In which Gavriel has well an truly reached his limit. Prepare thyself for an eruption. He will hold nothing back.
.
.
"Are you out of your rutting mind?!" Gavriel surged to his feet.
Lorcan cringed, this was not going as smoothly as his conversation with Rowan had gone. Then again, it wasn't as though he expected it to.
Gavriel looked like Lorcan had passed his final limit; a thing Lorcan was proud of rarely reaching, although he was fully aware it said more about Gavriel's character than his own.
"No," Lorcan said calmly. "I'm trying to say what needs to be said."
"What needs to be-" Gavriel scoffed. Rowan was gaping. As dear of a friend he was to Gavriel, he likely had never seen Gavriel erupt. It took centuries. "You know what you are, Lorcan?" Gavriel snarled taking a menacing step forward. Lorcan stiffened but remained where he was sitting. "You're a self-centered coward."
"For trying to make sure you get to Aelin in time?"
"Oh!" Gavriel threw his hands into the air, eyes literally glowing with pent-up rage. "Don't bring Aelin into this!"
"That's who we're after!" Lorcan growelled back, feeling his own temper flaring and struggling to push it down. Gavriel and he hadn't had a real fight since Meira and he would prefer to keep real fight's with the Lion to once a century if possible. If Gavriel wanted a turn at the raging, Lorcan would have to keep a tight rein on his temper.
"No! This is about you! It's always about you and your damned pride!" Gavriel bellowed. Rowan looked ready to faint from shock. "You refuse to let anyone take care of you because you're afraid it will give them power over you! You're a rutting coward."
Gavriel's words stung.
"Gavriel," Lorcan was activity batting back the wildfire of fury burning in his gut. "This isn't about me, this is about getting to Aelin before we lose her entirely."
Gavriel laughed cruelly. "Because you feel guilty. This is about you, whether you admit it or not. This is about you feeling guilty and trying to find a way to make it right without having to lose your pride over it. You know why you never apologize? Because you're too rutting proud. You can't bear to grovel long enough to admit your were wrong, you messed up and you hurt people you shouldn't have you-"
"Is that what this is about?!" Lorcan snapped. " You want me to say I'm sorry?!"
He furiously turned to Rowan.
"I'm sorry Rowan. Aelin didn't deserve half of this. I was a coward trying to protect my- trying to protect Elide and I hurt everyone. I'm sorry. I was wrong.
"And I'm sorry about Miera," he turned from Rowan's stunned face to spit at Gavriel. "I'm sorry I came and ruined your chances with her. I'm sorry I scared her and I'm sorry she died young-"
He saw the fist coming but he wasn't fast enough to evade it. He hit the ground and spat a mouthful of dirt out as he scrambled away from the raging Lion, stumbling to his feet.
"I'm sorry! Gavriel!" he bellowed, baring dirt-splattered teeth in a snarl. "There: I'm sorry! But don't you dare sacrifice Aelin because of some half-baked excuse that I never apologize! An apology implies asking for forgiveness and that is not what I'm asking for. That's not what I have ever asked for!"
Gavriel snarled and lunged at him, slamming him into the ground. The air left Lorcan's lungs in a sudden exodus and his wound tore around the edges. A cry ripped from his throat before he could hold it back.
Gavriel was beyond the point of caring. He was crouched over Lorcan and leaned down snarling.
"How dare you use Meira against me." His eyes burned with a fury that Lorcan could not match. "How dare you use Aelin against Rowan," Gavriel continued as Lorcan struggled to catch his breath, pain ripping through him. "How dare you tell me to leave you when you can't even defend yourself. How dare you!"
Lorcan couldn't force words from his rebellious body. He just lay beneath Gavriel, gasping like a fish out of water.
"If you are dying," Gavriel continued, still in an uncharacteristic fury, shaking with the force of keeping his voice below a roar. "I am going to be here until you're dead and I will make sure you're buried."
"Gavriel," Lorcan panted. "It's taking forever. You can't wait that long."
"I can-"
"Aelin can't wait that long! How are you going to explain that to your son? You refused to rescue her in time because you-"
"What aren't you going to use against me?!" Gavriel yanked Lorcan toward him by the shirt.
"I'll use everything I have to get you to leave," Lorcan replied.
Gavriel dropped him with a disgusted sneer and got off him to crouch down on the other side of the fire. Lorcan knew he should continue to drive the point home, but his body was screaming at him that he couldn't take any more. Tremors shook his frame and he lay in the dirt staring up at the stars as he regathered his strength.
Slowly, moving as anciently as he felt, Lorcan rolled over onto all fours and paused for a breath before struggling to his feet. He staggered back over to the fire and strategically placed himself on Rowan's other side. The Lion would have to climb over Rowan to get to him.
"It's simple logic, Gavriel," Lorcan said hoarsely. "Go with Rowan and save Aelin, but leave me here to die alone. Or stay with me, let Rowan go and get himself killed trying to save his mate, and sentence Aelin to her choice of fates: die, go mad, or swear fealty to Maeve."
Gavriel's jaw flexed and he shook his head, but Lorcan could see the logic playing behind those furious eyes: save two out of three, or lose them all.
Gavriel snarled at the fire and got up to stalk into the woods to think.
Silence fell over the camp for several moments.
"Are you alright?" Rowan asked quietly.
The only response he got was Lorcan rolling away to vomit blood.