Fate's Revenge (Twisted Fate, Book 4)

Chapter Fifty-One

A/N: Merry Christmas! Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday :)

"I can't believe nobody will let us in to see her," I said to Gabe, and then took a bite of my chocolate bar.

When we'd arrived in the Mortal Realm, it had been dark, but coming to the cafeteria proved it was really the middle of the night. One-thirty in the morning. The only thing open to visitors was a row of vending machines on either side of the locked concession and a coffee station filled with sludge pulled in front of the door so it was smack dab in the middle. I didn't know where had gotten change from, but right now, I didn't care.

"She's in surgery."

"And you are angels. Like surgery stops you from seeing mortals." I put my half-eaten chocolate bar, which no longer tasted as good as it had sounded, onto the table between us. "Do you even know why she's in there? What are they operating on?"

"I don't know."

"So then where is Mike?"

"I'm not sure. I could only guess, but wherever he is, I'm sure it's for something equally as important." He reached over to hold my hand and I pulled away.

"Yeah, well, she was important enough to betray me for. I would think that would mean he'd be by her side when she's hurt."

Gabe sighed, the sound loud in the deserted room where even the janitor had finished his nightly tasks. With white walls and floor, circular tables placed randomly throughout the room, and a glass fence-like sliding door blocking the usual cavernous store full of food, we were alone. Still, I found plenty to watch instead of meeting his gaze.

He stood, switching seats so he sat beside me instead of across the table.

"We can't fix this, Alyssa," he said, his voice low as he reached out and grabbed my hand before I could pull away.

I allowed my arm to go limp, imagining it was no longer a part of my body so that I could ignore the effects of his touch. He couldn't sway me. Turning so that I could meet his eyes, I asked, "So if that were me and you were Mike, where would you be?"

"It's not the same thing."

"No?" I raised my eyebrows. "Where would you be, Gabe?"

"I would want to be by your side," he said, "but if there was a chance that something could help you? I would leave to explore the possibility."

"What possibility?"

He paused, looking away. The chasm of secrecy I thought we'd breached began to strangle me, filling the air around us with its tension. He didn't have to tell me he wasn't willing to explain. The cryptic reply was sealed behind clamped lips, so tight the white line around his mouth glowed as bright as the scar along his jaw. As obvious as it was, it went unnoticed unless it was being sought out.

With a shake of my head, I pulled my hand free and stood. "I, uh . . . We should get back. I want to be there when Suzie gets out of surgery."

"Alyssa—"

"It's fine, Gabe. I get it." I didn't move as he got up from his chair, and then, when he was right beside me, I looked up and said, "You can love me, but you don't trust me."

"There's just rules..."

I started to walk away, not caring if he followed. We'd already broken the so-called rules. I'd found out who he was on my own, all because they'd said they were forbidden by the Sisters—or at least Lachesis out of a twisted sense of revenge—to tell me. There were no rules here. Nobody was telling him to keep me in the dark this time, not explicitly. This was all him and the sense of duty he still held so close.