“You were tired. I was tired. Seriously, this is the first time I’ve really slept since . . .”
I smirked. “Since you attacked me?”
“Don’t smile about that. It is not funny. I think I liked it better when you didn’t treat that so casually.”
“Fine, then,” I said, turning away from him onto my side. “I hate you again. Happy now?”
In a matter of mere seconds, he rolled me onto my back and got on top of me, gently pinning me beneath him. All I could do was stare at his lips, my breathing too shallow and too fast.
“Not sure I believe you, heart. Your eyes aren’t burning with rage the way they used to. And even when you did hate me . . .”
He leaned down to me, his lips barely brushing mine. The feather-like touch was agonizing; I wanted him to truly kiss me instead of teasing me.
“You still wanted me. I could always tell,” he said against my mouth. “Just like I can tell now. It drives me crazy knowing that you want me. It always has.”
“Please . . . please kiss me.”
His lips were still hardly touching mine. I felt him smile.
“Gabriel,” I begged.
He growled deep in his throat and crushed his lips against mine. I gasped against him, pressing my body against his as tightly as I could. My shoulder hurt, but I couldn’t care. He deepened the kiss, his tongue clashing with mine, his hands burning cold on my waist, arms, and thighs.
I bit down slightly on his bottom lip, and his hands tightened on me in warning. I needed to be more careful, or he was going to lose control.
I almost protested when his mouth left mine, but instead, my entire body arched against him as his lips made a trail of icy fire from my neck to my chest. He gripped the straps of my tank top, his tongue lightly stroking the very tops of my breasts. I was unable to catch my breath as his lips returned to my mouth.
I was lost in him. I wanted him with every fiber of my being. I pulled at his black T-shirt, trying to get it off.
He smiled against my lips. “Are you sure?” he whispered.
I almost wished he hadn’t asked.
I tilted my head away from him, breaking the kiss. “We probably shouldn’t,” I said, my voice full of regret.
Even though our blood connection was gone, he understood. “Ah, I see. Yes, it is possible to have a blood connection to more than one person. As you can imagine, it gets very confusing and overwhelming. Humans have been known to kill themselves because of it.” He traced my face with his fingers, his touch gentle and careful. “You only want to make love with me if we can blood share during it. I want the same. I could try not to take enough blood from you to form one, but with you drinking mine and us most likely getting carried away, it’s not a good idea. I also drank a little from you yesterday, so we should not risk it. Well, at least we won’t have to wait much longer.”
I bit my lip. “Um . . . about that,” I said hesitantly.
“What is it?”
“I don’t want the blood transfusion yet,” I said quickly, forcing the words out.
He stared at me like I had spoken a different language. “Come again?”
“I want to explain to Thomas and Inola as well.”
“Tell me first,” he said. I could hear he was trying to keep his voice calm, but his words had been edged with ice.
“No. They need to hear it.”
He rolled off of me and stood up, his eyes fire. My stomach clenched.
“You mean you want them to take your side of whatever it is you have cooked up in your head. Well listen to me, Kara Alyne, I know you a whole lot better than you think, and the answer is no. Your compassion will be the death of you when it comes to Elias.”
I sat up. “You didn’t even give me the chance to explain!”
“No explanation will be good enough. I am scared to death of losing you, Kara. I have almost lost you too many times. It is not going to happen.”
“Do you think I want you to keep risking your life? You can’t even kill him! And what about Inola and Thomas? Are their lives expendable to you?”
He turned away from me. “We are not discussing this further.”
I stood up, going to him and making him look at me. “Yes, we are!”
The bedroom door opened. “What is going on in here?” Inola asked, concern etched on her face.
Thomas followed behind her. “Box fans only keep out so much noise, people. Why are you two fighting again?”
I stared daggers at Thomas. Gabriel ignored him and looked to Inola. “She wants to try to reach Elias. You know, try to talk to him and see if he wants to bake some cupcakes or adopt a kitten. Things that’ll bring out his good side,” Gabriel said.
