Charles frowned, pausing in the act of setting his dough aside to rise. “The firewood? I thought you brought in enough yesterday to last us for a few days.”
“Better to check now than wake up freezing in the middle of the night because we ran out.” The lie rolled off my tongue with practiced ease, even as it made my stomach churn with guilt. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Charles said slowly, but I could see the questions in his eyes. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No need. You should probably get that bread sorted anyway.” I pressed a quick kiss to his forehead, trying to ignore the way he leaned into the touch. “I’ll be right back.”
The moment I stepped outside, Gabriel materialized from the shadows between the trees, and the fury radiating from him hit me like a physical force. I’d seen him angry before, but this was different. This was the cold, controlled rage of someone who was barely holding back from doing something apocalyptic.
“Gabriel,” I started, but he cut me off with a sharp gesture.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice deadly quiet. “Don’t say a single word until I’m finished.”
I closed my mouth and waited, every muscle in my body tense.
“The NYPD operation is blown,” Gabriel continued, his golden eyes never leaving mine. “Their undercover agent went missing twelve hours ago. They suspect there’s a mole in the department feeding information to Carlo.”
Ice flooded my veins. “How much does Carlo know?”
“Enough to be dangerous. And without eyes inside his organization, we’re flying blind.” Gabrielstepped closer, and I could smell the expensive cologne he favored mixed with something that might have been ozone. “Which means your protectee is in more danger than ever.”
“We should move. Find a new safe house, somewhere Carlo can’t?—”
“No.” Gabriel’s voice was sharp. “Moving now would expose you both. This location is defensible, remote. We’ll see anyone coming from miles away. Better to make a stand here than risk being caught in the open.”
I nodded, though every protective instinct I possessed was screaming at me to grab Charles and run. “What’s our timeline?”
“Unknown. Carlo could be mobilizing as we speak, or he might take days to organize a proper search. His intentions are unreadable as of now.” Gabriel’s expression darkened further. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
Something in his tone made my blood turn to ice water. “What do you mean?”
“I can smell him on you,” Gabriel said quietly, and there was something almost disappointed in his voice. “Your protectee.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, then closed it again. What was the point? Gabriel’s senses were far more acute than mine—he could probably detect what Charles and I had been doing from a mile away.
“Yes,” I said simply.
“After everything I told you. After every warning about maintaining professional distance.” Gabriel’s voice was getting quieter, which in my experience was far more dangerous than if he’d been shouting. “You slept with him anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Gabrielstepped closer, invading my personal space. “After the warning I gave you, you went and did it anyway.”
Something hot and defiant flared in my chest. “I know exactly what I’ve done.”
“Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve thrown away three centuries of guardian training for a few hours of physical pleasure with someone you barely know.”
“It’s not about the sex.” The words came out harsher than I intended, but I was past caring about Gabriel’s delicate sensibilities. “And I do know him. Better than I’ve ever known anyone.”
“You’ve known him for less than a week?—”
“And I love him.” The admission hung between us like a gauntlet thrown down. “I’m completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with him, Gabriel. So if you’re planning to lecture me about professional boundaries, save your breath.”
Gabriel stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “I could pull you from this assignment right now. Send in another guardian.”
“You could try.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
