Page 25 of Twisted Truths (The Sunburnt Hearts #4)

Chapter Nineteen

HADLEY

I quietly slipped away from the church while Nash argued with his father.

Now, I’m lost in thought as Gabriel drives us back to the Circle.

My head rests against the cool glass of the window, my thumb drifting absentmindedly across my bottom lip.

I can’t make sense of the pull I feel towards Nash.

It’s reckless and dangerous. We’re wrong for each other in every way, but when I’m wrapped in his strong embrace, his lips pressed to mine, I forget why.

Nash’s hatred for Gabriel and the Sunfire Circle runs deep. It’s raw. Carved from grief. I get it. How could I not, when his whole world was shattered by murders he believes the Circle caused?

I’m starting to wonder if he’s onto something.

Not that Gabriel’s involved. I honestly believe he wanted to help Zara when he brought her into the Circle and pretended to be Franklin’s father.

But with his cryptic hints about nefarious things happening within the commune walls, and him taking me as his Chosen for my protection, there are definitely reasons to be wary.

I think Nash believed me when I told him Gabriel was not his villain, but belief doesn’t erase pain, and it doesn’t change the fact I’ve tied myself to Gabriel. While he made the decision for my safety, it doesn’t change what it means. I’m Gabriel’s Chosen. Yet, I kissed someone else.

A low flicker of guilt churns in my stomach.

“What happened between you and Nash?” Gabriel’s voice breaks through my thoughts, soft but direct.

I glance over at him, but his face remains impassive, giving me no indication of what he’s thinking.

The silence stretches as indecision wars within me. I should tell him—he deserves to know—but I don’t know how he’s going to react. Will he be angry with me?

Seraphina warned us she’d be watching to see how we represent the Circle, and I kissed a man who wasn’t her son less than twenty-four hours after becoming his Chosen.

Gabriel sighs. “Hadley?”

“I kissed him,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t plan to. It just … happened.”

Silence greets my confession.

I squirm uncomfortably. “It wasn’t the first time.”

His brows lift in surprise, and I brace for disappointment, anger— something. But Gabriel remains silent, his eyes never leaving the road.

“It was on Friday, and?—”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.” A ghost of a smile plays on his lips.

“I feel like I do,” I tell him, the guilt sharp in my chest. “I’m your Chosen.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re mine,” he replies quietly, casting me a quick glance, his expression softening. “Our arrangement is for your protection. I don’t expect anything from you, nor should you expect anything other than that from me.”

I should feel relief, but all I feel is the ache of what I’m not telling him. Trees blur as I stare out the window again. “I feel something,” I admit, “for Nash.”

When Gabriel doesn’t say anything, I continue, the words tumbling out of me in a rush.

“I know we’re a bad idea. Nash hates everything I’m tied to. But he makes me feel things. Things I’ve never felt before. When I’m around him, it’s like—” I stop myself, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter. We can’t be together, and once he gets his answers he’ll be gone.”

“Gone?” Gabriel asks, his brows knitting.

“Back to the States. Zara said he plays in the NBA. He won’t give that up for someone like me.”

His expression shifts, a flicker of something in his eyes, like a thought rising he isn’t sure he should voice. But then it’s gone, and he sighs like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.

When we arrive back at his … our cabin, Guardian Solomon and Seraphina are already inside waiting for us.

Seraphina stops pacing the moment we step through the door, her eyes immediately locking onto us with quiet intensity.

Guardian Solomon stands by the window, all effortless calm, like this is a casual visit and not a power play waiting to unfold.

“Where have you been?” Seraphina’s voice is cold and calculating .

Without pause, Gabriel answers cooly. “Attending Zara’s funeral.”

The look on Seraphina’s face would be comical if it weren’t damn well terrifying.

Ignoring his mother’s reaction, Gabriel takes my hand and leads me behind the kitchen bench, filling a glass with water and passing it to me.

I gulp it down, waiting for the fallout of our actions.

