I was left in a room with a raging hard on which wasn’t going away and Dante fucking Oscura under a pile of gold. Great.

I didn’t know why I’d reacted that way over a bite, but I’d been taken by surprise. And then Elise’s body had rubbed against mine and the sting of her teeth and the press of her lips had sent me haywire. I hadn’t fucked anyone else since I’d had her and I sure as shit wasn’t going to. I couldn’t get her out of my head and that meant one touch from her was goddamn nuclear.

Dante leaned up, reaching for the edge of the sheet hanging from his bunk with a frustrated sigh. He couldn’t quite reach, his fingers grazing it and I sat watching him from my bunk with my lips pressed tightly together.

Maybe I should go and join Elise in the shower? What are the chances her going there was an invitation for me to follow?

I checked my Atlas a little hopefully then scowled at myself. Fucking idiot. She doesn’t want you. You’re the asshole who hurt her brother. Not that she knows that.

I’d been awake early wondering if I should tell her the truth. Deep down, I knew it was what she deserved. But I also knew she’d never want to speak to me again once she found out that little nugget of shit. And while I was helping to find her brother’s killer, I was at least being useful to her. Maybe I was a selfish prick though, because I couldn’t deny being anything to her felt sinfully good.

Dante finally snagged the sheet, pulling it across and it wasn’t long before his soft snores reached me from behind it.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, knowing I should probably let Elise sleep when she returned from the bathroom, but I had too much to say to her. She needed to know what I’d found in the Kipling Cache. She needed solid reasons to stay away from the fuckers in this school who were putting her in danger at every turn. And now I had those reasons. Something she couldn’t ignore, because apparently my word wasn’t good enough.

When she returned from the shower wrapped in a towel, my eyes followed her across the room to where she dropped it without a thought. As Dante had passed out, I had the feeling this little display was just for me. Either that, or she didn’t give a fuck about parading around naked. Probably the latter.

My eyes swept over the curve of her ass as she tugged on a pair of sweatpants then pulled a tank top on. She turned to climb up into her bunk and I jumped silently down from mine.

“We need to talk,” I said in a low voice and she jolted, realising I was right behind her.

“By the stars, Gabriel! You need to wear a bell around your neck.”

I smirked, holding out my hand. “Come with me to the roof.”

“No, I’m going to bed.”

I gave her a look that said this wasn’t optional and she gave me one in return that said it was.

“It’s important,” I growled then lowered my tone, even though it was clear Dante was asleep. “It’s about your Pegasus friend.”

Her eyes widened and all stubbornness fled from her expression. She nodded quickly and I caught her hand, dragging her to the window and pulling her to my chest.

She squealed as I opened it and leapt from the ledge, flexing my wings and holding her against me as I soared through the air.

“I could have walked!” she yelled as I climbed higher toward the roof and a dark smile pulled at my mouth.

I landed lightly outside my tent and she lingered against me for a full second. I could feel the thrum of her heart against my chest and the wildness in her eyes made my own pulse rise.

I guided her into the tent and dropped down onto the furs at the heart of the space, looking up at her as I waited for her to join me. I’d already decided what I was going to do. At first, I’d wanted to keep the video of her brother from her, but now she was here in front of me the idea seemed impossible. She deserved to see it. She needed to see it.

She frowned then dropped down, her leg brushing against mine as she settled herself into the space beside me. I was keenly aware of the time I’d had her pinned beneath me right here, her body bending to my will as she gave into her desire for me. It was the best fucking night of my life if I was being totally honest. And the thought that we’d never have that again was majorly depressing.

“What did you want to tell me?” she asked, hope shining in her eyes like she was praying I’d found out who had killed her brother.

I reached into a fold at the edge of the tent, disbanding my concealment spell and taking out the flash drive and the photograph I’d found in the Oscura stash. I passed the photo to her first, my gut knotting with tension as I waited to see how she’d react. It pictured her brother with his hand clasped in Ryder’s, a flare of magic sparking between them as they made some deal.

She stared at it for a long moment with her brow furrowed. “This doesn’t mean anything,” she sighed, looking to me.

I drew in a long breath. “I found it in Dante Oscura’s belongings in the Kipling Cache. So I’m guessing Dante thought this was important enough to keep. And I would imagine he would have seen this as a betrayal.”

“A betrayal?” she frowned heavily. “My brother wasn’t in with the Oscuras.”

“I’m not so sure that’s true…” I picked up my Atlas, plugging in the flash drive and Elise shifted closer, her expression taut as I brought up the long list of recordings kept on it. “Dante has all of these videos on people he knows, people he thinks could become threats to him one day I guess. The teachers at the academy, people close to him who he doesn’t trust…” I clicked on the one entitled Gareth Tempa and Elise inhaled sharply as it began playing.

