Caressed by the Edge of Darkness

by Amanda J. Greene

  Jordan shook her head. Yeah, only some are literal while others are figurative, she thought. Gabriel didn’t just have demons, he was a demon. Deception was in his nature. Had his words been calculated movements? What had he hoped to gain from her? If he’d wanted her blood or her body, he could’ve easily taken both. Was he planning on using her as a bargaining chip? He seemed concerned for her wellbeing, but an unhealthy bleeder wouldn’t fetch a solid price.

  No. Gabriel wasn’t like the vampires that had kidnapped her. Then there was Scott. He wouldn’t heal her so she could be sold. He wouldn’t allow anyone to harm her. But he’s a vampire too. He isn’t the charming, easy going surgeon/hunter that used to tuck me in at night…Still, his smile is warm and his caring demeanor is the same…

  Jordan drew a sharp breath between her teeth as she struggled to focus her thoughts. Calming her mind, she leveled her gaze on Gabriel. The vampire stood, his hands clasped behind his back, his piercing green eyes locked on her, chilling.

  “You didn’t kill him,” she stated, pointing at Klein. “Or the guards in the purchasing room. Why?”

  He impassively responded, “I’ve my reasons.”

  Her fists clenched at her sides and she carefully retreated a step then two. “You brought them here?”

  “The guards from the purchasing room? No.”

  Her irritation was quickly boiling into anger. “The ones who gave chase,” she clarified.

  “Some.”

  He refused to give her a full answer. “Why?” she demanded.

  Gabriel’s wide shoulders rolled, his form fitting jacket pulled taught over his muscles. “Questioning.”

  Had he bagged other guards when he raided the slave warehouses? Was that how he’d been able to track the trader’s movements and find the auction? What did he do with the guards once he’d procured the information he sought? Did he leave them out for the sun to claim like hunter tradition? Did he catch and release or did he offer them a place in his faction? She’d over heard a few guards debating the pros and cons of switching their allegiance since the “Blood Bastard King” would offer his enemies a chance to join his ranks before he destroyed them. Would he extend that courtesy to Klein? She couldn’t allow that. She wouldn’t. She’d vowed to drive a blade through the bastard’s heart and nothing and no one would stop her.

  Another possibility formed and threatened to make her violently ill. Klein was a high ranking officer of Gabriel’s enemy’s faction. He could be used for ransom or prisoner exchange. Or worse, Gabriel could plan to use her in the same fashion. She’d been the only human he liberated last night and he’d brought her here. He’d kept her close. Like a dizzy school girl, she’d hoped he’d brought her to his vampire den because she was somehow different from the others, that she was special. Not going to acknowledge that tinge of disappointment, but will focus on the stab of betrayal. She’d fight Gabriel with all she had if sending her back to those repugnant, ruthless, blood-suckers was his plan. Lord, she’d believed his pretty words of freedom.

  Gabriel stepped from behind the desk. “If you will excuse me, I’ve work to attend to.”

  Jordan shifted and placed herself directly in his path. “We’re not done.”

  His cold gaze sharped, but his indifferent expression remained firmly in place as he replied with a bored drawl, “We’ve nothing more to discuss.”

  “The hell you say!” she snapped and his crystal green eyes flickered with obsidian shadows.

  He held his demon at bay, but she could tell underneath his controlled façade the beast lurked. She’d dared to challenge him and as she held his stare she saw the vampire within him, ready to attack, to rend flesh and muscle with teeth and claws.

  Her instinct demanded she be cautious. She couldn’t take him in a fight. He wasn’t like the lowly, loathsome outcastes she’d fought in the past.

  Focusing on her breathing, she forced herself to calm down, but she didn’t relax her guard. “What are your plans for the Slave Handler?”

  “As previously stated, questioning.”

  “I’m sorry, vampire, but repeating answers isn’t allowed,” she said, mimicking a game show host’s chime. “Would you like to try again to earn points?”

  “No.” Gabriel moved to step around her, but she slid to the side blocking his exit again. She knew he could escape her with little effort, but he remained.

  “After you question him, what then?”

  Anger flared in the depths of his gaze but was instantly extinguished. “He is a prisoner.”

