"Maybe it takes a Warder and a Shadow," Gabe said. "Two different kinds of energy working together."
"Possibly." Celeste lay silent, comfortable in his arms, trying to make sense of it all. In the quiet, her stomach growled. She bit her lip. The rumble had been embarrassingly loud. It was morning and dinner was a distant memory. She'd expended a lot of energy in the fight with nothing to replace it.
"Come on," Gabe said, tugging her with him as he sat up. "We need to get something to eat. I want to take today to rest and come up with a plan. Then we can go after Blake."
Celeste allowed him to pull her to her feet. Putting on a robe, she slowed as she realized what faced her below. She wasn't ready to go down there. Didn't want to see. Gabe took her hand, tugging her to the doors. She tried to pull back.
"It's okay," he said, leaning in to kiss her.
Arms around her waist, Gabe pulled her into his body, dropping his head. His lips pressed to hers again, their touch spreading a warmth that overflowed with emotion. It coursed through her, deep and strong, chasing away her fears. Celeste kissed him back. Dimly, she recalled their passion of the night before. She wasn't ready for that again. Not quite yet. Not with her grief so fresh. If Gabe was staying, there would be plenty of time for passion later.
Chapter Ten
Gabe had taken care of everything. The first floor of the tower looked the same as always, minus a lamp and an end table. Fitz's big body was missing, the pool of blood washed away as if nothing had happened. If not for Fitz's glaring absence, Celeste might have wondered if she'd dreamed the whole fight.
"Where?" Gabe knew what she was asking.
"I wrapped him in the blanket from the couch and took him to the shed."
"Do you have another crematus disc?" she asked, voice wobbling. He pulled her into his embrace, rubbing a hand over her back in a gentle circle.
"You want to cremate him?" Gabe asked. Celeste nodded against his chest. The idea of Fitz in the ground was repulsive. A Shadow's life was long. Hopefully, if she and Gabe managed to kill Blake and the rest of the nest, Celeste had decades of life ahead. Centuries. At some point she would move. If Fitz was in the earth, he'd be left behind. Just then, with his loss so fresh, the thought was unbearable. If Celeste had his ashes, she could keep him forever.
"Okay," Gabe said. "Now, or later?"
"Now. I can't think about anything else if he's lying there."
"Go get dressed. I'll get Fitz from the shed and meet you out back."
With a kiss to the top of her head, Gabe turned to the kitchen door. Celeste ran up the stairs. She couldn't focus until they'd taken proper care of Fitz. He deserved to be her first priority. Maybe if she'd put Fitz first before, he'd still be alive. She braided her hair and pulled on a pair of jeans with a blue wool sweater. The bloody clothes she'd worn the night before had disappeared along with the rest of the mess.
Gabe had worked hard while she'd been sleeping. The Warder assassin was blunt, direct, and not overly romantic. And in his own way, Gabe was the sweetest man she'd ever known. Celeste managed a smile. No flowers and poems from her man. Just, 'You're mine. I'm staying.'
Quietly doing the hardest things, because they needed to be done. Cleaning up the tower so she wouldn't wake to see bodies and blood. Taking care of Fitz. Celeste expected he'd never shower her with soft words. But she knew he'd always be there when she needed him.
Celeste believed what he'd said. Gabe was finished with running away. He was hers. They belonged to each other. Which meant Celeste needed to take care of Gabriel the way he was taking care of her. Not just for Fitz, but for Gabe, for his lost brother. They needed to find a way to kill Blake.
She let the problem roll around in the back of her mind as she descended the stairs, pulled on an old pair of running shoes and met Gabe outside the back door. On the way out, she grabbed a clean coffee tin. The used tin wasn't elegant, but it was enough for now. She'd get something more appropriate for Fitz later. An urn suitable for a hero, even if that hero was a dog.
Gabe had laid Fitz out on top of a tarp, the blanket from the couch draped over his prone body. Gently, as if as she didn't want to wake him, Celeste drew the blanket back. Ignoring the gaping wound in his side, she pressed a kiss to Fitz's broad forehead. Hot tears dripped into his thick fur. Normally, she hated crying. For Fitz it was alright. Fitz deserved her tears.
"I love you," she whispered into his ear. "I'm so sorry. I should have taken better care of you."
