Read Into the Triangle Online

Authors: Amylea Lyn

Tags: #gay fantasy shapeshifter erotic romance

Into the Triangle (7 page)

BOOK: Into the Triangle
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Father Willis raised a brow, and Gabe realized suddenly in that moment there would be no intimidating, or even reasoning with, the priest. There was nothing behind those beady black eyes, and their icy gaze sent shivers of dread through Gabe's soul.

It was possible he was dealing with a true sociopath, and if that were true, Gabe was in greater danger than he'd first realized.

"What is this about?" Father Willis asked back, mimicking Gabe's tone. He cackled, sounding completely unhinged. He slowly walked over to the hearth and picked up a small box off a shelf hanging above it that Gabe hadn't noticed before. No bigger than the palm of his hand, the small wooden box seemed to shimmer in the muted light. Holding the box almost reverently, the priest walked back over to Gabe.

Holding out the box, he slowly lifted the lid. "
These
, are what this is all about," he said, greed and mania filling his eyes. It took Gabe a moment to tear his eyes away from the man's face and to look down in the box.

The moment he saw what the box contained, Gabe recoiled in horror.

Pearls, approximately a dozen of them, shining dully in the muted light of the fire, ranging in all sorts of colors filled the box.

Gabe's own pearl burned at the sight, and he gagged as he backed away.

"Oh my god," Aaron whispered, once he caught sight of the contents of the box. He turned his horrified eyes to Father Willis. "Those are Merfolk pearls, aren't they? For their chosen ones. How did you get those?"

Father Willis smirked. "How do you think?" he asked.

But Gabe knew. Perhaps it was because he too had a pearl, and his own seemed to be reacting to the ones in the box, buzzing and causing his head to ache; or maybe it was the fact all the puzzle pieces were falling into place and the blood staining the table suddenly made sense.

"You stole them from the chosen ones, didn't you? Those people never returned to the sea and the mer waiting there for them… you killed them and stole the pearls!" Gabe accused. Nausea churned in his stomach, and Gabe felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead the longer he stared at that little box.

"Oh my God,
Douglas
!" a strangled whisper came from behind him, and Gabe knew his friend was finally putting the pieces together and wondering about his ex-lover, whom Aaron had always thought just disappeared one night into the sea. Now he had to wonder if Douglas was one of Father Willis's many victims.

"What have you done?" Aaron cried.

"What was necessary!" Father Willis yelled back, spittle flying from his mouth and his anger growing. "How dare those mer choose such insignificant peasants to gift their magic to? Well, they've learned no one will leave this island without my say so, and soon I'll have enough pearls to rip down the veil of the Triangle forever! I will rule the world, and once I have your pearl, Gabriel, and add it to my collection, no one will be able to stop me."

He waved one hand back toward the shelf and Gabe was even more appalled to see a second wooden box sitting there inconspicuously. Gabe remembered Aaron mentioning that Father Willis had been on the island longer than anyone else and he wondered how many victims were out there no one knew about. Two dozen? Three? The possibilities were horrific to think about.

Mary whimpered at the sound of the raised voices, and Gabe pointed over to where she huddled in the corner. "What about Mary? Why kill all the others and not her?"
That poor girl

what exactly has been done to her while she's been under Father Willis's care
?

Father Willis snorted before reaching into the box he held and pulled out a light, purplish-colored pearl. "I have to admit, I was surprised when she survived. None of the others have. But, she does make a wonderful pet and screams so beautifully under my instruments. I'm glad she lived." Father Willis laughed and put Mary's pearl back in the box before reaching down and adjusting himself under his robes.

Good god, the sicko was actually getting a hard on while talking about torturing his victim
!

"Did you kill Douglas?" Aaron suddenly asked. His face was completely expressionless, but Gabe could see the tension tightening his shoulders. The situation was spinning out of control and Gabe didn't know what to do to get them out of it alive. There was no way Father Willis was going to let them walk away, not after everything he'd confessed. The bad guys always delivered their monologue in the movies right before they killed off the hero, and Gabe's throat dried out when he realized there would be no one here coming to save him.

I'll never get to kiss Paxton again

and I don't even know if that's his real name
!
Now I'll never know

Father Willis was laughing in his creepy way again then he reached into his little box of horrors and pulled out a pale green pearl. "You friend fought hard, even managed to get in a few good hits before my boys subdued him." Father Willis nodded over at Horace and Simon, who grinned back at him. "That was a fun night. My boys enjoyed playing with that pervert all night before I finally ripped this little beauty out." He held up the pearl, examining it in the firelight before placing it back in the box and snapping the lid closed. "His mer was powerful, but not enough to save that sodomite. And now I'll rid the village of the other one then my plans can finally begin."

Things happened so fast then, Gabe hadn't even realized what was occurring until he saw a blur as Aaron shot past him, roaring in anger and pain as he tried to attack the evil priest. But before he could reach the other man and end his evil once and for all, Simon caught up with him. Two quick jabs, the wicked blade of the knife flashing in the light, and Aaron slumped to the ground, holding his stomach and moaning as blood seeped through his fingers.

"Aaron!" Gabe cried out, starting to race to his injured friend's side, only to find himself snatched up off the ground by strong arms. "No!" he cried out, fighting Horace with everything he was worth. It was no use, however, and Gabe found himself dragged over to the table.

"Strap him down tight," Father Willis ordered as he walked over, setting the box of pearls down on a small table set against the wall and pulled a wicked pair of pliers off the wall of assorted tools. Gabe noted in dread that they appeared to be stained with blood. "We don't want this one getting away. I want that pearl!"

