GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4)

by Marilyn Campbell

  Gabriel shoved Shara to the floor as another weapon was fired and a woman screamed in pain. Protecting Shara's body with his own, he ordered her to feign death, while the room exploded into chaos. More deafening blasts struck moving targets. Objects crashed to the floor as tables were toppled to create shields. Everyone was shouting and no one was listening.

  As suddenly as the violence had erupted, it ceased. The smell of smoke and burned flesh permeated the air and painful moans throughout the room were the only sign that told Shara that others had survived. Gabriel's weight kept her pressed to the floor but at least it reassured her to feel his heart pounding hard against her back.

  Sheer terror prevented her from giving in to the nausea she felt from seeing a man brutally murdered. Once Gabriel pushed her to the floor, she had kept her eyes shut tight. If only she could have shut out the sounds and smells of death as easily.

  Gabriel opened his eyes a crack. The officer who had fired the first shot lay mere inches away with a gaping wound in his head. Historical accounts reported that the Friends had been responsible for the violence but now Gabriel knew that, at least in one location, a panicked officer of the Tribunal had caused the altercation to turn deadly.

  Cautiously he raised his head to see if it was safe to move... and found himself staring at the end of a shooter.

  "Go easy, now," the officer standing over Gabriel said. "Hand over your weapon."

  "We're unarmed," Gabriel replied, giving Shara's shoulder a squeeze. "If you'll let us get up, you can see for yourself."

  The officer backed away a bit but kept the shooter aimed at Gabriel's forehead. "Stand up slowly and place your hands on your heads."

  As Gabriel helped Shara to her feet, the only other officer left standing joined the first.

  Shara tried to send him the suggestion that they were innocent bystanders but her mind was in such a turmoil, she couldn't concentrate. Quickly the second officer ran his hands over her tunic then moved to Gabriel.

  Shara tensed as the officer's fingers discovered the paralyzer rod.

  "What's this?" he asked, extracting the rod from the concealed pocket.

  "A light," Gabriel answered.

  The officer looked doubtful as he examined it. "I thought the Friends only used firelight."

  Gabriel shrugged. "That's why I keep it hidden."

  "It looks like a weapon to me." The officer gripped the handle and pointed the rod at Shara.

  Her heart banged against her rib cage but she forced herself to remain still.

  "How does it work?" the officer asked, watching Shara's eyes.

  "Just squeeze the grip," Gabriel told him casually.

  Shara stopped breathing as the officer's fingers slowly tightened. She could dive out of the way of the lethal weapon's beam or she could trust Gabriel to know what he was doing.

  Her indecision held her in place as a soft white light shone in her eyes. Only then did she remember that he'd been using it as a light during last night's venture. It took a huge effort not to sigh with relief.

  "My son would like this," the officer said, directing the light onto the ceiling.

  "It's my invention," Gabriel replied proudly. "That's the only one I have but I'd be glad to make your son another and have it delivered to you... after this situation is resolved." Gabriel gave the officer a meaningful glance.

  Nodding, the officer calmly gave his address and slid the rod back into its sheath in Gabriel's tunic. Shara desperately wanted to get out of that room. They were being held at weaponpoint, with their hands on their heads, in the midst of a bloody massacre. She could have screamed at the two men behaving as if this were all an everyday occurrence.

  "You'll have to come with me to headquarters now," the officer said then instructed his colleague to remain in the residence until assistance arrived.

  They had just stepped outside when a thunderous explosion quaked the ground beneath their feet. A second later another explosion sounded, followed by another and another. Great clouds of smoke arose from the area of the city where the Administration Building was located. Emergency sirens began wailing almost instantly.

  The next blast knocked them to the ground. In a flash, one side of the residence burst into flames.

  "What's happening?" Shara cried.

  "Hades—"

  Before Gabriel could say another word, several more firebombs went off in nearby residences. The horrifying sounds of the sirens, shattering glass and collapsing rooftops were nothing compared to the shrieks of hysteria as residents, security officers and Friends ran from the blazing homes.

  The officer that had remained inside dragged another uniformed man through the front door, shouting, "I need help! There are more wounded inside." Immediately several volunteers came running.

  Without thinking, Shara took a step toward the house as Gabriel grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "You can't go in there."

  "Let me go! We can help."

  Gabriel's grip tightened like a vise. "I told you before, you cannot interfere!"

  The officer guarding them put a swift end to their argument. Using his shooter to point, he ordered, "Move over there where the others are being gathered."

  A dejected group of Friends were being herded upwind of the fires by a troop of armed security officers, while other officers frantically checked the burning residences for any survivors left inside.

  Shara could see for herself that her assistance hadn't been necessary. But that wasn't what Gabriel had meant. He had warned her repeatedly that he would not permit her to do anything that would alter history. Now she knew for certain that he would stop her by any means available, including physical restraint.

  She rubbed the spot on her upper arm where he had held her so securely. There would probably be a bruise there tomorrow. Her angry glare was lost on Gabriel, as he was occupied with Beauty.

