Staring him straight in the eye, Trinity quickly erected a powerful mental block. He had bitten her before and thus could access her thoughts even after such a long time. Trinity cursed her lapse in concentration which had allowed Tristan to sneak up on her. She’d known that she would eventually run into him, but not tonight. Tonight, even as she fought the renegades, images of Gabriella, her smell, her eyes—everything about her— had distracted Trinity.
There was flurry of movement and Trinity gasped when she felt a cold hand curl around her neck and she was hoisted off her feet. She stared down into Tristan's cold eyes, his lips pulled back in a sneer. Detached, she noticed that his fangs were still in perfect condition, sharp and white. Unlike Mercredi and Jonah, he seemed to have taken good care of himself and didn't overindulge like the other two.
“You think to disrespect me by putting up a mental block. I will simply bite you again if I want to know what you are thinking,” Tristan snarled as he tightened his hold almost crushing her windpipe.
Trinity felt his warm breath on her neck and stiffened. She was not going to let it happen again. Four hundred years ago she was weak and scared and had allowed him to violate her body and drain her soul, but not this time. She reached for her gun, knowing that Tristan would feel the movement and try to stop her. The moment her hand curled around the butt of her gun, Tristan hissed. His one hand slipped down to catch her hand, squeezing it painfully. Trinity deliberately kept her expression neutral and saw Tristan grow even angrier when no pain registered on her face. Just the reaction she'd hope to get. Anger dulled the mind. Trinity slammed her heels together and two silver blades slid out at the front-end of her black boots. With all the power she could muster, she kicked out, aiming for his groin.
A look of utter shock and pain washed over Tristan's face as his grip slipped and Trinity landed on her feet. Tristan's eyes were bright red as he shook with rage. Silver was poisonous to vampires and Trinity knew that even though the wound wouldn’t kill him, he would surely be out of action for a few days. Such wounds were very painful and took quite a long time to heal. Tristan's legs started to buckle and with a satisfied grin, she turned and started to walk away.
“You bitch. I will get you for this. I promise to make you suffer long and hard before I rip your heart out.”
Without turning around, she replied, “I will hold you to that, Tristan.”
†
Gabriella was shaking so hard, that she had to use both hands to bring the glass to her mouth. The water spilled over the rim and soaked her blouse, but she didn't care. The events of the night had rattled her. First it was the three renegades stalking the girl and then the appearance of Trinity and the way she'd looked when she'd bitten the vampire.
Trinity looked so fearsome. The only time she'd seen the vampire exhibit violence was that fateful night renegade vampires slaughtered her family. That night Trinity had shot down the vampires without remorse, killing them all. Numbed by fear and the brutality she’d witness as her family was slaughtered before her eyes, Gabriella had curled into herself and closed her eyes.
“I will not hurt you, my angel. I promise.” Trinity had whispered in a soft, gentle voice, enticing her to open her eyes.
The monsters were gone and in their place was a very beautiful woman with sad green eyes and a tender smile. Gabriella was simultaneously intrigued and comforted by the sadness which had found an echo in her own heart. She held out her arms and sighed deeply when Trinity held her in a tight embrace.
“I will not allow anyone to hurt you ever again.”
Gabriella felt tears burning behind her eyes and placed the glass on the kitchen counter. Trinity had kept her promise. She knew that now. Although she hadn't seen her in over eighteen years, Trinity had been there keeping a watchful eye over her. How else could she have appeared at her side so quickly tonight?
A memory of Trinity's face flashed before her. The way she’d looked eighteen years ago when Gabriella had told her to stay away. The sorrow in the green eyes had haunted her for years afterwards. Tonight however, Trinity had looked different. It was as if her face was cast from stone—hard and cold. Her generally smiling green eyes looked like cold pieces of emeralds. Trinity had changed and definitely not for the better. It was obvious that Trinity hadn't forgiven her, maybe even hated her.
She jumped when the doorbell rang. On unsteady legs she went to open the door. She moved to look through the peep hole, but stopped herself just in time. Many people were shot and killed that way, Jessica used to tease her.
“Who's there?” she asked cautiously.
“What do you mean? We were supposed to meet for drinks tonight and you stood me up.” Valery's irate voice was muffled from the other side of the door.
Unhooking the safety chain, she opened the door and found a fuming Val on her doorstep. Oh hell, yes, she was supposed to meet Val at that new up-market lesbian lounge downtown. Her late appointment had distracted her so that she'd completely forgotten about their date.
“I hope you have a very good reason for having stood me up.” Val walked right through to the kitchen, to the fridge and took out an open bottle of white wine. A stale reminder of the wonderful night she and Jessica had together before she'd left for Los Angeles. Pouring a liberal amount in a glass, Val took a sip and scowled at her.
“I'm listening,” she snapped. Gabriella shrugged and went to pour herself a glass of wine, taking the bottle with her to the lounge.
“I’m really sorry, Val. I had an after-hour appointment that went on longer than I thought and our date completely slipped my mind.” She lifted the glass and drained it in one big gulp. When she filled the glass again, Valery reached for the bottle.
