Page 14 of Finn (Vampire Vows #1)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

FINN

The waiting was unbearable. I paced the cramped apartment, my thoughts racing as if they had their own pulse.

Gabriel had messaged me hours ago, and I could practically feel every second stretching longer than the last.

I checked my disposable cellphone for what had to be the hundredth time, rereading his message: We leave tonight. I’ll grab supplies and meet you back there soon. Stay put. The lions have found Scar’s body.

I stared out the window, the flickering streetlights and looming shadows making the already sketchy neighborhood feel even more sinister.

Every rustle, every faint footfall on the cracked pavement below had my heart lurching into my throat.

It didn’t help that I was already on edge, guilt gnawing at me from every angle.

I’d left the Guild behind, betrayed everything I’d been trained for. Everything I was supposed to believe in.

Part of me wondered if I’d regret this in the end, if Gabriel and I even stood a chance. But then…no.

Maybe we didn’t know what would come next, but for now, we had each other. That was enough.

Finally, I heard footsteps outside the door, silent, almost predatory. For a second, my heart stopped, and my body went tense.

But then the door creaked open, and Gabriel slipped in, his tall frame almost a shadow in the dim light.

Without thinking, I moved forward and hugged him tightly.

He hesitated, then his arms wrapped around me, warm and steady, grounding me.

"Hey," he murmured, pulling back enough to meet my gaze. "You okay?"

"Just been thinking about a lot of things," I admitted, looking down, still gripping his arm as if he might disappear if I let go.

Gabriel’s gaze softened. “I get it. But it’ll be okay.”

He lifted the bag slung over his shoulder.

"Got the supplies. Managed to get us a second-hand truck too. It's parked out back. Once we hit the highway, we’ll swap out the plates,” Gabriel said.

A rush of relief washed over me, but I knew better than to let my guard down just yet. We had to get out of here first. No mistakes.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Let’s go, then.”

We moved through the darkened apartment, Gabriel leading, his senses sharper than mine even though I was no slouch in that department.

As we slipped down the creaky staircase to the back exit, a prickling feeling ran down my spine, making me slow my steps.

Gabriel stopped too, his head tilting slightly as he stilled.

Then he whispered, “Someone’s close.”

My heart pounded. “Do you think they followed you?”

“Maybe,” he muttered. “I took the long way, hit a few places before I came here, but Gael’s relentless when he’s set on something.”

We exchanged a look, and that was all it took. Gabriel’s face shifted into something determined and sharp.

He gestured for me to stay close, every movement fluid and cautious as he slipped out into the alley behind the building.

The city felt like it was holding its breath. The alley’s shadows seemed deeper, darker.

I could sense him, the familiar oppressive energy that could only belong to Gael.

He was out there, somewhere nearby, prowling like a wolf on the scent. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

We crept along, and as we rounded the corner, Gabriel tensed.

I followed his line of sight to the street corner about twenty yards ahead where someone, a vampire stood, his back partially turned, scanning the area.

The streetlamp above him cast an eerie glow over his figure, highlighting his relaxed stance. This was probably Gael.

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, “We need to make a break for it, but not until he moves,” Gabriel said.

“How long do you think we have?” I asked, trying to keep the shake out of my voice.

“Depends on how fast we can stay out of his line of sight,” Gabriel muttered. “Stay close. The truck’s three blocks down.”

We moved slowly, ducking behind dumpsters and crates whenever Gael shifted.

At one point, he turned around so quickly I barely had time to press myself against the wall, holding my breath as he scanned the alley just feet from us.

His cold, calculating gaze swept over our hiding spot, and I could feel Gabriel tense beside me, ready to pounce if he had to.

A few agonizing moments passed before Gael finally turned away and continued down the street.

Gabriel shot me a look, his fingers tapping a silent countdown on his thigh. Three…two…one. We bolted.

Silent as shadows, we sprinted across the street and ducked into another alley, putting a solid row of buildings between us and Gael.

My heart pounded in my ears, and my lungs burned, but I didn’t dare stop.

We kept moving, Gabriel leading us through the maze of backstreets like he knew them by heart.

I stole glances over my shoulder, half-expecting to see Gael’s silhouette closing in on us, but the street remained eerily empty.

Finally, we reached the street where Gabriel had parked the truck.

The beat-up vehicle sat waiting at the curb, its paint chipped and rusting, a perfect nondescript getaway car. Gabriel tossed me the keys.

"Get in. Drive,” Gabriel said.

I slid into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel as he hopped into the passenger side.

The engine roared to life, loud in the quiet of the night.

I risked a glance at Gabriel as we peeled out of the alley and onto the main road, heading toward the freeway.

“Think we lost him?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Not yet,” Gabriel replied, his eyes sharp as he scanned the rearview mirror. “He’s relentless.”

I focused on the road, weaving through side streets and keeping an eye on the mirror.

Part of me felt exhilarated, almost thrilled by the danger.

But that thrill was dampened by the ache in my chest, the guilt and fear twisting together.

I’d given up my life for this, betrayed the Guild, and now we were running.

But then Gabriel’s hand rested on my shoulder, grounding me, reminding me of what was really at stake here.

Not the Guild’s rules, not my past, but him. Us.

“Take the next exit,” he said, his voice calm but urgent.

I nodded, and we veered off the main road, the city lights fading as we merged onto a dark, winding road.

Finally, the tension seemed to ease, and I allowed myself to breathe a little more freely.

Gabriel leaned back, his eyes still scanning the surroundings.

