Gabriel’s POVI woke up pretty early and decided to wake Nick up so we could look at the information Sebastian had given me.I also needed him to help me decide how to tell Aria the truth.I brushed my teeth and hopped under the shower.I got dressed and quietly left my room.As I was about to knock on Nick’s bedroom door, he opened it and motioned for me to be quiet.I looked at him confused, and he motioned behind him.Aria was sleeping in his bed, snuggling his pillow close to her.I frowned and looked at him coldly.“Nothing happened, man,” he whispered. “She couldn’t sleep, and she came here.”“Come on,” I said quietly. “Don’t wake her up.”He stepped outside and closed the door quietly.We walked to my grandma’s study.As soon as we got inside and he closed the door, I gave him a stern look.“What the hell happened?” I asked him.He sighed. “Nothing, Gabe. She couldn’t sleep and she came to me all by herself. I didn’t tell her to do that. The bond did. She needed me to sleep.”I

Gabriel’s POVI sat back down in my chair and let out a breath I had been holding.I guess it went well.She didn’t run. She didn’t scream or yell at me.I was worried about her, though. I didn’t know how she would come to terms with all of this. She seemed calm at the end of the conversation. Maybe too calm. I needed to keep an eye on her.I would be here for her no matter what. I would make sure she was okay and happy.“Are you okay?” Nick’s voice interrupted my thoughts.I looked at him and nodded.“I am fine,” I said. “It went well, I guess. I am worried about her, though. She seemed too calm at the end. Or maybe I am imagining it.”Nick shook his head. “No, you are not. I am getting these weird mixed feelings through the bond. Confusion, pain, sadness, denial but also, I think there is happiness because she has family, calmness because she feels safe with you. I am not sure she knows what she feels exactly. We need to keep an eye on her.”“Definitely,” I nodded. “I don’t think sh

Gabriel’s POVI swear to Goddess, if Nick didn’t stop bouncing his leg up and down, I was going to strangle him.“Stop it,” I growled and placed my hand on his leg, stopping him from moving.“This place is a dump, man,” he sighed. “I can’t believe you used to come here every night.”“It wasn’t every night,” I said with a frown.But he was right. The place looked awful. The whole City looked awful. I had been so wrapped up in everything that was happening with Aria that pushed everything that was happening here to the back of my mind.The streets were completely empty. Everybody was too afraid to come outside. While we were driving here, we saw only a few people walking down the street. I bet they were hunters. The city was constantly clouded by smoke coming from the main square and there was a constant smell of burning bodies lingering in the air. It was even more potent than it was a few days ago. You could hear screams coming from the main square.I had a feeling this would be last

Gabriel’s POVI kept glancing at Aria while driving. She was fidgeting nervously in her seat.We have been driving for about four hours now. We stopped a few times to go to the bathroom and grab some coffee.“Will you stop doing that?” I mumbled and placed my hand on Aria’s thigh.She was in the passenger seat next to me. Nick and Annie were sitting in the back. Annie was sitting behind me and Nick behind Aria.“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I am nervous.”“It’s going to go great, A,” Annie said. “Don’t worry.”“What if they are angry at me?” she said quietly, glancing out the passenger side window.“Why would they be angry at you?” I asked, surprised.“Well, I disappeared,” she sighed and turned to me. “I never got a chance to explain why. And I am pretty sure my grandma didn’t tell them anything. What if they are angry about me leaving without saying a word and they refuse to let me explain?”Nick leaned in and wrapped his hands around Aria from behind. She calmed down slightly.“First of a

Gabriel’s POVI was not sure I liked this.I didn’t like how close they were. I didn’t like how familiar they were.It bugged the hell out of me.I had to admit, I didn’t really think it would be like this. I thought four years apart would have left a strain on their relationship, but it didn’t happen. She was so much more comfortable with them than she ever was with us.And I was jealous.Nick and I were walking behind Jacob. He was leading us toward the guest room.Jacob opened the door and we walked inside.The room was simple. There was a big bed in the middle and a closet on the left. A small couch was on the right next to the door to, what I was assuming was, the bathroom.“The bed is big enough for two,” Jacob said. “The couch can be pulled out and two more people can sleep on it. But if you want, the two of you can sleep downstairs.”“No,” Nick said sternly. “We will all sleep in here.”Jacob nodded. “Bathroom is through there.”He pointed at the door to our right.“Do you nee