“We thought you’d outgrown this reckless, insubordinate behaviour once you became a father,” Seraphina finally snaps.

I freeze, almost dropping the glass in my hand. She doesn’t know Franklin isn’t his biological son. Sensing the change in my demeanour, Gabriel wraps his arm around my waist, securing me to his side and placing a kiss on my temple.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Mother,” he says in a mocking tone. “I thought you’d set your expectations lower by now.”

“Gabriel…” his father warns with a sigh, as if he’s heard different versions of this same argument before. He moves to sit on the couch, but his wife remains standing, facing off against the two of us.

“When are you going to take your legacy seriously?” she demands. “We have a responsibility to our people?—”

“ You have a responsibility,” Gabriel shoots back. “I don’t know why you’re so upset. You didn’t have to force me to take a Chosen this time. What’s the problem now?”

Seraphina’s lips curl into a calculated smile. She’s almost vibrating with restrained fury.

“The problem, dear,” she says, her voice like silk drawn tight over barbed wire, “is you seem determined to repeat history. We both know how that ended.” Her gaze flicks to me. “Let’s hope your new Chosen doesn’t meet the same fate as the last.”

My breath catches at the threat .

Wrapped in civility, dipped in concern, I hear it for what it is.

By the tension thrumming through Gabriel’s body, so does he.

“Speaking of my last Chosen,” he says smoothly, almost lazily, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. “I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to hear that Hadley and I will take over the care of my son, seeing as he’s the outcome of my last attempt at legacy.”

The silence that follows his statement is deafening.

Seraphina’s eyes flick from Gabriel, then linger on me. Sharp. Assessing. It’s a silent game of chess, and I’ve been moved into a dangerous position.

“I see,” she finally says, her tone unreadable. “Well, that’s going to be impossible, seeing as Franklin is a child of the Circle and the two of you are no longer welcome here.”

Gabriel snorts a derisive sound. “You’re not serious.”

“I’ve never been more so.” Seraphina’s words are measured. “You’ve both defied our customs and disrespected our sacred rituals with this farce. The Sunfire Circle demands loyalty, which neither of you has shown in your actions.”

I flinch at the dig. Until two weeks ago, I had heeded her warning to stay away from her son.

Gabriel releases me and takes a step forward, his jaw tight. “You’re really going to cast out your own son?”

“We do what is best for the Circle,” she says, her tone absolute. “Even when it costs us.”

He turns to his father, a flicker of desperation crossing his face. “You’re going to let this happen?”

Guardian Solomon simply shrugs, the motion infuriatingly casual for the situation. “You know how these things go. It’s been decided. ”

Seraphina decided.

He is not the most powerful voice in the Circle.

She is.

Terror claws up my spine.

They’re really doing this.

We’re out.

With that truth comes the crushing weight of everything we’re about to lose. Shelter. The protection of Gabriel being a guardian. Franklin. Our chance at finding out what really happened to Zara.

My mind races with a million questions, all tangled in fear. Where will we go? How will we keep Franklin safe now? If someone at the Circle was behind Zara’s murder, and the rest of her family, what’s stopping them from coming after us next?

I glance at Gabriel, who’s still glaring at his mother like he’s trying to burn a hole through her with sheer will.

Seraphina doesn’t falter. In her mind, we’re pieces no longer on the board.

Expendable.

Gabriel inhales sharply through his nose, then turns to me with a clenched jaw. “Come on,” he mutters, grabbing my hand.

I follow him out on unsteady legs.

“Where are we going?” I ask as he leads me through the quiet paths of the commune towards the gated entrance.

“Trust me,” is all he says in response.

I shake my head, panic rising in my chest. “We can’t leave Franklin. I promised Zara I would protect him.” Another thought twists my gut, and I gasp. “If Nash finds out … Gabriel, I should have told him about his nephew. He needs to know.”

“Franklin will be safe for now,” Gabriel assures me as we slip through the gate and onto the road that leads back into town. “We’ll come back for him. I promise. We just need a couple of days. I have a plan.”