Dark Mate (MATE series)

by Kristen, Natalie

  Before she could move away, the mist slammed into her, wrapping tightly around her. She gasped, and struggled against the thick, imprisoning shroud. The mist enveloped her fully, and she felt her body being pressed against something solid.

  She could see nothing but dense, suffocating mist all around her. But she could sense the vampire's presence. In fact, he was all around her, surrounding her, holding her in a smothering embrace.

  He is misting away, and he is taking me with him.

  She tried to scream, but she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. She could no longer feel the ground beneath her feet.

  Her eyelids closed against her will.

  I shot him, twice, and now he's going to kill me, was her last coherent thought before everything clouded over.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Gabriel misted straight into his mansion and materialized in his bedroom. With a loud curse, he dumped the unconscious human woman on his bed and staggered back.

  He leaned against the wall, and slid slowly to the floor.

  Humans, they were nothing but trouble.

  And this human woman in his bed was trouble with a capital T.

  Gabriel glanced down at the hole in his chest. The woman had shot him, point blank. The bullet had burrowed through his heart and out his back. Thank God it wasn't a silver bullet. Her shot didn't kill him, but it had weakened him.

  This woman sure could hurt him. He glanced at the bed and snarled. He would take his time with her. Punish her slowly. Torment her, use her, then discard her.

  Gabriel walked to the bed and turned her over. Her braid had loosened, and her red hair spilled across her face. She was wearing a jacket over her t-shirt and jeans, and he tried to imagine her in her police uniform. The thought made him hard instantly.

  He jerked away from her. “Eva,” he grated. How could he want a human woman?

  He slumped into a chair at the side of the bed. When she asked him what he was doing in that empty house, he hadn't answered her.

  He wasn't quite sure he knew the answer himself.

  What was he doing there? The house belonged to him, sure, but it had been empty a long time now. He had a few properties, but he never really bothered with them. So what made him mist to that terrace house in particular? It was just a whim, he supposed.

  But Gabriel knew the truth, even if he didn't want to acknowledge it. He had gone there, for her.

  Instinct. He just knew he had to be there, because she would be there.

  Gabriel stared at her, trying to work up his anger. Why her? She was just an insignificant human police officer. Why did he have to mist to that abandoned little house just to meet her?

  He knew that vampires could feel a blood bond towards their fated mates. They would be pulled towards their mates as if by instinct, or by destiny, whatever you choose to call it.

  But this woman couldn't be his mate.

  It was just...impossible.

  His mate was someone else.

  For two hundred years, he had been searching for her.

  She was near. So near.

  He thought he'd find her tonight. Instead, he found...her.

  Gabriel leaned forward and roughly brushed her hair from her face. She was—pretty, he supposed. Pretty for a human. Red hair, stormy gray eyes, full red lips, curvy, gutsy and cold. Cold enough to put a bullet through his heart.

  Gabriel shook his head. What was he doing? Finding a cold-hearted human woman attractive?

  He snarled. He should drain her, have his fill of her and then discard her. Or he could turn her. He was a Master vampire, and he could turn a human into a vampire. He could control her, have her do his bidding, enslave her for eternity.

  “Focus,” he told himself. “Better rid her of any other weapon she might have on her body before she wakes up.”

  He rolled her over on her side and patted her down. Her body felt soft and warm, and when she moaned softly, he jerked back at the unexpected jolt of desire coursing through his body.

  What the hell...

  Gabriel balled his fists, glaring down at his erection. No, no, his body was out of whack. He had been shot at, not once but twice, and had lost quite a bit of blood.

  He wasn't himself.

  His mind was protesting, but his body was totally raring to go.

  Take her, take her body and her blood.

  Gabriel shook his head hard. No!

  His cock jerked, taunting him. Coward!

  Gabriel let out a shuddering breath. All it took was one tiny drop of her blood. Blood doesn't lie. That was how vampires recognized their true mates. Beyond the carnal, physical attraction, there was the blood bond.

