by Tina Folsom
“How to satisfy you. I want to know how your body works.”
She chuckled. “Gabriel, I think you know very well how my body works. Have you already forgotten what you did yesterday?”
He hadn’t forgotten—not a single second of it. But this was different. “I’ll never forget that, trust me.” He let his fingers trail to the juncture of her thighs. She opened for him without coaxing. “But I want you to feel the same way when I’m inside you.”
She was wet when he slipped a finger inside her. Her lids closed halfway at his action. “Mmm,” she hummed.
Gabriel’s cell phone rang. “Damn!” Letting his finger slip from her tight sheath, he reached for it and looked at the number. It was a number he’d memorized over the last few days. “Sorry, baby, I’ve got to take that.” He noticed Maya’s disappointed look.
He flipped the phone open. “Francine.”
“Hey vamp— Gabriel,” she corrected herself. “We need to meet.”
“Now?” He swept a long look over Maya’s naked body.
“Now. I’ve found it. So if you want to know what ails you, you’d better come now before I change my mind.”
Excitement coursed through him. She knew what was wrong with him? “Where are you?”
“At the lab.” She gave him an address in Laurel Heights, only minutes from Samson’s house.
“I’ll be there shortly.”
As he flipped the phone shut, he looked at Maya. She didn’t look at him, and he sensed her frustration. In fact, now that he thought of it, he could sense a lot of things about her, not quite as strong as what he knew a blood-bond would do, but a strong connection nevertheless. He wondered whether the fact that she’d only recently fed from him did that and his own blood created that connection, or whether it was the fact that they’d had sex.
“The witch knows what’s wrong with me and wants to see me.”
A quiet sigh came from Maya. “Maybe there’s nothing wrong with you. Gabriel, I really don’t mind it.”
“But I do. I don’t want to be a monster anymore.”
***
“You don’t look like a monster to me.” She wanted to keep him, deformity or not. She knew not every woman would be this welcoming, especially not a human. But if he had his deformity removed, what would stop him from going out there and looking for a human woman? Maya closed her eyes, hating herself for her selfish thoughts. How could she even contemplate stopping him from finding a cure? Had she lost all good in her? Was she prepared to do anything just so he’d stay with her and wouldn’t find another lover?
“What’s wrong?”
She opened her eyes and looked into his confused face. Sure, he’d told her he loved her, but that was in the heat of passion. It didn’t count. Men said a lot of things when their dick took over. Vampire surely weren’t any different from other men.
“Listen, Gabriel, I want you to know that it’s okay. You don’t have to get it removed on my account. I’m okay with it, really. It doesn’t bother me. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t do anything about it.”
A stunned look traveled over his features. “Maya,” he urged her. “Why would you not want this for me? I thought you and I had something here.”
She swallowed hard, but couldn’t stop her next words from passing over her lips. “Once you’re normal, you can have any woman you want. You could have a human woman, not an infertile vampire. So you can have children.”
Gabriel cursed. “God damn it! Who’s been planting those ideas in your head?”
Maya averted her eyes. She’d made him angry. “Yvette.”
“I wish Yvette would keep her big trap shut and not talk of things she knows nothing about.” He ran his hand through his long hair and sighed. “God, Maya, Yvette doesn’t know what I want. Do I want a child? Of course, but … I mean, you …” He shook his head. “This is a talk that’ll take a lot longer than one minute. There’s so much I have to explain to you. But I have to go now. I promise you, as soon as I’m back, we’ll talk about this. About you and me. About us. Will you give me the time I need to see the witch before we talk?”
“Okay,” she said quickly. “Go.” She wanted to believe that he loved and wanted her, but he’d said he wanted a child. A child she could never give him.
He pressed a hard kiss on her lips before he pulled away. “I’ll have Yvette come to protect you while I’m gone. Carl is here. He’ll take care of you while you’re waiting for Yvette. You can trust her, despite the things she says.” Then he dressed faster than she’d ever seen any man dress and was gone just as quickly.
***
Thomas’ fingers flew over the keyboard as he entered commands into the computer. Hacking into any company’s systems was second nature to him. He and Eddie had gotten interrupted earlier by the search for Maya, but now he was back at the computer, finally hacking into the telephone company’s systems. The delay had cost them.
“Can you teach me that?” Eddie asked from behind him, standing entirely too close. Over the last few weeks, Eddie’s habit of sticking close to him had started to rattle his nerves.
Thomas was sure Eddie wasn’t even aware of it, for all Eddie seemed to do was look up to him. After Eddie had been turned only a short few months ago, Thomas had been assigned to become his mentor. Out of practicality, he’d allowed the kid to move in with him.
“I’ll give you a crash course later, but I think Gabriel wants this data quickly.”
A list popped up on the screen. “That’s Maya’s phone records. Gabriel thinks that the rogue might have called her, or that she called him.”
Eddie’s arm reached over his shoulder and pointed at the screen. His scent drifted into Thomas’ nose. “But that’s just phone numbers. How are we going to find out who these people are?”
“I’m cross-referencing the list with phone books and listings by the cell phone companies.” Thomas typed in a command and hit the enter button. The screen flashed in response and split into two halves. Names started running along on the right side of the screen, too fast to read. “Whenever it finds a match, it’ll slot the name into the list.”
