Diel reached out beside him, and Noa took his hand. She had been standing silently beside him this entire time, seemingly Diel’s pink-haired guardian angel. “The collar came off and I let the monster in. Where he should have always been—a part of me.” Diel’s shoulders loosened. “Just … me.”
Gabriel looked at Noa. She was waiting for the Fallen’s leader, her eyes narrowed, her stance firm. She tilted her chin higher, clearly waiting for Gabriel’s censure, his anger at her stealing the collar’s key, her risking them all in this way.
But then Gabriel bowed his head slightly and whispered, “Thank you.” Noa’s eyes widened. “Thank you for saving my brother.”
A faint blush coated Noa’s cheeks. But then she looked at Diel, who was staring down at her like she was his sun, like she was his savior. Diel’s hand tightened around hers. And Gabriel saw it then, whatever was between them—he saw it shining from their souls like beams of white light.
Noa finally tore herself away from Diel to refocus on Gabriel. “He saved himself.” She lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of Diel’s. “He saved himself.”
Gabriel took a step forward, his heart rattling in his chest. He put his hand around the back of Diel’s neck and pulled Diel toward him. Diel’s forehead rested against Gabriel’s, and Gabriel felt a lump build in his throat. His tongue felt too thick in his mouth as he held back tears—happy tears for Diel, for the lifelong battle he had won that day. “I’m proud of you,” Gabriel whispered, just for him and Diel.
Diel exhaled a long breath. To Gabriel, it sounded like freedom.
Footsteps sounded behind them. Gabriel stepped away from Diel and turned to see his brothers approaching. One by one, Uriel, Raphael and Bara embraced Diel. Even Michael stood before him, looking him in the eyes and nodding his head once.
“Not gonna lie,” Bara said. “I’m gonna miss you losing your shit and dropping to the floor when the collar took you out.” Bara’s smile was wide, taunting, but toward his brothers, his snarks and insults were always delivered with a sheen of veiled affection.
Diel smirked, a sight Gabriel would have to get used to. “Don’t worry, brother. I can still lose my shit.” Noa backed away from Diel and walked toward her sisters, laughing low at Diel’s retort. Diel stepped closer to Bara. Gabriel stilled, waiting to see if Diel really was in control. But Diel simply said, “Only there won’t be a collar to stop me this time.” Diel’s wide smile mirrored Bara’s. “Nothing but me will stop me again.”
“Anyone else looking forward to their sparring matches now?” Uriel said, and all the brothers laughed. Gabriel let out a long breath of relief.
Bara put his hand on Diel’s shoulder. “No collar, and getting pink witch pussy.” Bara shook his head. “If I didn’t love myself and my wicked good life so fucking much, I might just envy you, brother.”
“At least you don’t have a monster inside of you,” Raphael said to Bara as he made his way back to Maria.
“No monster,” Bara said, arms wide. “I’m one hundred percent evil sociopath.” He bowed dramatically. “I truly am blessed.”
“Hey!” Gabriel turned to the sound of Noa’s voice. Diel’s head snapped up. Noa braided back her long hair, then cracked her neck from side to side. “Are we going to fight, or are you pussies going to stand around gossiping all day?”
“Fight,” Diel said, pushing through his brothers and facing down the woman who had freed him from himself, a new kind of restorative energy exuding from his pores. “We’re going to fucking fight.”
So, Gabriel fell into step beside his brothers, the Coven of witches opposite, excitement flaring in their eyes too.
And for once, Gabriel’s gut didn’t warn him of something bad, some fall into darkness and sin. Instead, with the Coven and Fallen joined together in the gym, and Diel free from the collar, all Gabriel’s senses told him this was more than good.
They told him this was meant to be.
Chapter 14
“We need to speak later,” Dinah quietly said to Noa. Noa playfully rolled her eyes. They would talk, of course; they always did. It was why the Coven was so strong as a unit—no one ever shied away from the tough conversations.
Noa knew that Dinah had to be pissed at what she’d done. That she hadn’t told her of her plans. But she saw happiness in Dinah’s eyes too. Noa had never taken a lover. Ever. Never opened herself up to anyone, barely even her sisters at times. When they had escaped from the Brethren, her life had been consumed by retaliation and Brethren deaths. After the boy … after Priscilla left … Noa had been focused on keeping from hurtling back to the pitch-black place that had enveloped her for years.