  But how could this female be his mate?

  She was human, weak, fragile and totally insignificant.

  Gabriel's frown deepened. He knew he was just lying to himself.

  From what he had seen, Eva wasn't weak and fragile at all. She wasn't afraid of him, and she had put two bullets into his body. She was a feisty little fighter.

  In fact, she reminded him a little of another human woman he had held captive once.

  He had captured a human woman by the name of Rebecca Rose as a reward for his erstwhile minion, Phin Lester. He had chanced upon Phin Lester and discovered that Phin had the ability to see through the eyes of an Enforcer, a Senior Enforcer with the PAC no less. To encourage Phin to work for him, Gabriel had captured Phin's ex-wife Rebecca and brought her to Phin. He had put Rebecca and Phin together in a room, and watched them have at each other. That had been quite...entertaining. Rebecca had displayed a level of grit and resourcefulness he hadn't expected to see in a human woman. She had stripped down unabashedly for the fight, using her ex-husband's lack of control and focus against him. She was cunning, clever and courageous. But Gabriel hadn't felt even the slightest stirring of desire for her. The woman had been stark naked in front of him, bare and bleeding, and he hadn't felt anything for her. The only thought that went through his mind as he watched her fight was that he could certainly use a servant like her.

  Cold.

  Yup, that was Gabriel King. Cold and calculating.

  He had to be. He was a new Master vampire. The few vampires he had turned had been destroyed by the PAC. Amelia Jones, his only vampire who had been spared, was now collared and closely monitored by the PAC. There was no way he could Call her and control her.

  Gabriel shook his head hard. Rebecca Rose had been rescued, snatched away from his clutches by the PAC Enforcers, and Phin Lester had been killed in that raid.

  Well, perhaps he could turn this pretty redhead lying so sweetly in his bed into a vampire and control her.

  He leaned forward and took a deep breath. He inhaled slowly to breathe her in. Her scent was so unique, so strong and addictive. He wanted more. He wanted—her.

  No! It's the scent of her blood, he told himself. Not her. You want her blood, not her.

  Bending over her, he let his gaze trail down her body as he pulled the keys from her pocket. Keys to her apartment. A wallet. No other concealed weapons.

  He leaned towards her, watching a vein throb in her neck. Her neck was pale and exposed, inviting him to plunge his fangs into her. He could kill her, right now. She was so vulnerable. So weak.

  Gabriel straightened up, his fingers closing over the keys in his palm. He checked through her wallet. Eva Stone, police officer, twenty-two years old. Didn't carry a lot of cash or credit cards.

  He tossed her keys and wallet into a drawer and locked it. He turned to stare at her again. Eva might be young, but she wasn't weak. She hadn't been afraid of him. He had seen the steely determination and strength in her eyes.

  No matter. He would break her. Break her, then kill her.

  Swearing, he glanced down at the dried blood on his shirt. His chest wound was already closing, but the sharp ache in his chest didn't seem to be emanating from his wound. Grimacing, he began to strip.

  Gabriel shrugged off his shirt and stood beside the bed. H
e couldn't seem to keep his eyes off her. She was sprawled on his bed, her jacket flapping open. Her t-shirt had ridden up her stomach, exposing a cute little belly button.

  “What shall I do with you, Eva?” he mused, balling his blood-stained shirt in his fist. “Shall I have my wicked way with you now, or later?”

  But his own words sounded hollow to him.

  He didn't want to hurt her.

  “Eva,” he sighed, her name escaping in a whisper.

  He glared at her, acutely aware of the quickening of his pulse and the insistent, throbbing ache in his body. He wanted her. His blood and his body screamed for her.

  With a growl, he turned sharply away. He couldn't be near her. Not now. Not like this. He needed a long cold shower stat.

  He had to get himself away from her—before he did something he would regret for the rest of his long, tortuous life.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Eva opened her eyes and turned her face to the side. Soft, cool satin caressed her cheek. She sighed and dragged in a long breath. The smooth fabric smelled good, so good. It was an alluring, powerful, masculine scent. It reminded her of...

