Storm Warning*

"I told you to stay away from Lysander, didn't I?" Gabriel said in a low cautioning voice. "Or maybe you can't really say no because you are interested in Lysander, too?"

"It's hard. He wanted me to go with him to the cafeteria. You knew food is my weakness." I admitted in a rush. "Maybe he persuaded me by using his hypnotic voice or something, just like how you compelled me to kiss you earlier."

"You have the Aegis around your neck. No Knights could force you to do anything or kill you while you are wearing it. It's all up to you. I can't manipulate you to kiss me but I knew you secretly liked it anyway." He said with a mischievous look in his blue eyes for a moment but then he sighed, his face turning serious. "For your safety, I just wanted you to stay away from us."

Frustrated at his teases, my own attraction to him and all of his unnecessary warnings, I lunged at him again in the split second it took me to close the gap between us hoping to catch him off guard. But Gabriel stopped me, threw out an arm, and set my back again to the bed. My whole body strained to escape.

I realized Gabriel was holding me by the wrists to keep my hands away from his neck. We were locked in a stalemate and if I could my fingers half an inch closer, I could reach his throat.

And then what? A little voice in my head asked, Choke the life out of him?

"I don't know why you're doing this, Cassandra," Gabriel said, his face no more than an inch away from me. "I'm helping you even though it's not really my responsibility to do so. I'm not even allowed to meddle with Fate but I did it for you. Is this how you repay my kindness?"

If he wants to kill me or even have the tiniest intentions of hurting me, maybe I should kill him first.

"Cassandra." Gabriel's achingly blue eyes widened in surprise at my ruthless expression.

I was winning.

One of my long nails grazed the pulsing skin on his neck. Then, before I could process what was happening, Gabriel clamped me to his chest and restrained my arms, placing them above my head. I was immobile. Again.

Argh!

I struggled, wanting to win this wrestling game badly. I want to defeat him.

"You're spirit is stronger now." He breathed into my ear, giving me a rough shake. "You're becoming one of us."

Outmaneuvered and helpless, I started to scream with rage but then I stopped myself. "What do you mean I'm becoming like you?"

"There I something you need to know," Gabriel said calmly, his chiseled face controlled again. I wanted to scream at him and literally force the words out of his mouth but I kept my voice down. "What is it? Tell me!"

Gabriel pulled away from me so he could look at me in the eye. His blue eyes were so intense and seemed to be searching my gaze to figure out what I was thinking or he might be considering something. Maybe, deciding what to reveal and what's not to reveal. After a few moments, he released me and held out a long breath.

I propped myself up on my arms, got into a sitting position, and swung my legs out of the bed. "Are you going tell me what is happening or not? Maybe you needed time to prepare." I said urgently, annoyed. "I could get out of this room for a while if you want to?"

"My bedtime story is a bit long." He answered with a cheeky grin as he gave me 'come-hither' looks. The bastard was enjoying my irritation a little too much. "Why don't you lie down with me?"

I narrow my eyes at him, dragged my steps, and sat down at the end of the bed.

Gabriel is trying to get me to lie back. Again.

"No monkey business." He promised as if he heard my thoughts and made the sign of crossing his heart. I stayed perched on the edge of the bed but then curiosity won the fight as it battled with distrust.

"Okay," I said uncertainly. Gabriel pulled me back to the bed, making me lie down. He settled beside me as I rested against the pillows.

"There are four Houses of Tarot. House of Pentacles. House of Cups. House of Wands. House of Swords." Gabriel began. "I am the oldest male heir of the House of Cups because I was chosen as one of the appointed Knights of Fate. Lysander belongs to the House of Swords; Leif belongs to the House of Pentacles and Raven to the House of Wands. I bear the symbol of a cup on my hand and I wear it proudly."

He faced me and stroked my hair, making me feel drowsy.

"As the guardians of Fate, the greatest ancestors of the Houses of Tarot made a pact to kill the cursed prophetess whose visions would bring the world to destruction. We are bound by this pact to kill you at first sight. I had the urge before when I first met you." He continued with piercing eyes. "That's why I used to glamour and stalk you from home to school and back trying to find ways on how to end your life without alerting the police. "

Gabriel's face relaxed immediately when he said that as if he got some horrible secret in his heart for so long and finally let it out of his chest.

"You sound like a serial killer right now, Gabriel," I replied nervously as I looked up at him. "Seriously. It creeps me out."

"I was thinking of setting you up. You know, make your death appear natural from outsiders." He said drily. "But then you saved my life like a naïve idiot."

Indeed. I saved him. I got my memories back to prove that.

"Do you still have that urge to kill me until now?" I asked cautiously.

"I do have that urge from time to time when you annoy me. It's a natural instinct of a Knight. Our genes are kind of programmed that way." To my surprise, he pulled me against him and held me. "And killing a Cassandra reincarnation successfully brings more luck, power, and nobility on the House as the Fate's reward on a job well done. " He teased back, his voice rich and slow

. I forced an uncomfortable laugh as if we're not talking about my own death here. It feels sad and funny at the same time. "Joking aside, the compulsion was gone when you saved me and I saved you from the accident. Remember the memories I returned? Maybe, Karma thought that the debt of life was paid in full. The compulsion was gone after that. Even Leif, Raven, Lysander, and maybe other House members can't distinguish your life force now. They don't have that compulsion to kill you either. It completely disappeared."

"Are you all human or something else?"

"I can say we are like demi-gods. We still get hurt but we heal fast and have supernatural abilities." Gabriel confessed. "Since we are made by Destiny and Fate, you can't see our past, present, and future. Any member of the Four Houses can block or nullify your ability to predict things."

I keep giving him quizzical looks and that probably made him keep going.

"I've told you stories about Greek Mythology when we used to hang-out, remember?"

"Yes, I know how much you are obsessed about them. As Riley, you sure have an unusual fixation of Cassandra of Troy." I replied, remembering our sleep-overs. I gave him a confused look. "--and where exactly do I fit in this ridiculous narrative?"

"As the farthest descendant of Cassandra of Troy in this era--" Gabriel touched my shoulder but didn't meet my eyes when he said it. "You have Cassandra's Syndrome. You will have the power to see the past, the present, and future events. On the day you turn eighteen, you will officially be a High Priestess of Apollo."