Thirteen
I froze as his arms whipped around me and crushed my head to his chest. His grip tightened even as I remained completely still. He buried his face into the crook of my neck and exhaled a shaky breath. His skin was cold as ice. I struggled to stay standing as more of his weight leaned on me. I finally lifted a hand to his chest and felt the wild beating of his heart. "What are you doing here?" I couldn't hide the shock in my voice.
His hand covered mine and pressed it tighter into his skin. He boasted a lopsided smile, showing off his white teeth and the small crowding he had of his jagged canine. "What does it look like? I'm rescuing you." Then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body crashed into me.
A scream burned through my throat as we tumbled back in the snow. I clawed at his shirt and back to gain leverage, but his weight was too much. My shouts were muffled by his body and I could feel the air being squeezed from my lungs. Pain shot through my aching body.
Suddenly the pressure was gone and light streamed in. I gasped and rolled out onto my side, sitting up on my knees. Beast held Gabriel's limp body in one hand off the ground, his legs dangling a foot above the snow. Shouts rang out that didn't belong to me. More shadows appeared. Lumea stepped toward me and wrapped an arm around my waist, heaving me to my feet. A deep, angry growl bellowed from Beast's throat. His hand turned an ashen white. I stared in paralyzed horror as sharp black nails stretched out from his fingertips. He fixed black eyes on me. "Did he hurt you?"
My mouth bobbed in awe at his hands. He lifted one to level with Gabriel's face. I jumped to my feet. "No!" I held up my hands in a plea. "He didn't hurt me." But I hurt him. I grimaced. My movement drew his attention even more. "He's my friend." His eyes opened to their usual width with obvious clarity. The silver irises slowly resurfaced out of the swamp of black. "Please, Beast."
His brow scrunched the longer he looked at me. Several long minutes of silence passed before he slowly set Gabriel's feet back on the ground. He regarded him suspiciously, his anger still struggling beneath the surface, but he restrained himself from hurting him. He shook his head, as if in disbelief of what he was about to do, and dragged him inside.
I wanted to cry at the familiar face, but the unease in my stomach was already beginning to consume every thought I had.
Beast set him down in the infirmary room and left just as soon as his head hit the bed. Lumea insisted on tending to him, but I refused to let her. This was my fault. My fault, my responsibility. We argued in angry whispers for a minute before she threw her hands up and gave in. I'd taken care of my fair share of people— Mama, Papa, Hendric. Kenji had gotten the common colds during the blizzard months and I had taken care of him then. I was more than capable of watching over Gabriel, but I got the feeling that that wasn't what she was worried about. She frowned as she slipped out of the room. She brought in a fresh bowl of hot water and several cloths, but left right after without saying a word.
I dabbed the dressing over his slick forehead, pushing aside his dark hair. It was much longer than the last time I'd seen him. It draped over his forehead in thick curls that flowed well past the tips of his ears. I twisted a wave between my fingers in awe. His hair had been inches shorter the night of the offering. How long had I been here?
I busied myself looking over him. I carefully lifted up his sleeves to check his skin for marks, but found nothing but fine hair and thick veins. I hesitated on the hem of his shirt. We'd grown up together in the same filthy part of Kinnot. After his parents were sacrificed, he and his three other siblings came to bathe with us. Every year, the number of Birches dwindled. Eventually he was the only living Birch child. I knew every birthmark and scar on his body, but somehow this felt different. I couldn't help but feel like a traitor if I exposed him.
I slid off the bed and snatched up the water bowl. He didn't appear to be waking anytime soon. I slipped from the room and into the hall, leaning against the door and taking a ragged breath.
"Who is he?"
I jumped with a startled yelp. Water sloshed over the edge of the bowl and splashed onto the ground. I slit my eyes at Beast's towering form. "A friend," I told him, the anger clear in my voice as I crouched down to soak up the spill. His jaw clenched. "He came here to rescue me." I smiled softly to myself as I recalled just how many games we'd played where he would come and save me from the terrible yeti monsters. He always thought he was my hero. Beast's frown deepened. I sighed to soothe my rising temper. "Gabriel has always been a bit of a—"
"Gabriel?" Before I could stop him, he pushed past me and poked his head through the door. He turned back to me in disbelief. "That is the boy you were going to marry?" He took another glance inside and laughed. "Well, you have my vote. He's absolutely adorable, Adaira. I can't imagine why you didn't say yes." He crossed his arms over his chest.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Because I wasn't sure if I was going to be slaughtered the next day." He sagged forward with a tired look, turning back to the room. I laid my hand on his arm. "Just let me talk to him."
He blew out a loud breath that burned my face. He stared down at my hand on his arm and furrowed his brow. "I'll give him an hour. Then he leaves." I started to protest, to argue that it was too late and too cold to send him back down the mountain, but his eyes hardened, already knowing my response. I swallowed and nodded. His fingers wrapped around mine before I could go back in. "He doesn't change anything, Adaira. The deal still stands." His voice softened. His thumb ran along my knuckles.