“Hey, save some for me too.” Gabriella was aware of Valery’s eyes on her as she drained her second glass too. Valery placed her hand on Gabriella’s shoulder. “Out with it. What happened?”
Gabriella came to her feet.
“How about we crack open another one. I said we'd meet for a drink and I'd like to make it up to you.” She didn't wait for Valery's reply; instead she walked over to her wine rack and picked out another bottle. It was a Monday evening, but who cared anyway.
“You are trying to get me drunk, aren't you?” Valery frowned and looked around. “Where's that hot girlfriend of yours? Is she on another assignment somewhere?”
“We broke up?”
Evidently shocked, Valery slowly put her glass down on the table.
“I'm sorry, Gaby. I…I don't know what to say.”
Gabriella pulled out the cork and reached for her glass.
“Don’t say anything.”
Valery carefully took the bottle from her friend's shaking hand and filled Gabriella’s glass. The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words. Gabriella sipped from her glass, looking over the rim at Valery.
“You knew, didn't you?” Gabriella said calmly. She could see Valery struggle with her answer before she nodded. The pain that sliced through her caused Gabriella to blink at the sudden tears in her eyes.
“You were so happy, I didn't want to be the one to tell you and see you hurt,” Valery said after a while.
Even through her own pain, Gabriella heard the raw anguish in her friend’s voice. Val and Jessica moved in the same circles and it was inevitable that Val would’ve heard of Jessica’s little transgressions. If only she’d not been the last to find out. It made her feel like a complete fool.
“It hurts knowing that everybody else knew but me.” When Valery reached out for her, Gabriella waved her away impatiently. “I'm done crying over Jessica and I want you to know that I'm not angry with you for not telling me.” She lifted her glass and drained it again, when she reached for the bottle again, she saw Valery frown.
“Maybe you should take it easy now. I'll get some coffee going.”
†
Valery threw a final worried glance at Gabriella before she got to her feet and walked into the kitchen only to stop dead in her
tracks, her mouth falling open. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, hands pushed into the back pockets of tight black jeans, was a stunning woman with long copper hair and bright green eyes. The image she made, standing there looking so incredibly beautiful and sexy, took Valery's breath away. But she quickly snapped out of the spell. Something screamed ‘creepy' at her.
“What…how did you get in here?” She threw a glance over her shoulder. “Gabriella, get in here now.”
The woman simply looked at her, standing as motionless as a statue. With an escalating sense of apprehension, Valery studied her. She was gorgeous, but there was a dangerous aura to her too. The apartment only had one entrance except for the balcony, which was almost six stories high.
The longer it took Gabriella to arrive the more anxious Valery became. Was she a stalker? Gabriella was well known and previously had an incident where a stalker had broken into her apartment. This woman however didn't look like a stalker. Not that she knew what a stalker actually looked like either. But there was something different about her. Maybe she was…
†
Gabriella entered the kitchen. Her face immediately registered shock when she saw Trinity standing in her kitchen. What was she doing here? More importantly, how did she get in? Gabriella turned to look at Valery who was slowly edging towards the stove and the heavy pans hanging above it. Trinity's green eyes were also following Valery calmly.
“I wanted to see if you were okay. You did not look so well earlier,” Trinity said coolly, her green eyes still fixed on Valery. “Please tell your friend that I mean you no harm and that I will leave as soon as I am assured that you are fine.”
Gabriella turned to Valery and saw from the set of her friend's jaw, that she wasn't going to budge. Valery reached out and pulled a heavy pan from its hook, holding it tightly with both hands, her eyes on Trinity.
“She won't hurt me, Val,” she said quickly. Gabriella looked at Trinity to see her reaction and was relieved to find a small amused smile on the vampire's lips.
“How did she get in then? The door was locked and that only leaves the balcony.”
“I have learned how to get into locked spaces during my special ops training.”
Valery still shook her head. “Why should I believe you?”
“She's a patient of mine and because of the nature of her job; she always comes to see me at home to avoid detection.”
Valery lowered the pan slightly, but still eyed the tall stranger warily.
“Is she working undercover?”
Gabriella nodded. If only Valery would just shut up and go to the lounge, leaving them alone.
“Now you know, will you please give us privacy?”
“Was she your after-hour appointment?” Valery still looked and sounded suspicious.
“Yes, but our meeting was compromised and we had to leave the office.”
Valery stared at them long and hard. “You're sure you're not having an affair?”
“No. Now please leave us,” Trinity snapped.
Gabriella turned to Trinity and held up a finger. “Don't speak to my friend in that tone,” she snapped back.
Trinity sighed, her green eyes seeking out Valery's. “I apologize for my rudeness.”
Valery's face lit up with a bright smile.
“A sexy, dangerous woman who can actually apologize? Wow…I'll be waiting in the lounge.” She left the kitchen, but within a second her dark head popped back in. “On second thought, I think I'll leave you alone. No matter what bull the two of you are trying to feed me, the sexual tension between the two of you is stifling, to say the least.”