The Oscura Clan were beating up a bunch of Fae in a locker room and Gareth stood at the heart of them, punching a guy who lay on the ground beneath him again and again. Leon Night appeared, drawing him away and Elise clutched my arm, snatching the Atlas from my hand as she replayed the video. She watched it over and over, staring at everyone in it then brushing her fingers over Gareth’s face.

My heart tugged and I instinctively wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t want your pity,” she growled.

“This isn’t pity,” I murmured. “It’s support.”

She shrugged like that was the same difference, but she didn’t remove my arm.

“So you think Gareth was friends with them? Leon…Dante. The Oscuras?”

“I don’t know about friends,” I said in a low tone. “Maybe they blackmailed him into this.”

“My brother knew his own mind,” she said firmly. “He did this because he wanted to do this.”

“And what about Ryder?” I pressed. “How long do you think Dante would have stayed friends with your brother once he found out he was striking deals with his enemy?”

Elise’s brows pinched together as she stared at the screen, then looked at the photograph once more.

“What were you doing, Gare bear?” she whispered to herself.

I held her closer, giving her time to accept this. To realise that the people Gareth had been hanging around with had most likely gotten him killed. He’d been right in the heart of some gang brawl for fuck’s sake and anything he could have offered Ryder Draconis could only have been bad.

“So it’s time you stopped letting them into your life, Elise,” I said gently when I’d thought she’d had enough time to come to this conclusion herself.

“What?” she hissed, shrugging me off suddenly.

“They’re dangerous-”

“I know what they are,” she snapped. “And this proves nothing.” She tossed the photo into my lap and I scowled.

“It proves everything,” I said forcefully, leaning into her face. “You’re going to end up like your brother if you continue spending time with them.”

Her palm crashed into my cheek and I snarled in fury.

“You don’t know anything,” she growled. “This isn’t proof. It’s snapshots of the past. There’s no context. Dante might have known my brother was talking to Ryder. Or maybe he was never friends with Gareth in the first place. Just because he was in some Oscura fight doesn’t mean they were friends.” She got to her feet and I shot up after her as she pocketed the flash drive.

I darted into her way before she could leave, even though I knew she could bolt with her Vampire speed at any second. “I’m just trying to protect you! This may not be proof of who Gareth’s killer is, but it’s proof of who he spent time with. Who knows what he got caught up in when he kept that kind of company?”

“Exactly,” she hissed. “Who knows? Maybe only the stars and his killer.”

“Who could be in that video or that photo,” I snarled.

“Yeah maybe. Or maybe not.”

“You need to trust me on this,” I pressed.

She tsked, rolling her eyes at me. “Trust you? You could be lying to my face to cover your own ass for all I know. I don’t see how you’re more trustworthy than any of the men I spend time with.”

I gaped at her, astonished that she could really still suspect me. “I know I haven’t been entirely honest, but I swear to you-”

“Save it. I’ve heard it before, Gabriel. And I’m tired of empty promises. I’ve had enough of those to last me a lifetime. Gareth swore he’d always be around, Mom promised to love and look after me no matter what. But where are they now, huh?”

I caught her hand before she could shoot away, pressing my palm to her cheek to make her look at me. “My promises aren’t empty, Elise.”

She yanked her arm free of me with a glare. “Words don’t mean anything. Anyone can promise me the moon, but I’ve never seen anyone pull it from the sky.” She sped away and my heart crumbled as she left.

She was going back to the arms of men I couldn’t save her from. I simply couldn’t be there twenty four seven to watch over her. After last night, wasn’t it more obvious than ever how dangerous it was to get tangled up with the Lunars and Oscuras? She could have died.

My stomach churned at the thought and the Libra tattoo on my chest itched like crazy. I dropped down to sit on my furs, resting my head in my hands as I tried to think of a way out of this. There was only one real option, and it wasn’t even a possibility. If Elise was ever going to trust me, I had to open my flesh to her and bare my dirty soul. She had to hear the truth. Every blackened, ruined part of me.

But I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t brave enough. Because if she ever heard those words from my lips, she’d despise me. She’d take out her rage on me, and why shouldn’t she? I’d hurt her brother. I was responsible for a terrible, terrible thing.

By the stars, if I’d only taken a moment to wonder why he’d been so desperate for the money, if I’d asked him, made him tell me why he needed it before I’d acted so brashly, maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess now.

The saddest thing of all, was that I’d never have met Elise if her brother hadn’t died. It was a cruel twist of fate. But if I could undo what had been done, I’d take that fate instead. Because Elise would rather have her brother in her life than some fucked up Elysian Mate who didn’t deserve a hair on her head, let alone her heart.

I’m sorry, Gareth. I am so, fucking sorry.