Page 22 of Finn (Vampire Vows #1)

SIX MONTHS LATER

The rhythmic hum of the ship’s engines echoed beneath my feet as I leaned against the balcony railing.

I stared out at the endless expanse of ocean.

The moonlight shimmered across the waves, casting a glow that made the water look like liquid silver.

For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no immediate danger looming over us.

No monsters in the dark. Just the open sea and the promise of tomorrow.

I took a deep breath, the salty breeze filling my lungs. It should have felt liberating, this escape from everything I’d ever known.

But instead, my thoughts were tangled, a mix of relief and regret.

The Guild was behind me now. So was the home I’d grown up in, the people I’d once called family, and even Asher.

The thought of my brother caused an ache deep in my chest. He’d let me go, but I knew it wasn’t easy for him.

And it wasn’t easy for me to leave him behind, knowing we were on opposite sides now.

But then there was Gabriel.

Fate, or whatever cruel twist of destiny had brought us back together, had led me to make the hardest and easiest choice of my life.

I looked down at the faint scar on my neck, Gabriel’s mark, and traced it absentmindedly with my fingers.

That mark was a constant reminder of the bond we shared. Permanent. Unbreakable.

I wasn’t naive. I knew what lay ahead wasn’t going to be smooth sailing—pun intended.

Beric’s nest wouldn’t let us go so easily, and the Guild wouldn’t forget about me.

But for now, at least for tonight, I allowed myself the fragile hope that we could find peace.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I turned at the sound of Gabriel’s voice. He stepped onto the balcony, his silhouette outlined by the golden light from our cabin.

He was barefoot, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, looking more at ease than I’d ever seen him.

“The stars,” he added, gesturing toward the clear night sky. “They’re all out tonight.”

I looked up. He was right. The sky was a canvas of pinpricks, a scattering of light that seemed to stretch forever.

It was the kind of view that made you feel small but also infinite, like anything was possible.

“They’re amazing,” I said, my voice soft.

Gabriel joined me at the railing, standing close enough that our shoulders brushed.

The warmth of him was comforting, grounding me in a way I couldn’t explain.

“You’re thinking about Asher,” he said, not a question but a quiet observation.

I nodded. “I can’t help it. I know he’ll be okay, but still… I hate leaving him behind like that,” I said.

Gabriel was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

“It’s not easy letting go of the past,” he said finally. “But sometimes, it’s the only way to move forward. And Finn, you deserve to move forward. To have a life that’s yours.”

His words hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning. I turned to look at him, and my breath caught.

There was something in his expression, something raw and unguarded that I wasn’t used to seeing.

“Do you really believe that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I do,” he said, his gaze locking with mine.

I felt my throat tighten. Without thinking, I reached out, my fingers brushing against his.

He didn’t hesitate, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together.

Gabriel smiled, a small, genuine curve of his lips that made my chest ache in the best way.

He lifted our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles that sent a shiver down my spine.

“We’ll make it work,” he said, his voice full of quiet determination. “I promise.”

The moment felt fragile, like glass, and I didn’t want to break it.

But I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Do you think we’ll ever really be free? From the Guild? From Beric’s nest?”

Gabriel’s eyes darkened, the shadows of his past flickering across his face.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I do know that we’re stronger together than apart. And as long as we’re together, we’ll figure it out,” he said.

The certainty in his voice made me believe him, even if just for a moment.

I stepped closer, my free hand resting on his chest.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice barely audible over the sound of the waves.

“For what?” I asked.

“For not giving up on me. On us,” he told me.

I softened, and cupped his face in my hands, my thumbs brushing against his cheeks.

“Gabriel, there’s nothing in this world that could make me give up on you,” I told him.

Before Gabriel could respond, I leaned in for a kiss which soon tuned rough with want.

I melted into him, my hands sliding up to his shoulders as the world around us seemed to fade away.

The ocean, the stars, the past. It all disappeared, leaving just the two of us.

SOME TIME LATER

The cobblestone streets of the small European town felt like a different world.

It was quiet here, a kind of quiet that settled into your bones and made you feel like maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

I watched Gabriel ahead of me, carrying a bag of groceries from the supermarket, the moon light catching in his hair.