Celeste kissed his forehead again, then sat back on her heels, scooting off the edge of the tarp. She nodded to Gabe. Instead of tossing the crematus, as he usually did, Gabe leaned over to place the small wooden disc on Fitz's side. He stroked the cold, wiry fur once, gray eyes wet.
They waited in the chilly air, watching Fitz. Still kneeling beside the tarp, Celeste ignored the tears spilling over her cheeks. When Gabe rested a strong, warm hand on her shoulder, she leaned into his leg, glad for the support. The disc flared to life in a flash of light. A curl of smoke barely touched the air before flame engulfed the dog, leaving the tarp scorched but intact. Seconds later, all that remained was a layer of ash. Focusing her weak Tk, Celeste drew the ash into a pile, then shifted the pile into the open coffee can. Replacing the lid, she sealed it shut, holding Fitz's makeshift urn close to her chest. Gabe pulled her in for a rough hug before turning her to the house.
"Go find us something to eat. I'll be there in a minute."
Celeste obeyed, knowing he was going to clean up the tarp and put it away. She was more than happy to cook. Fitz had been in the shed. It would be awhile before she'd enter the dark, little building without remembering that it had held his body.
Fortunately, there was plenty of food in the pantry. Not in the mood for breakfast, it didn't take Celeste long to decide on thick ham sandwiches and soup. Fat slices of the apple cake they'd forgotten the night before. Even sad, tired, and emotionally wrung out, she was still starving. By the time Gabe came in through the back door, carefully locking it behind him, Celeste was putting their meal on the table.
In silence, they sat down to eat. An idea had been running through her mind. A way to draw Blake and the nest into the open. Her plan would work, but Gabe wouldn't like it. She cleared her throat.
"I thought of a way to get Blake," she said. Gabe looked up, his gaze inviting her to continue. "I don't think hunting the nest or Blake is a good idea now. They'll be expecting an attack. And I'm not sure exactly where the main house is over there. The family that lived there was private. Kind of paranoid. Some of the other families around here might know, but I don't want to drag any more humans into this."
"You want to wait for Blake to come to us?"
"In a way. I want to set a trap," she said.
Gabe's eyes immediately narrowed. "Using what as bait?" he asked. Celeste didn't answer. Gabe's eyes narrowed further. "No. Fucking. Way."
"Gabe—" she started to say.
The Warder shoved back from the table, surging to his feet. "No. Fucking. Way," he repeated. "We're not using you as bait. He's already come for you once. I'm not risking you again."
"I know. He's come for me once and he will again. If he thinks I'm alone." Celeste rose, facing him.
"I'm not risking you," Gabe said.
"So how were you going to hunt the nest? If you let me come, I'm at risk. If you leave me here, I'm at risk. There's no safe way out of this, Gabe. Anything we do will be dangerous."
"Then we'll track him down together. I'm not leaving you here alone."
"Just listen to my idea. If it really won't work, we'll come up with something else. But listen first."
Gabe stared her down, as if measuring her resolve. Celeste could tell he didn't want to give in, didn't want to hear the first word about her plan. After a long minute, he must have read the conviction in her eyes or felt it in the bond they shared. Resigned, he sat at the table and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. He'd listen, but his posture made it clear Gabe wa
sn't going to like anything Celeste had to say.
"We wait until tomorrow. Too soon would be suspicious. I have some warding spells a friend gave me. Fitz was better than wards, so I never bothered with them. If we hide them in the woods, we'll know when Blake comes back. When we're sure he's watching, you leave and go back to your truck. If Blake goes after you, I'll come help. But I think he'll come for me."
"He'll come for you," Gabe agreed. "You're too good a food source."
Celeste scowled. "That's disgusting," she said.
"That's reality. Blake wants to get rid of me and take you back to their hideout so they can feed from you. If you're going to put yourself in danger, don't dress it up. This is worse than cutting yourself and diving in a pool of sharks. The sharks would be an easier death. If something goes wrong, and he kills me—"
"I know. Gabe, I know. But we have to kill him. Let me finish." Gabe waved his hand at her, telling her to go on. His annoyed gesture earned another scowl. "You get your truck and drive back. That should be enough time for him to come after me. I can hold him off long enough for you to get here. If you leave the truck running, I think I can hijack the electricity in the battery and use it to help you kill him."
