Cross the Line: A Gabriella Cross Paranormal Romance Book 2

by Lovestone, M. J.

  Gunfire and screams shook her from her reverie and she snapped alert. Her ears caught a scream that chilled her blood.

  “Dad!”

  Gabby sprinted down the hall and continued through the room where she had been ambushed. The door at the other end led to the main storage and loading area. Gabby skidded to a stop just inside the threshold and got her bearings. To her right, Quip and the others had taken cover behind large piles of stacked pallets. The vampires had them surrounded on three sides and were laying heavy fire over the area. To her surprise, she found that some of the gunmen were nude.

  I nullified them from the other room, Gabby realized.

  Bodies littered the floor, and Gabby scanned them for a frantic moment, dreading what she might find. She recognized two of them as Michael’s weres, the others, she realized, had all been vampires.

  She counted ten gunmen, some clothed, others not. Knowing the streakers to be vampires, she charged and unloaded on them first. One, two, three, slugs found three foreheads before the others even knew she was there. She shot on the run, hitting the closest man in the neck and taking out the one beside him even as the others brought their guns around. She must have looked to them like a blur of motion.

  Four men remained, and they all brought their guns to bear on her at the same time, which gave her friends the chance they needed. Gabby leapt to the side behind a big packaging machine as Quip and the others riddled the vamps and their goons with bullets.

  When the smoke settled, Gabby scanned the room for movement. When she saw and heard nothing, she sprang from her spot and ran over to the stacked pallets.

  “Is everyone alright?”

  Gabby came around the corner and stopped dead. Juliette was kneeling over her father and holding a cloth to his chest.

  “He’s dying. We’ve got to move!”

  Chapter 16

  “Gabby…Gabby? Hey!” Quip was shaking her.

  She tore her eyes away from her bleeding father and looked to Quip, who sighed and eyed her knowingly.

  “Get your shit together,” said Juliette.

  Gabby noticed for the first time that Juliette was naked. She glanced at Michael, who was as well. So too were the other two weres.

  “Follow my lead and watch our backs,” said Mickey, who, like Quip and Valentine, was still fully clothed.

  I nullified the entire warehouse, Gabby realized. The vamps, the weres, Valentine, and Quip’s enchantments.

  “Keep your eyes peeled,” said Quip, grabbing her arm and turning her around.

  The group hurried to the hallway with Mick leading the way. Juliette and Michael went next, followed by Quip, Valentine, Bob, and another were, who carried her father. His feet dragged on the floor as they pulled him along, each with an arm hooked under a shoulder. Gabby wiped at her eyes angrily and tried to clear her blurred vision as she followed.

  Mick led them to the door and pressed his back up against the wall before taking a quick peek outside.

  “Clear,” he said, and hurried out into the parking lot.

  They ran to the truck and quickly loaded inside. The weres put Nicholas on the bench, and Gabby knelt down beside her father, who appeared to be unconscious.

  “Hold this against his chest,” said one of the men, handing Gabby a wad of gauze from a med kit.

  Mick peeled out and headed west away from the harbor. Michael had put on a robe and now stood beside Gabby, looking down on her with pity in his eyes. He called Steele Tower and told them to have a medical team ready for their arrival.

  “He will live,” he said when he was off the phone.

  Gabby held the gauze firm and caressed her father’s forehead. “This is all my fault,” she said, her voice shuddering with emotion.

  Valentine rubbed her back soothingly. “None of that now, you should—”

  Gunfire erupted outside, riddling the back of the truck like hail on a tin roof.

  “Hold on!” Mick called from the front seat.

  They turned a hard right, and Gabby nearly fell on top of her father.

  “Motherfuckers!” said Quip. He pulled a machine gun from the wall and climbed the small ladder set beside the weapons. A similar ladder was on the other side of the cargo hold, and one of the weres climbed up this one as well. Hatches opened in the roof, and the two popped out and opened fire on their pursuers.

