him you needed to stay here with me.” Gabe replied flatly.
Rachel looked stunned by his answer. “What? I don’t understand. Why would you tell him that, Gabe?”
Gabe wished he had phrased his responses better, it was clear Rachel was very quickly becoming highly agitated with him. “I promise, everything is fine, if you would just let me explain.”
“Fine, explain.” she snapped, dropping her fork on the table. With crossed arms she glared at him.
“There is nothing to be upset about, you’ll see. You were asleep when Uri got here. He didn’t want to wake you, that’s all. He told me that he has been looking for a safe place to take you, but every place is too hot. He said he could take you back to Iron Gate for now.”
“Wait, I thought they said Iron Gate wasn’t safe?” Rachel questioned.
“He spoke to Michael and they didn’t want to involve me any further. They said they think they could keep you safe there until something else can be figured out.”
“Oh,” Rachel interjected, her expression revealing confusion. “When am I leaving?”
“You’re not; I told him you could stay here.” Once the words left his lips, Gabe held his breath, unsure of what her response would be.
“Why would you do that?”
“Rachel, I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“You saved my life.” Gabe argued.
Picking her fork back up and returning to her pancakes, Rachel dismissed his thankfulness. “I didn’t do anything more than anyone else in my position would.
“Well, I don’t exactly agree with you. I think you did a lot and I am not letting you go back to Iron Gate when you will be perfectly safe here.”
“Nonsense, you’re not going to put yourself in further peril at my expense. Is there a way to contact someone there and let them know I’m coming?”
“Hold on, slow down.” Gabe felt the discussion spiraling out of control. He chased the words that would keep her there; make her stay with him. “I want you to stay. I like having you here.”
“What? Oh my, Gabe Harwood, are you actually giving me a compliment?” Rachel mocked, her cheek puffed out and stuffed with food.
“Are you kidding? You’re so much cheaper than any cook or housekeeper I could get.” Gabe replied, bursting out in laughter.
“Oh no you didn’t!” Rachel squealed, pulling back her fork as if it were a tiny catapult and flinging a sticky heap of pancake at him.
“Hey!” Gabe yelped, dodging the flying glob. “I’m serious, I want you to stay. Will you?”
“Well, I must admit, leaving does worry me. After all, I would hate for you to go back to just eating your cooking. You might wither away to nothing if it weren’t for my mad skills in the kitchen.”
“Rachel, I need to be serious for a moment,” Gabe decided he had to make the situation clear to her in order for him to carry no guilt over her choice.
“Oh no, not serious,” Rachel mimicked Gabe, giggling.
“Listen,” Gabe tried again to gain her attention. “There is a good chance Baal’s armies won’t find us here. They haven’t yet, so it seems reasonable to think that will continue. But you have to understand something; as long as you’re here, you are only protected by me. At Iron Gate there is a good chance you could be detected, but on the other hand you would be protected by an army of Guardians.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rachel chimed, waving her hand in a dismissive way at Gabe’s warning.
“Rachel!” Gabe raised his voice, determined to get her attention. “I mean it. If they find us, I probably won’t be able to keep you safe.”
“Gabe, I get it. I have been here with you for months, I trust you. I’m sure these other people are great, but they are strangers to me. I would much rather be here alone with a friend than protected by an army of strangers. I know I must seem crazy.”
“Not really, I get
Rachel looked stunned by his answer. “What? I don’t understand. Why would you tell him that, Gabe?”
Gabe wished he had phrased his responses better, it was clear Rachel was very quickly becoming highly agitated with him. “I promise, everything is fine, if you would just let me explain.”
“Fine, explain.” she snapped, dropping her fork on the table. With crossed arms she glared at him.
“There is nothing to be upset about, you’ll see. You were asleep when Uri got here. He didn’t want to wake you, that’s all. He told me that he has been looking for a safe place to take you, but every place is too hot. He said he could take you back to Iron Gate for now.”
“Wait, I thought they said Iron Gate wasn’t safe?” Rachel questioned.
“He spoke to Michael and they didn’t want to involve me any further. They said they think they could keep you safe there until something else can be figured out.”
“Oh,” Rachel interjected, her expression revealing confusion. “When am I leaving?”
“You’re not; I told him you could stay here.” Once the words left his lips, Gabe held his breath, unsure of what her response would be.
“Why would you do that?”
“Rachel, I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“You saved my life.” Gabe argued.
Picking her fork back up and returning to her pancakes, Rachel dismissed his thankfulness. “I didn’t do anything more than anyone else in my position would.
“Well, I don’t exactly agree with you. I think you did a lot and I am not letting you go back to Iron Gate when you will be perfectly safe here.”
“Nonsense, you’re not going to put yourself in further peril at my expense. Is there a way to contact someone there and let them know I’m coming?”
“Hold on, slow down.” Gabe felt the discussion spiraling out of control. He chased the words that would keep her there; make her stay with him. “I want you to stay. I like having you here.”
“What? Oh my, Gabe Harwood, are you actually giving me a compliment?” Rachel mocked, her cheek puffed out and stuffed with food.
“Are you kidding? You’re so much cheaper than any cook or housekeeper I could get.” Gabe replied, bursting out in laughter.
“Oh no you didn’t!” Rachel squealed, pulling back her fork as if it were a tiny catapult and flinging a sticky heap of pancake at him.
“Hey!” Gabe yelped, dodging the flying glob. “I’m serious, I want you to stay. Will you?”
“Well, I must admit, leaving does worry me. After all, I would hate for you to go back to just eating your cooking. You might wither away to nothing if it weren’t for my mad skills in the kitchen.”
“Rachel, I need to be serious for a moment,” Gabe decided he had to make the situation clear to her in order for him to carry no guilt over her choice.
“Oh no, not serious,” Rachel mimicked Gabe, giggling.
“Listen,” Gabe tried again to gain her attention. “There is a good chance Baal’s armies won’t find us here. They haven’t yet, so it seems reasonable to think that will continue. But you have to understand something; as long as you’re here, you are only protected by me. At Iron Gate there is a good chance you could be detected, but on the other hand you would be protected by an army of Guardians.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rachel chimed, waving her hand in a dismissive way at Gabe’s warning.
“Rachel!” Gabe raised his voice, determined to get her attention. “I mean it. If they find us, I probably won’t be able to keep you safe.”
“Gabe, I get it. I have been here with you for months, I trust you. I’m sure these other people are great, but they are strangers to me. I would much rather be here alone with a friend than protected by an army of strangers. I know I must seem crazy.”
“Not really, I get
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