"Blake won't be alone," Gabe said.
"I doubt there are many demons left in the nest." Celeste waited as Gabe mentally poked holes in the plan. It didn't take long.
"This thing is swiss cheese, Celeste. Going back and forth to the truck gives him a lot of time alone with you. He could do anything. It leaves you too vulnerable."
"I can barricade myself in my room. The doors are thick and they can be barred from the inside."
"That helps. I'd rather lock you in a steel vault."
"That's impractical," she said, lifting her sandwich. "We don't have a steel vault."
Gabe fell silent, not appreciating her joke. The thought of being alone in the tower, trapped by Blake and his Vorati, was terrifying. Celeste wasn't particularly brave. Her fighting skills were mediocre. But this was the best plan she could throw together on short notice. Gabriel didn't have a less dangerous option or he would have brought it up. In any case, their world was about to become more dangerous no matter what they did.
Vorati infecting Warders. Celeste and Gabe defying both the Warders and Shadows to live together. Her previously unstable powers shifting into something unknown. Whatever was coming, it looked like her quiet, isolated life was over.
Gabe uncrossed his arms with a sigh and finished lunch without speaking. When the plate was empty, he pushed it away. Finally, he spoke.
"I don't like this," he said. "But I can't think of anything better." Celeste beamed. Gabe glowered back. "As soon as I leave, you'll go up to the bedroom and bar the door. Promise me."
"I promise," she said.
"Don't unbar the door for any reason. Not until I get back. Not for any reason."
"Promise," she repeated.
Gabe grunted. Celeste got up to put the dishes in the sink. When she returned to the table, she tucked herself into Gabe's lap. After a moment, he stood up, easily carrying her to the oversize couch where he lay down with Celeste stretched out on top of him. She relaxed, cheek to his chest, his strong heartbeat a comforting echo. Long fingers threaded through her hair, untangling the golden strands that had worked loose from her braid.
"Try to take a nap," he said. "You didn't get much sleep last night. Tomorrow is a big day."
"You didn't sleep much either." A jaw-cracking yawn took Celeste by surprise.
"I'll rest," he said. Celeste doubted Gabe would sleep. Instead, he'd keep watch, alert for any disturbance. Normally, she'd insist on taking turns. Another yawn hit her. Between the fight and losing Fitz, she was so tired. Gabe was right, she needed to rest. Sleep now, help keep watch later. Celeste drifted off, lulled by the comforting stroke of Gabe's fingers on the back of her head.
***
Celeste leaned against the front door of the tower, trying to emote a combination of sadness and farewell. An hour before, the wards had gone off, three shrill blasts echoing through the tower for each body that crossed the invisible line. Piled on top of one another, the sounds had been difficult to count off into individual intruders. Celeste had heard the wards sound twelve times. Gabe fifteen. So at least four, probably five. The Vorati hadn’t approached the tower, but the wards would have sounded a second time if they had left the protected zone.
Blake was out there somewhere, watching Celeste and Gabriel say good-bye. They needed to be convincing. Gabe wore an expression of impatience thinly veiled with a polite smile. He was a much better actor than her. His performance might have been disquieting if she had any reason to doubt him. The day before had been more than reassuring.
With Gabe’s encouragement, she’d taken a nap. After all that had happened, she’d needed it. After several hours of sleep, Celeste had woken in time to see the sun slowly setting over the mountain. She'd located the warding spells while Gabe reheated leftover stew. As night fell, Gabe disappeared into the darkness to place the spells in a loose perimeter around the tower. If anything resembling a living body crossed the lines, a ringing chime would blast through the tower. It wasn't great for regular use since the alarm would sound for both friend and foe, but for their limited needs the wards were perfect.
Then he'd helped methodically bar the doors and windows. Once he was confident they were secure, Gabe took her hand and led her up the stairs. She'd thought they'd made love their first night together. Thought she'd experienced all of Gabriel's tenderness. She'd been wrong. Gabriel stripped the clothes from her body with deliberate care, stroking rough fingers over her skin, leaving trails of hot, passionate energy, painting Celeste with his desire. By the time she was naked, Celeste trembled with need. Gabe's need or hers, it didn't seem to matter. Their passion for each other wrapped around her, flooding her senses. Gabe lavished attention on her, taking endless minutes to explore. Not just the obvious spots, but the tender skin behind her shoulders, the firm muscle of her calf. It wasn't long before she was so sensitized, each light stroke sent shivers down her spine. When she reached for him, eager to touch him just as thoroughly, he'd pressed her hands back to the mattress, telling her, “This is for me.” Funny, it felt like it was all for her.
