Fate's Revenge (Twisted Fate, Book 4)

Chapter Forty-Seven

I pulled back and ducked my head. "Gabe." Resting my hands on his chest, I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip at my waist and leaned forward to kiss me again. I pulled back. "Gabe—"

"What?"

He paused to hold my gaze, but his hands didn't move. Neither of us did. The small of my back began to ache from leaning back. I shifted for balance. Gabe stood straight.

"What's wrong, Alyssa?" His eyebrows furrowed, and he appeared genuinely confused, like he had never suffered any form of rejection before.

"I—It's just people can see. What if someone comes into the hall and catches us?" I darted my eyes left, then right. "It's forbidden. Just because I know who you are, and we've come clean with Lachesis, doesn't change that."

"But I'm in charge," he said, and started to lean forward again with a half-smile. "I make the rules, remember?"

I side-stepped out of his reach so that not even his hands were on my waist. "That isn't permanent, though. What happens if you break the rules and then Mike gets better? He'll be in charge and we'll be punished, and I can't even imagine what that means." I stopped pacing in front of him, frozen. "What is a punishment befitting an angel?"

"Alyssa—"

"No." I shook my head. "No more, Gabe. We can't do this if it means that you could be punished. I don't know much, but I know that angels probably don't have to sit in a corner when they are misbehaving, do they? Your punishment would be so much worse."

He took a step forward and I took a step back. Another and my back hit the wall. I raised my hand, looked on each side of me, and shook my head. Still, he continued. There was no escape.

"What are you afraid of, Alyssa?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

My hand hit his chest and he took another step, pushing against my defenses until they no longer existed. I stopped pushing back, but didn't remove my hand, and he reached out to cup my cheek. I tilted my head and closed my eyes, not having to see to feel his gaze as he looked down at me.

A tear slid down my cheek.

"Alyssa?"

"I—we..." I shook my head, swallowing hard, and then looked up to meet his gaze as two more tears fought for freedom. "The last time you said to hell with the rules, you died. I don't want to lose you again, and if the only way I can keep you is by not being with you, then that's fine." I blinked my tears away and looked up again, trying to appear unaffected. "I can handle that."

"You aren't going to lose me." Using his thumb, he wiped my tears away and then leaned down so I no longer had to look up. He brought his hand up so that both my cheeks were cupped in his palms. "I'm not going anywhere."

"But Mike—"

He pulled me to him and kissed me, hard and quick. "Things are different now, Alyssa. Mike won't punish us for being together."

I laughed, the sound like a choke escaping between sobs, and the trickling tears turned into a steady flow. "Then He will do something."

"No, Alyssa. He isn't—"

"It doesn't matter!" It happened so fast, discovering who he really was, that all I'd cared about was being with him. Not once had I stopped to think of the consequences we'd have to endure if we flaunted our relationship. Even if we didn't acknowledge what we meant to one another in public, it was still punishable to be together. Sera and Keston had to convene a committee for permission. It didn't matter who he was. It didn't matter that David was really Gabe. In the end, we were just as screwed.