I nodded. “He did.” I knew this next part was delicate. “Gage, he told me he tried to gift you with angelic powers when you were in Avalon, but that your guilt wouldn’t let him. I don’t know exactly how it works, but he said that if we’re able to kill your hellhound, and you could forgive yourself, he’d be able to give you Lumen powers.”
I watched Gage’s face closely. An array of emotions washed over him in a matter of seconds. Surprise. Anger. Disbelief. And then finally awe.
He didn’t immediately dismiss me. That was good.
“I guess it’s worth a try. Maybe when Harley is feeling better, in case something goes wrong,” he said.
From the moment Cael told me the possibilities, hope for us and hope for Gage had bloomed inside me, and I wanted the same for him as well. I wanted Gage to hope for a better future for himself, to believe it was possible. And now it seemed he did.
I nodded. “We’re going to figure this out, Gage. Together.”
Gage gazed down at me and a small smile touched his lips. He nodded before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. Glancing down at himself, his upper lip curled in disgust. “I need to go wash the Netherworld gunk off of me. Then we have to have a real talk.”
Real talk?How could we get much more real than everything we’d already discussed?
Pulling away from me, Gage headed toward the bathroom, yanking his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor on his way.
“Wait, what do we still need to talk about?” I asked, confused.
He paused with his hand on the doorknob, his eyes blazing and a wicked smile on his face. “I heard what you said before I fully shifted,” he said, and then opened the door and walked into the bathroom.
My mind whirled as I heard the shower turn on. What had I—?
My stomach bottomed out when I remembered. I’d told Gage I loved him right before he’d shifted and bounded through the portal to the Netherworld. That’s what he wanted to talk about?
The next ten minutes were incredibly nerve-racking as I waited for Gage to finish his shower. I paced the length of the small room wringing my hands.
I shouldn’t be nervous. So… I’d told him I loved him. So what? Gage already knew I had strong feelings for him. Why was I freaking out right now?
The answer was obvious. I’d told Gage I loved him, but he hadn’t said it back yet. What if he wanted to talk to explain to me that his feelings weren’t as strong as mine? I wouldn’t stop loving him, but that would crush me. Maybe he wanted to slow down or take a break.
The water turned off and I stopped pacing and just stared at the closed bathroom door. It wasn’t long before Gage emerged. A small white towel slung around his waist was the only thing covering him.
The sight of him nearly naked, the muscles of his stomach creating that utterly distracting V, made my body start to buzz.
“Tate,” Gage said, his voice a deep rumble that didn’t help the situation. “You need to stop looking at me like that.”
With effort, I dragged my gaze up to his face.
Laughter danced in his eyes.
“I can’t help it when you prance around in front of me nearly naked,” I said truthfully.
“Prance?” he said, with a chuckle. “I don’t prance.”
“Well, whatever you’re doing is distracting,” I sputtered.
“It is?” he said with another chuckle as he prowled toward me, the towel still bunched in his fist. My throat went dry.
He stopped in front of me, and then leaned in. I swallowed, and tilted my face up, expecting the feel of his lips against mine at any moment.
Holding my gaze, his arm brushed past me and I heard a rustle behind me. A half-second later Gage straightened with a grin and held up a piece of fabric in his hand.
He wasn’t leaning in for a kiss. His backpack had been on the bed behind me and he’d reached in to grab some clothes.
I huffed, frustrated that he was teasing me. I planted two hands against his stupid muscled chest and pushed him away.
“Just getting something decent to wear,” he said with fake innocence just before he dropped the towel.
