Forbidden (The Gabriel Lennox Series Book 1)

by M. L. Desir

  Gabriel let Seth stand with his hand outstretched. If he shook his hand, he’d want to break it. Bastard. He wanted Seth to feel just as stupid as he had been made to feel minutes ago.

  Seth’s shocked look seemed so unlike his initial arrogant expression that Gabriel had to laugh. Some of the Chosen burst into laughter, too.

  Seth joined in, his laughter sharp, sounding like a knife’s blade scraping along metal. It was unnerving, and when the other laughter died, he stood a little taller in the resulting silence.

  “You’ll have to excuse my behavior, Prince Elect,” he said in his condescending voice. “I was only trying to test the waters. Only wanting to see if you’ve got what it takes to lead us. Surely, you can’t be angry about something so noble.”

  Gabriel rolled his eyes. “You would do well to get to the bloody point.”

  Seth fingered a crystal pin on the collar of his robe, a beautiful piece of jewelry, probably worth a small fortune. “Lord, you’re as charming as a cactus,” he said. “If you’re not careful, someone might want to challenge you and take the title.”

  “Would that someone be you?”

  Spreading his arms wide, Seth gave a dramatic shrug. ”Perhaps, or perhaps not. But I don’t think anyone would care to second that vote.” His strange eyes gazed on individuals in the crowd, stared each one down for a few seconds before he sneered at another. Within a couple of minutes, all of the Chosen moved away in small groups to return to dancing and drinking. The gray-eyed woman remained by his side. His lover, perhaps . . .

  Fortunate bastard.

  Seth squeezed the woman’s hand. “At last! Privacy. As you can see, I’m not well favored by the toadies, Prince Elect. I’m learning that it’s not just fear that one needs to rule. It takes another form of power. Charisma. You’re just glowing with it.”

  “So you do want the Principality?” Gabriel asked, dismissing the compliment.

  Seth let go of the woman’s hand and took one step forward. “I want what any immortal should want. Power. Omnipotence. Domination. But apparently, I’m a minority.”

  “Oh, so that’s how it is, then. Lilith rejected you, didn’t she? You have my sympathy and my envy.”

  Seth drew in a shallow breath through his long, slender nose. “I was told that you were a beauty among men, Gabriel, and thought it an exaggeration, but now that I’ve seen you in the flesh, the rumors were an understatement. And you know what they say about beautiful men?”

  “No, I don’t. Amuse me with an answer.”

  Seth smiled, showing off straight, white teeth. “That they’re the type that wants what they fear they can no longer have. You’re as beautiful as you’re stupid.”

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You’re quite the flatterer, but with that lovely woman on your arm, I find it hard to understand why you would even give me any attention unless you’re a lover of men.”

  Seth laughed. “Oh no. No, not at all, but I know beauty when I see it. And Bela is a thing of beauty, too.” He turned to the woman, smiling at her. “This is the Prince, our Prince. Be respectful, Bela.”

  He leaned over in a bow, and she curtsied. It looked too choreographed and perfect—they must’ve practiced it a dozen times to get it that synchronized.

  Gabriel gave a tight smile. “No, you don’t need to do that. I’m not the Prince. Don’t.”

  Seth’s weird eyes widened. “Not. The. Prince. Then that rumor is true, too? You really don’t want the title even after what has been decided? Even after they worshipped you like some god?”

  “That’s just it. It’s not just a title. There’s more to it than that.”

  “But you have the power to wipe away death. What’s there not to want?”

  “Wipe away death? You exaggerate. You speak as if I should Enlighten every man, woman, and child on the planet. That’s absurd. Damned farcical.”

  Seth looked pleased. “No, I respect your reasoning. Not everyone should have the right to live forever. Men aren’t equal, and with power comes privilege.” He laughed then. “Religion says that our souls are eternal, but that man is born to die. That contradiction can be made right. Man can and should be able to live forever.” He chuckled. “Well, some men.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “Living forever. Tell me, what good will it do them?” Yes, what good would immortality do for thieves, murderers, and rapists when the fear of death doesn’t stop them from plaguing humanity with their crimes? He stared at Seth, hoping he didn’t have an answer. Call it fate. Some people deserved to die so that others could live.

