“Wait! What the hell is going on? I want to know now!” said Gabby.
He ignored her demands and gracefully disappeared through the door, which closed behind him quickly.
Gabby leaped out of bed and stumbled. To her surprise, she found that she was quite naked. Her cuts and scrapes had been cleaned and bandaged.
The door opened, and she yelped, thinking that it was Victor. Two dark-haired Chinese women entered the room. They wore flowing flower-pattern kimonos and walked with the grace of swans. Without a word, they began dressing her. One of them draped a robe over her, and the other tied it at the front. They then led her silently out of the room.
“Where are you bringing me?”
Neither woman answered her.
The “house,” as Victor had put it, was more like a castle. From her room, she was led to the balcony of an open-aired hall overlooking the main receiving room. The second-floor balcony wound around the entirety of the room, and she saw there were other doors along the walls similar to her own.
The two silent women led her three doors down to a bathing room with a large claw-foot bathtub at the center, which was ready and steaming. She allowed herself to be bathed with exotic soaps and oils, all the while puzzling over what might have really happened. It was night outside, but which night? How long had she been out? Through the window in her room she had seen a coastline, which meant that she was quite a long distance from Wyoming. How had she gotten here?
The memories of the strange orgy and shifting humans were fresh in her mind. They hadn’t been a dream. Somehow, as impossible as it seemed, it had all been real. She thought of Victor and the winged beast that had saved her from her deadly fall. Could they be one and the same?
Gabby remembered the wooden stakes and silver bullets in the armory. Had Maggy been some kind of supernatural hunter?
After her bath, she was dressed in a flowing white gown, and her hair was combed and braided in a tight French braid. Her nails and toenails were manicured and painted, and light makeup was applied as well. They even slid silver slippers on her feet. When the women were done, they led Gabby back out onto the balcony and down the stairs, where Victor was waiting for her at the head of a long table in the dining room.
Chapter 31
“You look beautiful. Please, join me for dinner,” said Victor when she entered, rising from the table and extending his hand. He wore an expensive-looking suit, which made him look older than he had previously seemed.
She took his hand and was guided into the chair to his right where a place had been set.
“Lilly, Orchid, that will be all for now,” he said to the women.
They bowed in unison and left the two alone.
Gabby wanted answers, but she wanted to eat as well. The spread on the table was impressive. There were roasted chicken thighs, steamed carrots, potatoes, and beans, along with bread, cheese, wine, and a tall bottle of sparkling water.
“Please, you look famished,” said Victor, gesturing to the food.
Gabby took a little bit of everything and accepted a glass of both water and wine. Victor ate nothing but drank from his wineglass, watching her with a faint smile.
When she had eaten enough to sate her hunger pangs, she squared on him. “All right, I’ve met you for dinner, now tell me why the hell I’m in a castle next to the ocean.”
Victor laughed faintly. “I apologize for all the mystery, but I wanted you to be lucid when we spoke.”
“Great. Here I am, lucid as ever.”
“Where to begin,” said Victor, looking to the chandelier hanging above the table. “Why don’t you just ask me what is on your mind?”
“Where are we?”
“The coast of northern California.”
“How did we get here?”
“Jet plane.”
“Is Michael Steele a werewolf?”
“Yes,” he said bluntly.
Gabby was surprised to hear the truth so plainly spoken by the man. She thought of the winged beast.
“Did you save me from the fall?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Why did you have wings? What are you?”
“What do you think I am?” Victor asked.
“You’re . . . are you an angel?”
Victor laughed merrily and sipped his wine before answering.
“No, dear, I am no angel.”
“Then what are you?”
Victor slowly put his drink on the table, laced his fingers, and sat back, eyeing her closely. “I am a vampire.”
“Of course you are,” said Gabby, throwing up her hands. “And what am I, a friggin’ fairy? Are you going to start calling me Sookie?”
Victor chuckled. “What you are is . . . complicated. First, I must tell you who your mother was if you are to understand.”
Gabby sobered instantly. “You knew my mother?”
“I did. I am much older than you would think. I met her and your father a long time ago. Before you or your sister were born. You see, your mother was a witch. A very, very powerful witch. When I met her, she was just coming into her power, but she was potent. She had the most natural talent that I have ever seen. Your father knew what she was. He knew about all of us.” Victor laughed at some long-ago memory. “Your parents were the most dangerous and feared hunters I have ever seen.”
“Hunters?”
“Yes. Let me explain. Many of the myths and legends are true. Take, for instance, werewolves and vampires. You have seen that we exist with your own eyes. Well, ghosts, ghouls, witches, wizards, and even fairies exist. Some are good. Some are bad. Your parents made it their life’s work hunting the bad.”
“Did Michael Steele kill my sister?” Gabby asked. She knew the answer already but had to hear it from him.
He bowed his head in sorrow. “Yes, he did. And he killed your mother as well. You see, your mother had the biggest heart. When Michael Steele was first inflicted, she took him under her wing, so to speak. She said that she saw goodness in him and tried to steer him away from his bestial urge to kill. For a time it worked, but then . . . well, you know. He turned on her and killed her. When your father sought revenge, he nearly found it, but alas, he lost, and a powerful spell was laid on him that took from him his memory of the Otherworld.”