Gabe kicked and screamed, but Simon had come over to help Horace hold him down and there was no way he could fight off the two bigger men. His head was placed right where the remains of the priest's other victims had bled onto the table and one of his hands was quickly strapped down. Gabe began to cry as the two meatheads fumbled with a foot strap.

I'm sorry, my mer

I was so looking forward to seeing you again

Maybe you could have helped me get over William's betrayal, but now we'll never know

I just wish I could see you once more and warn you about Father Willis's plans

Paxton, I wish you could hear me

Help
!

The two goons were still struggling to get Gabe's hands and feet tied down, having only both hands immobile, but apparently Father Willis was tired of waiting. He leaned over Gabe, grinning like a maniac as he opened the pliers and prepared to rip Gabe's pearl right out of his head.

The moment the rusted metal touched the pearl, however, the strangest thing happened. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder boomed, sounding like it was right inside the small cabin. A searing heat raced through Gabe's body, starting at his toes and racing through his limbs until it reached his pearl. There was a bright flash of light and Gabe screamed as it felt like his head was splitting apart.

The blinding light faded, the pain in his skull receding to a low ache, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Gabe opened his eyes, not remembering when he closed them and what he saw when he managed to turn his head a bit shocked the shit out of him.

What the
…?

Father Willis was out cold, lying on the floor in a fetal position, the hand that had been holding the pliers was twisted and black, burnt to a crisp.

"Father!" Both Simon and Horace cried, rushing to the older man's side.

"We have to get him to the village," Simon said. Horace nodded, before turning to glance at the table where Gabe lay.

"What about him?" he asked.

Simon scowled. "The one on the floor is as good as dead, and we both know Mary won't go anywhere." He turned to look at Gabe and his expression darkened. "I don't know what he did to the Father, but I'd like to just kill him. Since we can't do that without killing the pearl too, I say we let him lie here and starve until the Father is better and can come back. Grab the pearls and let's go."

Horace nodded again and raced over to the mantle, grabbing the box of pearls there before quickly following Simon, who carried Father Willis out the door.

Gabe's heart refused to calm, even after they left and their footsteps faded away into the forest. He had no idea what had just happened, but he was grateful for the moment's reprieve. He couldn't believe he was still alive, pearl intact. Death had been staring him right in the face, and in one blinding moment, Gabe had been saved. He didn't know what had happened, or even how, but he wasn't going to question this sudden chance of fate. He needed to get out of there, fast, before Father Willis recovered or those two idiots came back.

But how was he supposed to escape with his hands tied down to the table?

He struggled with the bonds for a moment before admitting there was no way a skinny weakling like him would be able to break the thick leather straps, adrenaline racing or not.

"Aaron," he called out, hoping for a response. If his friend was still alive and freed him, they might be able to get to the lagoon and to the safety of the Merfolk before the meatheads came back.

Only Aaron didn't respond.
Please don't be dead…
Gabe prayed. He'd had enough death and destruction over the past twenty-four hours to last him a lifetime.

A soft touch on one of his bound wrists startled him. Turning, Gabe was surprised to see Mary had moved from her cowering position in the corner and was now standing at his side, staring down at his right bound wrist, touching it lightly with her fingertips. Her big, blue eyes seemed to swirl with a number of emotions, just like they had earlier in the village. Gabe began to wonder if maybe Mary was still in there, trapped deep inside; the trauma of losing her pearl, causing her to retreat into the safety of her own mind, but not disappear completely.

"Mary?" he whispered quietly, uncertainly. His voice was rough from screaming and his throat felt raw, but if that bothered her, she didn't show it. She continued to stare down at the leather strap, as if working out some sort of puzzle in her mind.

Suddenly she reached out, and with a few quick flicks of her fingers, Gabe found his wrist freed.

Gabe wasted no time and quickly had his other wrist freed then sat up, ignoring the way the blood rushed in his head with the quick move and unhooked the one foot that had managed to be tied.

Jumping off the table, Gabe immediately raced over to Aaron and felt the too still man's neck for a pulse. His breath rushed out in a giant gust of relief when he felt the light beat beneath his fingers. He had to act fast and get his friend to the lagoon. Hopefully he could get the mer to help save him in exchange for information about Father Willis's activities.

But first

"Come here, Mary," he said gently. The young woman walked slowly over to him, eyes blank. Whatever brief moment of clarity she'd had when she'd freed him was gone, but Gabe still took her small hand in his.

"Thank you," he said, staring right into her dead blue eyes, hoping deep down she realized what he was saying. "I'm going to get us out of here and somewhere safe now, I promise. He'll never hurt you again."

Letting go of her hand, he struggled with Aaron's limp body for a moment before he was finally able to get the more muscular man hauled over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He was heavy and Gabe sagged underneath the dead weight, but he refused to put the other man down. He wouldn't leave Aaron to die in this horrible little place, where his beloved Douglas had met his own horrific end.

Reaching out again, Gabe was about to grab Mary's hand again when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

The box
!

The small wooden box still sat on the table where Father Willis had left it when he went to get the pliers to pull out Gabe's pearl. Horace had obviously forgotten there were two in his rush to help Simon get their boss back to the village. This was the box that held Mary and Douglas's pearls, not to mention countless others.

Gabe couldn't leave it here. Those pearls deserved to be given back to the Merfolk who had gifted them to Father Willis's victims; they deserved to know why their chosen ones had never met them beneath the sea.

Going over as quickly as possible with the heavy weight over his shoulder, Gabe snagged the box off the little table. It thrummed in his hand, almost as if in greeting. Not knowing what else to do with it, as both his hands were full with keeping Aaron stable in his shoulder and holding onto Mary, Gabe did the only thing he could think of.

BOOK: Into the Triangle
7.12Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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