My hands trembled, going to my temples in fists. “Ugh, I did not say that! You didn’t see what I saw last night. I dreamed about one of his memories. There was a little girl who was hurt, and he saved her life.”
“One good deed after many lifetimes of cruelty does not mean he is capable of reformation,” Gabriel said.
“What I saw was a lot more promising than anything I ever got from you!” I shot.
The room grew very still. I instantly regretted my words when I saw how pale Gabriel had become.
Why had I said that? No one hated himself or his actions more than Gabriel did. There was no reason to throw salt on his wounds when I was supposed to be helping him forgive himself.
Even Thomas looked unnerved. “Red, is it possible what you saw was only just a dream? Or maybe even something he fabricated to make you think he was worthy of change? You know vampires can choose whether to dream or not. He may simply be playing on your emotions.”
I shook my head. “I know the difference between a dream and a memory because of when I was connected to Gabriel. This was real, and even if he was making himself dream this on purpose, it is very possible it’s because he wanted me to see it, or at least it’s important enough to him that he wanted to relive it again. And the girl looked very similar to Lucy. She wasn’t identical, but she looked enough like Lucy that it shocked him. Maybe if she is still alive she can help us reach him. I don’t think it was too long ago that he saved her; a lot of the cars were late nineties models.
Inola toyed with her braid. “Kara, you are talking about involving an innocent girl here, one who may very well be killed in the process. She might not even be alive. If she is alive, she might be married. She may even have children,” Inola said.
“But if she truly looked like Lucy, he would keep tabs on her, wouldn’t he, Gabriel?” Thomas asked.
Gabriel nodded slightly.
“This is the best option,” I pleaded. “Elias could have let me die, but he didn’t. He formed the connection on purpose. I think he wants my help.”
“Why would you try to help him after what he has done?” Inola asked softly.
“Gabriel was lost once. Elias is lost as well. If this works, your lives won’t be in danger because you won’t have to try to kill him anymore.” I looked at Gabriel. “We can’t just hide here forever.”
“We can,” Gabriel disagreed.
“He’ll find us eventually,” Thomas said.
Gabriel sighed. “So you are siding with her? Figures.”
Thomas shrugged. “There is no harm in at least trying it her way.”
Inola crossed her arms against her chest. “I’m not so sure. No matter what we try, I do not see this ending well.”
“I’ll try to talk to him and—”
Suddenly, Gabriel was right in front of me. He trapped both of my wrists in his hands.
“Are you insane? Need I remind you about what he has done to you? Have you forgotten you’re not physically or emotionally stable enough right now to even leave this house?” Gabriel said angrily.
“I know this isn’t going to be easy, but the connection is weak and might fade soon. I need to know what he is feeling. I need to know if he truly wants help and—”
Gabriel shook me slightly. “Don’t make m
e Control you, Kara! I do not want to, but if I have to do it to make you stop this nonsense, I will.”
Cold shock flew down my spine, and I felt my lips go white. Gabriel’s pupils dilated when he registered the fear in my eyes. His grip on my wrists lessened, and he pulled me carefully against him.
“Please don’t look at me like that,” he whispered into my ear. “Don’t start being afraid of me again.”
Thomas came closer to us. “Gabriel, come with me. We need to talk,” he said. Thomas winked at me, but there was no reassurance in the gesture.
Inola studied Thomas before putting her hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. I didn’t miss the silent communication that I knew had taken place between them.
“Gabriel, go with Thomas. I will stay with Kara,” Inola said.
Gabriel sighed, planting a kiss on my temple before he left my side. He glanced at me once with worried eyes before following Thomas out of the bedroom.
Inola planted me on a chair. “Let’s take a look at your shoulder. It is time to change the dressing.”
