Page 8 of Finn (Vampire Vows #1)

CHAPTER EIGHT

FINN

Gabriel’s body crumpled to the floor, and I stared, my chest heaving with every breath as the reality of what I’d done sank in.

My hand felt slick with the blood coating the knife, crimson dripping onto the ground.

I’d done it. I’d completed the mission the Elders had sent me on.

A breath of relief fought to break free, but it was crushed beneath the weight of the horror clawing its way through me.

My heart felt split in two. Part of me reminded myself, firmly, that he wasn’t Gabriel anymore.

Not really. He was a vampire, just another monster to eliminate, another target in a long line of them.

But that look in his eyes… the shock, the betrayal. It had felt human. Almost too human.

I hadn’t expected that.

Clapping echoed off the walls of the alley, sharp and mocking.

I spun, my body automatically snapping into a defensive stance, knife still gripped tight.

“Bravo, little hunter,” came a drawling voice from the shadows. Scar stepped into view, his expression smug.

“Didn’t think you had it in you,” Scar added.

I swallowed, steadying my breathing, forcing myself to stay calm.

Dang it. I hadn’t even sensed him approaching, which told me how out of it I really was.

I couldn’t tell how long he’d been there, watching, waiting. My heart raced, adrenaline still burning through me.

“How much did you hear?” I demanded, keeping my tone steady, though my pulse was hammering.

Scar shrugged, his grin widening.

“Enough. But don’t worry,” he said, his voice dripping with mock concern. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Somehow, I don’t find that reassuring,” I replied, the words tight in my throat.

The urge to run tingled in my limbs, but I knew better than to turn my back on him.

He was a predator through and through, and right now, I was the prey in his sights.

Scar took a step closer, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

“Do you really think your ex-boyfriend is the first hunter who’s been turned and then hunted by his own people?” he said with a sneer.

His words cut deeper than I wanted to admit, stirring something raw in me.

My heart twisted painfully, bile rising in my throat as the truth started to settle.

This was just a job to the Elders. Gabriel was just another “asset” they’d discarded, and I’d been the one chosen to end him.

I felt sick, the weight of the knife in my hand turning unbearable. Why hadn’t I questioned it?

Why had I taken it without a second thought? I hated myself for it.

Every fiber of me wanted to hurl the knife into the shadows and turn my back on everything.

“Well, the job’s done,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady.

I clenched my jaw, staring past Scar, refusing to look back at Gabriel’s lifeless body.

I couldn’t bear to see him lying there like that, couldn’t stand the weight of what I’d just done.

“I’m heading back to headquarters,” I said.

I stepped forward, intending to brush past Scar, but his hand shot out, fingers clamping around my arm like a steel trap.

I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling.

Every instinct screamed danger as I looked into his eyes, which had shifted, turning the same gleaming yellow of his lion form.

A bead of sweat trickled down the back of my neck, my skin tingling with a sudden, all-consuming fear.

“What’s the rush, little hunter?” he asked, his tone light, almost playful.

But there was nothing friendly about it, and I didn’t trust it for a second.

He leaned in close, the smell of blood and sweat filling the air.

“This is a cause for celebration. Why don’t you let me buy you a drink?” Scar added.

“Thanks, but I need to head back,” I said firmly, forcing a smile as I tried to pull my arm from his grasp.

His fingers tightened, and my stomach twisted with the sudden realization that something was very, very wrong.

Scar’s face twisted into a mockery of a smile, something predatory gleaming in his gaze.

“You know,” he murmured, almost casually, “I was going to treat you nice before sending you to join your boyfriend in the underworld.”

My blood went cold. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my voice steady.

“We have a contract,” I said, my words tight. “I completed the objective.”

“Gage told me no loose strings,” he interrupted, his voice turning hard as iron. “We’ll tell your Elders you finished the job but died in the process. How does that sound?”

Before I could react, he lashed out, claws emerging from his fingers as he swiped toward me.

I barely ducked in time, the sound of his claws slicing through the air sharp and vicious.

My exhaustion from fighting Gabriel weighed on me, slowing me down just enough to put me at a disadvantage.

