the table, stretching her fingers in front of her, slowly shaking her head.
"You need to talk to Gabe," Nathaniel said.
Part of Lorelei wanted to leave straightaway, not go to Gabe and meet his anger. She didn't want to face him again, admit to him the real reason behind her doing this. But her fear that Rowan and her associates could still be nearby changed her mind.
Lorelei found Gabe sitting on the sofa she slept on several months ago, the night before the day she thought everything would return to normal. The night she trusted this supernatural world she’d been dragged into would leave her alone.
Gabe sat with his shoulders slumped forward, arms dangling between his knees.
"Why not just knock on Caleb’s door and tell him you’re back?" He refused to look at her, his tone bitter. “Because that’s what you’re doing.”
"I don't need to. I trust you to watch me."
"But not enough to leave with me?"
Lorelei sat on the sofa, away from him. "I have a life to live."
"How long for though? What is going to happen when he finds you? If you were with me—"
"I would be unhappy."
Gabe looked at her, his face showing the pain and confusion running through him. "I know I can't give you what you need, but I can keep you safe."
"And you can do that how you did in the past. In the shadows. You chose to step out of the shadows and show me to people."
"I didn't. Caleb found you—I needed to step out of the shadows. Can you not see that?”
"I don't care what is threatening me—you can deal with it. You have before."
"This is because of what I said, isn't it?" he asked softly, looking at her from beneath his lashes. "In the hotel room."
Lorelei reddened and looked at her feet. "No. But it didn't help."
"Did you not understand what I was trying to say?"
Lorelei closed her eyes, feeling the same pain tearing inside her as when he told her he could never care for her the way she wanted. "You were quite clear," she said, voice barely audible.
"Believe me, however hard it is for you, the fact I care for you is a good thing," said Gabe, standing and moving towards her. “You have no idea how big a difference that makes to your future.”
Lorelei stepped back, shaking her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "Don't even think about trying to do that again."
"Do what?"
"Your mind control thing, or whatever it is you do to me when you don't want to argue with me."
"I don't do anything deliberately. I become disturbed by your anger or distress, and I want you to be calm. I don't know how I do it."
"Sure, you don't." Lorelei looked up at him, eyes fierce, challenging him again.
They faced each other, bound together but miles apart, Lorelei willing herself not to reach out and touch his face. Gabe’s eyes burned into her, his breathing shallow.
"It's not working," she murmured.
"I'm not trying to do anything." His low was voice filled with the emotions he'd shared once before, and he reached out a hand to touch her hair, brushing it gently from her eyes. Lorelei flinched her skin warming where his fingers touched her cheek.
"Don’t.”
"What do I have to do to make you change your mind?" His hand hovered around her face.
Squeezing her eyes closed, Lorelei fought it. Fought her overwhelming desire to throw herself into his life and stay in his world. She moved towards the door, surprised she had the mental strength to walk away.
"I can't have the life I want in your world, Gabe. Take me back to the city."
Chapter Twenty-Six
The afternoon they arrived back in the city, Gabe took her rucksack from the boot of his car and handed it to her awkwardly. The journey was silent; she knew he’d closed down again. Gruffly, he assured her he would never be too far away to help if Caleb came back, made a pointed remark about what use that would be, then drove away leaving Lorelei cold and empty outside her flat.
The city’s unwelcoming weather was matched by her friend's anger the moment Lorelei walked into her home. She failed her attempt to sneak into the flat, instead immediately accosted by a furious Scarlet. Lorelei sat in silence while Scarlet raged at her, but she managed to calm her down. After all, the events from the end of the summer were enough to explain Lorelei's weird behaviour, even now. Instead, a concerned Scarlet tried to persuade Lorelei to visit a counsellor, but she refused. The stories she told could end with a stint in the local psych ward.
Lorelei managed to turn around the conversation to Ben. Scarlet hadn't seen him since—he sent her a mysterious text message about needing to leave the city and drop out of university, explaining he wouldn't be back. Then she listened as Scarlet changed to raging about her ex instead. Lorelei bit back saying she was better off without Ben but didn’t want a bigger fight with Scarlet.
Scarlet dealt with the break up by re-joining her group of partying friends who she’d drifted away from thanks to Ben. Scarlet dyed her hair red again, so everything returned to normal although Lorelei was secretly amused, but relieved by, Scarlet’s fickleness. What had become of Ben? Worse still, how long Ben was he the boy Scarlet met before Caleb took possession of him? There weren’t many outward signs showing a change in Ben, but she’d begun to avoid him towards the end. Lorelei refused to dwell on it.