  The truck suddenly braked hard and skidded left before quickly catching the pavement and rocketing toward the heart of the city. Soon the sound of sirens blended with the chorus of gunfire.

  Quip screamed obscenities as he unloaded the big gun. Something hit the roof, and the werewolf who was half in and half out of the other hatch suddenly disappeared through the opening. Quip dropped to the floor screaming, “Vampire!”

  Gabby looked up and saw the black-skinned, winged beast glaring down at her.

  She shot her hand toward the roof and unleashed her nullifying power. The vampire cried out and disappeared from sight. A thud issued from the roof, and Gabby turned to the back window in time to see the naked man fall from the back of the truck and get run over by a pursuing Hummer.

  “They’re gaining!” Valentine yelled, looking through the tinted back window.

  “This baby’s got more than one trick up its sleeve,” said Mick.

  Gabby saw him flick some buttons on the elaborate dashboard, and three seconds later, an explosion lit up behind them.

  “Almost there. Get him ready to move,” said Mick.

  Michael touched Gabby’s shoulder lightly and moved her to the side. The truck went over a big bump and came to an abrupt stop. Mick was out and opening the back door in no time, and together with Quip, they carried Nicholas away.

  Gabby rushed to follow, but Juliette grabbed her arm and held her firm.

  “Let me go!” Gabby protested.

  “No, you cannot go with them. Your powers will hamper treatment,” said Juliette.

  Michael gently removed his sister’s hand from Gabby’s arm. “She is right. You cannot be near the operating room right now.”

  Gabby paced and shook out her hands. “This is all my fault, I—”

  “Yes, it is,” said Juliette, none too nicely.

  “Go easy on her. We’ve all screwed up before,” said Michael.

  “Look at her eyes,” said Juliette, eyeing her brother angrily. “She’s on vamp blood.”

  “Leave her alone. She’s been through enough,” said Valentine, moving between them.

  Gabby turned to Michael. “I’m so sorry. Did I…did I nullify your power permanently?”

  He glanced at Juliette. “No, you just forced us to shift.”

  “In the middle of a fight,” said Juliette with disgust. “Not to mention, your little fuck-up allowed the vamps to get the sex slaves out of there while we were ducking for cover. Twenty teenage girls…lost to those fucking psychos.”

  “Julie, go check on the general, please,” said Michael.

  “Three of our brothers died tonight,” said Juliette, getting in her brother’s face. “Or do you even care?”

  Michael didn’t answer.

  Juliette laid a heavy scowl on her brother and Gabby before turning on her heel and moving to the elevator.

  “I’m sorry, Gabby. But you should not be here while your father is undergoing surgery.”

  “I understand,” said Gabby. She felt a burning egg forming in her throat and struggled not to burst into tears. Vamp blood made her faster, stronger, and enhanced her senses, but it also wreaked havoc on her emotions.

  “Come on, babe. Valentine’s got you.”

  “My men will be watching your back on the way home,” said Michael. “I’ll let you know how your father’s surgery goes.”

  “Gabby, you need a ride home?” Quip asked, eyeing Valentine.

  “No, but can you stay with Dad, since I can’t? I will feel a lot better knowing that you’re around.”

  “Sure, babe,” he said, hugging her. “You go on get some rest.”
>
  Valentine’s car was waiting in the garage, and if Gabby hadn’t been so pissed and down on herself, she would have laughed out loud.

  “A pink Cadillac?”

  “Cute, isn’t it? I just had it reupholstered.”

  The inside was just as shiny and perfect as the outside, and Gabby realized the caddy was a perfect match for the succubus.

  “So, where to?” said Valentine as she pulled out of the garage.

  “My place. I need a drink.”

  Gabby didn’t miss the little smirk in the corner of Valentine’s pretty lips. She ignored it, having better things to worry about, like whether or not her father was going to die tonight.