“And somehow Maggy found out what happened. Didn’t she?”
“Yes. Maggy tried to avenge your mother. When you met me, I was trying to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble. She knew that I did not approve of her going after Michael Steele alone. But she insisted. She confronted Michael in Steele Tower. And he killed her.”
Gabby’s throat constricted. She couldn’t speak.
Seeing this, Victor handed her a glass of water. She drank from the glass, but the water went down like needles.
“I’m sorry,” she said, fanning her teary eyes. “It’s just . . .”
“Take your time. I will continue when you are ready.”
Gabby took two big breaths and settled herself. “Please, go on.”
“I tried to get to you, but Steele had his men on you from the beginning. When I tried to break into your place, three of his brethren stopped me.”
“The dog fight in the alley outside my window.”
“Yes. After that, he sent more of his men to guard you, posing as the FBI.”
“Those were Steele’s men? But if he wanted me dead, why would he guard me?”
“I never said that he wanted you dead. He wants you very much alive.”
“Why?” Gabby asked.
Victor stared at her thoughtfully as he sipped from his “wine.” “What happened when the wolf tried to attack you? Do you remember?”
Gabby thought back to the terrifying night. “He turned back into a human.”
“Precisely. That, my dear girl, is the nature of your power.”
“Power? I have a power?”
“It is more like an anti-power,” said Victor thoughtfully. “You are what is known in the Otherwo
rld as a nullifier. An anti-magi, if you will.” Seeing that she was still confused, he added, “You negate supernatural and magical power, and level the playing field.”
Gabby’s mind raced. She tried to wrap her mind around what he was telling her, but it was all too much to comprehend. Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, witches . . . Otherworld. She felt like she was trapped inside a bad dream.
“Your mother and father were hunters, as I said. After many years of fighting and watching friends and even family members die for the cause, they decided that they didn’t want you to have to endure the same kind of life. Your sister was already an adult. It was too late for her. But you, you were still a baby, and you had your entire life in front of you. Your mother cast a very powerful spell on you . . . a blood sacrifice, one that turned you into a nullifier. It is considered dark magic even by the most unsavory of creatures. Many beings died to perform that spell; much blood was spilled. Your sister kept the secret, vowing to watch over you when your parents could not. They did their best to give you a normal life, and now here you are, right in the middle of it all.”
Gabby was shaking. She couldn’t help it. “Why are you telling me all of this? Why do you care?”
“Your mother and I were very close, once upon a time. I swore to her that I would protect her girls. I failed with Maggy, but I will not fail with you.”
“What does Michael want with me?”
“He wants to turn you into a hunter. He wishes to train you to kill vampires and other creatures of the Otherworld who stand in his way. With your power to nullify magic, you could become the greatest assassin in the Otherworld.”
“If I have this power, why am I not affecting you now?”
“You don’t know how to, and you are in no danger. When you turned the wolf, you acted on instinct. With time, I can show you how to use your power.”
“But . . . but why didn’t you change when you saved me, like the werewolf did?”
“He was very young,” said Victor with a shrug. “I am very old, and you have only just discovered your hidden power. In time, you will be able to nullify even me.”
“Change,” said Gabby, terrified and excited at the same time. “Change into a vampire. Then I will know that you are telling me the truth.”
Victor smirked, and his canine teeth grew long and pointed.
Gabby gulped. “No. That could just be a trick. Change into that winged . . . thing that saved me from my fall.”
“No, you’re not ready for that. You know what you saw last night. You know that what I say is true. Take as much time as you like. I will be here if you need questions answered. But soon you will have to make a decision.”
“What decision?” Gabby asked, knowing but dreading what he would say.
“You can either run from what you are, or you can embrace it. The choice is yours.”
Chapter 32
Gabby returned to her room and locked the door behind her. She paced, mind racing and heart hammering in her chest. Victor’s tale was ridiculous. There had to be another explanation. Maybe she had been drugged. Maybe she was hallucinating. Her ability to reason had always complemented her in her journalism.
Get ahold of yourself, Gabby.
“Werewolves aren’t real. Vampires aren’t real. This is all a bad dream.” She spoke the mantra over and over again, wishing that she could just wake up. Her mundane life had sucked, but at least it had been normal. To think that what Victor said was true was mind-blowing. The world was bad enough with crazy humans running about causing hell on earth; the last thing it needed was real monsters.
Perhaps the worst part of the whole thing was being lied to her entire life. She had always been coddled by her family, who believed that she wasn’t strong enough to deal with the truth. They had excluded her from the family business in their attempts to shelter her from the supernatural world. That, above all else, hurt the most.
If they had given her a chance, perhaps she would have grown into a stronger person. Now her mother and sister were dead, and her father rarely even recognized her. In the end, they had left her alone and unprepared in the world they had tried to save her from.
