DANIELLA

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

"Stevie?"
I called out the following morning

"Yes!" She answered back

We were still in Travis' house because that would be the last place Elena would think of.

"Can you stay on your own ?" I asked having followed her voice only to find her in the kitchen preparing breakfast

"What do you mean? You also don't trust me right ?" She asked on the verge of tears

"It's not about not trusting you Stevie. It's about your welfare..I'm really concerned about you Stevie that's why I wanted to buy you your own place far away from here."

"Why can't I stay here with you? You promised to protect me from the beginning and I trusted you! I betrayed my sister because whatever she was doing was evil but I could have chosen to keep quiet because she's blood! And now you are just going to leave me all alone with nobody?"
She was breaking and hot tears were already running down her cheeks

"Stevie...

"No don't tell me that I will be safe far away from here. She will find me again and this time she won't leave me alive . And I'll be all alone with nobody to realize that I am no more . I should have known that you wouldn't stick around to clean up my mess and I'm sorry for bothering you and dragging you into it"

With that she removed the chef apron and left running upstairs to our guest room that we shared

I turned around and I nearly jumped at the sight of Gabriel standing in the door way

"Shit! You scared the hell out of me!" I cursed

"That was so funny and so worth it Ella ," he said laughing loudly

"For how long have you been there?" I asked irritated

"Long enough to catch on to your conversation with Stevie . Why do you want to take her away from here all alone? I don't think that that is fair to the poor girl !"

I cleared my throat nervously

"Uuhm.. where is Travis ? I need to talk to the both of you please ." I said rather quickly

"He is in his room. But why?"

"You will get your answers when we get there."

His bed was well made meaning he was already out of bed.
"He's not in here .."I said

"And if you were attentive you would have heard water running in the shower " Gabriel seemed to have clear answers to every question I asked but I wasn't in the mood to answer back

Few minutes later Travis opened the bathroom door and came out .

The sight that greeted me had me swallowing hard.

He only had a towel wrapped on his lower region, his well defined abs and tanned skin on display for me to see. His messy hair completed his look as it stuck out I different directions.

I tried to look away but my eyes refused to comply as I shamelessly drooled. My eyes followed a water drop that slowly dripped from his hair down his chest as it went further down but I was quick to bring my eyes back to his face and the smirk on his face was enough for me to know that he had seen me undressing him in my head

"Like what you see?" He purred maliciously

"Oh I've seen better darling,"  I purred back

"Can you both get out I want to change !" He ordered but Gabriel only chuckled as my cheeks turned a deep shade red

"Just pick up your clothes and go change inside the bathroom . Ella has something very important to talk to us about."

He looked at me questioningly but I only nodded avoiding his eye contact .

"Okay. I'll be done in a few minutes."

How was I going to tell them what I had been planning since the day I found out that Travis was a merman and the reasons why they did what they did? How was I supposed to look into their eyes ? How was I......

His voice brought me back from my world of thoughts
"Ella I'm done now ."

"Come on sit down. And come closer. I don't want to strain while talking."

He shook his head before coming next to me on the bed and looking at my face

"What is it Ella?"

Could you please stop looking at me like that it's not making things any easier .." I spoke before I could think as I swallowed hard...again!

Travis looked in the other direction as I begun to speak
"Ever since you told me your true identity and your real reasons for the factory, I've been thinking. I know that all the traps around the shore have been removed , the overfishing is done and your wastes are not getting dumped in the sea. So my mission is completely accomplished and I think it's high time I went back home !"

Nobody spoke but the solemn face they held spoke volumes
"No way you're going nowhere!" Travis said authoritatively

"Whaaa.... What?" I asked disbelieving that he could talk to me in such a tone

"You can't just go and leave us here yet Ella . We just met and we don't even know each much besides who will you leave Stevie with ? She needs someone to protect her and it's only you who can do that ! Please don't leave yet..I still need you here .."  Travis said begging me

"Travis you know the earlier I go home the faster I find your mother. There is nothing more for me here . I don't belong here and you know that ...I never did ."

Gabriel is quiet throughout the exchange lost in his own thoughts
"Father, could you please leave the room. I need to talk to Ella alone."

Gabriel stood up and walked away without a word
I wondered what was going on in his old mind

Where he was on the other side of the door Travis pinned me down his body hovering above mine
His eyes bore into mine like he wanted to see right through me

"Do you have any idea what you are doing to me?" He asked

But before I could answer, his lips met mine in a frenzy, moulding our lips to fit perfectly together as he kissed the daylights out of me

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