Page 46 of Deadly Little Games

“I would have killed to see you riding that buck,” he continued with a laugh. “I remember that summer my tia tried to take you horseback riding.”

The mention of horses had me glancing at Gabriel. “I’m a little more comfortable on horses now than I used to be.”

Gabriel offered me a small smile, though I could tell something was wrong. He was even more broody than usual. If I had to guess, he was worried about Mistral. He should have been in the Bogs protecting his prince, instead he was out here protecting me. At least Gladiola would have told Mistral by now what had happened.

I held his gaze for a moment longer, then nodded toward the vacant pool table at the other side of the room. “I’ll be right back, Harry. If you want a real story, you should ask Elena about the time she went undercover at a vampire bar.”

Elena’s cheeks burned even brighter.

I gave her a teasing grin, then snatched a few more fries as I pushed away from the table. Not muttering a word to the others, Gabriel followed me. I noticed Sebastian at the bar as we retreated, being handed a glass of red wine. Rolling my eyes, I kept walking.

Gabriel and I ended up in a darkened corner near the pool table. I fiddled with a cue stick, though I had no intention of actually playing. “If you need to get back to the Bogs, I could see about finding you a car to borrow.”

“I don’t drive,” his voice rumbled lowly from within his chest.

I lifted my brows, though I supposed it made sense. With Mistral unable to leave the Bogs, I doubted Gabriel left much either. “There is no way Harry is letting me leave so soon, butmaybe Crispin can drive you, and I can find a car to drive the rest of us…”

His dark eyes finally met mine. “I’m not leaving you. Especially not with Elena.”

“You don’t think—”

His gaze slid across the room, watching her nervously sipping her beer. “How did she know where to find you? You did not tell her about your meeting at the diner.”

“Maybe she got the same intel that Sebastian did.”

“Convenient.”

I moved closer to him, not wanting to risk being overheard by the werewolves in the room.OrSebastian. He had returned to the table with his wine, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t somehow listening in. Oh well. I turned my back on everyone, then stood on tiptoe to reach Gabriel’s ear, bracing myself with a hand against his chest, careful not to touch bare skin. “I think I believe her. Even if her father actually saw the Realm Breaker, I don’t think he told her.”

I felt him tense beneath my palm. “That does not mean that he has no ulterior motives for offering you his protection. He may have sent her to the diner.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “Either way, there’s nothing we can do about it tonight.”

I was close enough that I couldn’t see his face, but I imagined he would be glowering. “I’m not leaving you alone with them.”

“Fine, but that means you’re not going to make it back to the Bogs any time soon. Harry is a friendly guy, but he’s still alpha. You don’t enter werewolf lands, then refuse the alpha’s hospitality.”

“What did Sebastian have to say to you?”

My breath went out of me. Maybe I was recovering from the news, but thinking of everything still made me dizzy. “He was spying on my conversation with Theresa. He heard everything.”

Gabriel went extremely still. I knew he wanted to know what I had learned, but I also knew he wouldn’t push me for the information. He would let me tell him if, or when I wanted to. “It’s a long story, and I don’t want anyone else to hear. We’ll discuss it with Mistral once we’re back in the Bogs.”

He moved his head slightly, brushing his cheek against mine. Just the small touch made me shiver, made my breath catch in my throat. We still hadn’t discussed our kiss, hadn’t discussed the tension between us. Hadn’t discussed the possibility of exploring my magic further.

I remained close to him as the first sparks of magic ignited between us.

“Eva—”

“I know,” I breathed, pulling away enough to meet his eyes. I tried to convey what I was thinking. That I didn’t think the kiss was a mistake. But I didn’t want to say it out loud where Sebastian might hear.Somethings were actually supposed to be private.

As if he could actually tell what I was thinking, he nodded, but I could tell he still wanted to say something.

“What is it?” I asked.

“The celestial woman, she called you Evelyn.”

My shoulders tensed, then I forced them to relax. “That was my name. Evelyn Waters. When mom left my dad changed our surname to Nixey, a name from way back in his family line, and I started going by Eva.”