Page 133 of Terror at the Gates

“How are you, Livie?” I asked.

“Good,” she said, letting her eyes drift to the floor.

“We just fed him, Livie. He should be good for a couple of hours. Gabriel!” Zahariev called. “Livie’s here!”

A few seconds of silence passed before Gabriel left his bedroom.

“Hey, Livie,” he said. “Let me show you where everything is.”

While Gabriel gave her a tour, I kept my gaze on Liam. Tears came to my eyes. I felt silly, but I was so in awe of him and so proud of Esther. How was it possible to already love him so much?

Zahariev neared and placed his hand on the top of Liam’s head, pressing a kiss to his forehead. I met his gaze as he straightened, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

Zahariev brushed it away with the backs of his fingers. His touch lingered, and I wondered why he was torturing me.

“You have my number if you need anything,” Gabriel was saying as they returned to the living room. “We should be back by two. There’s plenty of food in the fridge if you get hungry.”

“Thank you, Mr. De Santis,” said Livie.

“We should go,” said Zahariev, glancing at his watch.

I looked down at Liam and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Be good for Livie, little one,” I said and handed him off.

Zahariev and I waited at the door while Gabriel searched frantically through the house for his keys. After a few more minutes, he found them, and we slipped into the hall and headed down the elevator.

Without Zahariev fussing at Gabriel, there was nothing to distract from the weight of our collective sadness. None of us spoke until we were outside the complex where Felix waited. I slowed to a stop on the sidewalk.

“Gabriel,” I said. “I’m sorry I can’t…”

“Hey, remember what I said?” he asked. “Nothing to apologize for.”

I swallowed hard as I nodded, taking a shaky breath.

“There’s something I want you to have,” he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. Inside was a pendant. It was round, a greenish stone encased in gold.

I opened the bag and let it slide into my hand. It was heavier than I expected, and as I studied the stone, I noticed there was some kind of liquid encapsulated within. It gave off a faint energy, though I didn’t recognize it as magic exactly. It felt like Esther. Perhaps she had carried it so long, the stone had absorbed her essence.

I wondered if Gabriel knew.

“Esther called it a protection amulet,” he explained. “Idon’t know if I believe in that sort of thing, but she always wore it when she left the house.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to save this for Liam?” I asked, though I was already holding it tight within my grasp.

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I wasn’t sure,” he said.

“I love you,” I said, slipping my arms around his waist.

“I love you too, baby girl,” he said, returning my hug. “Come back anytime.”

He pulled away and gave me a smile. It was not as bright or as wide as it once was, but it gave me a little hope that things might end up okay. He climbed into the SUV, and my gaze shifted to Zahariev.

“We can drop you off at Dr. Mor’s,” he said.

“I can walk,” I said.

He nodded once. “Behave, little love.”

I arched a brow in challenge. He knew what I was saying. He didn’t need the words.