Gabriel - Snowed In (Patreon)

“Welcome to ‘Come on Inn’ where the cocoa is hot, and the champagne is bubbly. Can I take your coat?”

Gabriel stood frozen for longer than was necessary, looking at the hotel owner before him. Sawyer wore a tight-fitting corset with wide leg velvet pants, while his long black hair was twisted up off his neck and pinned in place with diamonds barrettes. He leaned seductively against the front counter, freezing his pose in an effort to match Gabriel’s energy. The two of them stared at each other, blinking in tandem. Off to our right, the fire crackled, and a few guests curiously looked over.

When Gabriel finally turned to me, it was with the air of a man who was absolutely done with whatever we had walked into.

“We’ll find somewhere else.” 

He turned to leave, stopping only when I caught his wrist. “Don’t be rude,” I told him. Then, I looked towards Sawyer, who seemed delighted with the taciturn man before him. “Sawyer, I would like you to meet Gabriel. We were wanting to do a little getaway. Do you have one of those fancy rooms for us.”

Sawyers teeth flashed white, his pupils dilating as he pushed off the desk. “Baby, anything for you and this hunk of a man. Where’ve you been keeping him?”

“I work,” Gabriel said blandly.

Sawyer laughed. “I do too, baby doll. Doesn’t mean I can’t show my lover a good night out on the town. I’ll set you two lovebirds up in my best room. We’ll warm the tub. Get the jets roaring. Even put some chocolates on your pillow and place a bottle of my special sauce on the side of the bed.”

Gabriel began to tug on my arm. “No, I’m done here,” he told me. 

Sawyer cackled loudly. The man took a special delight in anyone's discomfort. It ramped him up the more response he could get.

“Sawyer,” I warned. “Gabriel is a bit more reserved. Maybe cut the talk about special sauce.”

He zipped his mouth, dangling the imaginary key in front of us before tossing it away.

It gave me a moment to turn to Gabriel. “Give this place a chance,” I told him. “I know it’s a bit different from what you normally like.” What Gabriel normally liked was quiet. Isolated. No one but the two of us around. “I think this would be nice, though. And you have to admit that this is one of the fancier places we’ve been.”

Sawyers taste in decor matched his exuberance. There was not an inch that was not spotless. The main lounge was decorated in lush velvets, colored in the deepest of jeweled tones. The hearth was floor to ceiling aged brick that housed the most perfect blaze inside. And every hour on the hour, someone came around with a crystal cart, offering warm beverages.

“That man is an incubus,” he said. 

“That owns a quality Inn and who is my friend,” I reminded him.

“Perhaps you did not hear me before. That man is an incu–”

A large bang interrupted us. The magic holding the warm lights of the room all went out, leaving only the fire ablaze. From upstairs, several doors opened as people began calling out. All of Sawyer’s teasing was dropped as he rushed past us, looking outside. Gabriel and I followed.

A large snow drift had dropped on the Inn. It blanketed the entire top of the building, and most of Artisan Alley, slowing scooting down the rooftops. An eerie crack echoed through the alley as some of the snow began to break away from the drift, sliding down the roof to land in a sheet of white in front of business doors. I barely had time to register it before Gabriel was yanking both Sawyer and I backwards, right as a large pile of snow thundered down from above. We watched as we were suddenly caved in.

“I don’t have something witty to say to that,” Sawyer muttered, staring at the sheet of snow that was now the front door.

Gabriel had squared his shoulders back and was now looking around the Inn with a critical eye. It wasn’t the finery that his gaze was skirting over, however. It was the support beams. The iridescent windows. The pile of firewood by the hearths side.

“Do you have emergency supplies?” he asked Sawyer.

“I have some matches and pate. Everyone loves a good pate, right?”

I looked at Gabriel. “We can get out,” I told him. “The snows not that thick.” Though, even as I said it, I was casting cursory glances at the wall of ice. A frozen wave of cold air was rushing from the front, chilling the once cozy inn in a matter of minutes.

“I’ve had this happen at the prison a few times. We will be here for a while.” He marched past Sawyer, past the front desk, and to the utility closet near the back, hidden by a floor to ceiling metal sculpture. I followed after him as he began rummaging through the closet, looking for candles and extra blankets. 

“Where did the snow even come from?”

“The lanterns release the snow like they release the rain. Sometimes, however, they get clogged. You’ll see certain districts with less weather patterns than others. Eventually, however, the snow and the ice and the rain that should have all came out over the course of a season, accumulates and pushes through. We then have this. Artisan Alley most likely is behind on their lantern maintenance.”

“That’s a thing?”

“Code 275G8. All districts are responsible for maintaining or hiring the city crew to clean and make sure their lanterns are in functioning order.” He looked over his shoulder at me with grave sincerity. “We do not want a repeat of district seven.”

“We don’t have a district seven,” I told him.

“Exactly.” He shoved several candles into my hands, along with matches. “Start putting these up everywhere. We need to get as much fire burning as possible to keep areas warm. The residents and patrons here should also come down with their blankets and gather in front of the fire.”

“On it!” Sawyer called from the main foyer.

I glanced at Sawyer as he made his way upstairs to start banging on doors. There were a few muffled shouts as he barged into rooms but nothing he couldn’t handle. 

“This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my romantic evening with you,” I said, turning back to Gabriel. It was rare that Gabriel and I ever got away. Between his job and me being who I was, there wasn’t a lot of time for the luxury of checking out of life for an evening. I expected to see disappointment on Gabriel’s face as well. For all his posturing, I knew he was tired. That he, too, was looking forward to a quiet night, curled up in bed with room service at our front door.

Yet, there was something glinting in his eyes. A sort of look that said he was not disappointed. That, in fact, he was enjoying this. 

“I will brave the snow and get us more firewood if this Sawyer has any nearby.”

“Herald usually brought it all in for him. I think there’s a woodshed in the back alley.”

He nodded resolutely. Like it was a sacrifice. Yet, I could see the excitement there.

Walking towards him, I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, a deep, silk blue that I made him change into after he had tried to wear his uniform yet again. Yanking him forward, I pressed my lips hard to his own.

“You are a freak,” I murmured to him, smiling against his lips.

When he pulled away, he looked even more determined than before. “I will keep us safe,” he vowed. “All of us.”

I laughed a little, pushing him away. “Go. Be a hero. But tonight we are curling up naked in bed together to conserve body heat.”

Fire sparked in his eyes. “It is the proper thing to do. I agree.” He stole one last kiss from me before walking away, a man preparing for battle. I merely shook my head before lighting the candles, and hoping for Gabriel’s sake, the snow lasted a little longer.