  “He can’t be trusted. Ross is dangerous—”

  “No.” Gabriel closed the space between them. Jordan craned her neck back to meet his gaze. His size was overwhelming, his stare intimidating and the heat of his solid body…Jordan clenched her fists even tighter, her nails biting into her palms. She refused to lean into him and she wouldn’t run her hands over his hard chest or tunnel her fingers through the hair at his nape. She didn’t want to rise on her tip toes and lay claim to his lips.

  Gabriel tilted his head down, his breath caressed the side of her face. “I am dangerous, sweetheart. You’d be wise to remember that.”

  Her throat suddenly dry, she asked, “A-Are you threatening me?”

  He straightened and took a step back. His expression and his eyes softened. “I state fact. Klein is secured and well-guarded. Never again will he cause you harm.”

  “Fine. If you won’t answer my questions regarding the Slave Handler, then answer this: why am I here?”

  “Jordan.”

  She felt his exasperated sigh as if it were her own. “You said it yourself, the humans you release are treated at the clinic and or some other safe-house, but you brought me here. To your home. You’re clearly not the type that enjoys slumber parties.”

  “I explained last night, you were the only mortal taken from the auction. We had little choice but to bring you with us. Not to mention, every second that past brought us closer to sunrise. There was little time to drop you at a safe-house.”

  “Another repeat,” she chided.

  He didn’t acknowledge her acidic tone and continued, “You are safe here and once you are well, you will be free to go.”

  “Just like that? No strings attached?”

  He gave a clipped nod. “None. You have my word.”

  “And what is the vow of a vampire worth?”

  Gabriel’s jaw clenched so hard, Jordan could hear his teeth grinding. She knew she should stop, but something inside her urged her on. It wanted to see him snap. “You’ve given me no real explanation—”

  “I owe you none,” he snarled. “Klein is my prisoner and his fate does not concern you.”

  “He is your enemy, correct?”

  His eyes narrowed and he replied with a silent nod.

  “Yet he, the guards, and that bitch hostess still live.”

  “Captives can prove useful in war,” his voice rumbled unnaturally rough and deep. “Sparing lives can be necessary. You should know that.”

  “Another vague answer, shocker!” She placed her hands on her hips. “Let’s review facts as I see them. You went to the auction house, for reasons unknown. You not only bid on slave Number Fifteen, you won her.”

  Black flickered within his green eyes like a torch’s flame and his lips curled back over his sharpening fangs. She ignored the warning signs and charged on, “You were in the purchasing room, negotiating terms with X-Tina when your slave was brought in.”

  He growled, “Chose your words wisely, mortal.”

  Jordan shivered as the temperature instantly dropped ten degrees. Had he done that? It didn’t matter, she had to press, “A warrior as hardened as you would’ve killed his enemies.”

  “Is that so?” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, demonic black bled into the light green. Consuming. “You doubt my purpose and you doubt my word.”

  Damn straight, she thought but he hadn’t asked a question.

  “If it is bloodshed you seek, my sweet, ask and
you shall receive.” Without taking his demonic dark eyes from her, he pressed a button on the key board. “Gannon, will you kindly escort one of our guests to the study? I don’t care which.” He didn’t wait for a response, instead he slid open a desk draw and removed a set of damaged gloves. “I’d hoped to spare you this, but allow me to demonstrate how ruthless I truly am.”

  Jordan flinched. Oh, god, what had she done? What was he going to do? “Gabriel, I—”

  “Are getting exactly what you wanted,” he coldly finished, fitting the leather over his fingers.

  No, this wasn’t what she wanted. She hadn’t meant to shove him over the edge. She’d only wanted an explanation. She only wanted to make sense out of this nightmarish situation.

  She jumped at the sound of a fist pounding on the door. Gabriel didn’t say a word when the threshold flung open. A tall, tanned man with midnight black hair and hard hazel eyes entered the room. He didn’t look her way, nor did the two soldiers that hauled a struggling vampire with them.

  Jordan felt the world fall from beneath her feet as sickening realization sank in. She’d gone way too far.

  “Blood bastard,” the vampire snarled. “You’ve no right to hold us.”

