Page 10 of Finn (Vampire Vows #1)

Marcus paused, then asked, “Do you require extraction?”

The question almost made me laugh. A hollow, bitter feeling rising in my chest.

Before I’d left, they’d practically thrown me out like I was nothing more than disposable cannon fodder.

Now, because I’d “killed” Gabriel, they were suddenly concerned? The irony almost choked me.

“Negative,” I replied stiffly. “The supernatural residents here might notice the presence of another hunter. Better to keep things low-key. I’ll make my way back on my own in a few days.”

“Very well,” he said, his voice as detached as ever. “Don’t make us wait too long, Finn.”

The line clicked dead, and I felt the tension drain from my body in a rush, like I’d been holding my breath underwater for too long.

I explored the apartment, found some first-aid supplies in the bathroom, and tended to my shoulder.

To my surprise, the wound wasn’t as deep as I’d expected.

With that task done, I collapsed onto the bed, the springs creaking beneath me.

The sheets smelled faintly of bleach. They were surprisingly clean, all things considered.

I closed my eyes, feeling exhaustion seep through every inch of my body.

The events of the night flooded back to me, relentless, dragging me through a whirling storm of emotions I could barely name, let alone process.

“He’s alive,” I whispered, curling onto my side as if the words themselves could somehow anchor me. “We both are.”

It still didn’t feel real.

That terrible moment when I’d stabbed Gabriel in the chest, thinking it was the only way to end things, to fulfill my mission and keep him from being hunted down… and then seeing him spring back, still alive, to save me from Scar.

It was all too surreal, like a nightmare where you suddenly wake up, safe but shaken.

I pressed a hand to my chest, where I could still feel the remnants of the panic and grief that had nearly drowned me.

The relief had been so overwhelming that it hurt, but I hadn’t had time to process any of it.

Gabriel had pulled me to my feet, and then we’d fled, both of us silent, moving through the city’s shadows.

Now, alone in this dingy apartment, my mind finally caught up to my heart.

It felt like I was being torn in two.

Gabriel wasn’t just some monster… he was still Gabriel, even if he was changed.

Seeing the way he’d looked at me, touched me, hearing his voice again, it was all proof that the Gabriel I knew was still in there.

That the boy who trained me, laughed with, cared about more than I’d ever dared admit to myself… he wasn’t entirely gone.

And yet, the reality was brutal. There was no future for us.

My duty to the Guild, to the Elders, they’d been drilled into me my whole life.

A hunter and a vampire couldn’t be together. It was dangerous, reckless, impossible.

The logical part of me knew that, but my heart and damn my heart, it refused to listen.

A sharp pang ran through me, thinking of the Guild, the place that had raised me, trained me, and now used me.

I thought of Marcus’s cold, calculating voice, and the way they’d thrown me at Gabriel like I was nothing more than a tool.

The resentment bubbled up, almost choking me.

I’d spent my life following their orders, believing in their cause, believing that I was doing something good, something righteous.

And now, it felt like I’d been betrayed by my own purpose. The ache in my chest spread, making my whole body feel leaden.

I wanted to be with Gabriel, more than anything, but I’d already betrayed him once.

How could he trust me? I had no right to expect anything from him, not after what I’d done.

I thought back to the look he’d given me before he’d left, the mixture of hope and pain that had simmered in his gaze.

Could he really forgive me?

With a weary sigh, I rolled onto my back and stared at the cracked ceiling.

Maybe we could survive this. Maybe, somehow, there was a way out of this mess. But it wouldn’t be easy.

The Guild wouldn’t forgive my failure so easily, and if Beric’s nest found out about us, they’d come after us too.

Every way I looked at it, we were trapped, bound by the choices we’d made and the lives we’d once led.

But for now, we were alive.

We’d bought ourselves a sliver of time, a fragile chance to escape this world of endless blood and shadow.

“Gabriel,” I whispered.

The room felt empty without him, too big, too cold, like everything around me was just a hollow shell.

I closed my eyes, letting my mind drift back to the feel of his arms around me, to the safety I’d felt, even if only for a brief moment.

I’d never wanted this life, not like this.

Not a life where duty forced me to kill the only person who’d ever made me feel like there was more to the world than just the endless hunt.

Not a life where I couldn’t even have one person to call my own.

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it, and I let it fall. It was too late to keep the emotions at bay now.

I’d lost control, and everything was spilling over. Every regret, every bit of guilt, every ounce of yearning that had been locked away.

All for Gabriel.

I clutched my phone like a lifeline, hoping he’d call, hoping he’d tell me he was okay, hoping there was a way for us to make it through this alive.