“Calm down,” I Controlled gently, taking my wrist from his lips. The Control came naturally, another instinct. Looking into a human’s eyes for the first time, my body knew I possessed the incredible power of Control; I could make him do whatever I wanted. “Forget what I have done to you. Go home and rest. You will feel amazing tomorrow, better than you ever have before.”
Jeffery’s eyes cleared. The idiot actually smiled at me before grabbing his cell phone and getting up. He left without a backwards glance, whistling cheerfully.
“That last part was a nice touch,” Gabriel said softly.
I shook my head, wiping the blood from my mouth onto my shirt. My fingers quivered, and my head was spinning. “I’m turning into a monster. No . . . The damage has already been done. I am a monster.”
“Kara . . .”
“Look at me, Gabriel!” I exploded. “I’m covered in blood, and I actually hurt animals. Yeah, I was a hypocrite when I was a human, ok? I ate meat, but trying to drink their blood just felt so different. It felt so wrong. I tried to kill you back at your house, and then I go and hurt you again just because I can’t forgive myself for loving you! And then I come here, planning on killing every human in sight because I saw them as nothing more than walking blood banks!”
Gabriel quickly unzipped his black jacket and put it on me, and I understood why he did it. My clothes were covered with blood and were full of holes, and seeing myself so bloody and disheveled was probably not helping me.
Gabriel ran his hands up and down my arms, soothing me. His smell blocked out the haze of blood.
I stared at Gabriel’s dark gray shirt. “The worst part was that I liked it,” I admitted. “I liked the thrill of the hunt. Of feeding on him. Part of me didn’t want to let him go.”
He stroked my hair, twisting his fingers around my messy curls. “You are a vampire now, heart. Your instincts are going to be overwhelming and hard to resist. But you have me to help you. You are strong enough to resist. I truly do not believe this will happen again.”
I nodded, leaning my head against him, the fight gone out of me.
“Let’s get you out of here. My car is outside of town,” Gabriel said. “Put these on,” he instructed as he handed me a pair of sunglasses. I obeyed, and he put on a pair as well.
“How did you find me?” I asked as he led me away from the noisy nightlife.
“Leading me in the wrong direction was a nice try. It worked for a few miles. I turned around and followed your scent as much as possible before it faded, and then I followed your trail. Your hair was caught in tree branches, and I occasionally could see your footprints. Thomas had my car and was driving parallel to me as much as possible. Finally, I was hit with the smell of your blood. As attuned to it as I am, I smelled that you were hurt.” His body tensed. “I was not far behind you when the sun rose. I had to take refuge in the car. Inola had gone the opposite direction, just in case I was wrong about your blood diversion.”
“Where are they now?” I asked.
“Thomas told Inola we found you. She came and is in the parking lot with Thomas.”
Once again I felt like a child, guilty and small, just like when I’d broken the dishes in the kitchen at the coven house.
Gabriel’s hand tightened around my waist. “Kara?”
“Yes?” I mumbled sheepishly.
“Do not ever do that to me again. I thought Elias might have . . .”
I trembled, fighting the urge to be sick. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He kissed my temple so swiftly I didn’t have time to move away. And if I was completely honest with myself, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to.
Inola and Thomas were leaning against Inola’s car, and they took off their sunglasses as we approached them. Inola looked angry, but Thomas looked entirely at ease, although he rolled his eyes at me.
“I’m sorry for making you worry,” I said. Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Again,” I tacked on glumly.
Inola pulled a black duffel bag out of the back seat. “Some changes of clothing,” she said stiffly.
“Thank you,” I said.
Inola shook her head at me. “Kara Deuel, run off again, and you can just stay gone.”
I took my sunglasses off, my eyes widening at her words.
Thomas turned to his wife. “Anger will give you wrinkles,” he joked calmly before looking at me. “She doesn’t mean that.”
Inola snorted and climbed inside the car.
“Aren’t you angry with me?” I asked Thomas.
He leaned toward me. “Why do you think I am as calm as your sire? Do you truly think all my comic relief is just that? I joke around to keep myself from acting on impulse—like staking you right now. It would be counterproductive, Red, since I really do want you to stick around,” Thomas said. He went to the passenger side of the car and slipped inside.
They drove away, tires screeching, which I thought was a little unnecessary. Their point had been made. I was foolish and impulsive; vampirism definitely had not cured those traits.
Gabriel ran his finger along the base of my neck as I turned my attention to what must have been his car. I wasn’t the best at identifying vehicles, but the sleek, black car was obviously expensive and new.
“It’s unlocked,” he said.
It was hard to concentrate with him touching me, but I managed to get in and shut the door.
The ride home was quiet, and waves of Gabriel’s silent anger washed against me in warning.
I didn’t protest when he followed me to my room.
Chapter 12 In Blood And Wings
The door closing behind me felt almost final.
I turned the box fan on and wandered over to the side of the room where a kiddie pool filled with toys sat. It was Panini and Dandelion’s playground. Maybe if I got them out of their cage, I could delay whatever was coming.
But I knew there was truly no stopping the approaching storm.
