All conversation stopped. All eyes looked at the tiny omega in the hallway. With his refined features and his girlish grace, he looked younger than he was, but to Cedric, no matter his age or his status, his wordwaslaw.
“When will I go?” Gabriel asked. He looked up shyly, dodging Cedric’s eyes to look at Adrian. “I just got home, but… home isn’t home anymore. Everything is different. I don’t want to get comfortable here only to be uprootedagain.”
“Of course not.” Adrian swept into action, abandoning Cedric to fall into place at Gabriel’s side. “If you want to go, then you can go. Sterling and Cedric are going to get the details set up, and then that’llbethat.”
The dynamic shifted. Adrian’s anger and distrust was swept aside, dispelled by Gabriel’s presence. Cedric took note of it and stored the detail away in his memory—knowing who Gabriel was closest with might help him understand where he was coming from, and getting into Gabriel’s head was key if he was to do what was being askedofhim.
As Cedric watched, Sterling set a hand on his shoulder. He leaned forward and spoke into Cedric’s ear so as not to interrupt Adrian and Gabriel. “Adrian loves to argue, but at his core, it’s because he’s frightened. His brother means the world to him, and he doesn’t know you in the wayIdo.”
“What way is that?” Cedric asked. In front of him, Gabriel latched onto Adrian and hugged him tightly. He looked at him from over Adrian’s shoulder, and for a second, their eyes met. The lingering look sent shivers down Cedric’sspine.
“I think you know the answer to that better than you’re letting on.” Sterling’s hand dropped from his shoulder, and when he spoke again, volume had returned to his voice. “Since Gabriel’s in agreement, arrangements will need to be made. Cedric, if you could follow me into my office, we’ll take care of finalizing the details. I’ve had a contract drafted by my legal team, and you’ll need to read over it and discuss any addenda with me before we put ink topaper.”
“Right. Of course.” Cedric looked away from Gabriel to watch as Sterling passed him. When he looked back, Gabriel’s eyes were closed, and he’d tucked himself against Adrian’s chest. A pang of regret struck. In the small, intimate interactions between them, Cedric got a glimpse into who Gabriel was. Losing an opportunity like that stung, like he’d turned Gabriel away when he’d needed himthemost.
But there would be other chances and other opportunities to make things right. Once the terms were set and the contract was signed, Gabriel’s care would be hisresponsibility.
Cedric would see those sad, distant eyes fill up with wonderagain.
8
Gabriel
Gabriel feltsmall in the passenger seat of Sir’s Toyota Camry. He pushed himself against the door and gazed out the window as the scenery passed him by. Tall, imposing buildings gave way to quieter urban streets, until they emerged in a sleepy part of Aurora that Gabriel wasn’t familiar with. Somewhere west of the city, he knew. By the looks of it, it was on the outskirts of downtown—the monolithic buildings were still visible on the skyline—but it lacked the hustle and bustle of busy downtown streets. If he was being honest with himself, though, Gabriel barely noticed the change—he was too busy stealing peeks at Sir whenever he was sure his attention was devoted totheroad.
Dark hair. Rugged features and a handsome chin that complemented a smooth, kind face. A body that was muscular, but that was still slender and agile enough to be lithe.Piercings…
Gabriel’s eyes traced the tiny rounded tops of Sir’s snakebite piercings, then traveled to the three helix piercings in succession down the ridge of his right ear. There was an earring through Sir’s lobe, thicker in diameter than normal earrings were meant to be, and sleek black. It curled into itself like a fiddlehead, its tail jutting forward from beneath Sir’s lobe, and its rounded tip left to curl so that it barely brushedhisear.
“Are you interested in body modification, Gabriel?” Sir asked abruptly, his eyes set deadahead.
Gabriel’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. All this time, he’d been sure Sir’s attention was on the road. “I-I’msorry,Sir.”
“Forwhat?”
“Forstaring.”
Sir chuckled. “If it bothered me, I would have let you know. Don’t apologize unless I tell you that you’ve made amistake.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel sank into his seat and looked out the window as his pulse raced and his instincts urged him to run. He couldn’t. Not yet. He’d have to be good until he had a solid plan inplace.
A beat of silence passed, during which Sir made a turn. The air was fresher here, and it didn’t take Gabriel long to figure out why—a natural preserve bordered the street, filled with old, deciduous trees whose leaves were starting to turn vibrant fall shades as the crisp air threatened to give way to winter. The burgundy and crimson and orange spotting the otherwise green foliage put Gabriel’s mind to rest, and some of his anxietyslippedaway.
It waspeacefulhere.
Even though they were near the chaos of the city, he didn’t hear a single siren. No traffic rushed by them, and no horns blared. They crossed paths with a few other motorists on the way down the street, but the urgency Gabriel associated with city driving was gone. Apart from one time when he was only eleven, when the Lowe family had left Aurora to vacation in a resort in the Caribbean, Gabriel had never known quiet like this. It spoke to some deep, dormant part of him that lifted its head like an old dog who’d heard his master’s car roll down thedriveway.
This place, wherever it was,wasgood.
He tried not to think about the fact that he could feel that way when Garrison wasn’t around. The counselors at Stonecrest had done their best to tell him that he was independent, but Gabriel didn’t believe them. Without Garrison there to put his life in order, nothingwasgood.
Nothing but this forest,andSir.
“You know,” Sir said as he flicked on his turn signal and pulled into a driveway opposite the preserve, “You never answered my question. Are you interested in bodymodification?”
“No, sir,” Gabriel murmured. It wasn’t the truth, but it was a safe answer. He knew not to burden those around him with unnecessarydetail.
The truth was, Gabriel had never considered body modification before. Not seriously, at least. Sometimes, Garrison had taken some of the boys to be tattooed or pierced when they’d been good enough to deserve it. The end results were pretty, but Gabriel didn’t see the point of going through pain for something that he’d likely grow tired of over time. Sir’s piercings were nice, and they suited him, but Gabriel couldn’t imagine he’d ever look pretty with metal puncturing his skin. It would make him too red, too swollen, and too bold. The more he faded away into the background, thebetter.