  Him!

  Eva jolted upright in a heartbeat. The vampire, Gabriel King. It was his scent, and this—she stared around wildly—this was his bedroom. She was in his bed!

  She scrambled off the bed and patted herself down frantically. She was fully dressed, thank God. Her jacket, t-shirt and jeans was rumpled, but intact. She checked under her shirt. So was her bra. But her keys and wallet were gone.

  There was a sound and she backed further towards the wall. She had no weapon, and her eyes flew round the room in desperation. She saw a desk in a corner and for a moment, she considered trying to break off a table leg to fashion into a stake. She could stake him, before he bit her. Or had be already bitten her while she was unconscious? She felt her neck and made a small, strangled sound of relief when she found no puncture marks.

  He hadn't touched her.

  The bathroom door opened, and Gabriel stepped out. A white towel hugged his narrow hips and she saw water droplets trailing tantalizingly down his sculptured, toned body. Her eyes followed those gleeful droplets down his chest, across his abdomen, past his navel and lower down...

  Gabriel cleared his throat, and Eva jerked her head up with a gasp. Her face felt too hot and her entire body was burning—burning with shame. How could she have been ogling him? And he had caught her. She scowled when he grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

  “You're up,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I reckon you'll be hungry, so...”

  Eva licked her lips, as her eyes helplessly gravitated down his broad chest. That towel was so low, and his body looked so smooth, and wet, and hard...

  “...so I brought you some food,” he was saying.

  Reluctantly, she followed his gaze to the bedside table and saw a plate of sandwiches and a tall white paper cup.

  “Is that...coffee?”

  He shrugged and wrinkled his nose. “I thought cops like drinking that stuff.”

  She tried to suppress the growling of her stomach and refused to touch the food and drink.

  “Eat,” he ordered. “You need to eat. The food's not poisoned or anything.”

  Eva frowned and met his eyes. She saw the amusement and anxiety in his eyes, but behind those surface emotions, she glimpsed a raw, primal hunger. Oddly, it didn't frighten her. It confused her, attracted her, haunted her. She shouldn't been looking at him like this, and her body shouldn't be aching and thrumming and wanting...

  “Stop it,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. “Stop...this.”

  Gabriel frowned at her.

  Eva took a sharp breath and hissed, “Whatever you're doing to me, just stop it!”

  “And what am I doing to you, Eva?” He took a step towards her.

  “You...” You're making me want you. You're making me feel...

  Eva backed slowly away. Her shoulder blades pressed against the wall and she squeezed her eyes shut. I should be feeling very afraid, right now. Not hot and bothered. Be afraid, be very afraid and stay alive.

  She snapped her eyes open to see him standing just inches from her. He pressed his palms against the wall, boxing her in.

  “Why have you taken me here?” She glanced around the bedroom, and gulped too loudly, regretting her question. She was a police officer. She knew why bad guys grabbed young girls off the streets.

  His intentions were bad, downright evil.

  “Let me go,” she said, turning away.

  He leaned in and inhaled deeply, as if breathing in her scent. His eyelids closed briefly as he let out a ragged breath.

  Eva clenched her fists and said tightly, “You're committing a very serious offense. Holding a police officer hostage is a crime punishable by...”

  “Crime?” he smirked. “So the NMPD will be after me as well?”

  It took a moment for his words to sink in. “As well,” she repeated his last two words numbly as the realization dawned on her. “The PAC Enforcers are hunting you,” she whispered at last.

  Yes, I am a wanted man. I am a rogue Master vampire. The PAC wants me, and you, Eva Stone, want me. Don't try to deny it. I can scent your need.

  She gasped as she saw his lips curl. Did she just hear his thoughts in her head?

  “I don't want you,” she stuttered, then clamped her mouth shut when she realized that she had just spoken the words out loud.

  Gabriel's eyes rounded. He frowned at her and pressed a hand to the side of his head.