“We’ll need to stop somewhere secluded before morning. Somewhere they wouldn’t think to look,” Gabriel said.

“We’ll find it,” I said, my own resolve hardening. “We’re not stopping until we do.”

We drove in silence for a while, both of us too tense to speak. The road stretched out before us, dark and endless.

The city lights had finally faded in the distance, and a new quiet had settled over us.

It was only broken by the hum of the engine and the occasional rush of wind through the half-cracked windows.

I kept my hands steady on the wheel, focusing on every turn, every shadow that moved across the empty highway.

When I risked a glance at Gabriel, he was looking out the window, his face barely lit by the glow of the dashboard.

I could see the tension slowly draining from his expression, though his shoulders still held that stiffness, like he was ready to spring into action if he had to.

Eventually, we spotted an old gas station on the side of the road, its lights flickering weakly in the dark.

We hadn’t seen any sign of Gael or anyone else trailing us for a while, and I knew we both needed a break.

I pulled off the highway, driving around to the back where a line of thick trees provided some cover.

As soon as the engine cut, silence washed over us like a heavy wave. I exhaled, my shoulders relaxing for the first time in hours.

Gabriel didn’t move at first. He just stared at his hands for a long moment, then turned to look at me.

His eyes were deep and dark, holding a weight I couldn’t quite read.

But then he smiled, just a small, weary lift of his lips, and I felt my own heartbeat slow.

“We did it,” he murmured, almost as if he didn’t believe it himself. “We got out.”

I nodded, feeling the reality of what we’d just done sink in. “Yeah. We really did.”

He let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.

I wanted to reach out and touch him, to let him know he wasn’t alone in this.

But for a moment, I couldn’t move, my body still wired with the adrenaline of the escape.

It was like I’d been holding my breath for days, waiting for something to go wrong.

And yet…nothing had. We were finally free. Without thinking, I shifted in my seat, my hand moving to rest on his.

His fingers curled around mine, and he looked at me, his expression softening.

“Finn,” he said, his voice low, almost reverent. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“I did it for us,” I whispered, barely trusting my voice.

The fear, the worry, it was all still there, but there was something else too.

Something that felt like hope, fragile and flickering, but there.

“I can’t just forget you after finding out you’re still alive,” I said.

The words hung between us, thick with all the things we’d never said.

Gabriel’s thumb brushed over my knuckles, a gentle, grounding touch that made me feel like he was pouring all his strength into that single point of contact.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

The silence wasn’t empty, though. It was filled with everything we’d been through, everything we were still afraid of.

But it was our silence, something we shared, and that made it feel…almost sacred.

Then, suddenly, he shifted, leaning closer, his face inches from mine.

I could feel the heat of him, his breath mixing with mine in the small space between us.

My pulse raced, but I didn’t pull back. I couldn’t.

There was something magnetic in his gaze, something that held me there, that made the world fall away until it was just us.

“Finn,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “I… I thought I’d never see you again. Seeing you again, here, like this…” He swallowed, his hand tightening around mine. “It’s a miracle.”

My heart pounded, and without thinking, I reached up, my hand trembling as I brushed a strand of hair back from his face.

His eyes fluttered closed for a brief second, his face leaning into my touch, and the vulnerability in that small movement made something inside me ache.

“I’m here,” I said.

He opened his eyes, and for the first time, I saw them shine with something beyond anger, beyond pain.

It was like all his walls had crumbled, leaving him open and raw.

My hand slipped down to his cheek.

Gabriel turned his head just enough to press his lips to my palm, a soft, tender kiss that left a tingling warmth spreading up my arm.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that.

It felt like we were caught in a moment outside of time, savoring a peace we hadn’t known in so long.

After a while, he let out a shaky breath, breaking the stillness.

“It’s not going to be easy,” he murmured, his gaze never leaving mine. “They won’t stop looking for us. You know that, right?”

I nodded, my fingers still tracing along his jaw. “I know. But it’s worth it. You’re worth it, Gabriel,” I told him.

A flash of emotion crossed his face, something between relief and disbelief.

He leaned in closer, until our foreheads touched, his hands cradling my face as if I were something precious, something breakable.

It made my chest ache.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For sticking with me. For believing in us.”

I closed my eyes, letting myself feel the warmth of him, the steadiness of his touch.

“I’ll always stay,” I whispered back. “No matter what.”

For a moment, everything felt right.

The danger and the fear, it all faded, replaced by a quiet certainty that we’d made the right choice, no matter what came next.

Eventually, he pulled back, his hands lingering on my shoulders before slipping away.

The air between us felt charged, electric, but neither of us moved, savoring the quiet intimacy of the moment.

I could still feel the ghost of his touch, the warmth of his breath against my skin.

Gabriel’s gaze softened, and he gave me a small, genuine smile.

“Let’s stretch our legs for a little bit,” Gabriel suggested.

“That would be good,” I told him.

We climbed out of the truck, stretching our legs in the quiet of the gas station’s shadowed lot.

The cool night air was refreshing, and I took a deep breath, feeling a strange sense of freedom I hadn’t felt in years.

For once, the world felt like it was ours, open and wide.

For just a moment, I let myself imagine a future where we could live like this, together and free.

But I knew better than to hope too much.

We still had a long road ahead, and the shadow of the Guild and of Gael, still lingered behind us, waiting for a chance to pull us back.

“We should get moving. Before Gael catches our scent again,” Gabriel said after a while.

“Yeah,” I agreed, returning to the truck.