CHAPTER 77: SAFE SPACE

Catherine’s POV

The moment Gabriel turned, Lucy and Sasha’s grip tightened. He took two steps forward and turned back again. At once, they loosened their grip, wearing those fake, friendly smiles like masks glued to their faces.

My heart pounded so loudly I thought everyone could hear it. I needed to get out. Suddenly, an idea from my brain came out as a whisper... trying to save me.

"Gabriel," I called while trying to steady my voice. "About the... the bulb in my room."

He blinked. "The bulb?"

"Yeah." I nodded quickly, praying he caught on. "The one I told you about? It started sparking again and—" my voice cracked "—I need your help."

For a second, he just stared.

Please understand. Please, please, please.

In that moment, his eyes softened with realization.

"Oh," he slowly let out. "That bulb. Yeah. Right." He stepped forward into the kitchen. "Come and show me."

Relief washed through me so fast that my knees nearly gave out, but, of course, the devils reacted.

"Already?" Lucy asked, raising her brows. "But we just started the game."

Catherine. Stay calm. Stay neutral.

I forced a smile that felt like it might crack my face. "I’m tired."

Sasha grabbed my wrist too lightly, like she didn’t want Gabriel to notice anything. "Come on, Catherine. Don’t ruin the mood now. We were having fun."

Her fingers tightened slightly, just enough for me to feel the warning beneath the fake friendliness.

Gabriel’s expression changed instantly. He coughed out before speaking. "You guys have had enough fun already," he said simply.

Neither Lucy nor Sasha acknowledged him.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "No offense, Gabe, but you shouldn’t be interrupting this. We’re bonding. Girl stuff."

"I can see that," he said dryly. "But she needs my help with her bulb. If it’s sparking again, it might be dangerous, I have to check it now."

Sasha laughed, though it sounded forced. "Oh please. It can wait."

"No," Gabriel replied. His tone was firmer than I’d ever heard from him. "It can’t. If it’s faulty wiring, we should check it now before something happens."

Lucy’s eyes sharpened. "Wow. You are such a killjoy."

"You can call me anything as long as I’m trying to protect someone’s life," he said.

The room went silent. They didn’t like that, not one bit.

Lucy’s mouth twitched. "She’s not going anywhere."

Gabriel stepped fully between me and them now, not aggressively, just a calm wall I suddenly wanted to hide behind.

"She is," he said. "Can the two of you quit acting like her mouthpiece? It’s cringey."

For a moment, the tension grew heavy enough to touch.

Then Sasha let out a long, annoyed sigh. "Fine," she said. "Go fix the stupid bulb."

Lucy forced a smile. "But Catherine, come back after, okay? We need to finish our game."

I swallowed and nodded quickly, not trusting myself to speak.

Gabriel placed a gentle hand on the small of my back in a protective way and guided me out of the kitchen.

I didn’t breathe properly until the door closed behind us. He said nothing at first nor did I but the moment we reached the hallway, my pulse loosened enough for my brain to work again.

"Your room?" he asked softly.

"No," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Can we... can we just go to yours?"

His brows lowered, surprised but instantly cooperative. "Yeah. Of course."

He led the way upstairs, and I followed, hugging my arms to my chest, trying to keep the trembling at bay. Every step felt like my legs were made of water.

When we entered his room, he closed the door gently. The moment the click sounded, the emotions I’d been holding in cracked like thin ice.

He turned to me slowly.

"What was that?" he asked. "Sasha, Lucy, and you? Bonding? Really?"

I looked away. "Yes."

He exhaled a soft, doubtful breath. "Catherine..."

There was this doubtful look on his face, which made me feel the need to be defensive.

"What? I’m serious," I lied, my voice almost steady.

Gabriel stepped a little closer but kept enough distance to not make me uncomfortable. "You may not know but I always know when you are lying to me and today I’m not going to overlook."

My throat tightened painfully. "I’m not lying."

He shook his head gently. "How can you call that bonding? You flinched when Sasha touched you."

I froze. "And you kept rubbing your shoulder on the way up. That’s not... ’just a game.’"

I swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. "You’re imagining things."

He stared at me for a moment, studying me like he was trying to piece together a puzzle that wouldn’t sit right.

"Okay," he finally said. "Then answer this... why did you lie about the bulb?"

I hesitated but forced myself to answer. "Because the game was stupid. I was tired of it."

He didn’t buy that. Not even for a second.

"Catherine."

"Gabriel."

We held eye contact, though his eyes were steady and mine were shaky.

He softened his tone. "You and Lucy are always at each other. As for Sasha, the two of you used to be enemies till the sudden friendship. Now, both of them are acting like besties and hitting you in the name of a game? Stop lying for them."

"I’m not," I said quickly.

"So what is it then?"

I inhaled slowly, trying to keep my voice from breaking. "Gabriel, stop interrogating me. I didn’t want to be rude."

His brows inched upward. He clearly didn’t understand why I was acting this way but he didn’t push. He watched me with a quiet, patient intensity.

"You know," he said carefully, "you can talk to me if you need help. You don’t... have to pretend."

My chest tightened painfully. I wanted to tell him everything. Fuck, I wanted to. If there was one person I knew had my back, it was Gabriel. He wasn’t always available but he always had my back.

Sasha’s whisper came back in my mind: One word, and the picture goes out to everyone.

And so, I quickly forced a small smile, even though my lips trembled. "There’s nothing to talk about."

He exhaled, blowing air like he was frustrated. "Catherine..."

"Let it go. I’m fine, trust me."

"You’re fine? But your lips keep trembling. Even your hand."

I looked down and he was right. My hands were visibly trembling.

I clenched them instantly. "I’m just cold."

"It’s warm in here."

My eyes stung. "Gosh! Stop! I’m tired."

He took a slow breath, like he was choosing his next words carefully. "You don’t have to tell me. I won’t force you."

Something in his tone nearly broke me. "But," he added softly, "I want you to know something."

I looked up.

"You’re not alone in this house."

"You don’t have to handle everything by yourself," he said. "If someone hurts you..." His jaw tightened. "I need to know."

My heart skipped painfully. Gabriel was so different from Julian, he wasn’t intense, jealous, or explosive. He wasn’t possessive or cruel or hard to read. He was kind, thoughtful, patient, and observant in a way that made you feel seen.

And it only made it worse because I still couldn’t tell him.

I forced myself to nod. "Okay."

He didn’t believe me. I could see it.

He studied me again, slowly, like he was searching for clues I wasn’t giving him.

Then his voice dipped lower. "Have you had anything to eat?"

My pulse spiked. I hadn’t. In fact, I only went to the kitchen to get food, until those witches raided me.

"No."

"Will you stay here for a bit?" he asked. "Just to rest. You look drained and those girls for sure... are going to return to trouble you."

His words made it obvious that he was still sticking to the idea that what we termed as a game wasn’t really a game. I didn’t try to argue, instead, I nodded my head. I need rest and most importantly, a way to avoid those girls, till Sasha leaves at least. It would be easier to face one of them.

"You can crash on the bed. I was supposed to step out again but I don’t think I’ll be leaving anymore..."

"No Gabriel. You don’t have to sacrifice your time for me, please.."

He paused for a while and moved over to the couch in his room. After taking a seat, he opened his mouth. "Catherine, this is not a sacrifice. In case you do not remember, we are like siblings now and it’s my duty as your brother to protect you."

I looked at him, at the way he just sat there, giving me the one thing I didn’t realize I needed: SAFETY.

"Thank you so much," I muttered.

He chuckled and I smiled back. "No need for that. I’m only performing my duties. As for food, I’ll ask one of the staff to prepare something and bring it here."