Necromance

Necromance: Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

If someone murdered the love of my life, you could bet your ass I wouldn't rest till I had their head. So, I didn't expect my brother to make an exception for me. I did, however, expect Gavin to be horrified or discussed at my confession.

For a brief second I thought I deciphered surprise in his face, but it was gone before I could be sure. 

Gavin looked at me with calm, calculating eyes. "But it was an accident."

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "You say that with such confidence."

Taking my hand, Gavin scooted closer to me. "You may be a lot of things: reckless, stubborn, frustrating... at times," he said with a hint of a smirk. He continued, "funny, kind, and you have a big heart. But you're no murderer."

"That's the thing," I said, sitting up. "In the eyes of the Association, it wasn't murder.  To them, I did the right thing. To Daniel, I'm a cold-blooded killer."

"Ah," he said with the dawn of understanding. "What was she?"

"A Succubus," I said with a harsh, short laugh. "That's what's so ironic. He claims to have had such a deep, fierce love for her, but that was her specialty: to seduce men. How was I supposed to know he wasn't just another one of her victims?"

"You couldn't have known. Even if he was the exception, they could have never had a relationship. You know, as well as I do, that it would have killed him in the end," he reassured me in a sensitive tone.

"Yeah, well, try and tell that to Daniel. He didn't want to hear my reasoning. And what was I supposed to do? I go to visit him at his home, and I see some supernatural chic mounting him on his living room sofa. I didn't stop to ask questions, I acted first, thinking I was saving his life." I pressed my fingers to my temple. My head was starting to hurt.

"Your intentions were good and honest." His hand was warm and comforting against my cheek. "Anyone would be able to see that. Your brother simply chose not to."

I was quiet for a moment. I had no words left.

"I like this side of you," Gavin said suddenly. It was such an odd, off-topic thing to say, I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, seeing you vulnerable in this way is nice."

I opened my mouth to verbalize just how not nice this situation was, but Gavin didn't give me a chance.

"Not to imply that your predicament isn't god-awful - because it is - it's just nice to know you have a softer side. Makes you less intimidating."

"Me? Intimidating," I asked, in disbelief.

"Not to me, of course," he added.

I wasn't sure I believed him. "Of course," I said with skepticism.

Gavin absentmindedly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His expression, which had just been soft, turned serious. Although his eyes were kind, I could tell he wanted to get back to business.

"I know you're probably going to hate it every step of the way. You might even hate yourself for trying, but you have to go after him. You have to kill your brother before he kills you."

I shook my head. "I already told you, I don't think I can do it."

I practically saw a fire ignite in Gavin's dark gaze. "And I know I can't watch you die."

I smiled, despite myself and our current conversation. "I think I like this side of you," I told him, surprising myself.

Gavin's smoldering brown eyes simmered and slowly turned amused. "And what side is that?"