"This was different," Gabriel said shortly, taking a step without checking first and banging his foot on a drainage pipe. He sucked in a breath in lieu of cursing or hissing, and then went straight on with his rebuttal, because at least trying to analyse this was something to do other than be trapped with the thoughts in his head.

"It's not that it was too big," he said. "It felt more like I just did it wrong. I had the power, it was there--it just ..." His hand motioned vaguely in the air, at himself, at his eyes. "It went wrong. Backlash. I think my process was off."

He wasn't sure he wanted to risk trying again.