  “How did you do that?” he demanded, glaring at her.

  “Do what?”

  “Get in my head.”

  “What kind of vampire bullshit...” she began, gaping at him. There was no way she could get in his head. That was the last place she wanted to be.

  Gabriel glowered at her. “Are you one of those humans with strange abilities?” He narrowed those amber eyes at her. “Are you like Phin Lester?”

  “Who is Phin Lester? What are you talking about?” Her eyes blazed suddenly. “Is that why you brought me here? To your...lair?” She gestured wildly. “I have no special abilities. I'm not a psychic, a witch, a shapeshifter, a...a...whatever else you think I am! I...I'm not special, in any way. Just...let me go.” Her shoulders slumped.

  “Not special?” Gabriel blinked almost in disbelief. “You...” His throat moved. You are a very special woman, Eva Stone.

  Eva pushed her fingers into her hair and yelled, “Stop that! You're doing it again! I heard you, in my head, again. You...you're messing with my mind, aren't you? You're trying to trick me, confuse me. I'm not thinking straight. You...have no right. Get out of my head! Out!”

  “I'm not in your head.”

  “The hell you aren't!”

  He grabbed her wrists, and she exploded. “Let go of me!” she screeched.

  He released her but she continued kicking and clawing at him. She raked one hand across his face, but her finger scratched against the tip of his fang.

  She hissed in pain, and saw that she had cut herself. A big drop of blood oozed from her fingertip.

  There was a small smudge of blood at the corner of Gabriel's lips. Gabriel retracted his fangs and swallowed.

  The instant he swallowed, his body jerked violently and his eyes turned fully golden.

  He stared at her, and she saw wild lust and fury swirling in those glowing eyes.

  She tried to push him away, but when her palms landed on his chest, he grabbed her. His fangs were now long and deadly, and raw heat and power emanated from his body in waves.

  He held her fast, pulling her body flush against his. Eva struggled and felt his huge, rock hard erection pulsing against her. She was suddenly aware that under that wet, white towel, he was naked. Huge, hard and naked.

  Her fists pounded against his chest, but it was like punching a wall. It was clear he felt no pain. Her squirming and writhing only seemed to anger and arouse him.

 
; His nails dug into her waist as he lowered his mouth to her neck.

  Eva tried to scream, but only a sob escaped.

  This couldn't be happening.

  He was going to hurt her.

  She was a police officer. She served and protected the city. But now, she couldn't even protect herself.

  She was going to be brutally raped and killed by a rogue vampire.

  And there was nothing she could do to stop him.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  He had tasted her blood.

  She had smudged just that tiny bit of blood across his lips when she cut herself.

  But that was enough.

  Gabriel's body roared to life, awakening to her, wanting her and craving her like a drug. His fangs ached to plunge into her soft, fair neck. He fisted the fabric of her jacket, wanting to rip her clothes right off her body. The need to take her and claim her clawed at him, overriding all his other senses. He could hardly think. Yet through the haze of overpowering desire and lust, he heard her make the smallest sound.

  It was a sob.

  A single, shuddering sob.

  The sound slammed into him, wrenching him out of this lust-filled madness. Gabriel staggered back, shaking his head hard to clear it.

  He looked up and saw Eva standing very still against the wall. She stared at him, not daring to blink or even breathe.

  “Eva...”

  She made a strangled sound in response.

  Gabriel's eyes moved down her body, taking in her beautiful, feminine curves. She was beautiful, there was no way he could deny that.

  Her blood had seared through him, and his body knew instinctively, undeniably that she was his mate.

  Gabriel clenched his fists so hard, his nails stabbed viciously into his palms and drew blood.

  She couldn't be his mate!

  With a roar, Gabriel misted out of the bedroom. He stood on the other side of the door, the back of his head thudding against the door.

  What should he do with her?

  Kill her?

  Free her?

  Freeing her meant letting her go. And the thought of letting her go was—unbearable.