The Wrong Sister

The Only Way

Gabriel's silhouette filled my vision for a second before he turned the corner.

"Jozef, I assume," Gabe spoke, his voice was strong.

"Ah, Gabriel. Yes. I thought it would be you. I have to say. I was expecting your whole pack." The echo did strange things to Jozef's voice.

I couldn't quite hear all of his words. A lot of them I automatically filled in myself. I knew Jo... I thought I knew Jo.

I would wait for Gabe, but it couldn't hurt to get a little closer. Then I would be sure that I could hear properly.

I shuffled slowly and as quietly as I could to stand closer to the cave wall.

"She told me about you. I don't need the pack."

"Awww, little mouse! Do you still talk about me? Sweetheart, you're obsessed." Jozef spoke louder than he had before.

"Don't call her that. Artemis isn't here." Gabe bit back.

I stopped moving. I didn't want to be the one who blew up Gabe's ruse.

"Oh. Well, that's disappointing." His voice changed. It left the realm of a teasing lover and arrived on wings of apathy. "Well, this is far less fun than I was expecting today." He sighed. "Well. I'm not swapping Chloe for you, so go away. And you may as well tell Arte to watch her mail. I've grown tired of waiting."

A muffled scream echoed in my ears.

I jumped but forced my body to be still. I trusted him.

"Don't you dare!" Gabriel bellowed.

"Oh yes, I'm so worried about you." Chloe's scream persisted. "Will you shut up? Screaming is just going to make me kill you faster!"

The sound of a slap echoed through the cave.

"God, it's like she hasn't figured out that giving your kidnapper a headache won't get them on your side." Jozef's tone was conversational and casual to the extreme. As though he were talking to a friend.

"Okay, okay. Let's make a deal. What do you want." Gabe's voice held an element of defeat.

"Are you stupid? I've already said what I want, and I know you won't give her to me." Jozef was bored. That wasn't good.

"I will give her to you. If you give me Chloe, but only if you don't hurt her anymore."

Shock sprang through my body.

The world around me turned to black and white, where it had been black and brown. My chest hurt. My head was pounding.

"It's like you don't get this situation at all. I. Have. Been. Watching. You. For. Months. I. Know. That. She. Is. Your. Mate. You. Idiot." He spoke as though he were talking to an incompetent deaf person.

"If you've been watching for months, you'll know that she broke up with me. Not the other way around. I love her. Please. We can set up a meeting tomorrow or even later today." Gabe's voice broke.

It seemed like a strange thing for my mind to focus on, but she broke up with him.

That fact was a source of relief and intense pain.

Gabriel was bluffing. Right. Yes, bluffing. If he wasn't, he would have told Jo that I was here.

I held my breath as I waited for his answer, "Intriguing, but no. I don't need her brought to me. She will come on her own."

"If she doesn't?" Gabe's voice was breathless.

"What does she see in yo- I. Told. You. In. The. Note. Ugh. She needs better taste. I'm bored of this -"