  Chapter 17

  They pulled up to Gabby’s place at a quarter to ten. The three SUVs found places along the street, which Gabby thought was overkill since Michael had bought every building on her street months ago. Some of the tenants remained, but mostly the apartments and houses were now occupied by werewolves.

  The wind howled outside, and fat clouds floated by overhead like dark warships. The pearl moon peered through the storm clouds, illuminating the autumn leaves as they violently whirled by.

  “Thanks for the ride,” said Gabby, reaching for the door handle.

  “Do you mind if I use your bathroom?” said Valentine with a smile.

  “Sure, why not.”

  Gabby let Valentine in and went straight to the whiskey. She tossed back two shots to steady her nerves and lit a cigarette.

  Valentine finally emerged from the bathroom by the time Gabby had lit another cigarette and downed another shot. The succubus glanced at the bottle, and Gabby knew that she was hoping to be offered a drink. Not wanting to be alone with her racing mind, Gabby offered her a glass, which Valentine graciously accepted before making herself comfortable at the island.

  “Your father is a strong man,” said Valentine with what looked to be genuine sympathy and concern. “I’m sure he’ll pull through, no problem.”

  Gabby felt tears begin to pool and shot back another drink.

  “It’s all my fault,” said Gabby, staring blankly at the glass in her hand.

  Valentine lifted Gabby’s chin and smiled at her. “You took out those vampires that had us cornered. You saved our lives.”

  “You were only at risk because I nullified you all.”

  “You did what you had to do. Your father understands that.”

  Gabby nodded, glad for Valentine’s kind words, but not believing them.

  “He’ll pull through,” said Valentine. “Michael has some of the best healers in the world working for him. Don’t worry yourself so.”

  The whiskey was hardly noticeable beneath the vampire blood, which still had her on pins and needles. Gabby tried to calm her racing mind and tumultuous emotions. She needed to talk about something else, anything else, lest she go mad with dread.

  “How do you know Michael? You two seem like old friends.”

  Valentine sipped her whiskey delicately, and a small smirk played at the corner of her mouth. She savored the velvety liquor and seemed to be wondering where to start.

  “Michael and I have been good friends for a long time. You could say we have an on again, off again relationship.”

  “Relationship?”

  “You know,” said Valentine with a little wink.

  “Oh, I didn’t know it was like that.”

  “Not anymore…unfortunately. He doesn’t trust me when it comes to matters of the heart.” Valentine let out a sigh. “There are few who do. It is the price I must pay for my power.”

  Gabby wondered exactly what that power entailed. She wasn’t even sure if Valentine was human. Lore told that succubae were demons who had sex with men in their sleep to harvest their sperm, but Gabby had learned that lore and myth were often a compilation of half-truths, and sometimes completely off the mark.

  “You are curious about my kind?” said Valentine.

  “I am. You’re the first succubae I’ve ever met. It must be strange for you, how your power doesn’t work on me, I mean.”

  Valentine’s smile grew wide and beautiful. She bit the corner of her lower lip and stared deeply into Gabby’s eyes. “There are few who can resist my charms. It is refreshing when I meet one who can.”

  “You probably see me as a challenge,” said Gabby.

  “Your intrigue goes much farther than that, Gabriella. You hold such power, the power to nullify magic. It is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.”

  “What happened the other night in the club? I don’t usually…”

  “You needn’t apologize to me. It was wonderful. You have so much passion inside of you, but you are afraid to let it out.”

  Gabby blushed and refilled their glasses. She didn’t know why she had mentioned the club, but she found herself less embarrassed than she had previously felt. Valentine had a calming quality that Gabby found refreshing. There was no judgement in her eyes, only adoration. She looked at Gabby as though she were irresistible.

  If Gabby didn’t know better, she would have thought that indeed Valentine had a power over her.

  Valentine put down her drink and slowly moved around the island to stand before her. She reached up to Gabby’s face, delicately moving a curly red lock to the side, and caressed her cheek.

  “You have so much passion, so much pain. You feel so alone, yet you are afraid to let anyone in.”

