The sight hits me harder than any violence tonight, but my feet remain frozen to the floor as he falls, unable to bridge the gap between us with the others watching.
Jade moves toward the door, pulling a gun from the holster under his arm. “I’ll secure the perimeter. Verify that Tony really did recall his goons.”
“Not alone!” Aaiden barks as he heads out the door.
His command earns him a middle finger from the young Omega before he vanishes from view.
“Hey, you okay?” Damien kneels beside Gabriel to probe along Gabriel’s scalp. “This wound is superficial. Are you hurt somewhere else?”
“I’m fine,” Gabriel grumbles.
Damien ignores him as he lifts Gabriel’s eyelids. “Pupils are equal and reactive. You don’t appear to have a concussion.”
Gabriel winces as Damien finds a tender spot. “I said I’m fine.” He tries to push the hands away. “Check Saint.”
“He’ll get checked when you do,” Damienresponds, keeping his attention on his examination. “Both of you need medical attention.”
“We should get moving.” Aaiden’s brow furrows as he glances over his shoulder. “Cleanup team is en route to handle this scene. Medical is waiting at the manor.”
Gabriel sits still as Damien works, staring into the distance. His mind has retreated somewhere far from this blood-soaked room. His hands rest on his thighs, palms up, the shotgun forgotten on the floor. The adrenaline that kept him going has burned away, leaving behind a hollowed shell.
“Can you stand?” Damien asks him.
“Yeah.” But when Gabriel tries to rise, his legs buckle.
Damien catches him by the arm, steadying him. The shotgun clatters on the hardwood floor as Gabriel’s foot kicks out involuntarily.
The sound snaps me back to full alertness, my body tensing again, and I half-raise my weapons before I recognize allies, not threats. My heart races as Gabriel struggles to remain upright.
This man risked everything to warn me about the danger from my past. Came after me when I pushed him away. Fought beside me when we were captured. And now he can barely stand.
“My car is out front,” Damien says. “We can transport them both to the manor for medical attention.”
“Good idea,” Aaiden says with his head still cocked toward the hall. “Security will meet us at the main gate. Sebastian is clearing all traffic cameras between here and home.”
Aaiden’s words come from somewhere far away as Gabriel’s knees lock, and Damien steadies him until he finds his balance.
“I don’t want to go yet,” Gabriel protests.
Damien blinks. “That wasn’t a suggestion.”
“I’m aware.” Gabriel swallows. “But I… I need a minute.”
Gabriel stumbles past Aaiden and out into the hall.
The knife falls from my stiff fingers, and I shove the gun into my waistband before I follow, conscious of the other two Alphas trailing after us.
My stomach twists at the disarray of the living room, the furniture shoved out of place, an armchair overturned. And Winters sprawled on the rug, mouth slack, and a dark bloom soaking into the fibers beneath him.
Gabriel stops short at the coffee table and sinksonto its edge. His hands hang between his knees, his gaze locks onto Winters, and he doesn’t move.
Damien hesitates in the doorway, then turns to Aaiden. “I’ll get the car warmed up.”
“I’ll call Jade back,” Aaiden says as if he’s been waiting for the chance to do something.
Their footsteps retreat, the house settling into a heavy, unnatural quiet.
I stay where I am, watching Gabriel stare at the man who haunted my nightmares for years. Winters looks smaller like this. Less monstrous. Just another dead body in a long line of them.