  “I sense murderous desires in you,” Seth whispered, as if picking up on Gabriel’s thoughts.

  Gabriel became wary, drawing into himself. He made his face a blank mask. Could he do that? he wondered. This Seth, could he read minds? His mind? He didn’t answer his own question, but only closed his eyes, as if doing so would shut the door to his inner thoughts.

  “The commotion earlier.” Bela’s voice snapped him out of his passing panic. “Did you really let that mortal boy drink your blood?”

  He smiled at her, glad she had spoken, and she rewarded him with a lovely smile that brightened her face. How long had Bela and Seth been there? He hadn’t noticed her in the crowd before, and she was quite noticeable. Perhaps Seth had shielded them with his clever illusions.

  “I did it to see if I could look into his thoughts,” Gabriel told her.

  She glanced at Seth and looked back at him in astonishment. “I’ve heard tales of such a blood bond, but never met any Chosen who could do it.”

  Gabriel nodded. “I’m just full of surprises.”

  As her gray eyes met his gaze, something stirred inside him. “And you drank from him without having the desire to Enlighten him?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But the taste of blood, don’t you find it . . . irresistible?” she asked, licking her lips.

  He felt himself becoming aroused. “I suppose it gives me some kind of pleasure, but it’s not necessary for me to live. Nor should it be. I am beyond such tendencies. When I was mortal, I ate to live and not the other way around. And now that I am immortal, well, you understand, don’t you?”

  “Immortal. Do you truly, madly, sincerely believe that we are?” Seth asked, the same knowing and irritating sweetness in his voice, which put Gabriel off.

  He shielded his thoughts about the matter, lest they betray him. “Blood. Is it really necessary if we are gods in flesh? I have come to the conclusion that it isn’t,” Gabriel went on, ignoring him.

  Seth smiled. “Well, well, well. You certainly are full of surprises. Not only can you will another Chosen to do as you please, but you can form blood bonds, too?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “And now you tell me that you’ve no taste for the red wine of life? Ahh. Guess that means there’s more for us, then. You’re oh so very generous!”

  Christopher, the blonde servant, descended the stairs into the ballroom with a young man dressed in a white tunic and a woman clinging to his arm. Neither would look at anyone but seemed to be watching their feet as they trundled along.

  “Who are they?” Gabriel asked, but he already had a suspicion. The youth and girl were both dressed only in white tunics. Their feet were bare. The woman wore no rouge or color on her cheeks. She and her companion were pristine and clean as lambs prepped for slaughter. Gabriel smiled wryly at the idea of beautifying something before killing it.

  “Food. Doesn’t it look delicious?” Seth shifted his weight from his right leg to the left and then cracked his knuckles as if getting ready for great physical exertion. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to help prepare our meal.”

  “I’ll be over soon,” Bela called after him, but Seth didn’t seem to hear her and sauntered off.

  Seth moved toward Christopher and the two humans. Inwardly, he grinned, glad to see him go. “Prepare the m
eal?” he asked Bela, pleased to be alone with her.

  “As you’ve learned, Seth weaves illusions. It’s hard to get mortals to willingly give up their blood. So, what he does is exchange their blood for dreams. While we drink from them, they die peacefully with their wildest dreams coming true. He calls it ‘Dreaming Awake.’ It’s really quite clever and useful because of all the fresh blood we acquire. He’s very popular with our kind.” Bela paused to bite her bottom lip. “At least he used to be.”

  He leaned in closer. “Used to be, huh?”

  Her gray eyes darted around suspiciously to see if anyone was listening.

  A naïve and adorable gesture. Eavesdroppers didn’t have to be looking to hear.

  “Lately, Seth is known for being very cruel,” she said in a whisper. “Sometimes, he uses his power to torment others. We may be immortal, but we’re not immune to pain. He wants to be the Prince. He wants to rule, but . . .” She stopped and looked away.”

