Page 8 of Gabriel

I dragged a hand through my hair, frustration tightening in my chest.

“I don’t know, Nikola. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

“Maybe he’s just screwing with you,” Nikola said, half shrugging. “You’ve been glued to Amara’s side for years. Maybe this is his twisted way of giving you a taste of your own medicine. I mean… if Anya’s never even met the guy, how could he possibly beinterestedin her?”

It did sound like something Jet would do out of spite, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was more to it than just revenge for my interest in Amara. The dark obsessive look in his eyes unnerved me, because it told me he’d go to great lengths to get what he wanted.

“What if we ran this by my parents?” Nikola offered. “My mom loves Anya—we’re family, after all.”

I shook my head. “No. She’d tell her brother, no question. Raphael would blow a fucking gasket, and Sailor…” I exhaled. “Yeah, that’s a hard pass. Anything Tijuana-related still gets to her.”

Nikola tilted his head pensively.

“I mean, we could try and kill the bastard, but it will probably backfire, and I’m working really hard to get some shit resolved with Skye.”

I chuckled. “God, you’re whipped.”

He grinned. “There’re worse things than that. But once I get those things figured out, we can go after Jet and kill him. Until then, we’ll keep a close eye on Anya.”

I nodded, but a gnawing unease churned in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Amara

The door clicked shut behind me with a sound too loud for how late it was. I stepped into the dorm suite quietly, half expecting the place to be dark and still. Instead, the soft glow of a lamp twinkled from the side table, casting a golden haze over the room. Music played low from someone’s Bluetooth speaker, its sad tunes matching my melancholy mood.

Skye was curled up on one end of the couch in her oversized hoodie, legs tucked under her and her eyes closed. I breathed a sigh of relief to see her, because she was nowhere to be found when I returned after my bizarre encounters with both Jet and Gabriel.

Penelope was sprawled across the shag rug, her makeup slightly smudged and her hair messier than usual, still very much in post-mystery-man bliss.

And Anya sat on the loveseat, a Kindle in one hand while she munched on a bowl of dry cereal with the other.

“Hey,” I greeted them softly, kicking off my heels. “Glad everyone’s back safe and sound.”

Pen nudged Skye, and everyone’s eyes locked on me.

“I’ve been here all along, so I was definitely safe,” Anya retorted dryly. “Although tonight seems to be full of… excitement.”

“You’re back,” Skye signed, smiling tiredly. “Everything okay?”

Penelope blinked at me through smudged mascara. “You look like you had a rough night.”

“Well, yeah, I was worried some sicko got ahold of you two and looked around for you both like a madwoman.”

Skye signed, “Nikola showed up and pretty much forced me back home. I didn’t want to rat out Penelope.”

I gave a weak smile and dropped onto the couch next to Anya. She handed me the cereal without a word. I took a handful and sighed.

“I thought you two got tired of waiting for me, which I wouldn’t blame you if you did, and left,” Penelope admitted sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I was in post-orgasmic bliss and wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“At least someone got lucky tonight,” I muttered. “You’ll never believe who I ran into.”

“Gabriel?” Skye signed, already putting the pieces together.

I nodded slowly.

Penelope smiled just as Anya cleared her throat uncomfortably and said, “I'd like to remind you all that he’s my brother, so you better watch what you say.”

I patted her hand. “I know you love him, but he really shows up at the most inconvenient moments. I was just about to go after Jet, and of course, Gabriel got in my way.”