Gabby wiped angrily at tears that would not stop falling. The pain of betrayal burned brightly in her chest, constricting her throat and leaving her shuddering for breath. She fell on the bed and cried until there was nothing left.
Of course they tried to shelter me from it all. I can hardly deal with regular life. I’m weak. A coward. I’m nothing like my family. I’m nothing . . .
Gabby lay there on the bed, spent. Slowly her mind quieted, and she became numb. She had been through so much in the past week that something had finally snapped inside of her. Her entire life, she had worried about everything coming crashing down. Now that it had, she realized that all those years spent worrying had been useless, wasted years.
No more.
Gabby forced herself to get up from the bed. She had to get the hell out of here. Victor was either crazy or exactly what he claimed to be. In either case, she didn’t want anything to do with him or the “Otherworld.” All she wanted was her old life back.
Her eyes immediately went to the big bay window. She ran over to it and disengaged the lock and pushed it open. The moon hung high and full in the clear sky. The ocean crashed against the rocky coast, and the wind blew back her hair. Looking down, she determined the drop to be about twenty feet. She imagined the fall. Likely she would break a leg.
Stop it. You can do this.
Gabby gathered her courage, drawing from her fear and sorrow. She got up on the sill and swung her legs out, one after another. Luckily the stone wall was not smooth, but rather provided ample foot- and handholds with which to steady herself. Trying not to look down, she began to descend ever so slowly. She nearly slipped more than once, but after many tense minutes, she finally touched down on solid ground.
Exhilarated, she turned from the coast and ran as fast as she could to the forest.
Gabby slowed to a brisk hike when she reached the dark woods. Her lungs burned, and her bare feet hurt already, but she was free. With any luck, she would soon come across a highway and hitch a ride out of this nightmare. Then she would return to Chicago and pretend that none of this had ever happened. She would live a normal, boring life. And for the first time, she would appreciate it.
A shadow flew overhead, and Gabby froze. She searched the canopy of trees and then watched the forest. Nothing stirred. Had she been imagining things? Had it been a bird’s shadow made bigger by the light of the moon? She had seen it only fleetingly after all. Perhaps it was just a . . .
It flew overhead again, a great winged beast with a long tail and two curved horns.
Victor.
“Leave me alone!” she cried into the night.
“This is not your destiny,” said Victor. His voice came from all directions.
Gabby twirled in a circle, searching the sky. “You said that it was my choice. This is what I have chosen! Leave me alone!”
Victor flew over the treetops once more, and Gabby sprinted off in the other direction. She ran and ran, heedless of the painful rocky ground and the trees tugging on her dress and scraping her knees. Finally, she came to a clearing. She stopped and listened. Cars could be heard far off in the distance. Searching the sky one last time, she ran across the mercifully grassy field.
Gabby had nearly gotten to the other side of the field when Victor suddenly landed in front of her. She cried out when she saw his true form and reeled back, falling on her ass. Victor stood before her, shining in the moonlight. His skin was black as night. Large black feathered wings spread out behind him. Two long horns curved up from his hairless head, and his dark eyes held her frozen in their infinite depths. His muscled form was very human, yet alien and terrible all the same. Still, there was a beauty to it. His face was unrecognizable, yet it was not unpleasant to look at.
“This is not your destiny,” he said in a deep voice. “You have run your entire
life. Now you have a chance to become something more than you ever were.”
“Get away from me,” she said, scrambling back when he advanced.
He stopped, regarded her with something like sympathy, and changed before her eyes. The tail, wings, horns, and onyx skin all disappeared, leaving Victor standing before her, naked and human.
“Please. I am only trying to help you. You need run no longer. Embrace your true self. Become what you were meant to be.”
“I can’t! I’m nothing like my sister. She was strong and brave. She wasn’t afraid of anything.”
“You are brave as well, Gabriella,” said Victor as he moved closer to her.
She averted her eyes from the intensity of his stare.
He lifted her chin with a gentle hand. “You are brave. You are strong. And you are beautiful. If you could only see what I see in you . . .”
“Don’t say things like that.”
“It takes fear to be brave. And it takes courage to confront the most dangerous man in Chicago. Your parents left you alone in a dangerous world. But you need not be alone. I can teach you to hunt demons like Michael Steele. You need never run away again, for once you realize your true power, the monsters will run from you. They will cower at the mention of the name Gabriella Cross.”
Victor touched her face, gazing at her with electric-blue eyes.
Her emotions were stirred by his words. She was tired of running. She was tired of being afraid. All her life, she had quietly let people walk all over her. She knew that a man like Michael Steele with his billions of dollars would never see justice—unless she gave it to him.
Passion stirred inside her, and she wrapped her arms around Victor and kissed him. He embraced her, kissing her gently at first, but then quickening as the passion rose between them. In his hunger, Victor tore her dress in two and lifted her onto him. She clung to him and wrapped her legs around him. He was rock hard as he pressed against her pelvic bone. She angled herself up and arched her back, wetting him with her moistening folds. She guided him into her with her hips and cried out in ecstasy.
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