  “Continue. Please,” he insisted, but she just shook her head.

  He glanced at the two humans. “Do these victims, I mean, uh, participants, know that they’re going to die?”

  Her face crinkled into a frown. “I really don’t know.”

  He tucked his hand in the crook of her elbow and walked with her toward the man and woman. “Let us investigate.”

  Suicide. That’s what it was. If mortals knew they were going to die and went to their deaths willingly, he couldn’t allow it. He hated suicide, maybe because he envied those who succeeded in doing it. They were free. Free from worry, pain, disappointment, and boredom. They weren’t prisoner to the sadness, emptiness, and chaos that they left behind for their loved ones long after they departed.

  No. That wasn’t the real reason why he hated suicide.

  It was weak to run away from a life that never made any promises about being fair. He remembered the day he had used his sword to cut the rope that suspended his sister from the tree. A useless act. Her neck had become impossibly narrow as if some giant with iron hands had wrung it until the bones broke. And even though he knew she had died, he had tried undoing the knot from around her throat. His nails chipped off, and the tips of his fingers bled and blistered, but still he tried, coaxing her and telling her that everything was going to be all right. But her wide, emerald eyes were as hard and stubborn as his as she stared off into a nothingness he could not see. Perhaps would never see.

  Gabriel had kicked and screamed, his tears blurring his vision of her as Nathaniel had carried him away. He remembered something then—yes, a vague something—though he had the power to draw others back from the dead, it seemed as if those he tried to save would be hell-bent on dying anyway. Like Abigail. She had treated his gift like a curse. Something was wrong with him, but he didn’t know exactly what.

  “Prince Elect, you’re squeezing me. Something troubling you?”

  He loosened his grip on her arm. “Forgive me. My mind was miles away. And truly, it should be here. Right here.” He stared into her eyes until crimson tainted her milky white skin, which coaxed a smile out of him. “You may address me as Gabriel.”

  She grinned up at him, her gray eyes shimmering like silver.

  He glanced to the strange trio of Seth and the two humans. The human woman peered at him from the corner of her eyes before returning her gaze to Seth. Eyes closed, Seth stretched his hands in front of the man and woman with the air of a magician.

  “Seth,” Gabriel said, “I’d like to have a word with these two.” He gestured toward the humans.

  Seth looked at him and stared at Bela until she stepped away from Gabriel’s side. She avoided eye contact with Seth, but stood next to him, her hands clasped in front of her. Seth merely chuckled, took Bela by the hand, and led her to the other side of the ballroom.

  Gabriel looked after them for a few minutes. He felt foolish as he watched Seth playing his fingers along the long column of Bela’s white throat. He turned his attention back to the mortal man and woman.

  No, boy and girl were more appropriate titles. They looked no more than seventeen.

  “Why are you gracing us with your presence?” Gabriel asked.

  They both stared at him before glancing at each other in confusion.

  “Don’t you know?” the boy asked. The girl wrapped her round arms around him.

  “Yes, but I don’t know how you came to know of us. I’m curious. Amuse me with an answer.”

  The boy sighed. “Well, at first,” he began, “I thought it was just superstitious nonsense. Some juvenile conspiracy. You see, there’s a bar in Bristol that I frequent often, and one evening, a young man captivated a growing audience, telling a peculiar story of blood, oaths, and favors by a cloakanddagger group of individuals. I had run into trouble and needed a quick solution. So, I became obsessed with seeking help.” He blushed then. “And really, I think I wanted to believe it, so I waited for him outside and asked him for proof of your existence. I learned that he’s a middleman for your coterie. His illusions were enough to win my mind.” He jabbed a thumb in Seth’s direction.

  “The same man?” Gabriel asked. “You could tell that he was the same, although he used illusions as a disguise?”

  The girl nodded. “Robert is very good at reading people. He can see things that others can’t. That man, Seth, he tried to tell him that he wasn’t the same man, but Robert pointed out his mannerisms.”

  Gabriel smiled. “So not even illusions can change who one really is.” He cast a dark glance in Seth’s direction before looking down at the girl. “Your name?”

