"No. Don't 'Gabriel' me like you didn't just say that with a straight face. You're acting like giving up a limb of your soul is a reasonable trade-off for a curse someone else carved into me!"
Damian's jaw tightened. "Because it is. It's for you and the child."
Gabriel stepped back like he'd been slapped.
His voice, when it came, was too calm. Too quiet.
"Say that again."
Damian didn't blink. "It's for you and the child. If it keeps you alive—if it keeps both of you safe—then yes. It's worth it."
Gabriel laughed. Once. It wasn't a nice sound.
"Oh, of course. It's worth it. As long as it's your blood, your power, your body breaking down instead of mine. As long as you get to be the one bleeding so I don't have to. Tell me, does that make you feel noble? Or just slightly less helpless?"
Damian's voice dropped. "Don't—"
