Page 79 of Absolution
“You don’t know that it will fix anything,” Gabe said. “And you’ll be alone.”
“I’malreadyalone,” Seiran said. “You’ve been gone for months.” He tapped his forehead. “Even from here. And now you’re open to me. Why? Just so I can see how mad you’ve become? It’s such a mess in there that I don’t know if I’m the one angry, anxious, or sad. Is it me or you? Am I going mad? I think you’re driving me mad. You promised you’d love me forever. This isn’t love, Gabe.” He let out a long sigh. “I’m not sure you can feel love right now.”
Gabe rushed forward and I tried to pull Seiran back, but he wouldn’t budge. The green rose up through the earth into his body, crawling up his legs, Father Earth coming to roost, but Gabe only put his only good hand on Seiran’s face, and kissed him soundly.
Seiran returned his kiss for a moment, then pulled away to reach up to pull Gabe’s hand off his face. “You can’t keep breaking my heart. It’s not fair.”
“You can’t leave me,” Gabe said, baring his fangs. “You belong to me.”
“I belong to no one,” Seiran said. “You taught me that. You taught me that love was respect, not ownership.” Seiran turned his head to the side as though he just couldn’t look at Gabe. “You told me once that a vampire’s Focus was often the death of the vampire. Now I understand why. You’re not Gabe. You are just his shade. Go to ground before I put you there.”
Gabe growled, and before I could react, he was on Seiran. Not kissing him, but his teeth digging into Seiran’s throat, arms wrapped around him like a vice.
“No!” I leapt at him, trying to pull him off Seiran. Gabe’s grip was like granite. My strength was not enough. And wasn’t that just the worst feeling again? I couldn’t save anyone. Not myself, and certainly not my former mentor and my friend. Fuck Seiran Rou for insisting on becoming my friend.
Seiran shoved at him not just with strength but with power, throwing him several feet away. It was a blast of energy so strong it felt like fire on my skin. Gabe leapt forward, more animal than anything human I’d ever seen. I was too slow to react, I needed more practice fighting fucking vampires instead of witches, but I felt Seiran’s tug on our bond. In that moment I was his Focus as he directed the energy. A giant root latched around Gabe, catching him in midair. Gabe struggled against it, ripping at it, but unable to really free himself.
Max nudged at me, his power asking for a claim over my body. I had no idea what he planned but just let him roll through me, settle over me like some sort of costume. Not an illusion, but a full-on presence. His power nearly sent me to my knees as the weight of it wrapped around me. Only his will kept me standing. This was Max, I thought. The part of him he kept restrained around everyone. The power he hid from the world to maintain the status quo. It wasn’t even magic. Not really. More just force of will and a presence so large he could have brought any congregation of worshipers to their knees proclaiming he was God.
His power slammed into Seiran and Gabe. Gabe stumbled back a few feet, only held up by the root, blood covering his mouth and chin like he was some sort of monster. The root broke and Gabe fell on his ass, shaken, disoriented, but at least several feet away. Seiran sank to the ground, his hand pressed to his neck, earth rising upward in vines along his skin like it sought to heal his wounds.
“Enough, Gavril,” Max said through my lips. “You’ve spent your life destroying that which you love, will you continue that cycle or finally break free of it?”
Gabe stared at me, blinking, confusion on his face.
Seiran looked my way. “Max?”
Did I look like Max? I could feel him laced over me like a skin of some sort, but hadn’t thought anyone could see it.
“You failed me lifetimes ago, and now you will fail him?” Max asked.
Gabe took another step away from us. Something warred on his face changing his expression from anger to confusion to rage and back to a lost look that clearly said he was having trouble focusing on whatever he was seeing and thinking.
“Titus? I…” He looked back at Seiran, who sobbed into his knees, broken by being attacked by the one person he loved and trusted before anyone. I knew from experience it was hard won affection. A lifetime of the world fucking with us made us cynical bastards, the few who got through were either super loyal or would destroy us.
“This is your last chance,” Seiran said. “Go willingly or I will put you in the ground.”
The red haze in Gabe’s eyes faded, and for the first time I could remember since I’d woken from the grave the second time, his eyes were green. He dropped to his knees just feet from Seiran.
“Seiran…what did I? Oh, my God… What did I do?” He looked around the room, looking confused at where he was, lost.
His eyes met mine and through me, Max. “I didn’t mean to…”
“But you did,” I said, forcing my own words through the visage of Max. “You’ve done exactly what you promised you would never do. How has any of this helped Seiran who you claim to love so much?” I demanded, pissed, wanting to rip Gabe apart just for causing the pain I could feel rolling off my best friend. Fuck, Seiran was like the twin brother I’d never asked for. We were linked through magic and emotions. Stupid emotions. Stupid powerful emotions. They could either build us up or tear us apart.
“I do love him,” Gabe whispered, his gaze falling back on Seiran. He dropped forward, hands to the earth, head down. “I didn’t… I don’t understand what happened…”
“You need rest,” I repeated. “You once told me not to fear it.”
Gabe looked at Seiran again. “I’m so sorry, my love. I never meant to hurt you.” He stared at his remaining good hand for a moment, which was flecked with Seiran’s blood. His damaged arm looking like little more than bone charred by fire. He touched his jaw and the smear of Seiran’s blood came away bright red and fresh. Seiran still clutched his neck, though he was healing. He was curled in a ball over his knees, shaking his head and refusing to look up.
“Seiran,” Gabe whispered, “I’m so sorry. I love you so much. I didn’t mean… I would never hurt you…” But he had. A thousand times over. Gabe bowed his head. He swallowed hard, put his hands back to the earth, then stared at Seiran when he said, “To the earth I commit myself.”
The ground began to bubble around him, a living thing, sucking him down. He didn’t fight, or struggle, just sank into the ground like fast quicksand swallowing him whole. Seiran lifted his tear-filled gaze and it was a sad moment of their eyes meeting as Gabe vanished into the earth. The dirt settled, lying flat as though nothing had happened.
Seiran stared at the spot, his arms wrapped around himself, emotions blank, locked away in a vault erected out of bricks built with pain. Max retreated, though he knew I had a million questions for him.
The sun overhead made my skin ache, but it wasn’t burning me for which I was grateful. I dropped to my knees beside Seiran and wrapped my arms around him. The wound at his neck still oozed blood, but it had slowed. I leaned over and licked it, willing it to close.