  She lowered her head. “Katherine. Katherine Beardsley. Robert and I decided to come here so that we can be happy. Seth promised us happiness.”

  “Hmm. I never heard of anyone dying and coming back to tell of how happy they were. Have you?” Gabriel smiled at her. “I would definitely like to meet him or her,” he added to vex her. Vex her out of her stupidity.

  “Well, no. But you don’t understand.” She broke into a soft sob.

  Robert kissed the top of her head and held her tighter. “There, there,” he murmured. “Don’t cry, darling.” He glared at Gabriel. Your fault she’s crying, his eyes accused.

  “I’m not trying to upset her. I just want to understand why you would choose something so final. Your problem couldn’t be so enormous that death looks like the only way out. It’s not like you’re Romeo and Juliet.”

  Katherine stopped crying, but a frown still marked her face. “That’s not funny,” she said icily. “Not funny.”

  Gabriel smiled. The girl had some fire in her after all. “No. I’m being quite serious.”

  “Romeo and Juliet,” Robert whispered. “You’re closer to the truth than you think, sir. This is the only way we can he happy. Together.”

  Gabriel wanted to roll his eyes, but stopped himself. He remembered how he had been at that age when he thought he knew everything, as if he were as omniscient and omnipotent as God himself. The young could be so willful, so sure of themselves.

  So stupid.

  “So you want to marry this girl,” Gabriel said after some thinking, “but your parents won’t allow you to. Is that what this is all about?”

  Robert nodded, his eyebrows knit in a grimace.

  Katherine began to cry again. “I deserve to die. I’m nothing without him!”

  Gabriel ignored her, still staring at Robert. “You don’t really believe that, do you? That she’s worthless.”

  Robert’s scowl softened, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears. He shook his head, swallowing. “No, no, I don’t. I love her with all my heart.”

  “Then there must be another way,” Gabriel offered.

  “Is there a problem, Prince Elect?” Seth asked, suddenly behind him.

  “Not anymore. Robert and Katherine have decided not to receive your . . . services.”


  Seth’s forehead wrinkled. “What?” He turned to Robert, his hands open in a questioning shrug. “But your plans—”

  “Have changed,” Gabriel finished with a pleased smirk.

  “How? Why! When the situation has not?”

  “You don’t want to die any longer, do you, Katherine?” Gabriel placed a hand on her shoulder and clouded her mind with his influence. You don’t want to die, he thought into her mind. Say it: I don’t want to die.

  Katherine shut her eyes tight and shook her head. “No, I don’t want to die.”

  Seth brought a hand to his head, looking more irate than confused. His eyes flashed—the amber one looking like the eye of a wolf and the green one flashing like an emerald. “I don’t believe this. Just because you have no taste for blood doesn’t mean the rest of us have to suffer.”

  Gabriel held up a warning hand. “Go and feed off of someone else, if you must. Besides, you don’t need to kill to quench your thirst. Such practices will have to come to an end.”

  Seth laughed and walked closer to Katherine. He snapped his fingers, and Bela sauntered over to Robert. He whispered to Katherine, “When we slip our teeth in your neck, your dainty wrists, and that little bit of skin near the junction of your thighs, it will feel like paradise—didn’t I promise you that? You shall sail on a boat of absolute pleasure. And just think—at the end of that journey, your darling Robert shall be waiting.”

  Robert swallowed hard. Whatever Bela whispered into his ear had been no different than what Seth had tempted Katherine with. He looked at Bela, but she had the grace not to return his gaze.

  Katherine looked up into Seth’s face with a peculiar expression. He wasn’t sure whether she wanted to spit in Seth’s face or kiss him. She had become very pale.

  “But I have to die,” Katherine said, “to feel it. I have to die to be with him forever. Right?”

  Seth opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel shoved him out of the way. “No, Katherine. Forget what promises he’s offered you. You don’t have to die to make them real.” He leaned forward so that he met at her eye level. “I can’t assure you that living will guarantee you and Robert being together, but dying? Is that what you really want?”