  Shara looked around at the destruction he was recording, saw the bodies lying on the walkway and wondered if she was in some sort of shock. How could she be whining about a bruise when others were dead and dying? She could have been one of them... if it hadn't been for Gabriel's quick thinking. How could she resent his presence and be so grateful for it at the same time?

  A better question came to her immediately. How were they going to extricate themselves from the rebels before they were sent to Terra? She cursed herself for not keeping the tempometer on her person, regardless of how much curiosity it might have attracted.

  The crackling fire rapidly spread as burning sparks leaped on the wind from one residence to the next.

  One of the officers assigned to guarding the rebels spoke into a box in his hand then called out an update to the other officers—the rebels were all captured, most of the city was on fire, casualties were mounting. Every available medic and fire control squad had been put to work but there simply wasn't enough help to go around.

  Gabriel leaned close to Shara and murmured, "My guess is the spy knew about the plans to take over the residences and Administration Building but hadn't stayed at the Summit long enough to find out about Hades' so-called distractions or Athena's illusions of force."

  As if similar thoughts had occurred to a number of the corralled Friends at once, a man's voice broke the numb silence. "Someone betrayed us, that much is certain!"

  "Stating the obvious is not going to help us now," a woman replied. "Forget increased freedoms. The Tribunal will have our heads for this."

  "But I never agreed to any killing!" another protested.

  "Nor the firebombs!"

  One after another voiced objections and speculations, near panic evident in every statement. No one dared guess who the Tribunal's spy had been but it was generally agreed that Hades alone was responsible for the massive destruction.

  The loud drone of an engine overhead temporarily distracted the rebels from their fear. A large, oval-shaped balloon moved into the airspace above the fire and hovered there. As a snowy substance began pouring down on the flames, relief sw
ept through both factions of the crowd.

  The fire was extinguished a short time later but nothing was left of the beautiful residences that had previously graced this section of the city. The balloon lowered to the ground and the injured were taken inside first. Once that was accomplished, the captured Friends were ordered to board.

  Gabriel reached for Shara's hand as the group moved forward but she held it away from him. She didn't feel like holding hands with the man who was planning to stand in the way of her goal.

  "Give me your hand," he ordered.

  "No." She crossed her arms in front of her and tucked her hands under them.

  "Fine," he said, putting his arm around her and pinning her to his side. "We could get separated. Be reasonable for a change."

  Shara held her retort rather than start an argument in front of so many observers. The whole situation was unreasonable. Why should she be any different?

  Using his body as a wedge, Gabriel managed to get the two of them next to a window. As the balloon rose into the air, she noted that he kept his one hand on her waist but his other hand was aiming Beauty at the disaster on the ground.

  Whole buildings had been reduced to rubble. Others were standing but blackened with soot. There didn't appear to be a glass window left intact anywhere.

  Sections of the overhead rails were twisted and bent. At least one large transport had crashed to the ground. From the abundance of activity, it appeared that rescue operations were under way throughout the city but it was too late for a great number of people.

  A park had been converted into a temporary detention center for the rebels, with security officers posted around a cordoned-off area. Looking down on the group below, Shara surmised that the Friends' ranks had been reduced by at least a third.

  The balloon descended and the rebels on board were escorted into the park with the others.

  "I hope you have a plan to get us out of here," Shara murmured to Gabriel.

  He arched one eyebrow at her. "Me? This is your adventure. I'm just along for the ride. Remember?"

  She made a face at him. "Do you want me to admit I'm in over my head?"

  "That would be a good start."

  "Fine. I admit it."

  "I think you can do better than that."

  She angled her head at him, trying to guess what concession he wanted. "And I admit that the only reason I've made it this far is because of you."

  His expression softened. "Anything else?"

  "And I'm terrified out of my wits. Gabriel, please, do you have a plan or not?"

  "Maybe. I need a hug first." When she leaned away instead, he said, "If I tell you to do something, I have a good reason. If you balk, it could mean the difference between escape and spending the rest of our lives on ancient Terra."

  She swallowed her pride and wrapped her arms around his waist for the hug he requested. The moment he held her close, she knew she had needed this more than he had. "Thank you."

  He gave her a squeeze. "If we're going to make it through this, we have to trust each other without question from now on. Agreed?"

  "Agreed," she said, but privately added, except where my goals are concerned.

  "That reminds me, thank you for trusting me about the paralyzer rod back there. For a moment you looked like you were going to fall apart."

  "I almost did. I was so frightened, I couldn't concentrate well enough to use my power of suggestion to get us out of there."

  "It probably wouldn't have helped. There were too many of them between us and freedom." He gave her one more squeeze then released her. "Here comes Zeus. He obviously doesn't know when to quit."

  The big man was working his way through the crowd. As he neared, Shara could hear him offering condolences while at the same time reassuring the Friends that their fight for freedom wasn't yet over. She thought it was interesting that Hades was nowhere in sight.

  "Shara and Gabriel," Zeus said, greeting them each with a pat on the shoulder. "Glad to see you made it in one piece. What of Athena? I heard the situation went badly."

  Gabriel answered, "Athena was injured, but alive. Several others weren't so fortunate."

  Zeus bowed his head for a moment then said, "Their lives were not lost in vain. This day will prove to be to our advantage in the end."