Scar grinned, sensing it, and closed in.

I managed to dodge his next strike, slipping to the side and swinging the knife toward his ribs.

But he was faster, twisting out of the way, his claws slicing down my arm in a swift, brutal motion.

Pain flared up my arm, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to let him see weakness.

“You’re not looking too good, little hunter,” he taunted, his eyes gleaming. “Did fighting your precious vampire take it out of you?”

I ignored him, focusing on each breath, each beat of my heart.

My knife flicked out again, and I managed to graze his shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.

He laughed, seeming more amused than angry, and lunged at me with renewed ferocity.

His claws ripped across my chest, tearing through fabric and skin, and I stumbled back, gasping at the sting.

Every instinct screamed at me to keep fighting, but my limbs were heavy, my movements sluggish from exhaustion.

Scar moved with predatory ease, circling me, each step calculated and controlled.

I threw a punch, but he sidestepped, grabbing my arm and twisting it painfully behind my back.

A hiss of pain slipped through my teeth, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream.

He forced me to my knees, his grip ironclad as he leaned close, his breath hot on my ear.

“This could’ve been so much easier for you,” he whispered. “You should’ve known better than to trust anyone in this game. Especially not a monster.”

Rage flared in me, hot and desperate, and I slammed my head back, catching him in the jaw.

He snarled, momentarily stunned, and I used the opening to break free, scrambling to my feet.

Blood dripped down my arm, my chest, each cut and bruise screaming with pain.

I couldn’t keep this up. I was barely standing as it was.

But I refused to die here. Not like this.

I took a steadying breath, meeting his gaze. My hand tightened around the knife, every nerve in my body on high alert.

Scar smirked, as if amused that I still thought I could win.

I lunged, feinting left before striking right. He blocked, but I managed to twist out of his grip, slashing at his side.

He hissed as the blade bit into his skin, but the satisfaction was short-lived.

He countered, claws flashing, and I stumbled as his fist connected with my ribs, pain radiating through me like wildfire.

“You’re pathetic, you know that?” Scar growled, his voice filled with contempt. “Just another weak little human.”

I staggered, struggling to catch my breath, but I refused to back down. I tightened my grip on the knife, forcing myself to stand tall.

“Better than a coward, who has trouble finishing off one weak little human,” I shot back, voice laced with defiance.

His eyes narrowed, his face twisting with anger.

In a blur of movement, he was on me, his claws sinking into my shoulder, forcing me against the alley wall.

I gasped, pain exploding in every nerve, but I met his gaze, refusing to look away.

“Bye, Finn,” Scar snarled, his claws sinking deeper into my shoulder. The pressure was unrelenting, each second bringing fresh waves of pain. “It was nice knowing you.”

My strength was fading fast, my vision tunneling until everything but Scar’s sneering face was just a blur.

This was really it, wasn’t it? My end. Part of me resisted the thought, defied it, but the reality was clawing me down.

Despair bubbled up, bitter and sharp, filling every corner of my chest.

Images of my brothers flashed through my mind. I hadn’t said goodbye. They’d never know what really happened to me.

Gabriel’s face drifted into my thoughts, too, dredging up a fresh wave of grief. He hadn’t deserved to die the way he did.

Maybe, if I’d had more courage… maybe if I’d tried to talk to him, tried to find some other way. No. It was too late for regrets now.

Scar’s grip tightened, and I steeled myself, bracing for the inevitable.

Then, out of nowhere, a dark blur struck him, tearing him away from me with a savage snarl.

I collapsed to the ground, barely able to register what was happening, just the growls, the sounds of flesh tearing, the clash of claws and fangs.

Through my bleary vision, I caught glimpses of the brutal struggle: Scar’s snarling face twisted in pain, the shadow of another figure moving with lethal precision.

Gabriel.

He fought like a storm unleashed, his movements a deadly blur.

Scar landed a few blows, but Gabriel was relentless, pressing him back with each attack, his eyes burning with fury.

Scar barely had time to react before Gabriel lunged forward, his fangs sinking into Scar’s throat.

I watched, frozen, as Scar choked, his hands scrabbling weakly at Gabriel’s shoulders, but it was no use.

