Gathering him up in my arms, I held the sleeping demon against my chest as I made my way deeper into the manor, searching for a safe place for him to rest.
I soon found a large bedroom with a four-poster bed. There was a fireplace and a chess board in here as well, with large gothic windows that showcased Hell’s beautiful night skies.
Tucking him into the bed, I covered him with the black crushed velvet blanket, and he snuggled deeper into the fluffy pillows.
“Sleep well, Shemhazai,” I said, brushing what felt like an illegal kiss across his forehead.
He smiled softly in his sleep, and I left, wishing that I wasn’t an angel but instead a demon so I could be someone that he might like too.
Alexa play: The Only Exception by Paramore
Present Day
Once the church had been thoroughly reduced to ashes, Gabe and I walked back to the deadman’s house.
We turned onto Essex, and Gabe glanced back at me with that usual calm, serene smile on his face. He was backlit by the full moon, and he held his hand out to me, much like he had that first night in Salem when we’d first found Giles Corey in Howard Street Cemetery.
This time, I gladly took his hand, gently squeezing his fingers in mine.
His warm palm sent a rush of dopamine up my arm, and a bolt of pure relief shot through my chest.
Barely an hour ago, I thought I might never get to hold his hand again.
The way his eyes shone and his smile widened as he tugged me closer to his side made me feel so deliriouslygood;I couldn’t believe I’d fought this thing between us for so long.
“Gabriel—” I said as he leisurely led us through the streets of Salem, smiling up at the Witch House as we passed.
“Mhmm?”
“I—I need to tell you something.”
Gabe stopped and glanced over at me, his brow furrowing slightly at how serious my tone was.
“Everything okay?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, glancing at the ground briefly before forcing myself to get a grip.
Looking back up to meet his eyes, I felt my cheeks heat, and his frown deepened. He stepped closer to me, brushing his thumb over my jaw as he searched my face.
“What is it?”
“I—Uhm. Gabe...” I swallowed as the words I desperately wanted to say got caught in my throat again. Closing my eyes and taking a steadying breath, I pushed through the anxious feeling in my chest and forced myself to finally say what I’d been trying to tell him since that first night when I’d shown him my scars.
“Gabriel… Iloveyou. I’minlove with you. I don’t know if you heard me tell you before. You were really hurt. But I should have said it back right away when you first said it to me. I thought you were dead… and I just… I need you to know. If you had died and you didn’t know?—”
His frown melted away, and a slow, easy smile spread across his face. He wrapped his hand around my jaw and pulled me into him, brushing his lips against mine gently as I babbled like an idiot, stumbling over my words as I tried to express how I was feeling.
“Shhh, baby. You don’t have to worry. I know. I’ve known for a while.”
“But I didn’tsayit.”
He chuckled, kissing me softly again and leaning his forehead against mine.
“I already told you, Shemhazai. I canfeelyour feelings. I knew what you were trying to say that first night when you let me inside you. The words aren’t important to me. What’s important to me is the way you show me.”
He held up our joined hands and kissed my knuckles, never taking his eyes off mine.
“I knew you loved me the second you let me see your scars, Shemhazai. You showed me again when you trusted me with your body. Thenagain, when you faced Raz to come save me, which was something you should have never had to do. I’m so sorry I allowed that to happen.”
