Forbidden (The Gabriel Lennox Series Book 1) by M.L. Desir Read Free Book Online Page B

which reflected a macabre truth.
    “Gods—or devils?” Nathaniel asked.
    Irritated, Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “If we are devils, on what would you blame mankind’s wickedness?”
    “ Ga-bri-el ,” Nathaniel sang, “I’m disappointed in you. On self-love, of course. Think of your own parents.”
    He remembered the secrets hidden in his parents’ eyes at the dinner table, where his sister failed to be present after her body had begun to blossom and mature.
    He stared at Nathaniel, but his pale blue eyes were expressionless. Gabriel closed his eyes, not wanting to see more of the memory. In a little while, it would pass.
    To his horror, he opened his eyes to see himself in a room, lying in a bed without linens. Abigail wasn’t dead, but rather lying beside him and telling him how he completed her, perfected her. Made her whole. A dark, jagged discoloration cut across her fair throat. Remnants of her hanging.
    “They’ve locked the door again. The third night they’ve done this,” she said. They . She spoke of their parents. Third night. Not like the night before when he could hear chanting and the howling of wolves and saw a strange silvery-blue glow seeping underneath the bedroom door.
    The third night. No. Not again .
    “I know that you said we should fight what they want,” Abigail remembered. “But I can’t any longer. Let’s just go through with it.”
    “You’re dead,” he stated.
    She smiled. “Then we should flee from here.”
    “Abigail,” he cried, “don’t do this. Don’t torment me.”
    Reaching out for his face, the scent of peaches rose from her white skin and voluptuous red hair. She shook her head. “No, it’s clear that they would find us. Even in death. Kiss me, Gabriel. Show me how much you love me, dear brother.” She snaked her arm around his neck and kissed him full on the lips.
    Gabriel tried to open his mouth to protest, but before he could say a single word, her tongue twined with his. He tasted blood and screamed.
    When he woke up, he found himself lying on the couch.
    A dream. Yes. A nightmare .
    Or a memory?
    “You fainted.” Nathaniel sat at the other end of the couch. “You’re still weak. You’ll need to drink soon.”
    Gabriel shook his head like Abigail had in his dream. “I don’t need it. I told you I’m not like that. Blood isn’t necessary.”
    “Why do you lie to yourself? Would you like me to do so, too? You know I won’t. Probably.” Won’t , Gabriel thought. Not can’t. Lie to me, then. Lie to me, he pleaded silently. But Nathaniel had said probably  . . . the enemy of certainty.
    “You worry me, Gabriel.”
    “And you annoy me, so leave me, and both our problems will be solved.”
    The other man just smiled. “You know I can’t do that. Can you stand up?”
    Gabriel rose to his feet, an ephemeral wave of dizziness assaulted his senses, before disappearing. He gave a sigh of relief. “Yes. Are we going somewhere?”
    His friend nodded. “Now be a good schoolboy, and come with me. Let me teach you something.”
    He listened and followed Nathaniel outside their home, wondering where they could get a ride so late at night.
    “I thought we’d ride the air tonight. But in your drained condition, I don’t see how that’s feasible.”
    Gabriel remembered the first time he had “ridden the air.” It was an exhilarating and frightening experience when he had to rely on the rushing, invisible air to hold him aloft like the birds soaring overhead, and as graceful and smooth as fish darting through water. No, he didn’t have the energy for it tonight. He yawned. “Where are we going, exactly?”
    “To the East End. Lately, I’ve been watching someone who could be of priceless assistance.”
    “Tomorrow. Please tomorrow.”
    “No, it must be tonight.”
    Gabriel looked up at the sky that outlined the black trees with chartreuse light. His eyes lingered on the luminescence of the moon. In a few hours, it would be morning. “Night is