I took off my tank top to make it easier on her, feeling no embarrassment in front of her. She had bathed and dressed me more than once already—like the time Elias had ripped the old man’s heart from his chest right in front of me, and I had hit my head on a rock running away from him.
I shuddered. Did I really want to try to save someone who had done something like that? Gabriel had killed many people in his lifetime, but only for blood. He had never torn someone’s heart out of their chest. . . .
Inola came out of the bathroom with the bag containing first aid supplies.
“Ready?” she asked.
I nodded and remained quiet while she did her work. Her touch was gentle, but the wound burned, and the pain ran deep.
“I know it hurts, honey. I’m so sorry. It is past time for your pain medicine.”
I put my tank top back on when she was done. She handed me two white pills and a glass of water. I clutched the pills, making no move to take them.
“Kara?” Inola prodded gently.
“He threatened me.”
She closed her eyes briefly and worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. “He is terrified, child. He didn’t mean it.”
I swallowed the pills and set the glass down before cracking my knuckles. “He did mean it. You know he did. Don’t try to lie to me.”
“Gabriel would never do anything that wasn’t in your best interest.”
“That’s a matter of perspective,” I muttered.
She studied her hands before speaking, and her next words were very quiet. “He loves you.”
I nodded. “I know he does. I’m starting to think he loves me too much.”
I looked to the heavy drapes that hid the sun and wondered what Gabriel and Thomas were discussing out in the living room.
“Inola, what are they talking about?” I asked.
She picked up the first aid bag and went toward the bathroom. “Thomas is trying to get Gabriel on your side.”
My eyes narrowed. I didn’t miss the fact that she hadn’t turned to face me while answering. I waited for her to come back out of the bathroom.
“So I can trust them? And you too, right? All of you will try to help me in a non-confrontational way?” I asked.
Her face was unreadable. “Obviously, we will not go weaponless, but of course you can trust us.”
I stared at her black eyes. They were cold and fathomless.
Every instinct in my body was screaming at me. Never, never completely trust a vampire. Not even Gabriel.
Especially not Gabriel.
***
Gabriel and Thomas joined us after a half hour, and I was more uneasy now than before they had left the room.
Inola had hardly spoken to me after changing my dressing. Her eyes had stayed on the wall, silently communicating with Thomas, and through him, Gabriel.
I meticulously studied the vampires who were now my family. Gabriel sat beside me on a black couch, and Inola and Thomas sat across from us in velvet armchairs.
Inola’s face was blank, but her eyes were soft whenever they rested on my hurt shoulder. I knew Inola would choose whatever outcome held the highest chance of survival for us, regardless of the consequences.
Thomas looked like he always did, unbothered and relaxed, and that was unhelpful. His hands rested behind his head, and his eyes were trained on the ceiling. There was no telling what was running through his mind—only Inola truly knew.
Gabriel was like I thought he would be. His eyes never left me, and they blazed with the fierce protectiveness I had become so accustomed to seeing. It was his protectiveness that made me more nervous than even seeing Elias again.
Something told me it would ultimately be the driving force behind my fate.
I cleared my throat. “I assume this is the part where you tell me the conditions of how we may do this?” I said lightly.
Thomas snickered, his eyes remaining on the ceiling. Inola crossed her arms over her chest. Gabriel looked at me in silence.
“Should I go first?” I asked.
“Oh, so you have terms?” Gabriel asked almost coldly.
“Of course,” I answered.
“Then let me save you some time. My terms, not yours, and that is non-negotiable.”
I managed a smile. “It’s 2018. Don’t you know it’s politically correct for the girl to wear the pants in romantic relationships?”
“Kara, can you not be flippant right now? This is not a joke. This is your life,” Inola interjected.
“Not just my life, but yours as well. That’s the main reason why I want to do this,” I said. “I want all of us to be free of him, and we need to be careful how we do it. If we screw this up, one of you may be killed, and I can’t live with that.”
“Then call off this stupid idea,” Gabriel said through clenched teeth.
