Avow by Chelsea Fine

breath away and stared into his eyes. “There is no replacing you. Not ever. But I cannot keep fighting like this. Every day is a struggle between us. I want to kiss you and slap you at the same time. It’s exhausting and it’s breaking my heart.”
    Tristan looked at the ground and nodded. “Then perhaps we should spend some time apart. Until you’re cured.”
    Anger and hurt flared inside her, but her face remained expressionless. “Perhaps we should.”
     
    ***************
     
    “Have you told Scarlet about your curse yet?” Nathaniel’s question caught Gabriel off guard as they waited for Tristan in the library.
    They had been actively searching for more magic water since Scarlet’s return. Nathaniel had called upon friends and acquaintances, Tristan had bought countless potions, and Gabriel had ventured to the harbors to see if word from the New World brought any news of the Fountain of Youth or its water. But nothing.
    “No.” Gabriel shifted. “And I don’t plan to. She is happy with Tristan. I do not wish to burden her with my loveless heart.”
    A quiet pang of jealousy shot through Gabriel. Ever since Scarlet had come back to life, his soul had been…more. Scarlet eased the emptiness inside him and, while he understood and respected her love for Tristan, he couldn’t help but envy her affections.
    But he was grateful for her friendship.
    He enjoyed spending time with her; introducing her to the current world and informing her of the history she had missed. She seemed pleased to live in such an advanced time, but disappointed that hunting had gone out of fashion. Tristan seemed to sympathize with her and Gabriel figured that to be perfect.
    Tristan and Scarlet spent nearly every afternoon in the forest, playing with weapons and returning in the late afternoon, usually arguing. The two fought as much as they swooned. It was obnoxious.
    “If you do not wish to tell her, that is your prerogative.” Nathaniel looked around the library. “I wonder what it is Tristan wished to speak with us about. Where do you suppose he is?”
    “He and Scarlet were arguing over how to make pancakes when I left them earlier, so who knows? They may very well be slaughtering each other with table knives as we speak.”
    Scarlet and Tristan stuck fast to Nathaniel’s warning and carefully existed alongside one another without touching, though they occasionally exchanged looks more intimate than any touch could be.
    Gabriel tugged at his collar.
    Striding into the room, Tristan said, “I think we should schedule a passage to the New World as soon as possible.”
    “And hello to you too,” Nathaniel smiled.
    “From what I gather,” Tristan went on, “it will take us approximately three months to make arrangements. Once we reach the wild land, we can begin asking locals and natives about the Fountain of Youth and find the damned thing ourselves.”
    Gabriel scoffed. “Right. We’ll pack up and travel to a land where everyone dies and there is no food. And then we’ll blindly hike our way to a fountain that may or may not be there. It’s a huge risk, Tristan.”
    “So is letting Scarlet die,” he snapped.
    Nathaniel held up his hands. “Perhaps a trip to the Americas would be helpful. I shall look into it and, if it seems beneficial, I will start making arrangements.”
    “Soon,” Tristan demanded.
    Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Why are you so eager?”
    “We are all eager.”
    “Yes. But Scarlet hasn’t shown any sign of illness so it is safe to assume she is still healthy.” Gabriel paused. “What has you so raggedly desperate?”
    “Because we have nowhere else to look and I do not want to waste another day without the cure. And also,” Tristan paused, “I can feel her.”
    Gabriel blinked. “What?”
    He cleared his throat. “I can feel her emotions and it is becoming hard to keep myself from responding to them.”
    The pang returned to Gabriel’s chest.
    “You can feel her?” Nathaniel said.