Celeste might have worried what Gabe was getting out of it if she hadn't been able to feel his pleasure running through her own nerves. When he'd finally moved between her legs to fill her, she'd been trembling on the edge, ready to explode. Still, he'd continued the same unhurried pace, building pleasure higher, not allowing her to fall into the orgasm waiting just out of reach. With a flush, Celeste remembered begging, writhing, sobbing with desperate need before he'd pushed her over the edge into a release that swamped her senses. It was possible she'd passed out.
Later, after a short nap, she'd crawled on top of Gabe and returned the favor, tasting every square inch of his warm skin. He hadn't begged, but he'd wanted to. Riding his long, muscled body, taking his thick cock deep inside her, then teasing him with shallow, twisting strokes, Celeste knew a giddy, joyous power she'd never imaged before Gabriel.
The power of giving pleasure, gifting the man she loved with herself, using her body to bring him to ecstasy. It was intimacy on every level, better than anything she could have imagined. They'd fallen asleep tangled in each other, sweat dampened bodies pressed together, too drained to care about cleaning up.
Now, pretending to be sad he was leaving, Celeste tried to hide a twist of fear. It was her plan, but that didn't mean she liked it much more than Gabe did. A lot could happen in the time it would take Gabe to get to his truck, then back to the tower. He squeezed her shoulder with one big hand and leaned in as if to kiss her cheek. Instead he whispered last minute instructions.
"He’s still watching. I can feel him out there. The second you get inside, go upstairs and bar the door. No fucking around. I'll be back as soon as I can. Then we'll finish this."
Celeste nodded in response. She didn
't trust herself to speak without betraying her emotions. Blake had to think she didn't really mind Gabe's leaving. Gabe turned to face the driveway, lifting his hand in a distracted wave. As soon as he'd taken a few paces down the graveled drive, Celeste went back into the tower, shutting and barring the door behind her. A minute later she was inside her bedroom, a second set of thick doors barred shut. Two long knives sat on the table by the door. She wouldn't be caught unarmed again. The window was open, protected by the heavy exterior shutters. Safe from projectiles or climbers, but cracked just enough to give her some fresh air and an ear to what was going on outside. Now all she had to do was wait.
***
Blake smirked at the scene in front of the tower. Gabriel was leaving the Shadow again. This time it looked like he was going for good. Knowing Gabriel and his single-minded dedication to duty, he was most likely headed deeper into the mountains, hunting Blake and his nest of Vorati. That was fine. Blake's nest might have been diminished in the past few days, but he still had a few demons. Their hideout was difficult to find for someone familiar with the mountain. The family he and his demons infected had been paranoid. Instead of a main house, they'd built several smaller dwellings designed to disappear into the steep hillsides. Not exactly luxurious, but they made excellent hiding places. Gabriel could wander for days without finding them. Even if he was lucky and got close, Blake's spells would send his instincts firing in the wrong direction, leading him far astray. Blake had plenty of time to deal with Gabe. For now, his focus was the Shadow.
Blake needed her. Wanted her. In part so he could crush something that belonged to Gabe. He supposed he'd never grow past the desire to break the other children's toys. Especially Gabe's. But more, Blake wanted the Shadow for himself. She was alluring. Potent. Her terror the night before had been exquisite. Beyond any emotion he'd tasted before, it had flowed into him, filling him with delicious power. When he'd killed the dog, Blake was so overwhelmed by her rush of grief, Gabe almost took him by surprise. Careless. Blake would be more disappointed in himself, but both he and the Voratus inside him had never fed from such a victim. If her fear was delicious, her grief had been sublime. Love wasn't the Vorati's preferred food, but twisted up with pain and loss it gave the Shadow's emotions a complex flavor that would have been desirable even if they hadn't been fueled by her Shadow powers. She could feed an entire nest, day after day, for years on end. The things they could do to her. Just the thought made Blake a little giddy.
Shadow's Passion: The Shadow Warder Series: Prequel Novella Page 10