For a moment, I allowed myself to just take it in: the simplicity, the normalcy. It was everything I didn’t know I needed.

We’d been in this town for a few months now, far enough from the chaos of our old lives to breathe without looking over our shoulders every second.

We’d found a small, nondescript flat above a bakery that always smelled like fresh bread.

Gabriel had taken a job as a night guard, and I’d found work helping out at a local coffee shop. It was simple, and it was good.

Gabriel slowed as we reached the steps to our flat, turning to me with a faint smile. “You’re quiet today.”

“Just thinking,” I said, taking the bag from him so he could unlock the door.

“Dangerous habit,” he teased, but there was warmth in his voice.

Once inside, we set the groceries on the small kitchen counter.

The flat wasn’t much, just a few rooms and a view of the church steeple in the town square, but it felt like home in a way no place ever had.

“Want some tea?” Gabriel asked, already filling the kettle.

“Sure.” I leaned against the counter, watching him move around the kitchen.

There was a calmness to him here that I’d never seen before, a kind of ease that made me ache for the struggles he’d endured to get to this point.

As the tea steeped, Gabriel turned to me, his expression thoughtful.

“You’ve been carrying something all day. Spill it,” Gabriel said.

I hesitated, then decided there was no point in holding back. “Do you ever think about them?”

“Them?” Gabriel asked.

“The people we left behind. Beric’s nest. Beric himself.”

Gabriel leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.

“Sometimes, I do think about Beric. Our... strange relationship. How I ended up being his favorite,” he admitted. “But I don’t miss the nest or that world at all.”

His honesty caught me off guard, and before I could stop myself, I asked, “What was it like? When you first turned?”

He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

“Hell,” he said simply. “I didn’t know who to trust. I hated myself for what I’d become, for what I had to do to survive. Most days, I thought it would’ve been better if Beric had just let me die. But then... you came along.”

“Me?” I asked, startled.

“Seeing you again kept me grounded,” Gabriel said. “Made me want to live again, even though I’d become a monster.”

I swallowed hard, his words settling heavily in my chest.

“Seeing you at Scar’s club... that was a massive shock,” I said, my voice quieter now.

“When I found out you’d died on a mission, I refused to believe it at first. But as the months went by…” I trailed off, the memories still raw despite all the time that had passed.

I continued, “Asher helped me through it, you know. He was the one who convinced me to let you go. To stop holding on, because it was only hurting me.”

Gabriel reached out, his hand covering mine on the counter. His touch was warm, steady, grounding me in the moment.

“I’m sorry, Finn,” Gabriel said, his voice filled with quiet regret. “Sorry you had to go through that.”

“You didn’t have a choice,” I said, meeting his gaze. “And you came back to me. That’s what matters.”

He studied me for a moment, his thumb brushing against my knuckles. “Do you miss them? Your family?”

I nodded, the admission pulling at something deep inside me.

“Yeah. Even Donovan, though we weren’t close like me and Asher.” I hesitated, then added, “But I don’t regret choosing you, Gabriel. Not for a second.”

His grip tightened, and for a moment, we just stood there, the weight of everything we’d been through pressing down on us.

But there was solace in it too, a shared understanding that went beyond words.

Gabriel broke the silence, his voice soft. “I don’t deserve you, Finn,” he said.

I shook my head. “Don’t say that. You’re everything to me, Gabriel. You always have been.”

He pulled me into his arms then, holding me tightly.

Much later, we found ourselves on the small balcony outside our bedroom.

The stars were scattered across the sky, brighter than I’d ever seen them.

Gabriel sat beside me, his arm draped over my shoulders, and I leaned into him, content in a way I hadn’t thought possible.

“Do you think we’ll stay here?” I asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“For now,” Gabriel said. “But who knows? Maybe one day we’ll find somewhere even better. Maybe we’ll get a bigger place for ourselves?”

I turned to look at him, his profile illuminated by the moonlight.

“I don’t care where we are,” I said. “As long as I’m with you.”

He smiled, a rare, unguarded smile that made my heart feel like it was too big for my chest.

“I love you, Finn,” he said quietly.

“I love you too,” I said, kissing him softly on the mouth.

THE END

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