  In a flicker of movement, Gabriel stood before the prisoner. “On the contrary, I’ve every right. As your King, your life belongs to me.”

  The guard lunged toward Gabriel, but the soldiers held him firm.

  “You’re fucking filth. A disgrace to vampire kind. Bastards like you should burn in the sun.”

  Gabriel ignored the insults that continued to fly and returned his focus to Jordan. She wrapped her arms around her middle as fear fluttered in her stomach.

  “Is this one of the guards who hurt you?”

  The air punched from her lungs as she watched a blade slip from its hiding place beneath Gabriel’s jacket sleeve. His long fingers wrapped around the hilt.

  “You’d spare mortals like this whore!” The guard spat in Jordan’s direction. Gabriel delivered a ruthless right hook and his head snapped to the side. Blood filled his mouth and dripped down his chin as he continued to rail.

  “Did he harm you?”

  She swallowed hard and wet her lips. Yes, this guard had been the one to tackle her in the parking lot the night of her abduction. He’d handcuffed and gagged her before tossing her into a waiting van. Over the last months, he’d dragged her across many slave warehouse floors, kicking her awake from a drug induced sleep to feed her crumbs. He’d thrown water in her face when she asked for a drink and laughed as she panted from dehydration. He’d beaten her fellow slaves, restrained them as they were branded.

  “It is a simple question with a simple answer,” Gabriel pressed.

  “Lowly slut!” the guard snarled. “I should’ve fucked you and bled you dry.”

  Gabriel struck him again. Teeth and fangs scattered across the polished hardwood floor.

  The soldiers forced the guard to his knees.

  Jordan opened her mouth, but no words came to her lips. Her heart pounded so loud, it drowned out everything but Gabriel’s guttural voice. He spoke slowly, pausing after every word, “Did he hurt you?”

  Hypnotized by his demon black gaze, Jordan swayed beneath the intensity. Would she faint? No, she couldn’t faint, but she felt the darkness rising. Not to claim her, but to embrace her. She felt Gabriel’s cold purpose as if it were her own and she surrendered to the sensation with a simple lowering of her head.

  Gabriel’s blade swung with such speed and precision, not even the vampires in the room noticed his movements or heard the sound of splintering bone. Not a single drop of crimson fell from Gabriel’s knife as the guard’s head rolled to join the discarded teeth.

  Jordan turned her back while the soldiers silently collected the remains and departed. She clenched the locket in her hand and whispered a prayer for strength and forgiveness. Gabriel had been right; it was bloodshed she’d sought. Never had she been so merciless, so ready to see death delivered. She’d pushed Gabriel to this outcome. How else was he to prove beyond a doubt his loyalty to her and his cause?

  Existing among the vampires for so long, living surrounded by so much violence, it must have changed her.

  “Jordan?”

  She couldn’t look at him now and she couldn’t stand to see the puddle of blood that doubtless coated the floor.

  Gabriel stepped in front of her. “You are not a slave. You are not a prisoner.”

  He framed her face, his gloves gone. The heat of his touch scorched her. The sensation startled her from her shocked stupor. His fangs had receded, but his eyes remained black as coal—intense, vacant, and haunting. A chill tickled her spine. Fear? Desire? Were they one and the same?

  She closed her eyes, savoring the rough growl of his voice as he rasped, “You don’t have to like me. You don’t have to trust me. But never doubt my hate, my goals, or my word.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gabriel had hoped to spare Jordan, to shield her from the demon that lurked in his soul. Had he thought if she never discovered the darkness he possessed that she’d…love him?

  His head whipped back as if he’d been punched. He did not want her love. He did not want her to have any tender feelings for him, just as he didn’t want her to unearth those long buried emotions within him.

  But after his merciless display, would she fear him?

  He wouldn’t be able to tolerate her fear. He’d rather she hate him. Hate he could handle. Hate he understood. Hate was more a part of him than his soul.

  If she wanted to lump him in with the other vampires she’d known, then so be it. He’d thought, hoped, Jordan might view him differently and for a handful of blissful moments, she had. She’d seen him as her savior, a man to be respected and desired.

  Nothing good ever lasts.