Alex arrived at her flat as soon as he discovered she'd returned, angry and upset that she tricked him, which reminded Lorelei of the day Gabe tried to reprimand her by the sea. But Alex dropped his anger and enveloped her in a big hug, telling her if she disappeared again, he would call the police. They'd been hours away from calling the police. Lorelei told them she appreciated their care and concern but refused to talk to them about where she'd been.
Walking to and from university she thought she saw Gabe in the distance a few times but could never be sure. He'd returned to the shadows, where she'd asked him to go.
The end of term approached, and Caleb didn’t appear. Lorelei managed to throw herself into revision for exams, still hiding behind hats and scarves, always vigilant. Something or someone would come—it was only a matter of when.
Her friendship with Alex began again but remained uneasy. She could sense the distance he tried to put between them, deliberately putting her off spending too much time with him. S
he had mixed emotions about this—jealousy seemed wrong but tugged at her. She told herself it was the same as when she felt jealous of Scarlet spending so much time with Ben when their friendship took second place. Lorelei needed a conversation with Alex about how to frame their relationship, but they drifted along as if nothing changed and avoided talking about the elephant in the room.
Lorelei's new favourite haunt became a small book shop which recently opened close to her flat. The new owners converted the upstairs area into a small cafe with low tables and soft blue sofa chairs; the blackboard above the counter chalked with lists of teas instead of coffees.
Today she'd arranged to meet Scarlet there and catch a movie at the nearby cinema. Life was good and although it took a few weeks, returning to the city to her old life felt like the best decision. She could return to enjoying her years as a student and exploring life. Rare sunny winters days like this cheered her further, and she sat in a chair by the window, feeling the sun's heat on her face and arms.
Curled up in one of the chairs, Lorelei became engrossed in a book. A fresh pot of tea appeared by her white china cup and saucer, and she glanced up to thank the waitress. A man closed her book and took it from her as he slid into the chair opposite.
She froze. Caleb.
He leaned back lazily in the chair opposite and fixed her with his shining blue eyes, the corner of his mouth turned up into his charmingly wicked grin. Lorelei glanced around the full room, figuring her nearest escape route as her breath shortened.
"Sorry, were you expecting someone else?" Caleb asked with mock innocence. She stared at him then glanced around the room again—maybe Gabe or Scarlet were close by.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Get away from me."
Caleb leaned across the table and poured the steaming tea into her cup then picked up the small milk jug between his long fingers. The fingers he'd once wrapped around her neck. "Milk?"
Caleb’s arrival attracted attention, especially from the group of girls at the next table who switched their focus from books to him. Unsurprising, since he wore designer clothes which stood out amongst the eclectic mix of charity and high street dress of those around him. Like Gabe, his face’s perfect symmetry gave him a strange beauty, and they shared the same tall, lithe figures. She'd never seen Caleb close in daylight, and his similarities to Gabe intrigued her.
"I look better than the last time we met, don’t I?" He smirked, setting down the milk jug.
"What are you doing here?"
Lorelei kicked herself for becoming complacent when days without a sign of anything unusual became weeks. She’d assured herself that although Gabe had slipped back into the shadows, he still played his role. Stupidly, she’d believed the threat was over and imagined the supernatural battle raging around, but without her involvement. Safe.
"Don't panic. I won’t touch you." His eyes swept her body. "Though of course I'd like to."
Lorelei cursed as her cheeks heated.
"I want to talk to you," he said.
"Talk to me? Last time we "talked" you cut my hand open, the time before that you tried to...I don't know what you tried to do, and the first time we talked you smashed my head against a wall."
Lorelei’s voice rose, and she smiled at the odd looks from the girls watching. At least if Caleb did attack again, there were witnesses.
Caleb snorted. "As if witnesses would worry me. But that's not my intention at all."
Reading her thoughts... "What’s your intention, then? You can't expect me to believe after hundreds of years searching for the Key that you've decided not to bother anymore. There’s no other reason you’re sitting here."
Caleb leaned back in his seat. "I never said that either. Let's call it a change of tack."
"You mean be nice to me and hope I follow you like an obedient puppy dog?"
He laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're amusing. And no, I've enough followers, thank you. Didn't you meet one? Oh, that's right—Gabe killed him."
"I expect Gabe will be here soon." She picked up the delicate teacup and calmly sipped her tea. “He’ll follow you.”
"He certainly will, but I'm not hanging around long. I wanted to set a few things straight with you. Frankly, I'm sick of being painted as the bad guy."
Lorelei choked on her tea. "What? I've seen things you've done and been on the receiving end. Remember?"
