That ever deigned to bloom

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𝔸ℕℕ𝔸𝔹𝔼𝕃𝕃𝔼'𝕊 resolve wavered, the memories of their love conflicting with the harsh reality of their situation. She took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "I don't know if I can trust you, Gabriel. But I can't deny what we had."

Gabriel's expression was a mixture of hope and sorrow. "I never lied about my feelings for you. That was the one thing that was always true."

Annabelle looked at Gabriel with hurt and betrayal in her eyes, refusing to believe him. She stalked up to him and spoke, "As you said, you love to play with your food and that this was some fucking entertainment for you. However, quick question. Who's inside a cage right now?"

Gabriel's eyes roved over her before he addressed the whole group, "If you let me out, I'll let two of you live." He scanned their faces, gauging reactions.

Peter, intrigued, asked, "Which two?"

Sammy slapped his chest, glaring at him for his naivety. Gabriel smiled, condescending as if speaking to a child, "It's a surprise." Frank stepped forward, standing next to Annabelle and glaring at the vampire. "Fuck this. Let's just kill him now."

Gabriel chuckled, "You tried that, Frank. If you'd like to open this door and try again, please, be my guest." Frank rolled his eyes, and Gabriel continued, "My offer just expired. Now I'll only let one of you live—whoever lets me out." Peter looked at the group, his hand inching towards his gun. Annabelle was faster, aiming her gun at him. Frank warned, "He's fucking lying, moron. You touch that door, you're as dead as the rest of us."

Peter countered, aiming his gun at Annabelle, "Maybe it's worth a try."

Sammy stared at Peter in disbelief. Annabelle tried to reason with him, "We have him, Peter. That's why we did this—so we can trade him for our lives."

Gabriel interjected, "That will never happen, love. Annabelle was right. No matter how many of you I kill, my father doesn't love me, and he's not gonna trade anything for me." He turned his gaze to Peter, adopting an innocent tone, "So go on, Peter, let me out. Go on."

Annabelle was firm, "Peter, if you touch that door, I will shoot you." She readied her gun.

Gabriel taunted, "She won't, Peter. Go on."

Peter looked at them all before apologizing, "I'm sorry, guys." As he reached for the handle of the cage, Annabelle rolled her eyes and shot him in the side. Peter screamed in pain, clutching his wound. Frank looked at Peter, unsurprised by Annabelle's reaction. Gabriel chuckled, "Oh shit, she did shoot you!" He laughed heartily as Peter exclaimed, "Aah! You shot me! You shot me!"

Annabelle was calm, "I barely grazed you. Now give me your gun so I can patch you up." Peter, wincing, handed her his gun and muttered, "You're sure crazy."

Gabriel looked at Annabelle with adoration, "And that is one of the reasons I fell for her," he thought. Annabelle addressed the group, putting her gun away, "I prefer 'impatient.' Frank, help me out. Sammy, watch Gabriel."

As Annabelle was about to go, Sammy spoke up, "Fuck that shit. Mm-mm." She shook her head defiantly. Annabelle turned to her, "Sammy." Sammy looked at Gabriel and then back at Annabelle. "I'm not staying down here... with that." Gabriel smiled and winked at her. Frustrated, Sammy walked off with Peter. Annabelle sighed as Frank placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, catching her attention. "I got this," he said.

Annabelle nodded, not noticing Gabriel glaring at Frank's hand on her shoulder. The vampire's grip on the cage bar tightened, denting the metal. Annabelle spoke, "Fine." She then left to go patch up Peter, leaving Frank alone with Gabriel.

"Oh, fuck," Frank grunted as he sat on a chair. Gabriel eyed him before speaking, "The offer still stands, Frank. Open the door, and I'll let you keep all your blood. Organs, too." Frank rubbed his eyes and took off his glasses, looking at Gabriel with a sarcastic smile, "Sure." He chuckled. Gabriel remained serious, "I'm serious. You could be useful to us."

Frank looked back at Gabriel, "Why don't you... tell me... how to get the fuck out of here, and I'll consider it." Gabriel lifted his brow and leaned on the cage bars, "If I told you, you'd just leave me here. You first."

Frank held the stake and stood up from his seat, placing his glasses back on and limping slightly, "You know what?" He smiled, "My offer just expired. Have fun spending eternity in an elevator."

As Frank turned to leave, Gabriel spoke again, catching his attention, "Wait. I'll tell you. But you have to let me out immediately after I do."

Frank paused and smiled, "Alright." He turned to face Gabriel and spoke in a fake Italian accent, "Fine. It's a deal."

Gabriel looked at him and spoke, "There's a secret door in the library. The bookshelf on the right wall. *And Then There Were None*." He smiled. Frank nodded, "Hmm. Very good. Thanks." He turned to leave but Gabriel stopped him, "Wait. A deal's a deal." Frank turned back and approached the door, "Ain't I a Silly Billy? Still gullible at your age, you fucking freak?" Frank chuckled.

Gabriel joined in the chuckling before bursting into laughter. Frank, suspicious, asked, "What's so funny?"

Without warning, Gabriel burst the door open, sending Frank flying and slamming into the ground. Gabriel approached him, chuckling before pinning him down and speaking in Italian, "Mai. Mai. Toccare. Mia. Moglie. Di. Nuovo." (Never. Ever. Touch. My. Wife. Again.)

Annabelle ran inside upon hearing the commotion and saw Gabriel pinning Frank down. Reacting quickly, she grabbed a piece of wood and began hitting the planked wall, ripping the planks apart to let the sunlight in. As soon as the light touched Gabriel's arm, it burst into flames, eliciting a scream that broke Annabelle's heart. Gabriel recoiled from Frank, huddling in the shadows and clutching his arm, which was already beginning to heal, though he still screamed in pain.

Annabelle hurried to Frank's side, pushing him up and urging him to move. "The library! Go!" she commanded. Frank, limping, hurriedly made his way toward the library. Annabelle turned back, seeing Gabriel's pained and vulnerable state. Cursing herself, she ran to his side and held him in her arms, whispering for him to breathe. Gabriel, despite his pain, obeyed and began to calm down. Annabelle kissed his head tenderly before running out of the room to join the others in the library.

Gabriel watched Annabelle leave, clutching his injured arm, his eyes full of pain and care. He silently pleaded for Annabelle to not leave him, even though he knew he could heal. The pain was still there, and it was dreadful. Despite what she had done, he could never hate her; he understood why she did it. The anguish in his eyes was matched only by the depth of his love for her. He could see the conflict in her expression as she ran to the library, her determination to protect her friends warring with her feelings for him.

As he crouched in the shadows, waiting for his wounds to mend, Gabriel's thoughts were a whirlwind of memories and emotions. He remembered their vows, the love they had shared, and the moments that had defined their bond. 

With every passing second, Gabriel's resolve strengthened. He knew he had to find a way to make her understand, to show her that his love was real despite the circumstances. As the pain in his arm began to subside and the healing process accelerated, his mind raced with plans to get through to her, to find a way to bridge the gap that had formed between them.

Inside the library, Frank, Peter, and Sammy were already waiting, their faces tense with fear and anticipation. Annabelle rushed in, helping Frank sit down as she quickly scanned the room. "Are you okay?" she asked Frank, who nodded weakly.

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By: SilverMist707

I hope you have enjoyed it <3