Gabriel and Aurora exchanged worried glances as they followed the sound of Lucius’ voice down the hall. When they found him sitting on a large sofa watching a flat-screen television, Gabriel raised his brows.
“Well that seems out of place,” he mumbled, more than a little annoyed his snuggle with Aurora had been interrupted.“I apologize for disturbing your nap,” Lucius began. “But you really must see this.”
Gabriel stormed toward the forest, determined to get as far away from Aurora and the Council as possible. His head was spinning. Inside, the monster curled and swam upward, its fingers reaching the back of his throat.Anger was tak
“Gabriel… Please, just wait. There are things I need to tell you.” Aurora knew Gabriel was close enough to be within earshot. Any moment and she’d catch up to him. “I know about the Reapers. Just let me explain.”She pushed her way out of the forest, and into the clearing where she had tracked his location. Gabriel would be angry, that was a given, but she hoped he would at least hear her out. Maybe if he understood what they were up against, he would gi
When the rain stopped, Aurora could see Gabriel’s body down below. He was pinned beneath an enormous boulder.“Gabriel… Are you alright?” she called.
When they arrived back at his cabin, Gabriel stopped outside the door and gave Aurora a cheeky grin.“You have a weird look on your face,” she laughed. “What is it?” Without answering, he scooped her up into his arms and shoved the d
Hannagan’s Bar was a rough and tumble place that ironically sat on the corner of Blood Alley just north of town. The story went that back in the day the original owner PJ Hannagan threw so many drunkards out mid-brawl that cleaners had to come down every morning and hose blood from the laneway outside. Eventually, the lane earned the nickname Blood Alley and when old PJ passed away the City officially named it in his honor. It always struck Gabriel as a strange kind of memorial but made for a good yarn all the same.
Aurora sat back against the pillows and hugged her knees to her chest. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had gotten used to the idea that it was just the two of them. She and Gabriel against the world. Now there would be other people in his life, important people who had a lifetime of history with him. People like Harrison, and now his parents.
The house, where Gabriel grew up, was warm and inviting. In the living room, a floral couch was offset by peach cushions, and behind them, a warm fire crackled in the hearth.When his mother had opened the door and seen Gabriel standing there, Aurora feared the woman was going to faint. At first, she simply stared at him, but then tears rolled down her cheeks. Aurora expected them to shout, to be angry, at least at first, but there had been none of that. Just relief, love, and forgiveness. The essence of family
Back at the cabin, Aurora was sitting on one of Gabriel’s over-sized armchair, her long legs tucked beneath her bottom, and her hair piled high on her head. She was so engrossed in whatever she was reading that she hadn’t even noticed him staring. When he eventually managed to tear his eyes away from her, he looked around the place. Since she moved in the cabin had a few new additions. There were throw pillows on the couch and wildflowers in the kitchen. There was a dog bed for Aurel and a scented candle on the hearth.