“Yes, you were.”
“So, you all saw…?”
“You two making out like your ship was going down?” Crystal laughed. “Yes, we certainly did.”
“Oh.” Crap.
“Details,” Crystal pried. “You’ve got to give us something, Carly.”
Carly shrugged as she set the coffee to brew. “We kissed. That’s about it.”
“That’s not it,” Sharla snapped as she stepped out from between Crystal and Esther. “We know there’s more you’re not telling us. Is Gabe your boyfriend now?”
“I don’t know.”
“How could you not know something like that?”
“Because it didn’t exactly come up,” Carly told her, and suddenly wished it had.
“Yeah, you looked a little busy out there,” Crystal teased with a wink.
Carly tapped her fingers on the countertop, watching the coffee brew. “What’s, um, what’s the plan for tonight?”
“Your dad said we could all stay over,” Sharla answered. “We should make popcorn and watch a movie.”
“A chick flick,” Crystal insisted. “None of that horror crap. You can save that for your boyfriend, Carly.”
“If that’s the plan, I’m heading out,” Esther announced, walking toward the back door.
“You’re leaving?” Carly questioned.
Esther rolled her eyes. “Do you think it’s appropriate that all the women stay behind while the guys are out there risking their lives? We can’t let the patriarchy win out that easily.” And just like that, she was gone.
“Don’t mind her,” Crystal advised. “She gets moody when Gabe leaves her out. But then again, he was distracted.”
“I don’t want any of them to have to be out there,” Carly determined.
“Well, like it or not, we’re all stuck looking out for you,” Sharla spoke up as she took it upon herself to dig through the cupboards for a bag of popcorn. She threw it in the microwave, and added, “But at least in here, there’s food.”
“Make yourself at home,” Carly quipped.
“I already have,” Sharla shot back.
Carly fixed her gaze out the window, her thoughts turning to Gabe. Was he safe out there? Would he have any problems making it through the night, making it back to her?
“I can guarantee he doesn’t want you to worry, Carly,” Crystal told her. “Worrying won’t help anything.”
“I just hate that I’m stuck here,” Carly admitted. “I hate that I’m making us all so vulnerable.”
“Well, sometimes life sucks, but you get through it.”
Carly managed a small smile at Crys’s enthusiasm. “I suppose you do.”
The microwave beeped, and Sharla dug out a bowl for the popcorn. “You two can do whatever you want, but I’m going to get a movie started.”
Carly decided a movie might be a nice diversion, and said, “Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait to see what you pick out.”
* * *
“We shouldn’t wake her—we don’t know anything yet.”
“But there’s an alert in his mind. Don’t you think she’d want to know?”
“Right now, it’s just an alert. If it’s really important, he’d tell us.”
Carly’s eyes fluttered open as she tried to make sense of the voices: Crystal and Sharla. Carly couldn’t distinguish who was saying what as she forced herself up to face them. “What’s going on?”
Sharla huffed out a sigh as she looked up from her fashion magazine. “Gabe’s…”
“Gabe’s what?” Carly insisted, her head swimming in possibilities of what could have happened. “Is he okay?”
Crystal sat down on the sectional next to her and took her hand. “Yes, Carly, Gabe’s fine. But we sense he went into attack mode—that he’s killed something. We’re just not sure what.”
“A ruskah?”
“It could be anything.”
“Anything?” Carly questioned, stealing her hand back.
“Sometimes when we’re in our primary forms, we hunt for food,” Crystal pointed out. “It’s just as likely he killed a mouse or something.”
“It wasn’t a mouse, and you know it,” Sharla snapped. “Whatever he killed was supernatural. You just don’t want her to know because you’re trying to baby her. Gabe’s been smothering you, Carly. He’s made us all promise to hide our true nature until he thinks you’re ready to handle it. But since you’re his girlfriend now, you’d better wisen up. Shapeshifters aren’t always pretty and neat and picturesque. Whatever Gabe destroyed tonight brought him a great deal of pleasure. Almost as much as when he kissed you.”
Carly balled her hands into fists as she jumped up from the sofa and walked over to stare out into the dark tree line. Sharla was obviously jealous, and that’s why she had such an attitude—but it was annoying all the same. “You’re sure Gabe’s okay?”
“Yes,” Crystal confirmed. “He’s fine.”
“I’ll feel a lot better when he can tell me that…” Carly’s words trailed off as a large, gray and white wolf stalked into the yard. She blinked as she looked over Gabe’s primary form, which she wasn’t accustomed to seeing. He shifted from wolf to human midstride and headed for the house.
Carly was momentarily stunned by the supernatural transformation. It was one thing to speak of shapeshifting, but quite another entirely to witness it. She attempted to accept her new normal as she found her feet and hurried through the house to meet Gabe at the back door.