  Gabby stared into Valentine’s mystical blue eyes, which seemed to hold as much mystery and depth as the endless waters of the ocean. Valentine leaned in slowly, her blood-red lips only inches from Gabby’s.

  Her cell phone went off, and Gabby jumped. Valentine sighed and returned to her glass of whiskey.

  “Hello, hello,” said Gabby, realizing that she was breathing heavily.

  “Gabby, its Michael.”

  “How’s my father?” Gabby asked nervously. She thought that she had heard something in Michael’s voice, perhaps reluctance.

  “Nicholas is stable, though there have been some complications.”

  “What do you mean, complications?”

  “Gabby, the bullet that hit him, it wasn’t a normal round.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was poisonous,” said Michael. “It is nothing that any of my people have ever seen. We’ve removed the bullet, but the poison has left him in a coma.”

  Gabby fought back her emotions. “Will it kill him?” she asked, bracing herself with a hand to the counter.

  “I don’t know; it has left him in a kind of suspended animation. His condition is getting neither better nor worse.”

  “Can I do anything to help? Is there any magic to the poison?”

  “Unfortunately, no. Don’t worry, I’ve got some of the best in the field working on a cure.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” Gabby asked, feeling helpless.

  “There is nothing you can do right now.”

  “Jesus Christ,” said Gabby, pacing the kitchen. “I really screwed up this time.”

  Michael didn’t argue. “I promise I’ll find a way to save him,” he said.

  “Thank you, Michael. You’ve done so much for me, and I just keep on screwing up. Three of your men died because of me.”

  “My pack knows what they signed up for. We are all ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact that it was all my—”

  “You’ve got to stop this vendetta you’ve got against yourself. If I had been in your shoes I would have done the same thing.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you need me to come over…are you alone?”

  Gabby looked to Valentine, whose high eyebrows and pitying look showed her concern.

  “No, I mean, Valentine is with me.”

  There was a moment of silence. When Michael spoke again, his voice had changed. It was guarded, as though he were finally divulging a secret. “You need to be careful with her. We’ve got…history. She enchanted an
d seduced every woman I got serious with for two years after I broke up with her. I’m not saying that you and I…” he sighed. “Just be careful.”

  “I will,” said Gabby, glancing at Valentine, who now looked at her curiously.

  “I’ll let you know if anything changes with your father.”

  “Thank you.”

  Again silence. Gabby wondered what it was he wanted to say. She held her breath, waiting.

  “Goodnight, Gabriella.”

  She released her pent-up breath slowly. “Goodnight, Michael.”

  Gabby hung up the phone, and Valentine was there with a hand on her shoulder.

  “What is it? How is your father?”

  Gabby began to speak but then broke down. She was so utterly spent that she had not the words. Valentine took her in her arms and hugged her tight, caressing her head as she whispered words of encouragement.

  Chapter 18

  Gabby ran through the forest and came out onto a sheer cliff. Far below, waves crashed against the rocky shore. The moon shone brightly, undisturbed by all but the smallest of clouds, which traveled across the sky swiftly, propelled by a haunting wind.

  “Come to me.”

  Gabby turned, startled by the whispered words that seemed to have come from right behind her. She searched the cliff and the dark pines beyond. There in the distance, an old ruined castle loomed above the dark forest. Its towers held dark windows, and Gabby could feel eyes upon her.

  “Save your father.” The voice came again, clearer now.

  “How? Tell me what to do!”

  “Come to me, and he shall be saved.”

  “Who are you!”

  Gabby shot up straight in bed and glanced around frantically, not knowing where she was.

  “Gabby, it was just a dream,” said Valentine, who sat on the edge of the bed.

  “It was so real,” said Gabby, trying to shake the fog of sleep.

  “You’re safe now,” said Valentine.

  Gabby realized that her nightgown was soaked with sweat. She could still smell the scent of the pine forest. “No, it was more than that. I think it was Victor’s maker.”