Twenty-Nine: Declarations

Within seconds of me waking up from the nightmare that would haunt me for the rest of my life, my window slid open. I stifled a scream as the familiar, broad shoulders maneuvered through the narrow frame.

He wasted no time in making his way to me. There were no words shared between us as Gabriel crawled under the comforter and pulled me against his chest. My mind was still racing, flooded with panic, horror, and the nagging feeling that I needed to throw up from the image of my father dead.

There was a nagging pull in the back of my mind. The pinprick was easily discovered to be worry as I honed in on it. It was him. It was Gabriel. Though I was in his arms, being able to feel his emotions inside me had a calming effect that I wasn't prepared for.

I pushed aside the awful things I was feeling and zeroed in on the man beside me. On the worry, love, and determination that were leaking into my mind from his. It was enough to ground me, and my body slowly stopped shaking. My tears dried