The beast had slowed but was quickly regaining momentum. It roared again, falling from the top of the building. Kaitlyn was afraid it would go after her again but she went straight to Gabriel who was on his knees. It wasn't the way he looked. Because he looked like he was in terrible pain, his dark hooded eyes were closed. And there was a sound in the air, muffled like she had been too close to a gun that had discharged in an enclosed area.
The ringing was only interrupted by the beast who was beating his chest before he disappeared into the woods. "Are you okay?" she asked Gabriel but her voice sounded far away. Something was ringing in her head so shrilly that she suddenly realized whatever she was feeling, she was feeling it second hand through Gabriel who had fallen completely to the ground.
Gabriel!
She rushed over to him and dropped to her knees, pulling her head up on her lap. Damn it, Gabriel. You promised me you wouldn't do that anymore! And on that giant thing. What were you thinking?
Gabriel probably didn't need a lecture and was in too much pain to really absorb everything she was saying through their telepathic link since she couldn't hear herself speak outloud. Which meant he probably couldn't hear her either. No, he didn't need a lecture but she was so terrified. It had gotten bad before when they were in Portland for a little while. There was a horde and they had gotten caught and he'd used his powers to suck their energy away. But it wasn't that simple. Gabriel fed on live psychic energy, it nourished him. Whatever he was getting from the zombies wasn't alive, it was some dark vacuum that he was feeding on. It took a toll on him and he'd promised her to never use it again. She had known back then that he really didn't mean it.
One of her tears fell on his face and she brushed it away before she tried to think of what to do. She couldn't carry him back to the inn and even if she did, there was no guarantee that he would recover or that any of them could help him. Quickly she brushed her hair away from the back of her neck and propped Gabriel up. Come on. Take what you need.
Gabriel stirred and Kaitlyn jolted when his lips met the transfer energy point on her neck and she felt that connection open between them. Gabriel's energy was even darker than it was usually, worse than the first time they'd connected. It was snarly and filled with rage and other ugly things while Kaitlyn had a cool blue energy. It was calm and it was alive.