My skin buzzed with the thrill of his touch. I pulled my hand from his and closed the door behind me. The clock hanging on the wall chimed six o'clock. I sat down beside him on the bed and swept the hair from his eyes. His nose twitched, eyes darting under their covers. I bent down to get more blankets from the trunk and cover him.
He slept in shivering fits for a large portion of Beast's designated hour. I watched his chest rise and fall in staggering breaths, occasionally resting my hand on him to feel the faint beat of his heart. Each loud gasp or groan made me freeze. No one had ever tried to cross over the mountain. How long had he been out in the cold? How did he even know where to look? Questions whirled in my head. A headache pounded relentlessly in my temples. My head had a second pulse of its own.
"Adaira!" The memory of his voice sent chills snaking along my body. I desperately willed them away, but they flooded my senses until I was completely submerged in thoughts of him.
"Look, Adaira!" He carved another notch into the tree and stepped out from under it. He jumped, clapping his hands at the distinguished mark that stood higher than the others. "Okay okay, your turn." I moped and begrudgingly stomped to replace where he'd been standing. He etched another carving into the bark and grabbed my hand to have me look at it. I kept my eyes on my boots. "Ada, just look." His hand gripped my chin and forced my head up. My height was just below his with a scraggly A under his G. I gasped at it and smiled.
"I'm tall! I'm tall!"
He grinned down at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "See, I told you so."
I shook my head and gripped my hair. Get out! Get out! I paced around the side of his bed and stared at him. More images pushed at my mind.
I was thirteen today. His hands were wrapped in filthy bandages as he handed me a small wooden box. "I made it myself," he said proudly. "Open it."
I stared down at the tiny trinket. It was no bigger than my palm, but it was still the most precious thing I'd ever owned. "How did you...? Gabriel, you shouldn't have."
He smiled, his cheeks reddening in the cold. "You always say that." He lifted the lid of the small treasure box. Inside were two small quartz crystals no bigger than my pinky nail. "Do you like it?"
I thrust the gift back out to him. "I can't take this!" I looked around, but of course we were alone in the forest. He'd specifically drawn me out this late so it would just be the two of us.
He curled my fingers around the two stones. "Of course you can. Look." He grabbed one in his fingers and held it up to the moon. Colors I'd never seen before twinkled on the surface of the snow.
I gasped. "They remind me of stars," I said. I brushed the other one with the softest touch.
He smiled. "They remind me of you."
I swatted the memory away with an angry groan. I dabbed the cloth over his temples again.
"You know," he croaked, startling me, "I always imagined you doing this."
I snorted nervously, coming to sit down beside him. "Waiting for you to wake up?"
He laughed through the pain. Coughs overtook his body for a split second and he pushed himself up higher. "I meant taking care of someone." He let his head fall back against the pillow again. A sleepy fog clouded his eyes. "I used to dream it would be me."
I flinched. Sitting on the edge of his bed, I toyed with the threadbare lace of the blanket. "Gabriel, I'm so sorry for what I said to you the night of the offering. I shouldn't have threatened you." My hands trembled. "I was scared and I didn't know what else to do. I panicked."
He shook his head. "Don't apologize. I would have done the same for someone I loved." He paused, and for a moment I feared he'd gone back to sleep. The minutes of silence that passed between us were tense with the electricity clinging in the air. His hand slid under mine and clasped it tightly in his grip. "You know, you never let me finish." I glanced up at him, but he kept his gaze down at our hands. "Tomorrow was a long time ago."
My shoulders slumped. I sighed. "Gabriel..."
"Please let me say this. It's been eating at me for years." He finally met my gaze and my heart froze with how much emotion swirled in his eyes. A lump formed in my throat. His tongue darted out and swept along his lips. "The day before your father died, I spoke with him to ask if I could marry you and he said yes." My heart pounded louder in my ears. "The night of the offering, before they took him out, he sat down at Bromm's and had a drink. I promised him that I would take care of you no matter what." He sucked in a deep breath. He seemed just as scared as I was, only he was nervous, and I was terrified of what I knew was coming.
"I know you don't want a husband— you've made that clear since we were kids." He let out a shaky chuckle and I couldn't help but mimic him. My hand burned inside his. "You're scared of being owned and you hate being told what to do. But I would never do that to you. And I know you don't love me, but maybe in time you could." He swallowed. His gulp echoed in my ears. "I have known you your entire life, and I've been in love with you for all of mine." He laced our fingers together. I could feel his hand shaking, hard enough to make my teeth chatter. He sat up off the pillow and leaned forward. His gaze dropped to my mouth. "Please, Adaira. Come away with me. We'll start off somewhere new and have a better life." He stroked my arm and cupped the back of my neck, pulling me forward to press his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes.
Something cold slipped into my hand, small and metal with a smoothly rounded curve. His breath blew through my eyelashes. I stared down at the stone of jasper embedded in a silver ring and gasped. "Marry me." His lips grazed mine when he spoke. My throat tightened around the words.
