Before Gabriel, I just went through the motions every day. The only time anything mattered was the hunt, the kill, and then it was all over again. Every joy in my life was ripped from me the second my parents were killed in front of me. They were the only shred of happiness in my fucked-up mind.
And then I met Gabriel.
My sweet Gabriel, who knows what I am and loves me anyway.
I’m terrified now because I can’t find him. I can’t find him anywhere. And when I do find him… what am I going to find?
Something brushes my leg and it takes me a mere moment to realize that it’s Gabriel’s hand wrapping around my ankle.
My stomach squeezes tight as I reach out and take his hand in mine, clutching it tightly while I pull him up. With all of his winter gear on, he’s being weighed down, but there’s absolutely nothing that could keep me from getting him to the surface.
I reach the edge, dragging him up as he wraps his arms around me, coughing and gasping for breath.
He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s okay.
My sweet Gabriel is okay.
“You need to get out of the water. Let go of me so I can push you up,” I say, but he just grips me tighter like he’s never planning on letting go of me again. I can hear his haggard breaths. I can feel the way he shakes. I need to get him out of the water as quickly as I can.
“Gabriel, please,” I beg as I try to pry his hands off me so I can push him out because I’m not sure I can crawl out with him clinging to me like this. He’s not fighting me as hard as he was, so I try to hang on to the edge of the ice while I hoist him up. The ice breaks beneath the weight and Gabriel panics, latching on to me, sending us both under. I kick hard and we break the surface again as I grab the edge of the ice forsomethingto hold on to.
“L-Liam… Liam,” Gabriel pants.
“Please stop panicking, it’s okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you right here,” I say, trying to keep my voice soft even while turmoil rushes through me. I knock away the broken ice until I reach a solid lip and hoist him up again. This time, I manage to get him halfway up onto the ice. He claws at the ice, dragging himself the rest of the way out.
“Liam, come on,” he urges as I go to lift myself up and the ice immediately cracks under me. I plunge under the water, sinking beneath it, and when I come up again, Gabriel is desperately reaching for me.
“Liam, please,” he begs. “Help! Someone! Help! Please.” But his voice gets lost in the storm.
He grabs my wrist and drags me while I push myself up onto the ice and pull myself out.
“Fuck… fuck,” Gabriel gasps, his entire body shaking as I see red everywhere.
And my world grinds to a halt.
“You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine,” he says, but the blood is mixing with the water, blooming out around him brightly in the white snow that coats the ice.
My world is crashing while my eyes become fixated on it.
I’ve always relished the sight of blood blooming around those I hunt.
But here.
Right now…
Something is crushing me from the inside as I clamp my hand over the wound in Gabriel’s side.
“Stop, stop!” he cries, trying to shove me off.
“It’s okay,” I say, uncertain how calm my voice can be when everything inside of me is spiraling out of control. I need to get him off the ice before it cracks any further. I need to get him closer to safety. I need to get him help.
“Liam, you’re panicking,” he murmurs as his hand cups my cheek. “It’s okay.”
No, no, I’m fine. How can he not see that I’m fine? I’m okay. I’m not panicking. I just… I need to get him somewhere safe. I press my gloves against the wound, holding them in an attempt to stop the blood as I lift him up.
“It’s okay, Liam,” Gabriel mutters, his eyes fluttering. His voice sounds slurred while I run. “It’s… okay…”