Gabriel held him in an unbreakable grip, the intensity in his eyes so fierce it made my pulse race.

Finally, Scar’s body went limp, his eyes rolling back as Gabriel released him, letting him crumple to the ground.

Gabriel stepped back, breathing heavily, his gaze fixated on Scar’s unmoving form before he turned his attention to me.

I stared at him, stunned, my mind reeling. He was… alive.

“You’re…” I choked, barely able to form the words.

My gaze drifted to his chest, where I’d driven the knife only hours before.

The wound was gone, completely healed, not even a scar remaining.

“Sorry it took some time.” Gabriel’s voice was rough. “I had to direct all my energy to healing that wound in my chest.”

He gave a wry smile, then added, “you missed my heart by half an inch, by the way.”

I blinked, the weight of his words finally breaking through my shock. Half an inch.

That close to losing him for good. Was he… making a joke? After everything?

Something in me snapped.

Relief crashed through me, fierce and overwhelming, and I moved without thinking, throwing myself forward.

I collided with him, clutching him tightly, barely able to believe he was solid, real, warm beneath my hands.

Gabriel’s arms wrapped around me without hesitation, holding me as I pressed my face against his shoulder.

The tension that had been building, the grief, the regret, the fear. It all shattered.

The next thing I knew, I was crying, the tears coming fast and unstoppable.

“I’m so sorry,” I choked out, the words spilling out over and over. “I’m so, so sorry, Gabriel.”

He hushed me softly, his hands moving in slow, soothing circles over my back. “Finn, it’s okay. It’s okay…”

But it wasn’t okay. I could still see that moment so clearly. The shock in his eyes when I’d stabbed him, the hurt.

The pain twisted inside me again, raw and jagged, and I clung to him tighter, half-expecting him to vanish if I let go.

“Finn,” he whispered, and I felt him tilt my chin up, his thumb brushing gently over my cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze, and found him watching me with a depth of emotion that made my heart lurch.

His face softened, his expression tender, and for a moment, I felt like we were the only two people in the world.

Just Gabriel and me, nothing else.

Before I could think, his lips were on mine.

The kiss started soft, tentative, as if he was testing the waters, uncertain if I’d pull away. But I didn’t.

Instead, I leaned into him, desperate, needing the contact, the reassurance that he was here, alive.

He responded, his hold tightening, and the kiss deepened, losing any hesitancy as he claimed my mouth fully.

The world around us faded, the alley, the blood on the ground, the shadows.

All of it melted away, leaving only the warmth of his mouth, the way his hand tangled in my hair, pulling me closer.

My heart pounded as the kiss grew fierce, the months of separation, the grief, the longing, all pouring out in a flood of heat and need.

For the first time, there was no line dividing us, no hunter and monster. Just us. Gabriel and Finn.

He pulled back slightly, his lips brushing mine as he caught his breath, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go, pressing my forehead to his.

His hand slipped to my jaw, his thumb tracing gentle, soothing circles there.

He stared at me, his gaze intense, filled with emotions I could barely begin to decipher.

“I thought I lost you,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I thought… I’d killed you.”

“You almost did,” he replied, and despite the words, there was a hint of amusement in his tone.

A fresh wave of emotion surged through me.

I pressed my face into his shoulder again, overwhelmed by the simple truth in his words.

He’d survived, somehow, against the odds, and now he was here, holding me like I was the only thing that mattered.

I didn’t know what the future held, didn’t know how we’d move forward from here, but for now, I let myself savor the moment.

After a long moment, Gabriel gently eased me back, his expression sobering. He glanced around the alley, his senses clearly on alert.

“We need to get out of here,” he said.

I nodded, though the thought of breaking the fragile moment between us made my heart ache. But he was right.

We were both in danger here, and lingering in the open wasn’t an option.

Gabriel kept his arm around me as we moved, a silent reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere.

I leaned into him, feeling the strength of his presence, grounding me, steadying the rush of emotions still swirling inside me.

We slipped through the shadows, moving quickly and quietly.

But every so often, Gabriel would glance at me, as if he were making sure I was real and wouldn’t just disappear on him.