Love Beyond Loyalty by Rebecca Royce Read Free Book Online Page B

where they were.
    He wanted to take her hand and squeeze it. Do something to let her know she would be safe. "Fuck, Loraine, look…"
    "Gabe? Is that you? What the hell happened to you?" Alexa's horrified voice cut into what he wanted to say. Reluctantly, he turned his attention from Loraine.
    Alexa dropped the clothes she'd been folding and rushed to him.
    "I nearly drowned in the canal after Sebastian sent a tidal wave to kill me. He didn't, obviously, but he did manage to destroy my house."
    Alexa closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. She bit down on her lower lip. He hated that affectation on her. She used to be completely open and readable. These days she seemed nothing but a posed picture. One that Sebastian had designed.
    "Gabe, how long are you going to keep this up?" She moved closer to him and placed a hand on his arm. "I can help you get better. We can turn you around from the evil path you've decided to walk down."
    He patted his chest. " I am not evil."
    "Hi." Loraine inserted herself into the conversation. He was glad for the reprieve. "Whoever sent the wave, and I assure you I was there to see it, nearly drowned Gabriel. I'm Loraine Peacock."
    Alexa arched a dark eyebrow. "Loraine Peacock?"
    "That's my name." Loraine smiled, but to Gabe it looked forced. "So I've brought him to you. Now I'll be on my way. I'm sure we'll all meet again."
    She turned on her heel, and Gabriel's heart sped up. He walked forward and grabbed her arm, which was tricky to do because he needed to hold up his blanket to prevent from being arrested for public indecency.
    "You're leaving?" God, he wanted to shout, 'don't leave.'
    Nodding, she gave him that forced smile again, and he wanted to wipe it off her face. "I am. I brought you to Alexa. It's time for me to go on my way. You've told me a lot of stuff I have to digest. Good luck." She looked at Alexa and he wished that one of his powers was mind reading because he had no clue what was going on inside of hers. "To both of you. It was nice meeting you."
    Pulling her arm free of his grip, he thought for a second he felt her shake. Was she okay?
    "Loraine, wait a second…"
    He wouldn't have believed she could move that fast. One second she was there and the next she sprinted out of the building.
    "Loraine," he yelled but she didn't turn around and soon the crowd in the room blocked his view.
    Why was she leaving? Like a light turning on, realization struck him. She had used the phrase your Alexa . What did she think his relationship with his oldest friend was?
    Ah… fuck .
    He turned to Alexa. "Look, we need to talk, but right now I have to clear something up with Loraine. I need clothes."
    Alexa pointed absently to several boxes lined up against the wall. "Those are clean."
    "Great." He walked over and rummaged through to finally grab a pair of raggedy blue jeans and a black tee shirt. Considering that all his clothes were now washing down the canal outside his house, he couldn't be picky.
    Still barefoot, he rushed through the crowd.
    Alexa's voice called after him. "Gabriel, is she your girlfriend?"
    "She's so much more than that," he called over his shoulder even as he tried to figure out how on earth he was going to find Loraine. "We'll talk later, Alexa."
    And they would. He was going to make sure of that.
    Running out the door of the building, the New Orleans' heat hit him hard but that wasn't what sent him to his knees. His hands hit the concrete ground hard, scraping his palms.
    Demon .
    He could feel Sebastian in the area, and as a million pinpricks hit his skin, he knew that Sebastian had Loraine. If Sebastian harmed her in any way, Gabriel would make him pay tenfold. For the first time ever, Gabriel knew he could add murder as one of his sins, and he wouldn't even feel badly about it.

Chapter Five
     
    Loraine knew she'd acted cowardly. Gabriel called out to her several times, and she hadn't turned around. But, really, how much pain did she have to take