As if on cue, the back of my hair lifted from a rush of movement.
I turned to Gabriel. He stood so close to me I could feel his heart beating through his shirt.
“I’m sorry I shot you,” I said.
A look of disgust crossed his features. “You seriously think I care about that? Kara, the safest place for you is here. You know that, especially after everything you’ve been through. So what did you do? You took off like you are asking to be killed!”
“He’s done with his revenge,” I said, but I didn’t trust my words.
Gabriel laughed, a darkness to the sound that made ice claw at my ears. “He will never be done, especially if he ever learns you’re mine again.”
I stepped back. “I am not yours again!” I protested. “I hate you, Gabriel Arundel. I promise you I do.”
He shadowed me. “I know you hate me, Kara. But the thing is, you have a really hard time differentiating between love and hate when it comes to me. You go back and forth between the two so much you don’t even know the difference anymore.”
“You betrayed me! You promised me that you wouldn’t turn me no matter what!” I said.
He backed me up against the wall, every inch of him touching me. “What are you so adverse to? The darkness? Your vampire instincts have taken that fear from you or else you wouldn’t have left the way you did. Never seeing your loved ones again? You pushed your friends away, and your grandmother was sick, Kara. She was too sick to not be somewhere surrounded by doctors. And seeing her like that was tearing you apart. I felt that from you. Is immortality too frightening? What about the inevitable darkness of death that comes to humans? And the blood? The thirst? My blood belongs to you. Take it from me, and there will be no more pain for you. Your enhanced emotions? I can help you bear that burden. Once you connect to me, my strength is yours.”
Tears leaked from my eyes, and his next words tore at my heart.
“Is it so wrong that I saved you by turning you? Is it so wrong when I try to atone? Is it wrong that I want you in my life? Is i
t wrong that I need you by my side?” His lips brushed the side of my mouth. “Is it so wrong that I love you?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure if I was answering his question or making a silent plea for him to get away from me.
Gabriel put his face into my hair and inhaled, as if intoxicated by the scent. “I will wait for you forever if I have to, but every moment apart is agony not just for me, but for you as well,” he whispered.
“Gabriel,” I gasped, electricity replacing the blood in my veins. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t fight it.
“Ask me,” he demanded, his voice rough.
“Kiss me.”
His lips came down on mine, frenzied and hurried. He lifted me up against the wall, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, squeezing him to me. Our tongues collided as his mouth slanted harder against mine, and I pressed closer to him, running my hands through his hair. His hands were like lightning on my skin, grazing my stomach underneath my shirt in a teasing pattern.
I was going to shatter.
I wanted him. No, I needed him. I needed every part of him.
I pulled away, my fangs shooting out. I bit into his neck.
His arms stroked me, crushing me to him as his words whispered encouragement into my ear. He loved me and needed me so much; it made me soar to unimaginable heights.
“Drink from me,” I begged inside his mind.
Without hesitation, his mouth went to my neck, and bliss sank into my skin. The golden light of him was intoxicating and consuming.
I wasn’t sure if it was him or me who tore off my clothes.
***
I stretched lazily, love and happiness shining inside my heart. I snuggled deeper into the silk sheets against Gabriel.
The scent of our blood was everywhere. I cracked an eye open, sat up, and looked around the room.
Our clothes were shreds on the floor. There was blood on the walls, the floor, and on the bed.
There was also blood on the ceiling.
Amusement filtered through me, and it wasn’t my own.
“No need to be embarrassed,” Gabriel assured me softly inside my head.
I looked around in disbelief. “I acted like an animal.”
He grinned. His lips were stained red, and dried blood covered his chin. “We acted like animals. Don’t take all the credit.”
I was suddenly shy. “I wish I would have saved myself for you.”
Gabriel smiled gently. “I know. I feel the same way. And I am sure you already realize this, but I do not count your drunken mistake as your first time anyway.”
I kissed him lightly. “I guess I don’t hate you anymore.”
He groaned jokingly. “Don’t worry—the day is just getting started. There is plenty of time for you to get angry with me again.”
“I’ll try not to,” I said honestly.
He ran his fingers through my hair. “Eternity with you is going to be very interesting, heart,” he said.
“Eternity,” I mused. “I can’t fathom it.”
He snuggled closer to me. “Not many can, including most vampires. It is one of the reasons why suicide is so common among us.”
I traced his chest with a fingertip. “I’m not sure about living forever.” My words were hesitant.
“I know.” Gabriel tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’ve always known how you felt about immortality. Just promise me one thing.”
“Ask away.”
He caressed my cheek, his gaze holding me. “Spend at least a hundred years with me. Give me one century with you. After that, if you still want to leave this world, then we will leave together.”
I cracked my knuckles. A hundred years . . .
Now that I was a vampire, immortality was no longer quite as frightening, but it was still eerie and shaded with the promise of the unknown—much like death had been when I’d been a human.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the slow beating of our hearts, completely in time with one another. I could hear the whisper of air floating in and out of our lungs. I could hear the pulse of our blood inside our veins. We were one, and now that my mind was melded with Gabriel’s, his strength uplifted and sheltered my surging emotions. He was consciously bearing so much of my pain and fear, and the relief was almost intoxicating. He was so strong; he had so much willpower.