“Wow, that’s cool. But how are we gonna find who’s the guy? Looks like she got a hell lot of calls.”
Thomas turned back toward Eddie. “We’re not. Maya is. As soon as the search is done in about half an hour, we’ll fax it over to her. She’ll flag any name that’s not familiar. Since he wiped her memory she won’t have any recollection of his name. He’ll be among the people Maya doesn’t recognize. Then, we’ll do our work and check them out.”
Eddie smiled and patted Thomas’ shoulder. “Excellent plan.”
Thomas gave a weary smile back. His other friends often did the same: pat him on the back, squeeze his shoulder in a show of friendship, but when Eddie did it, Thomas felt something he shouldn’t allow himself to feel. Because Eddie was straight, and nothing would come of it.
Twenty-six
Yvette looked at the gruesome scene in Paulette’s bedroom. The bloody message on the wall gave her the creeps and the scent of dried human blood stung her nostrils. She glanced at Ricky, who rummaged through the nightstand.
“That guy’s a psychopath,” she declared.
Ricky didn’t look up when he responded, “Who the hell knows what he is?”
“Definitely infatuated with her. Just like everybody else,” she grumbled. She still felt a twinge of pain when she recalled how Gabriel had kissed Maya at the hospital. There was no doubt in her mind now that he loved her. Well, she’d get over it—at least Gabriel would finally be happy. One day, she’d find the right man too.
“Particularly Gabriel. What’s going on between those two?”
The snide tone in Ricky’s voice made her look up, but before she could reply, her cell phone rang. She looked at the number. “That’s him now.”
She punched the talk button and pressed the phone to her ear. “Gabriel?”
“I need you to come to Samson’s immediately.”
“But I’m at Paulette’s house with Ricky.” And he’d been the one who’d ordered her there not even an hour ago.
“This takes precedence. Ricky can continue the work at the house by himself. I need you here to protect Maya. I have to leave the house for an hour. And I don’t want Carl to be the one to protect her. He’s not trained for that.”
At least the order meant that Gabriel still trusted her and that their little talk earlier had cleared the air. “Sure, I’ll drive right over.”
She was about to disconnect, when Gabriel added, “And Yvette, do me a favor, and don’t fill Maya’s head with snippets of information about what vampire males may or may not want—I’m not like any other vampire, and I don’t want Maya to get the wrong impression.”
“I haven’t said anything to—”
“You told her vampire males only want to bond with human women so they can have children.”
“Oh, that,” she admitted grudgingly. She’d already forgotten about it. And besides, that was before—when she was jealous of Maya. It was different now.
“Yes, that. Please?”
Yvette was surprised at the soft tone of his voice. Something was different about him. He seemed less edgy than usual. “I promise. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Thanks.” A click in the line told her he’d disconnected the call.
Yvette turned on her heels and almost bumped into Ricky.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Gabriel has ordered me to the house to protect Maya. So, you’re on your own here.”
“I thought he was protecting her.”
“He has to leave the house.”
“Isn’t Carl there?”
“You know as well as I do that he’s not a trained bodyguard. I bet the rogue could easily overpower him.”
“I bet he could even take you,” Ricky agreed. “Why don’t I go to the house and you finish up here?”
Yvette continued into the hallway without even casting a look back at him. “Because Gabriel ordered me, not you. See you later.”
His footsteps followed her. “Come on, don’t be such a pest.”
The little hairs on the back of her neck rose as suspicion crept up her spine. Ricky had never cared to swap assignments before. Gabriel had warned them days ago that Ricky was a little volatile at present, but this was downright annoying. “I said no. What part of no don’t you get?”
The attack hit her without warning. His claws dug into her back and flung her against the wall. As she crashed into it, she heard one of her ribs snap and felt the pain radiate through her body. She landed on her feet, her body leaving a dent in the drywall behind her.
Returning Ricky’s aggression, her body hardened at the same time as her fangs descended and her fingers turned into claws. Before she could fight back, he slashed his claws against her stomach, slicing through her tight t-shirt. The metallic scent of her own blood assaulted her instantly.
“Fucking bastard,” she cursed and kicked out with her right leg, knocking the wind out of him. He stumbled against a door behind him. “What the fuck is this about?” she yelled as she went after him.
But she hadn’t counted on him being armed.
When Ricky pulled a chain with a ball at each end out of his jacket pocket, she was unprepared. He swung it with precision and cunning, his wrist releasing it an instant later. The chain wrapped around her knees and made her lose her balance.
Yvette crashed against the wall once more, her hand already reaching for the chain and balls. She hissed in pain when she touched the metal. Silver.
How in hell had he swung it without burning himself? She cut him a quick glance and saw him grin, then wave his right hand at her. She zeroed in on it, and only now noticed the flesh colored glove he wore on that hand. He must have put in on when he’d followed her out of the bedroom.
When he bent over her, she swiped at him with her claws, but he jumped out of her way with preternatural ease, and landed on her chest, his knees pinning down her shoulders, disabling her from moving her arms. He was heavier than her and stronger. Yvette flashed her fangs at him.