But there wasn’t anything normal about the scrapes and scratches covering his face, neck, and arms, and the muddy, black liquid dripping from his lips and chin. Carly shook herself from her stupor and skipped over to meet him. She was both awestruck and terrified by his condition.
“Then you should see the ruskah,” Gabe grunted with a satisfied smirk.
Carly marveled over the splatter of black goo gunking up his otherwise flawless face, and brought her hand to wipe it from his lips.
But Gabe was quick to bat her fingers away. “It’s ruskah blood. You shouldn’t let it make contact with your skin.”
“Ruskah blood?” Carly gasped. “You killed it.”
“Yes. No.” Gabe slipped past her and tore his t-shirt over his head. He stowed the garment in the garbage before stepping over to the sink. Carly watched as he started the water and plunged his head underneath. He dowsed his hair and face in dish soap, rinsed, and did the same thing all over again. He hovered over the sink as he wrung out his hair, and asked, “Could I get a towel?”
Carly opened her mouth to reply, but was too transfixed on him to actually answer.
Crystal dug through one of the drawers in the island and handed Gabe a stack of dish towels. “It went well out there, I take it?”
“Depends on your definition of well,” he answered, his gaze locking with Carly’s as he ran a towel over his hair. “I was so close. I was so close to the ruskah who attacked you and killed your mother… I was close, Carly, but I’m sorry, I wasn’t close enough.”
“But you killed something,” Sharla spoke up, happily positioning herself between Carly and Gabe. “It’s written all over your thoughts.”
“Yeah, I killed something, all right,” Gabe confirmed, throwing the damp towels over the edge of the sink. “I killed the damned thing’s mate. Which means I’ve essentially started a war, and the ruskah’s not going to rest until one of us is dead.”
Gabe dead. A rush of pain waved over Carly as such a thing crossed her mind. She couldn’t lose him now—not after he’d already risked so much for her.
“Carly,” Gabe whispered, his arms wrapping in around her waist.
She hated how easily she melted into him, how much she’d come to need him in the short time they’d known one another. It made her feel vulnerable in a way she hadn’t since her mother’s passing. She’d come to Sterling with nothing to lose, but Gabe had gone and changed all that.
His mouth was right at her ear as he vowed, “I’ll never let any
thing happen to you. Do you hear me? I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe.”
“I checked the yard again,” Abel announced as he burst through the back door.
Carly turned to face him, though she didn’t untangle herself from Gabriel’s arms. She wasn’t all that surprised by Abel’s startled gaze, and figured it’d be good for him to get used to seeing her with Gabe. Because as far as Carly was concerned, she was never letting him go.
Abel’s eyes fell. “The others are all still out there. Howard doesn’t think the other ruskah’s going to attack tonight, but I have my doubts. Now’s definitely not the time to let our guard down.”
“Good call,” Crystal said. “Sharla and I will come out and help. Gabe, why don’t you stay with Carly?”
Gabe tensed in Carly’s arms. “I should probably head back out there, just in case.”
“Yeah,” Sharla was quick to agree. “He should probably head back out there, just in case.”
“I think you’ve earned a break, Gabe,” Crys spoke, grabbing Sharla’s arm to lead her to the door. “Besides, I’m sure if Sharla and I combine our efforts, we can cover the duties of a full blood. Have a good night, you two.”
“Thanks,” Carly managed as they shuffled out the door, leaving her alone with Gabe. It was only then, when it was just the two of them, that her nerves got the best of her and she thought to pull away. “You really killed that thing?”
“That’s right,” Gabe confirmed, resting his hands on her hips.
She pored over his face, looking for any trace of ruskah blood. But it seemed he’d washed it all away. “What would have happened? If I’d touched the blood?”
Gabe flinched. “I can’t say for sure, but according to legend, it acts as a poison in the bloodstream that would eat you from the inside out in a matter of minutes. So, not worth the risk of finding out if it’s true.”
The weight of that possibility hit her, and Carly thought she might puke.
“There’s a reason I didn’t tell you before,” he said. “Because I know it’s a lot, and I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Maybe I need to be scared. This is real, Gabe, and it’s my life. Withholding information isn’t going to help either of us.”
“You’re right, Carly. I’m sorry I assumed you couldn’t handle it.”
“It doesn’t matter if I can or not,” she said. “I still need the full story.”
“Then I promise you’ll get it from now on,” Gabe vowed with a yawn.
“Come on,” Carly said, reaching for his hand. Sparks hummed between them as Gabe happily followed along.
“Where are we going?” he asked as Carly led him up the back staircase.
“To take a nap.”
Gabe paused on the step before the first landing. “And your dad’s going to be okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Carly questioned, already knowing the answer as she locked eyes with Gabe.
