“What’s your problem?” Gabriel stood in front of Tristan, his body tense. “We have a real situation here. We need help and Nate is our best option. And since you’re not able to go fetch him—“
“Why do we need to ‘fetch’ anybody? Have Nate come here.”
“We don’t have time to wait around for Nate to return phone calls. We need answers now.”
Tristan shook his head and laughed without humor. “You are an idiot.”
“I’m trying to save Scarlet’s life.”
“So am I!” Tristan shouted. “The difference is that I actually understand how things work. You don’t. If Scarlet stays at her own house with you until we hear back from Nate, she’ll be fine. But,” Tristan drew near to Gabriel’s face, lowering his voice to the point where Scarlet almost couldn’t hear him, “if Scarlet stays here, with me, she’ll die. She. Will. Die.”
Scarlet’s breath caught.
What the…?
“Look,” Gabriel softened his voice. “I understand you’re worried, but we have time, Tristan. Scarlet’s still healthy. Nothing will happen while I’m gone.”
Healthy? Were they worried about her heart? Was she closer to death than they’d led her to believe?
Her heart hammered inside her.
Tristan threw his hands in the air. “That’s the problem, Gabe. You’re always so willing to take stupid risks.”
“It’s not like I’m leaving for a year, Tristan. It’s just for a day or so. Someone came after her last night and we need to know why. We need Nate’s help, immediately. I’d rather risk two days of her in the house with you, than two weeks of strangers coming after her…wouldn’t you?”
Tristan paced around the living room for a minute, tension tracing his movements.
Scarlet didn’t understand why he was so angry. She didn’t exactly want to shack up with him either, but at least she wasn’t pitching a giant fit about it.
Finally, Tristan exhaled. “Fine. Leave your precious girlfriend here. I’ll keep her safe from bad guys and monsters.” He leaned back into Gabriel. “But I can’t promise to keep her safe from me. What if her heart weakens and she’s dangerously sick when you get back? What then?”
Dangerously sick? Did being around Tristan make her heart…worse?
Gabriel hesitated before nodding. “I’d rather she be sick and safe, than dead because we don’t know what to protect her from.”
Dead? So, Gabriel did think her life was in danger?
Scarlet bit back a groan.
Great.
“Whatever.” Tristan shook his head and left the room.
Scarlet stood against the wall and waited until Tristan had disappeared out the back door before making her way back into the kitchen. She sat down at the breakfast counter like she’d never left—like she’d been sitting there staring at the blank wall as though it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.
Gabriel entered the kitchen with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Scarlet. I know this is all so weird for you and probably more confusing than I could ever understand.”
Scarlet said nothing.
She honestly didn’t know if she was mad or scared.
“Here’s the thing. I need to protect you, and in order to do that I need to go to New York and find Nate. You understand that, right?”
No. Not at all.
“Um…can’t you just wait a few days? I don’t really want to stay here with…Tristan.” Scarlet made her eyes sad, hoping Gabriel would pander to her request.
“Tristan’s harmless. He’s grumpy and rude,” Gabriel said, “but he’d never let anything bad happen to you.”
Scarlet wanted to scoff.
The guy had practically promised Scarlet would die in his care. That didn’t make her feel very safe.
She stood from her seat and put down her coffee. “I think I’m just going to call Laura and have her come back. That way, I can just stay at home until you get back.”
“No.” Gabriel shook his head. “You can’t call Laura. You can’t tell Laura anything.”
“And why not?”
Why were the Archers brothers always telling her what to do?
“Because it could put Laura in danger.” Gabriel took a step toward Scarlet. “If this guy—whoever he is—finds out that Laura knows something, he might hurt her in order to get to you. You can’t tell her.”
Scarlet blinked. She didn’t want to put Laura at risk, but she also didn’t want to stay here with Tristan. “Then I’ll stay at a hotel.”
Gabriel dropped his head. “Please don’t make this difficult. You know a hotel isn’t nearly as safe as a cabin with an immortal guy living in it.”
“Yeah, but Tristan doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t…like me.” Scarlet tried not to sound like an offended third grader.
But that’s exactly how she felt.
“The way Tristan feels about you doesn’t matter. What matters is keeping you safe. Please let me keep you safe.” Gabriel looked at her with his pretty brown eyes, filled with sincere love and worry. “Please stay here so I know you’re safe.”
Scarlet looked up at him for a long moment before exhaling. “Okay.” She was reluctant to agree but she didn’t know where else she could go and not get attacked by psychos.
Gabriel smiled and kissed her head.
“But,” Scarlet said, “if Tristan gets mean and nasty,” or of he tries to kill me in my sleep or something, “I’m totally leaving. Got it?”
Gabriel breathed out a laugh. “That’s fair. Now,” he took her hands in his and brought them to his mouth to kiss, “let me give you the grand tour.”
Scarlet nodded, upset she wasn’t able to convince Gabriel to stay.
He led her around the main floor and into a room that looked like an office. Books lined the walls and a large desk was in the back.
It looked like something you’d see in a movie, with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows and fancy leather furniture everywhere.
Next to the office was a closed door. “This room,” Gabriel stood at the door hesitantly, “is where we keep our collection of weapons so,” Gabriel turned the knob, “don’t freak out or anything.”
Gabriel pushed the door open and Scarlet’s eyes took in a giant wall covered in deadly-looking arsenal. Knives, axes, swords, arrows, and many other tools lined the great wall.
And some of them looked rather used.
She started to freak out. “Uh…why do you have so many?”
Were they gearing up for battle?
Gabriel shrugged. “It’s a hobby. It’s more Tristan’s thing than mine, though.”
Figures.
“What, no guns?” Scarlet asked, looking around.
“Guns are for losers,” Gabriel said.
“And,” Scarlet looked at the nearest weapon with a crooked smile, “bloodstained battle axes are for winners?”
Gabriel cocked his head and smiled at her. “Exactly.”
After the room of death and daggers, Gabriel led Scarlet down into the basement. He turned several lights on as they descended into Tristan’s part of the cabin, so it didn’t look as dark as Scarlet had anticipated.
But it felt dark.
In layout, it was an exact replica of Gabriel’s quarters upstairs. A vast sitting room with a well-used fireplace was off to the left, and two closed doors were to her right.
In design and overall appearance, however, the brother’s living areas were completely different. Upstairs, Gabriel’s sitting room had artwork all over the place and fancy rugs and a couch and coffee table that probably cost more than Scarlet’s car.
Tristan’s sitting room, however, was lined with shelves of books and in the center of the room stood a covered grand piano—dust collecting atop its majestic back.