GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4) (24 page)

"What's the matter?" Shara whispered. "She's already suspicious of us."

"She won't question lovers sharing one last kiss before going into battle."

Shara's breath caught in her throat at the mere mention of a kiss and her gaze held to the lips she knew could make her forget the rest of the universe existed. Without waiting for his lead, she stepped closer and placed her hands on his shoulders. One of his kisses was exactly what she needed.

However, as his arms brought her snugly against him, his mouth moved to her ear. "I'm going on," he murmured, hugging her affectionately. "This is too rare for me to miss. But you could still go back or wait here."

The sharp disappointment she felt at not being kissed was distracting but she made herself reply to his comment. "Zeus is behind us. He'd just drag me along with him, and if I have to go, I'd feel safer with you."

"I appreciate your confidence. I'll make sure you don't regret it." He moved his head back and tipped up her chin. "I'm going to kiss you now. For the benefit of any observers, try to look as if you're enjoying yourself."

He may not have meant the direction as an insult but she took it as one and determined to repay him instantly. The moment his mouth pressed to hers, she concentrated on giving him the most intense kiss she knew how to give. As her lips moved over his, her body joined the assault. Shifting her hips into his, she received an immediate response.

She nipped his lower lip and gained access for her tongue to play inside. He met her thrust and parried, and returned her efforts with equal enthusiasm.

It was no longer clear who was the aggressor, nor did it matter in the slightest. All that mattered was that they were together, kissing, holding, touching. As Shara had desired, the rest of the world fell away until there was only Gabriel. Wanting to express her need more clearly, she slid her hand down his side and was about to ease it beneath his short tunic when the sound of laughter nearby jolted her back to reality.

Gabriel ended the kiss but continued to hold her tightly as he struggled to regain control of his body. He was disoriented and gasping for breath but she was trembling, and somehow he knew the reason without having to ask. "It's all right, sweetling. They aren't laughing at you."

She glanced up at him in surprise then hid her face in his neck. He had guessed what she was thinking. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and her stomach was twisted in a knot.

For a second she had been a young girl again and the other children were all laughing at her... the tall, clumsy mixed-breed.

And Gabriel had understood.

"Gabriel! Shara! Come along!" The shout was from Athena. She had stopped her team part of the way down the hill to await the stragglers.

Shara began to move away but Gabriel held her in place.

"Wait," he said softly. "I want you to know something before we go on." He combed his fingers through her hair. "That was real just now. Not the fever. Not an act for anyone else. I wasn't thinking about who your parents are or what either of us is doing here. The only thing on my mind was how much I wanted you."

His sincere words were another kind of caress—warmer, steadier—and she stopped trembling. "It was real to me also," she admitted. "I won't deny it anymore."

"Good," he said with a smile, and took her hand in his to catch up with their team. "Now let's try to stay in one piece today so we can finish what we started in a more romantic setting."

Shara met his gaze and smiled back. A few days ago she would have considered his remark arrogant. Now she thought it was logical... and provocative. Changes were being forced on her and she was no longer sure they were all bad... even if it was only temporary.

As they neared the section of the city where most of the councilors resided, their march took on the appearance of a leisurely stroll, but there was no one to perform for. It was almost midday. There should have been a number of residents moving about, but the only people in view were the Friends, getting into position.

Athena posted a soldier at the side and back door of the home she was responsible for then led the rest of the team straight to the front entrance. Having no reason to expect treachery, someone inside opened the door. Athena and the others carrying shooters pulled them out as they all charged into the large receiving room of the residence. Shara and Gabriel found themselves swept along in the rush.

Before the Friends had a chance to establish themselves however, they were surrounded by black-uniformed security officers, all of whom had shooters pointed at the trespassers. Every exit from the room was effectively blocked.

"Hold position!" ordered one officer. "Drop your weapons and surrender peaceably."

Instead of obeying, one of Athena's soldiers raised his shooter and the officer instantly fired at him. The shock of being trapped had momentarily frozen the group but seeing their friend fall with a smoking hole in his chest inflamed them to act.

Gabriel shoved Shara to the floor as another weapon was fired and a woman screamed in pain. Protecting Shara's body with his own, he ordered her to feign death, while the room exploded into chaos. More deafening blasts struck moving targets. Objects crashed to the floor as tables were toppled to create shields. Everyone was shouting and no one was listening.

As suddenly as the violence had erupted, it ceased. The smell of smoke and burned flesh permeated the air and painful moans throughout the room were the only sign that told Shara that others had survived. Gabriel's weight kept her pressed to the floor but at least it reassured her to feel his heart pounding hard against her back.

Sheer terror prevented her from giving in to the nausea she felt from seeing a man brutally murdered. Once Gabriel pushed her to the floor, she had kept her eyes shut tight. If only she could have shut out the sounds and smells of death as easily.

Gabriel opened his eyes a crack. The officer who had fired the first shot lay mere inches away with a gaping wound in his head. Historical accounts reported that the Friends had been responsible for the violence but now Gabriel knew that, at least in one location, a panicked officer of the Tribunal had caused the altercation to turn deadly.

Cautiously he raised his head to see if it was safe to move... and found himself staring at the end of a shooter.

"Go easy, now," the officer standing over Gabriel said. "Hand over your weapon."

"We're unarmed," Gabriel replied, giving Shara's shoulder a squeeze. "If you'll let us get up, you can see for yourself."