She left them standing there looking at each other. After a few seconds Gabriella heard the front door open and close.
~~~~
Chapter Six
Trinity cocked her head slightly as she scanned the apartment. They were alone. When she turned back to face Gabriella, she found the amber eyes slowly running over her body. The bold way Gabriella studied her made Trinity’s stomach flip, but she managed to keep her expression neutral. Why the hell didn't she just go back to the safe house instead of coming here? In hindsight this was probably not a good idea,
After Clarissa she'd been with four other women. They were all vampires. It had nothing to do with love, simply raw lust. The last time she'd been with someone was just before Gabriella. Once she’d met Gabriella her priorities changed. For one, she had someone who relied on her for her safety and secondly, with vampire women being notoriously jealous, she didn't want a jealous vampire lover snooping around Gabriella. Her protective instincts were always in overdrive when it came to Gabriella and she had always thought of Gabriella as the baby sister she'd never had.
It all changed when Gabriella went to college. Her cute ward suddenly turned into this amazingly beautiful woman and Trinity found herself looking at Gabriella with the eyes of a starving woman. She noticed the full breasts first and later salivated as the rest of Gabriella’s body filled out until it became delectably curvaceous.
She continued to keep her distance even as she sat in the park at night fantasizing about making love to Gabriella. When Jessica appeared on the horizon, Trinity struggled against the bitterness and anger she felt for this other woman who possessed the only woman she'd craved since Clarissa. Against her will and better judgment she allowed herself to become distant where Gabriella was concerned, but it seemed she had been kidding herself. She still wanted her. She yearned for her. Gabriella took a sudden step closer, jerking Trinity back to the present.
“Why are you really here?” Gabriella asked.
Steeling herself, Trinity responded. “I wanted to make sure you made it home safely. When you left you were in a bad state.” Her tone was calm, devoid of any other emotion. Gabriella looked at her intently.
“What if my partner had been here?”
I would have wrung her neck, Trinity thought, but when she spoke her voice had the same calmness to it. “We have handled Valery well and I believe we would have been able to diffuse the situation expertly had your mate been here.”
†
Disappointed with the vague answer, Gabriella turned and put on the kettle as a ruse to hide the hurtful expression on her face. She was totally committed to her relationship with Jessica and had never cheated or considered cheating on her, but Trinity had crossed her mind more than a few times over the years. She wondered how it would've been had Trinity still been in her life. But she'd pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as quickly as they'd come up.
“We broke up a few days ago.” She didn't hear Trinity move, but she felt the quiet presence behind her. When she turned around, she stiffened. Trinity stood impossibly close to her
“Was that why you were crying and drinking?”
Embarrassed by Trinity's sharp observation, Gabriella lowered her gaze. An unknown emotion welled up in her when Trinity put a finger under her chin and lifted her face so she could look into her eyes. As if remembering herself suddenly, Trinity took a step back but Gabriella quickly reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Sighing softly Gabriella looked up at Trinity. She could try, but Trinity knew her too well. She’d see right through her lie. She decided instead to change the topic.
“I've been thinking about you a lot lately, Trinity. I've missed talking to you,” she admitted softly and looked deep into the cool green eyes. They softened slightly, but that was all. “Didn't you miss me too?”
Trinity gently loosened her grip on Gabriella’s arm and put distance between them.
“You asked me to leave, said you never wanted me to come near you again. I did what you asked of me. Let's leave it at that, shall we.” Trinity turned away and was just about to leave when Gabriella called out.
“You still didn't answer my question, Trinity.” The kettle came to a boil, but Gabriella blocked the sound, her eyes fixed on the back of the tall vampire.
“I made you a promise when you were seven years old that I would make sure that nobody ever
hurt you again. I have done that for the past eighteen years and I will do it until you die. About me missing you…” Trinity turned to look at her and Gabriella saw the anger and hurt in the green eyes. “I was too busy keeping you safe to think or feel anything else.”
Gabriella followed her as she walked to the front door.
“Will you stay if I ask you to?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Trinity turned around so fast that Gabriella walked straight into her arms. The moment she felt the solid, familiar body, she threw her arms around Trinity's waist and held on. Feeling safe again after such a traumatic few days, all the emotions of the past four days welled up and the tears came. Gabriella felt Trinity's arms hesitantly curl around her, holding her tightly. At that moment she was taken back many years ago when she would sit up late, waiting for Trinity to appear in her room to give her a goodnight hug and tuck her in.
Gabriella gasped softly when she felt her feet leaving the floor as Trinity lifted her in her strong arms and carried her to the couch. The vampire stretched her tall body out on the couch and folded Gabriella snugly against her.
Gabriella lay there, crying over Jessica, her stupidity for hurting Trinity, and her relief in being held like this again. Long after the tears had dried up, Trinity still held her, her chin resting comfortably on Gabriella’s head. Just like old times, Gabriella mused.
“Promise me you will never put yourself in danger the way you did tonight. There is a very dangerous and powerful renegade master in town.”
A Guardian's Passion Page 6