  He didn’t regret slaying the guard and wouldn’t apologize for his cold behavior. Grudgingly, he admitted he could’ve handled the situation better. He’d beheaded the vampire, threatened Jordan then snapped at Gannon to escort the human to her quarters and stormed from the room. I’m sorry wasn’t a phrase he was accustom to and rarely did he deserve forgiveness. But if an apology would help alleviate her anxiety he’d give it.

  Gabriel dropped his gaze to the glass of Silver Moon in his hand. Just months ago he would’ve laughed until tears pricked his eyes at the thought of begging pardon from anyone. Jack Frost himself would’ve had to rise from Hell before he’d ever consider apologizing to a mortal. He’d changed. He didn’t know exactly when or how, but he knew why. Jordan.

  She had done this to him. Gabriel knew he’d treated her differently, thought of her differently, but he never considered that she’d actually have a permanent impact on him. When he’d cupped her face and peered into her eyes, he saw her. He’d seen straight into her heart, her soul, and the beauty astounded him. She had her battle scars, doubts, and insecurities—just like him—but she was fierce, resilient, and a survivor—just like him.

  He didn’t understand what was happening to him or what was happening between them, but he knew the human was the cause. Disturbed by the effect she had on him and infuriated by her words, he had lashed out at her. Unable to destroy the source of the emotional hurricane that whipped through him, Gabriel focused on Klein.

  He’d taken a little too much pleasure from the Slaver Handler’s torture and eventual death. The sick bastard confessed to poisoning Jordan. He’d planned on turning her and keeping her for his own once she became too ill to place on the auction block. Gabriel had watched from the shadows of his home as Klein’s bloodied and battered body burned beneath the brilliant rays of the early morning sun.

  The Slave Handler deserved worse, but Gabriel was impatient. He wanted to be done with the vampire and he wanted to get away from Jordan. Gabriel couldn’t trust himself around her. Even as he worked on the guards, he’d lose focus. His thoughts repeatedly returned to her. He’d promise her anything, make any sacrifice she desired just as long as
she allowed him to hold her, to cherish her, to bask in her warmth. But he didn’t deserve her warmth and he sure as fuck didn’t want it. Disgusted by his weakness, needing to be rid of temptation, he left for the city. He was too aware of her and she of him. He’d noted the dilation of her pupils, the quickened cadence of her heartbeat every time they were near. The scent of her arousal and knowing she wanted him was driving him mad. His sexual desires had never been so intense or focused.

  Got to appreciate blacked out window tint and underground garage structures.

  It wasn’t necessary for him to stay at the compound. He had provided Scott with his blood. The doctor would monitor her health and, when the urge to touch her faded, Gabriel planned to send for her. He knew he couldn’t keep Jordan locked away at the compound forever and he didn’t want to. He rescued her with every intention of setting her free. If she came to the city, she could acclimate to human society at her own pace. She could work and save money before setting out on her own.

  Unbidden images of Jordan sent his mind reeling. Her hair spread over his pillows, her body arching against his. He ran his tongue over his fangs, imagining her flesh give beneath his bite, the taste of her blood…He shuddered and quickly finished the drink he held.

  Gabriel turned from the wall of windows and the crowded streets of the city to stalk back to the bar.

  Convinced a few rounds of spirited sex is all he needed to forget the mortal, he’d welcomed a trio of ecstatic vampire beauties into his bed the last two nights. The women had pleasured each other, licked, bit and drank from each other’s breasts and thighs. They climbed on him, rubbed all over him, and stroked his cock through his pants. The ladies had put on a magnificent show, but whenever one began to fumble with his zipper ice flashed through his veins, his stomach churned, and the strangest emotion pierced his heart. Angered with himself, he’d sent them away each night and turned to the powerful forgetting powers of alcohol since sex wouldn’t do at the moment.

  As the sun rose and the steel curtains fell over the windows, Gabriel stood alone in his three story penthouse overlooking the glowing Las Vegas Strip, his thoughts cast back to the sweet temptress he left behind. The one with waves and waves of deep burgundy hair, violet eyes a man could drown in, and a whiskey voice that belonged to a sensual siren of myth.