Would so much time with him actually be difficult? Suddenly, I did not think it would be. Didn’t Gabriel deserve happiness? All he wanted was me, and I could give him that.
Did I not deserve to know peace as I did now? Even if all we did was stay in this room, I was almost certain it would not be hard to keep such a promise.
I could face anything with Gabriel. What he asked in return was so small in comparison to the ultimate peace he had given me in just one day. And this peace go could on forever if I desired it to.
“All right,” I said. “It’s a promise. And who knows? Maybe I’m just being silly, and I will want to live much longer than that.”
His eyes went brighter as he kissed me gently. His lips smiled against mine as I squirmed, and he broke the kiss.
“If you want a bath, just say so,” Gabriel said.
I giggled. “But I don’t have to say so. You already know. And I don’t have to ask you to come along; you already know I want you to.”
I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, winking at the bloodstained girl in the mirror. She looked ridiculous and happy.
I shook a bottle of body wash at Gabriel as he slipped inside.
“Is pomegranate a unisex smell?” I asked.
Gabriel shrugged, his eyes on my body.
I blushed, quickly turning the water on and pouring the body wash into the tub before I got distracted with other things.
“Good thing the tub is big,” I remarked quietly.
He came up behind me and ran his hand down my back. “Good thing,” he whispered into my ear.
I turned around and kissed him, the bath forgotten.
A few hours and a flooded bathroom later, we had the rooms cleaned up. We curled up in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames as we held one another.
“Maybe you should have made me promise two centuries instead of one,” I said.
Gabriel’s happiness mingled with my own. He kissed my neck, slowly running his lips across the sensitive points where my fang scars used to be.
But deep inside of him, he still worried about Elias. Elias was a lingering shadow that threatened me, and I was Gabriel’s reason for wanting to live.
“Don’t think about that right now, ok?” I said.
He buried his face into my neck. “Well, you quit having intrusive thoughts about Emma and me. It was nothing like this.”
I tried to quell my jealously. “I know. You never stayed to cuddle.”
He sighed. “I never did a lot of things with her, and cuddling is what you chose?”
A log in the fireplace hissed and popped. I watched the flames as they danced and ate the wood.
“I’m glad you killed her,” I said quietly.
Gabriel chuckled and kissed the corner of my mouth. “You intrigue me so. There is truth to your words, yet you still feel compassion for her fate.”
“I can empathize with one who has loved you,” I murmured. “I wonder if I would have acted the same. . . .”
Gabriel shuddered. He was nearly sick as a mental picture passed between us—him staking me instead of the beautiful blonde. His nausea rose within me.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I think it’s time for a change of subject.”
“That would be nice.”
“Ok, how about this? If two vampires decide to marry, is it the same type of ceremony as two humans?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.
Gabriel laughed softly. “A little late for that, isn’t it? You and I are already married. Did you skim the fine print when you read the outline about Violet Memory? It is an ancient tradition, but it still applies. When two members blood share during sex, they ar
e married in the coven’s eyes. I tried to tell you that earlier, but you were not really listening.”
“While I did skim the fine print, I remember seeing that. And I was listening to you—kind of. Gabriel, I understand the gravity of what we’ve done. While I don’t regret it, I feel guilty when I think about Inola. I think it would make her happy to see you have an actual wedding.”
Gabriel allowed the mental pictures of vampire marriages he had attended to flit across my mind.
“As you can see, it can be either a human-like ceremony, or it can be the vampire one. Both are considered legitimate,” he said.
I ignored the human one I knew so well and pondered the vampire ceremony. It seemed so simple, yet at the same time, ancient and almost primal. There were no vows. There were no rings. Instead, the two vampires stood under a blood moon and exchanged blood with a kiss.
An image Gabriel couldn’t quite repress darted around inside our minds. A blood kiss was how Gabriel had given me his blood to turn me into a vampire.
I smiled sadly, understanding the gesture now. For a vampire to give another person their blood from their own lips was the deepest and most sincere act of love they could show to someone when it came to blood sharing.
“Next blood moon it is, then,” I said quietly. “I think Inola would really appreciate it.”
He hugged me tightly and kissed me so softly it was torture. Then he sighed against my lips.
“Do we have to discuss this now?” he asked, sensing my thoughts.
“You thought about it first. So yes, I think we should discuss it.”
“So much for peace.”
“Gabriel, we will never be able to relax as long as he is still alive. Besides, I think you want him dead even more than I do. I’ve been tossing around some ideas, and one I especially dread contemplating because it involves Olivia, but I think it will be our best option.”
Gabriel stared at the fire, the flames reflecting off of his eyes. “You are correct that Elias must be destroyed. We will start our search for the girl tomorrow. But first . . .”
He rolled me onto my back and kissed me, fusing his body to my own.
***
I didn’t want to go inside. I hesitated, my hand refusing to turn the doorknob.
Forever Stained Red (Violet Memory Book 2) Page 13