My Dark Knight (COMPLETED)

Chapter 28

((Cover on the side is by BubblyBunnyXO. Thanks so much for making me a ton of great covers!

The song from How to Train Your Dragon is best listened to around the middle of the chapter. You’ll see when you get there.

Thank you Belle, as always, for editing!

 

Enjoy this chapter…… ))

 

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My hands were shaking, palms damp with clammy moisture.

Don’t be pathetic, Skylar, I chastised myself as I strode purposefully towards the place Gabriel and I had parted ways. More to distract myself than anything, I tilted my head and inhaled his musky scent. I continued to follow the tantalizing fragrance, changing direction slightly as I approached the woods. So his ‘Alpha business’ wasn’t taking place in the village? It seemed that he had disappeared into the forest, and I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as I remembered another time I had followed Gabriel like this: after Riley’s funeral.

That horrid day seemed like a distant memory, even though it hadn’t been terribly long ago. So much had happened since then. However, I still remembered the warm and secure sensation of Gabriel’s strong arms wrapped around me in our first hug. Perhaps we would share another embrace today. I tried to envision how this was going to happen, what exactly I was going to say to him, but in my nervousness I just came up empty. I would have to improvise and hope that I didn’t make a fool of myself.

Truthfully, I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d never confessed my feelings for Will all of those years ago, and they’d been so insignificant compared to what I felt for Gabriel.

I just prayed I wouldn’t screw anything up and that he wouldn’t push me away. I needed him to lower his barriers, just once.

Taking another deep breath to catch my Mate’s scent, I brushed through the thick undergrowth as I entered the edge of the forest. A slightly chilly wind whistled through the trees and caused the hairs on my arms to stand straight up. I was glad it was mid-day; despite the presence of the Stone of Jacob to keep the vampires at bay, I was still wary of the darkness of night.

The wind shifted direction, causing me to momentarily lose track of Gabriel’s scent. Unless he was running, he couldn’t be far away. I had followed him minutes after he left. I stopped in a patch of dappled sunlight, turning in a slow circle as I sifted through the scents of the forest. A flock of birds chirped in the trees near me but I tuned them out, focusing only on my extremely powerful sense of smell.

Seconds later, my Wolf yipped in excitement as I caught the scent again, this time fresher. I changed direction and continued to follow the enticing smell. I only needed to continue my trek for another minute before I heard a gurgling stream nearby and the scent grew nearly overpowering. For some reason, I found myself slowing down and treading more lightly. It wasn’t that I was sneaking up on Gabriel. I just wanted to see what the heck he was doing out in the woods all by himself, and I wouldn’t disturb him yet because I was still downwind of him. I only had seconds until the wind shifted again and his powerful senses picked up on my approach.

Peering through a splay of thick branches, I spotted him huddled a short distance away. To my surprise, he was in his Wolf form, the animal sitting still and silent next to the bubbling water, clothes in a heap nearby. His black as night fur was a stark contrast to the greenery beneath him. My Wolf whined, sensing her Mate’s agitation and I felt a spike of worry. Mere seconds later, Gabriel seemed to sense my presence because he stood up and turned abruptly as I exited from my shelter of the trees.