I put my hand to my mouth as the dead body hit the alley floor. When Gabe’s eyes came back up to mine, the rage I saw there stole my breath. I began to back up.
“You just killed a man!”
He laughed bitterly. “It’s not the first time! And it probably won’t be the last. I ain’t gone lose no sleep!”
Oh wow!
He was a savage animal. I continued to back up, looking behind me to see if I had a chance at running.
“Don’t run from me!” He growled, pointing toward the ground.
“Gabe, you’re scaring me!” My tears were flowing down my face now.
“Gabriel!”
The deep voice came from over our head. I looked up and I could have sworn my eyes were playing tricks on me again. There was a dark angel perched on the rail of the fire escape like a bird. His black wings billowed behind him as the wind blew.
I heard Gabriel make an exasperated noise that sounded a lot like—not this nigga!
“What do you want?” He growled much clearer.
The celestial being leaped off the rail that had to be at least thirty feet up and landed on his feet without making a sound. It was then I saw that it was not an angel but a man. A big dark man that looked as if he had stepped out of one of the black cowboy books I used to read.
On his head was a black cowboy hat, and what I thought earlier were wings, was in fact a long black leather duster. On his feet he wore a pair of dark cowboy boots with spurs. I couldn’t see much of his face, but I saw that like Gabe his hair was braided in long cornrows.
“You need to control your anger. I told you if you ever hurt an innocent I will—” Gabe interrupted him.
“Kill me then!” He yelled holding out his hands. “Go ahead, put me out my misery!”
The man turned to look at me. “Go!”
Gabe eyes came to mine.
“No… stay! Don’t listen to him.”
I was so torn. The dark cowboy had an air of authority about him that was undeniable. He was powerful. I didn’t know if he was an angel or not, but there was something about him. Gabe attempted to take a step toward me, but before he could the man drew a sword and held the tip of it under his throat.
“Go, baht!” He said to me again, and I didn’t hesitate. I took off down the alley.
“Yasmin!” I heard Gabe bellow, but I didn’t stop.
chapter 9
You can Run but I will Find You
Gabriel
“Why did you do that? Why did you tell her to run from me?” I roared at the man in front of me. Any other man would’ve wet himself, but not this guy. This familiar stranger didn’t even blink.
“Because you are a fool, and you need to learn to control your temper! It rules you, and until you rule it, you’re a danger to yourself and everyone around you!” He slid his sword back in its sheath.
I shook my head slightly. This cat had me mistaken.
“Nah, I ain’t got to control nothing!” He chuckled as he stood there looking at me. He appeared to be a man in his late thirties or early forties, but his eyes were ancient. He had the same appearance most of my life, didn’t look as if he’d aged a day.
“You feel invincible huh?” He asked dryly. The wind blew slightly, and the bottom of his coat lifted. The steel of his sword flashed blue in the dark alley.
“You feel like there is no one on this earth who can stop you?”
I hit my chest. “No one can stop me!”
This wasn’t vain talking on my part, this was truth. I controlled my own destiny, and anyone who tried to stop me I got rid of—period. And like I told Yasmin, I didn’t lose a wink of sleep either. He chuckled again.
“You know, most of you Slayers start off alike in your thinking. But the thing is, and this is something your other brothers had to learn the hard way. There is one who can stop you. There is one who can destroy you from the inside out.”
“Who?” My tone was unbelieving. I had never met such a man. It would take an army to stop me, and even then, chances are they would fail.
“Your creator son… the Ancient of Days. You were created to kill. Your strength is just a tool for you to serve that purpose. There is a war forming, and you and those like you have been called to fight. Whether or not you will be chosen has yet to be seen.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. Ancient of Days… war… brothers?
“What brothers? I have no brothers. And none of what you’re talking about have anything to do with me or mine, so won’t you just stay out of my life! And stop following me!” I went to walk around him, but he touched the center of my chest stopping me.
The impact of his touch radiated through my body making all my nerves feel as if they had shut down. The only reason my knees didn’t give out is because I was using all my remaining strength to stay on my feet. But everything else had shut down completely, including my ability to talk. Rage from being helpless began to awaken in me.
With his hands clasped behind his back he casually circled my body, taking me in, and he didn’t look impressed.
“What’s the matter son? Surely, you haven’t been stopped.” He put his hand on his chest.
“And by little old me!”
Little old him my a$$! This coming from a man that could blend into shadow as if he had been painted there by an artist brush. The first time I remembered seeing him, I was five, and he was looking down at me from a tree branch that had to be