But he only laughed. “Should have let me go to the house like I told you. But no, you’re a controlling bitch, who has to have the last word on everything. I’ll show you women who’s boss.”
The words sank deep into her. “Women” he’d said. Instantly she knew what this was about. “Maya.”
“Yes, Maya. I’ll get her now. She’s been mine all along. And neither you nor Gabriel can keep me away from her any longer.”
Yvette shivered. Ricky was the rogue. All along he’d hidden in their midst, and nobody had suspected him.
“How did you do it? How did you evade us for so long?”
He chuckled to himself, then he gave her a cold stare. “Zane had his doubts about me when he checked my alibi, but even he isn’t strong enough to get past my gift.”
Yvette cursed.
“Yes, finally my gift has turned out to be quite useful. You guys always used me to smooth things over when there was a problem. I let you. But finally, I figured I’d use it for myself. Zane firmly believes I had nothing to do with Maya’s attack. Nobody suspects me, because the minute I sense their doubts, I invade their mind and control those doubts. Poof!” He made a theatrical hand movement.
He’d played them all, and now that he knew Maya was alone at the house with only Carl as protection, he’d get her. “Gabriel will get you,” she spat.
“By the time Gabriel gets back to the house, I’ll be long gone, and Maya will be with me. Nobody will ever see us again.”
“You traitor.”
“Call me what you want, I don’t care.” He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket.
Yvette froze. He’d stake her, she knew it. Her eyes widened. When he locked eyes with her, he laughed again, a cold emotionless laugh.
“A stake’s too good for you. You don’t deserve to die like a man. Women like you, who play with men’s feelings, who lead us around by our noses, make us think you love us, and then just drop us like a hot potato when you’ve had enough. Not anymore.” He slapped his hand across her face, whipping her head to the side. Pain seared through her neck and jaw, but she knew his speech wasn’t meant for her—it was meant for Maya. He was angry at her.
“No, you, fucking bitch, will fry in the sun.”
He pulled out another chain from his pocket and wrapped one end around her left wrist. The metal stung and her skin sizzled as if somebody had dropped acid onto it. The bastard was binding her with silver—a metal she couldn’t break.
Quickly, he removed his leg from one shoulder and brought her arms together, tying her up over her head. Then he jumped up, took her by her hands and dragged her along the floor into the living area.
“You’re gonna pay for this!” she promised.
“I doubt that very much, especially given that you’ll be dust in a few hours.”
Ricky lifted her up onto her feet. When she was eyelevel with him, she spat into his face. All it earned her was another swipe with his claws. She barely felt the pain now.
Without much ado, he secured her bound hands onto a hook over the fireplace, effectively suspending her a few inches in the air. Then he secured her legs against the grid in front of the fireplace, immobilizing her.
With a few long strides, he went to the window and pulled back the curtains. Once the sun came up, it would shine straight onto her, and within minutes she would fry. It would be a painful death, not the quick relief a stake would bring.
Trying to stall him, she said, “What happened with Holly? Did you go after Maya because Holly dumped you?”
He snarled. “Nobody dumped me. I broke it off with the stupid tart when I met Maya. I wined and dined her, I promised her the world, anything she could possibly want. And what did Maya do? Throw it all back at me like I was some beggar. Now I’ll make her beg.”
The thought of what might happen to Maya frightened her. I
f Ricky took her, Gabriel would be devastated. “I’ll get you for this.”
He cast her another quick glance and shrugged. “If it makes you feel better to say that, go ahead, but the reality is, you won’t. Enjoy the sunrise. The weather report said there won’t be any fog tomorrow.”
His evil laugh echoed through the house as he strode out, slamming the door with such force that the lock broke and the door swung inside again, remaining ajar.
Twenty-seven
There was a buzzing sound and Gabriel pressed against the door. Inside the modern commercial building, he turned to his left, following the witch’s instructions. As he walked along the sterile corridor with its white walls and light green linoleum floor, his heart beat heavy in his chest. He wanted to claim Maya as his own, but he wanted to do it without this deformity. Despite the fact that she’d let him fuck her, he wasn’t convinced that she could truly look past this ugly thing. Fucking a guy who was a freak was one thing. Marrying—blood-bonding with such a freak—was another.
He pushed the door that said “Lab 87” open and stepped into the brightly lit room.
“I’m in the back,” Francine’s voice immediately greeted him. He followed the sound and walked past the work benches, the sinks and centrifuges and the large fridges and freezers that lined the path to a small office. In it, he found the witch sitting behind a messy desk.
She looked up when he entered and pointed to the chair opposite her. “Take a seat.”
Despite feeling antsy, he dropped into the chair and leaned back. “You have an answer for me?”
She tsked. “No ‘good evening, how are you’?”
He frowned. “Are we still playing games?”
“Cheer up; I’ve got good news for you.”
Gabriel straightened in his chair and leaned forward. “Don’t keep me on tenterhooks. I know it gives you pleasure to see me suffer, but for once just give it to me straight.”
“You should really grow a sense of humor, Gabriel. Life is not all dark and without fun.”
He merely lifted an eyebrow, indicating he was out of patience.