  "Have you heard what's to be done with us?" Shara asked.

  Zeus nodded. "We will each be questioned. Speak the truth, for they will be able to know your thoughts. Take the opportunity to reiterate the peaceful motives of the Friends." After another shoulder pat, he moved on.

  Shara turned to Gabriel and murmured. "Did you hear that? They will know our thoughts! They're bound to be suspicious if they can't read us."

  "We may have to allow them access, but there's no way to predict how they'll react. We'll simply have to wait and see how things go."

  "That's your plan?" she asked with a skeptical smirk. "Wait and see?"

  He ginned at her and shrugged. "It works for me."

  In the following hours, two rebels at a time were taken into the park shelter where the Security Services had set up temporary headquarters. Shara couldn't help but notice that when some of the Friends returned, they had a very strange look about them, as if they were walking in their sleep.

  "What do you think is happening in that building?" she asked Gabriel nervously.

  "I don't know, but it doesn't look promising. At this time, the Noronian method of reprogramming disturbed minds was in the early experimental stages. Electricity and personality-altering chemicals were still being tested. It could be that there's more than questioning going on in there."

  "Dear heavens! We've got to get out of here before our turn comes."

  Ping

  Chapter 13

  Gabriel and Shara both froze at the warning sound.

  "Not now" Shara whispered, as panic made her pulse race faster than it already was.

  Gabriel touched his pendant and murmured, "Beauty, display body temperature."

  Shara stood in front of him so that no one but she could see the numbers appearing on the mirror. "You're barely up half a degree. Why did it go off?"

  "I reprogrammed it this morning. I thought we might need more time. Check yourself."

  Placing her hand between Beauty and Gabriel's chest, she requested her own reading then groaned softly. "This can't be happening! I'm having a terrible nightmare, that's all." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I am going to wake up now and I'll be perfectly safe in my own bed." She felt his hand touch her cheek and she opened her eyes.

  "You're hot," he said, his voice slightly scolding. "Why didn't you say something?"

  She lowered her lashes. "I was hoping it was the fire."

  Shaking his head, he muttered, "You are the most unreasonable female I have ever encountered."

  Instantly her mood changed from shy to bristling.

  "Go ahead, insult me! That will certainly—" His mouth came down on hers so swiftly, she would have lost her balance if he hadn't been holding her up. As soon as her eyes focused on his, she realized he was silencing, not kissing her. Ashamed that she had let her runaway emotions endanger them, she closed her eyes and leaned into him in a gesture of submission. She hated being so out of control but it really wasn't his fault.

  When he was certain her tantrum had been aborted, he raised his head and loosened his hold. One glance around let him know that no one particularly cared if the lovers were having another little quarrel.

  Shara looked up at him apologetically. "I don't feel well, Gabriel. I should have told you."

  "And I should have known you wouldn't." Suddenly his face lit up. "This could be a blessing in disguise."

  She wondered if the fever was affecting him more than her.

  "It might get slightly embarrassing but I think it'll work."

  Her gaze darted back and forth to the people on all sides of them. Images flashed in her mind of her and Gabriel coupling in wild abandon on the grass while everyone ca
sually looked on. Slightly embarrassing?

  He kissed her nose. "Trust me. I'll have us somewhere private before we lose control."

  She tried to give him a trusting smile but her lower lip didn't cooperate. His finger traced her mouth then he slipped his hand beneath her hair to stroke her neck. His touch was gentle but when his fingers trickled down her spine, she stiffened. "Please don't. I don't want to be rude again but when you touch me like that, well... I mean, it's very nice, but my skin is getting more sensitive by the second."

  Gabriel placed his mouth against her ear. "That's the point. I'm trying to arouse you." She shivered, either from his words or the heat of his breath, and he nipped her earlobe. "The faster the fever's symptoms are visible, the faster I can set my plan in motion. Let me see your eyes, sweetling." She met his gaze and the rich shade of chocoberry told him all he needed to know. "Don't take those pretty eyes off me now. Try to forget that there's anyone around but us. We're all alone here."

  He drew her close so that his thigh wedged between the juncture of hers, and she gasped at the intensity of her body's response to the expertly applied pressure. The thin material of their tunics was as nothing between them. She bit her lip as an imperceptible shift of his leg caused her to involuntarily arch into him.

  "That's it," Gabriel whispered, slowly rocking her lower body against his. "Do you know how badly I want to be inside you right now? As deep as you could take me. Sliding in and out. Driving us both out of our minds with pleasure. I'd try to go slowly, to make it last, but you're so hot and tight, it's impossible."

  Her response was a whimper of pure sexual frustration.

  "Give me your sweet mouth, Shara, like you did this morning. Don't hold back. Take whatever you want."

  She pulled his head down to hers and dove into an eating kiss that increased rather than satisfied her desire. She was on fire with raw need clawing at her body and her mind. His tongue in her mouth was not enough. She wanted all of him inside her, or she would surely die.

  Gabriel almost forgot where they were and what he was supposed to be doing. Her peaking fever was raising his, despite all his efforts to remain conscious of his actions. With tremendous determination he eased her away from him. The corneas of her eyes were blood red as she tried to recapture his mouth.