The officer backed away a bit but kept the shooter aimed at Gabriel's forehead. "Stand up slowly and place your hands on your heads."

As Gabriel helped Shara to her feet, the only other officer left standing joined the first.

Shara tried to send him the suggestion that they were innocent bystanders but her mind was in such a turmoil, she couldn't concentrate. Quickly the second officer ran his hands over her tunic then moved to Gabriel.

Shara tensed as the officer's fingers discovered the paralyzer rod.

"What's this?" he asked, extracting the rod from the concealed pocket.

"A light," Gabriel answered.

The officer looked doubtful as he examined it. "I thought the Friends only used firelight."

Gabriel shrugged. "That's why I keep it hidden."

"It looks like a weapon to me." The officer gripped the handle and pointed the rod at Shara.

Her heart banged against her rib cage but she forced herself to remain still.

"How does it work?" the officer asked, watching Shara's eyes.

"Just squeeze the grip," Gabriel told him casually.

Shara stopped breathing as the officer's fingers slowly tightened. She could dive out of the way of the lethal weapon's beam or she could trust Gabriel to know what he was doing.

Her indecision held her in place as a soft white light shone in her eyes. Only then did she remember that he'd been using it as a light during last night's venture. It took a huge effort not to sigh with relief.

"My son would like this," the officer said, directing the light onto the ceiling.

"It's my invention," Gabriel replied proudly. "That's the only one I have but I'd be glad to make your son another and have it delivered to you... after this situation is resolved." Gabriel gave the officer a meaningful glance.

Nodding, the officer calmly gave his address and slid the rod back into its sheath in Gabriel's tunic. Shara desperately wanted to get out of that room. They were being held at weaponpoint, with their hands on their heads, in the midst of a bloody massacre. She could have screamed at the two men behaving as if this were all an everyday occurrence.

"You'll have to come with me to headquarters now," the officer said then instructed his colleague to remain in the residence until assistance arrived.

They had just stepped outside when a thunderous explosion quaked the ground beneath their feet. A second later another explosion sounded, followed by another and another. Great clouds of smoke arose from the area of the city where the Administration Building was located. Emergency sirens began wailing almost instantly.

The next blast knocked them to the ground. In a flash, one side of the residence burst into flames.

"What's happening?" Shara cried.

"Hades—"

Before Gabriel could say another word, several more firebombs went off in nearby residences. The horrifying sounds of the sirens, shattering glass and collapsing rooftops were nothing compared to the shrieks of hysteria as residents, security officers and Friends ran from the blazing homes.

The officer that had remained inside dragged another uniformed man through the front door, shouting, "I need help! There are more wounded inside." Immediately several volunteers came running.

Without thinking, Shara took a step toward the house as Gabriel grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "You can't go in there."

"Let me go! We can help."

Gabriel's grip tightened like a vise. "I told you before, you
cannot
interfere!"

The officer guarding them put a swift end to their argument. Using his shooter to point, he ordered, "Move over there where the others are being gathered."

A dejected group of Friends were being herded upwind of the fires by a troop of armed security officers, while other officers frantically checked the burning residences for any survivors left inside.

Shara could see for herself that her assistance hadn't been necessary. But that wasn't what Gabriel had meant. He had warned her repeatedly that he would not permit her to do anything that would alter history. Now she knew for certain that he would stop her by any means available, including physical restraint.

She rubbed the spot on her upper arm where he had held her so securely. There would probably be a bruise there tomorrow. Her angry glare was lost on Gabriel, as he was occupied with Beauty.

Shara looked around at the destruction he was recording, saw the bodies lying on the walkway and wondered if she was in some sort of shock. How could she be whining about a bruise when others were dead and dying? She could have been one of them... if it hadn't been for Gabriel's quick thinking. How could she resent his presence and be so grateful for it at the same time?

A better question came to her immediately. How were they going to extricate themselves from the rebels before they were sent to Terra? She cursed herself for not keeping the tempometer on her person, regardless of how much curiosity it might have attracted.

The crackling fire rapidly spread as burning sparks leaped on the wind from one residence to the next.

One of the officers assigned to guarding the rebels spoke into a box in his hand then called out an update to the other officers—the rebels were all captured, most of the city was on fire, casualties were mounting. Every available medic and fire control squad had been put to work but there simply wasn't enough help to go around.

Gabriel leaned close to Shara and murmured, "My guess is the spy knew about the plans to take over the residences and Administration Building but hadn't stayed at the Summit long enough to find out about Hades' so-called distractions or Athena's
illusions
of force."

As if similar thoughts had occurred to a number of the corralled Friends at once, a man's voice broke the numb silence. "Someone betrayed us, that much is certain!"

"Stating the obvious is not going to help us now," a woman replied. "Forget increased freedoms. The Tribunal will have our heads for this."

"But I never agreed to any killing!" another protested.

"Nor the firebombs!"

One after another voiced objections and speculations, near panic evident in every statement. No one dared guess who the Tribunal's spy had been but it was generally agreed that Hades alone was responsible for the massive destruction.

The loud drone of an engine overhead temporarily distracted the rebels from their fear. A large, oval-shaped balloon moved into the airspace above the fire and hovered there. As a snowy substance began pouring down on the flames, relief swept through both factions of the crowd.

The fire was extinguished a short time later but nothing was left of the beautiful residences that had previously graced this section of the city. The balloon lowered to the ground and the injured were taken inside first. Once that was accomplished, the captured Friends were ordered to board.