“I think he was okay with it when we were just friends, but we’re kind of past that now, aren’t we?”
“Are we?”
“I was hoping so,” Gabe answered, and kissed her on the mouth.
Carly was more than happy to return the kiss, but her nerves soon got the best of her, and she tugged on his hand to pull him along. She thought Gabe might put up more of a fight when she closed them up in her room and led him to the bed, but he didn’t protest as he lie down beside her.
Carly rested her head on his bare chest, too afraid to look him in the eye, too afraid to ruin the beauty of this surreal moment. Gabe had killed a ruskah for her; Gabe had risked his life for her. For as long as she lived, Carly would never forget it.
“Abel was right about one thing,” Gabe said, his voice booming through his chest as he stroked Carly’s hair.
“What’s that?”
“It’s no time to let our guard down.”
A shiver raced through her, and she dared to meet Gabe’s icy gaze.
“Tonight was no victory,” he spoke with purpose. “We can’t celebrate anything until that other ruskah is dead.”
Carly admired his determination, admired everything about him. This was the craziest experience of her life, and she didn’t know where she’d be without Gabe.
“I don’t know where I’d be without you either,” he whispered.
Carly cracked a smile, focusing on the scratches covering his nose and cheeks. “They’re already healing.”
“What’s already healing?”
“The cuts on your face.”
“Not surprising,” Gabe said. “We tend to bounce back pretty quick from physical injury.”
Her gaze drifted to a red scratch on his chest, the edges pink with new skin. “Did the ruskah claw through your shirt?”
“Well, considering the shift is both physical and supernatural, anything I’m wearing or carrying becomes a part of me when I transform. Not just my clothes, but a backpack or a book—anything I’m in contact with when I shift.”
“So that’s why you’re not… naked when you turn back into yourself?” Her eyes trailed up to his, and she noticed Gabe was blushing.
“Y-yeah,” he stammered, the echo of his heartbeat racing in her ear. “But I don’t look at it like I’m turning back into myself. I’m myself whether or not I’m in my human form.”
“What about people?” she asked.
Gabe let out an anxious laugh. “What about people?”
“And here I thought you can hear what I’m thinking.”
“A lot of the time, but…”
“But it’s been a long night?” Carly guessed.
“Something like that, yeah,” he replied.
“I meant, can you bring other people into your shift with you? Like right now, with me this close, could you shift and make me a part of you?”
Gabe shuddered. “What you’re proposing… That’s the stuff of legend, Carly. Yeah, I’ve read about it happening before, but not to anyone I know, and certainly not me.”
“It’s not fair,” she told him.
“What’s not fair?” he asked.
“You know so much about what we are, and I don’t know anything.”
“That’s not your fault, and something we can easily remedy.” Gabe yawned, exhaustion painting his face. “But maybe not tonight? Sorry, I’m wiped.”
“Of course you are, after the night you’ve had,” she said, snuggling into his side. “We’ll talk more tomorrow?”
She felt Gabe’s lips graze the top of her head. “It’s a date.”
twenty-one
“…Because there are rules in this house, Gabriel, and none of them involve you, half-naked, sleeping in the same bed as my teenage daughter!”
Carly woke to voices on the staircase and shot up out of bed. She raced to the door, where she found Gabe and her father arguing on the steps. “What’s going on?”
“What’s going on?” Howard mocked, his gaze burning a hole right through her. “Carly, I understand you’re growing up, but sharing your bed with a boy is absolutely unacceptable. This was the last thing I figured I’d have to deal with this morning. I can’t believe you two!”
“Dad, he’s stayed here before,” Carly reasoned. “It shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“It is a big deal when you’re in a relationship with him. You are in a relationship, correct? At least, your actions last night made it seem—”
“Yes, Dad,” she interjected, planting her hands on her hips as she glanced at Gabe. His hair was covering most of his red face, and his hands were shoved in his pockets. “We’re together.”
Howard huffed out a sigh, rubbing at his eyes with his palms. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“I think I should probably head home now,” Gabe decided, turning away from them. “I’ll call you later, Carly.”
“No!” she cried in protest, desperate for some way to fix this. “I mean, come on, Dad. You’re going to do this now? When I’ve never been in more danger? I
f you make Gabe leave, I’ll only go with him.”
Howard pursed his lips, none too pleased with her threat.
“Seriously, Dad, can’t we come to some sort of compromise?” Carly begged. “Just until we’ve figured out something with the ruskah. Please?”
Howard reached for the handrail, his gaze falling. Which indicated he didn’t have a better solution to keep her safe. “All right, but just until we figure out something with the ruskah. Come with me, Gabriel, and I’ll get you a shirt. Why don’t you get dressed, Carly, and meet us downstairs? I’ll go ahead and get breakfast started.”
Legacy: Bloodline Book 1 Page 21