"Let me rephrase that: I'm sick of Gabe painting himself as the good guy. I decided you need a few more facts."
"Facts about what?"
With the cafe almost full, a girl with long brown hair approached and asked if she could take the spare chair from their table. Caleb turned his smile on her and charmingly offered to carry the chair over. She turned pink and stammered out it was okay. He continued smiling as he watched her walk away, then slowly turned his face back to Lorelei, the smile slipping.
"Tell me, Lorelei, why do you believe everything Gabe tells you? Surely an intelligent girl with an enquiring mind like yours doesn't take what people say as gospel truth?"
That doubt hovered around her thoughts occasionally. "And the alternative is to believe who? You? I'm sure you can see why an intelligent girl with an enquiring mind might not believe the person who attacks her every time they meet."
"I like you," he said quietly. "You're fascinating. And strong, by taking a risk and telling him to watch from a distance. I bet Gabe doesn't cope with that well."
Lorelei ignored the jibe and shifted in her seat. "Say what you want to say then leave. Make the most of the time you have before Gabe arrives."
"Oh yes, Gabe your dashing protector. Have you spoken to him much about why he watches?"
"To stop you dragging the world into destructive chaos, apparently."
Caleb's eyes widened with amusement. "Oh, really? That's funny. But Gabe would put that spin on it, I guess. No, do you know exactly why he's a Watcher?"
"Because he chose to."
"Because he has to."
Lorelei stared at Caleb, and he raised an eyebrow. "See, he doesn’t tell you the entire truth, but I'll leave you to ask him about that."
Caleb leaned back in his chair, taking a drink from his cup as he surveyed the room. "I love what they’ve done with the place."
"Are you making small talk with me?" She gripped her teacup.
"I was merely commenting on how pleasant the surroundings are, is that so wrong?"
Lorelei shook her head, set down her cup and leaned forward to pick up her bag.
Caleb put his foot onto the strap, pinning the bag to the floor. "I wondered if you wanted to join me?"
Lorelei straightened. "Join you? Are you crazy?"
"Listen to what I have to say, two minutes. I’ve some information Gabe chooses to hide from you."
The offer of information tempted Lorelei, but would he tell the truth? Unlikely. "Two minutes."
Caleb smiled and clapped his hands together. "Great! Well, to start with I'm not trying to end the world or anything close. I'm trying to free every realm from centuries of oppression. There are those who’ve decided that, because they hold greater powers, they have the right to rule over everyone." He leaned forward. "I don't want to use the power for that. I don't want to control people. I want the strong to be strong and the weak to be in their place too. Let the universe find its natural order."
The genuine earnestness in his tone made him sound like a politician pushing a manifesto. "With you at the top, I suppose?"
"Well, probably since I'll have the power. But I won't use that power to decide who, or what is worthy or unworthy. The races can fight between themselves."
"The chaos and destruction I mentioned sounds likely."
Caleb shrugged. "Maybe. But freedom is more valuable than anything, don't you agree?"
She ignored his loaded comment. "I've no idea why you think I would want to join you in this."
Caleb held a hand up to stop her talking, as if listening to something else, then turne
d back to her, dropping his hand.
"My beautiful, powerful Lorelei," he said softly. "I have to leave. I hope our meeting in a more...non-confrontational way might help our relationship. Are you wondering why I’ve taken weeks to approach you? It’s because I can see you're more powerful than I thought, even though you clearly have no idea. Don't believe those who tell you that you're only a Host. I see you living your life striving to hold your own power over the world, fighting against supernatural control. Have you ever asked yourself why?"
Caleb moved as close to her as possible without touching, his warm breath against her ear. His proximity made her shiver—and not with fear. He caused the same reaction in her body as when Gabe stood close to her, and she closed her eyes. Caleb made no sense.
"Once, I was close to finding and taking the Key," he whispered. "Ask Gabe to tell you what happened that stopped me succeeding. Then make your judgements." Lorelei wanted to slap the Caleb smirk away as he rose from the chair and straightened his sleeves. "Anyway, I've other matters to attend to—I'll catch up with you again soon."
He winked, smiled at the other girls and strode away, his self-assured and powerful aura with him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lorelei wasn’t in the mood for a night out with Scarlet but hated to let her down again. She remembered Alex’s words about spending more time around her friends and was putting effort into this. She hadn’t seen much of him since she returned to the city, despite his warm welcome. Their relationship continued to confuse them both, but at least they were more open about the situation now.
Students crammed the narrow pub, and the queue for drinks at the bar was three people deep. Dressed in her coat from the book shop café, Lorelei sweltered and wished she’d somewhere to sit.
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