I squeezed his hand, and the gesture made the fire in his eyes fade a little.
“I don’t want to do this, Gabriel,” I said. “I’m so terrified of him. I always have been. I’m scared of what he could do to me, and what he may do to all of you. But I don’t want to run for the rest of my life. Please, let’s just try to talk to him.”
The fire flared again. It was as much of an answer as any words he could say.
“If it doesn’t work, then we will just hide for the rest of my life, ok? But I don’t think the connection is strong enough for me to talk to him telepathically.”
“Why don’t you just shoot him a text?” Thomas suggested, looking down at Millie in his lap. He half-heartedly tried to push her off, but her claws were stuck to his jeans.
“Sure, Thomas. I’ll just do that. He is a favorite in my contact information,” I said sweetly.
Thomas grinned at me.
“I don’t even have my cell phone anymore,” I snapped.
Inola pointed toward the dresser. “It’s inside the first drawer. Sorry, we forgot to mention it; it seemed unimportant in light of everything that has happened. But talking to him on the phone seems to be a reasonable idea. Someone in Violet Memory has to have his phone number.”
I leaned down to scratch Clover’s head. “I can try to call him, but I’m not counting on it to be that easy. I hope it is, though.”
Suddenly, a shiver ran down my bones and settled into the deepest core of my being. It was so faint, barely there, but it was him. He felt unstable and tired. Before I could even lift my eyes to Gabriel’s, Elias was gone.
My phone rang.
I jumped up, but as soon as my feet touched the floor, all three vampires were at the dresser. Millie hissed at my feet, angry at being tossed so abruptly.
“Let me take a wild guess at who it is,” Inola said, handing the phone to Gabriel. “It can’t be a coincidence.”
Gabriel looked like he was about to crush the piece of metal.
I went toward him with my hand out. “Let me,” I said in a voice that sounded much braver than I felt.
> Gabriel’s face took on a look of desperation, and it gnawed at my heart.
“Kara, you do not have to do this,” Gabriel said. “I swear to you, I will keep you safe. I know I have failed you in the past, but I promise you, I will not fail you again. He will not touch you. I won’t—”
I put my hand to his face. “Trust in me. I have put my life and my heart into your hands. Now I need you to trust me.”
It took a long time for Gabriel to give me the phone, long enough that it stopped ringing. It looked physically painful for him to place it in my hand, and the emotions in his eyes frightened me.
I kissed Gabriel's cheek before calling the number back, clutching his shirt hard enough to cause spasms in my hand.
Elias answered quickly. “Hello, little hummingbird.”
My knees turned to liquid, and only Gabriel’s reflexes kept me from falling. I buried my head in his shirt, my bravery gone. Darkness threatened to engulf me.
“Emma took your phone during the encounter in the graveyard and recorded your number for me before putting it back inside your pocket. But your phone is untraceable, if that is what you are worried about. I’m sure that’s Gabriel’s doing. Is he suffocating you with his protectiveness yet?”
I pressed the cold device harder to my cheek, unable to draw breath. I almost hung up, but I forced myself to keep the phone in my hand. A few minutes went by, but neither one of us spoke. Only the sound of soft breathing indicated he was even there.
He was waiting patiently, but for what?
Gabriel stroked my hair. His heart beat faster than its usual slow pace, the thumps pounding reassuringly against my body. I drew from the wells of his limitless strength.
“You could have killed me. Why didn’t you? Why did you try to form a connection?” I finally managed to ask, although the words wavered and were soft enough that I could hardly hear myself.
“You already know why,” Elias replied.
It once again took minutes for me to speak. “Maybe I do know why, but why do you think I can help you?”
This time, it was his turn to be silent for a few minutes.
“I suppose because you have been the only one who can see beyond the blood. In your dying moments that you most likely don’t remember clearly, you spoke of light in me.”
Forever Stained Red (Violet Memory Book 2) Page 6