My Dark Knight (COMPLETED)

Chapter 27

((WARNING: My editor had technical issues and this chapter is NOT YET EDITED! Read at your own risk, there will probably be some mistakes that I didn't catch! Also, the chapter may be formatted strangely because I wrote it in a different program.

Check out the cover by BrittanyLeigh8, it's really cool and captures the dark undertones of the story. I might make it the main cover of the story once I get bored of this one. :)

Song doesn't go with the chapter that much, but for some reason I think of Skylar when I listen to it, so I often play it in the background while writing. Plus, I'm a HUGE nerd, and love the video game it goes with. Don't make fun of me. ))

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I awoke the next morning feeling a strange mixture of hope and apprehension. I wanted to think that Raziel had good news for us, or that he found some secret weakness of Cain's, but knowing our luck we would learn something horrible today.

The tension between Gabriel and I was very fragile at the moment. After Raziel had contacted him, Gabriel and I returned to the main pack village before we parted ways, my Mate claiming he had some Alpha business to take care of. I wasn't sure if he just wanted an excuse to get away from me or not. After all, Gabriel had opened up to me, which was something he was not accustomed to. Neither one of us really knew how to act now. Truthfully, I knew the pressure was on me. Gabriel had laid out all of the possible consequences of our Mating and it was up to me to make the decision; he was just giving me space until I chose which path I wanted to follow.

Well, I knew which path I wanted to follow. My Wolf ached for our Mate and despite my complicated feelings, I knew a lot of my desire for Gabriel could not be blamed solely on my Wolf. I was trying to think things through logically like I always had. I possessed the same sense of self-preservation Gabriel had referenced the night before. In this case, though, I was tempted to just throw all logic out of the way as my window of opportunity was closing. The Stone of Jacob, which Gabriel either carried with him or kept securely hidden in my house, was waning. Who knew how much longer it would last?

My thoughts a muddled, confused mess, I quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth, throwing my rebellious curls up into a ponytail. We were returning to the same town in which I had first come into contact with the vampires. Not exactly pleasant memories, but at least Gabriel would be with me this time and it was the middle of the day. I was a bit confused as to why Raziel would risk coming to us, but I was sure he'd explain his reasoning upon his arrival.

I said a quick good-bye to my parents on my way out, tossing some feeble excuse over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me. I felt guilty lying to them but they couldn't know anything about the Angel or the Ritual. They were in enough danger as it was, so I knew lying to them was the best thing to do in this scenario. Hopefully my father wouldn't grill me about it later. For now, he was just glad I was getting out of the house, since my fever was nearly gone. I wondered when he would bring the whole 'Affinity' issue up. So much had been going on that I hadn't had time to dwell on the changes my body was going through.

Gabriel was waiting near my front porch, looking slightly impatient as he stood there, tall and imposing as usual. He had on a tight-fitting white t-shirt that only accentuated his broad torso and made me look away before I blatantly ogled him. I had embarrassed myself enough recently.

“Sorry, woke up a bit late,” I mumbled, not wanting to explain how I had spent many minutes daydreaming about him this morning.

“Let's go,” was his curt reply, and I inwardly sighed. Typical Gabriel. He had opened up and shown me a different side of him, and now he felt exposed and vulnerable so he was shutting down.