The sound echoed in the emptiness of the room, and for a moment, I just stood there, my breaths coming hard and fast.
Then I saw it.
A letter sat on the coffee table, stark against the wood. My name was scrawled across the front in Finn’s unmistakable handwriting.
I hesitated before picking it up, my pulse roaring in my ears. Slowly, I unfolded the paper, my eyes scanning the words.
Asher,
I know you won’t understand. Maybe you never will. But this is my choice. I love him.
Gabriel isn’t the monster you think he is. He saved me, more times than you’ll ever know.
Please stop looking for us. I know it’s not in your nature to quit, but this isn’t your fight anymore. I’m happy, Asher. Truly happy.
I hope one day you can forgive me for leaving like this.
-Finn
My grip tightened on the paper, the edges crumpling beneath my fingers.
My little brother’s words were like a punch to the gut, each one driving home the reality I refused to accept.
Happy? How could he be happy, living with a predator who could drain his life away in an instant?
I paced the room, the letter trembling in my hand. My mind raced, trying to piece together my next move.
They were still close. I could feel it. The unwashed dishes, the faint trace of Finn’s cologne lingering in the air.
Gabriel might have outmaneuvered me for now, but he couldn’t keep running forever.
I stuffed the letter into my pocket and looked around, my eyes landing on the blanket draped over the couch. Finn’s, probably.
I grabbed it without thinking, the fabric soft in my hands.
My anger faltered for a moment, replaced by something heavier, something harder to ignore.
I couldn’t protect him. Not from himself.
The thought sat heavy in my chest as I made my way to the window.
The street below was empty, the mist curling around the streetlamps like ghostly tendrils.
Somewhere out there, Finn was with Gabriel. The vampire who’d stolen my brother from me.
And yet…
No. I couldn’t afford doubt. Gabriel was dangerous. That much I knew. I had to find them, to save Finn before it was too late.
Even if he hated me for it.
I turned away from the window, my resolve hardening. The Guild didn’t know I was tracking them.
They thought I was just taking an overdue vacation break.
To the Elders, Finn and Gabriel were already dead. Casualties of a chaotic confrontation.
I’d told them Gael, one of the vampires from Gabriel’s nest, had ambushed us, and in the crossfire, both Finn and Gabriel had lost their lives.