Thunderous claps boomed through the room. I tore myself out of Gabriel's arms and jolted upright. Beast's eyes narrowed on us as his hands slapped together in slow claps. "That was beautiful," he said darkly. "A truly touching sentiment. You certainly have a way with words."
Gabriel glowered. "Who the hell are you?" I dug my elbow into his side as a warning.
Beast smirked. He took several steps into the room and leaned over the foot of the bed. "Your ever-so-generous and doting host," he said dryly. His eyes flashed darkly. "Keep your hands off her before I remove them."
I shot him a hard glare. "Beast." He turned to me with a grim expression. For a moment, his glare focused on me and a cold sense of fear stormed through me. Then his eyes softened and he frowned. Reaching forward, he firmly took up my hand and pulled me from the room, ignoring Gabriel's shouts. I stumbled to keep up with him. As soon as the door clicked behind us, I wrenched my hand from his grip. "When I said let me speak with him, I meant alone. As in by myself. You said you'd let him stay."
His lips curled in a sneer. "That was until he offered to take you away, Adaira. Before he—" He clipped his words, taking a deep breath as he suppressed his anger. He stared at the ground for a moment, opening and closing his silver eyes. "Must I remind you of our deal?"
I stiffened. My hands shaped into fists. "It's the only thing keeping me here, Beast. How could I forget?"
A dark cloud settled over his face. He straightened up taller to tower over me. "Get rid of him or I will."
I gaped at him. "He's sick."
"And he'll be dead if you don't get him out."
I crossed my arms over my chest, challenging him. "You wouldn't dare."
He arched an eyebrow.
He barreled past me in a blur. A crash and yell burst from the cracked doorway. He stormed back out before I could even comprehend what was happening. Gabriel kicked and thrashed in his hold, but nothing fazed him. His face was impassive as he strode past me and back toward the large doors that led outside. "Beast!" I cried. He didn't stop. Gabriel twisted to glance at me, but Beast jerked him forward and released him to open the door.
It all happened to fast that I couldn't stop it. Gabriel lunged as soon as his feet hit the ground and cocked back his arm. His large fist buried itself into Beast's jaw. A dull smack reverberated in the hall. His head snapped to the side with a painful jerk, but that wasn't what terrified me. As Coggington and the others rushed into the foyer, Beast swung eyes of pitch black onto Gabriel. His nails were obsidian blades. His body erupted into a sudden quake of shudders. His mouth parted in a vicious snarl. He lunged.
My feet moved before I could stop them. I slammed my body into his and pushed my hands against his chest, pushing as hard as I could. "Stop it!" His hands gripped my arms tightly, making me wince. "Beast, stop. Please. Don't hurt him."
For a moment it seemed as if he would simply shove me out of the way and charge ahead. I held him tighter, crushing my chest to his to push him back. Something trembled inside him. It looked almost painful as he reluctantly dropped his chin to meet my gaze. The silver irises slowly returned from the sea of black. His hold on me relaxed, but he still leaned forward, ready to pounce. I sighed a breath of relief. Turning, I pushed my back into his chest to keep him from jumping. The feeling of his body against mine made my knees quiver.
Gabriel persisted despite Beast's waning sanity. "Ada, come with me. Please. Let me take you away from here." His gaze dropped to my hand and the ring still cold inside it. "Just say yes."
Beast moved forward. I pushed back. His warm breaths fanned across the top of my head. The tension growing in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. I desperately wanted to dive into his arms and scream for him to get me out of here, but I couldn't. He didn't understand the chains holding me here. Hendric and Kenji would be dead before we even got halfway down the mountain.
I glanced back at Beast with a plea. It felt like I was drowning. His brow twitched. His eyes seemed to beg a plea of their own. His hand moved as if to reach out and pull me back, but it fell before he could touch me. I turned to Gabriel. A smile spread on his chapped lips. My ears rang with the sound of my heart cracking.
Careful not to upset the tedious balance that held me up, I stood on my toes and reached my arms up to wrap around his neck. My face buried into his cold neck as I felt his own circle my waist. My chest shook with unreleased sobs. "Thank you—"
"I'm sorry."
His body stiffened. I slid my hands down his arms to lace our fingers together. I placed the ring in his palm. A warm tear slid down my frozen cheek.
His brown eyes darkened with a cloud of confusion. "Ada..."
A sniffle escaped me. "I'm so sorry, Gabriel."
His eyes glistened. "Don't do this."
I sucked in a deep, shaky breath. "I think you should go."
Coggington was suddenly standing next to him, nudging him through the doors. Harsh winds rushed through the foyer. I wrapped my arms around myself and watched the doors close behind him. I stood there for several minutes, long after the others had left. Only Beast remained at my side. His presence twisted the knife in my heart. A choked sob pushed past my lips. "Well, he's gone." I fixed my glare on him. "Satisfied?"
His face was entirely impassive as he leaned forward to murmur in my ear. "Extremely." He spun on his heel and disappeared down the hall.