The phone calls hadn’t stopped either. In fact they were becoming more frequent as time went on, and Gabriel still refused to tell me who his business contact was or what they were doing. I was growing tired of his refusal to tell me anything.
After we returned to the nest I could tell something wasn’t right. Gabriel was unusually subdued. He often remains quiet, choosing to focus on watching his surroundings rather than interfering with them, but usually the silence is comfortable. This was filled with anxiety and I could tell he was building up the courage to tell me something.
As I changed out of my hunting clothes he avoided me, and this just confirmed my suspicions. He paced around the living room and I decided to make it easy for him.
I walked up and took his hands in mine. His face was solemn and serious.
“Gabriel, what’s wrong?” I asked him. He pretended to be shocked but in reality I could tell that he was relieved I had brought it up and avoided the awkwardness.
He looked down at our intertwined hands, obviously trying to build up the courage to talk. “I’m going away for a couple of days, it shouldn’t be more than two. It’s a business thing. I thought I should tell you.”
“When are you going?” I asked, trying to hide my annoyance. We had just managed to get things back on track, and he was already running away.
He paused before answering and I knew I wouldn’t like what was coming.
“Tomorrow” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
He wasn’t sorry. I could tell. He was sorry for letting me down but he wasn’t sorry about going on the trip. Whoever his partner was they were becoming more important to him than I was.
Nodding my head, I walked back into the bedroom. I wasn’t in the mood to have a long discussion about it and I knew I couldn’t change his mind. He had something he had to do and I wasn’t going to stand in his way. I just had to deal with it.
At least I was used to hunting alone now. I had grown much more strong willed and confident during my time without Gabriel. Only a few months ago Gabriel’s absence would have left me terrified for my own safety, but now I was sure I could do it. I had coped for weeks on my own. I didn’t want to, but I knew that I could.
It was only going to be a couple of nights but I knew I would be exposed. I was alone and being followed by a stalker whose intentions were unknown, just at the moment I was at my most vulnerable.
Gabriel slipped into the bed next to me at some point but I didn’t talk to him. I refused to give in to him, despite how much I wanted to. I wasn’t happy about the abandonment and my worries about his victim choices were resurfacing. Something was wrong and he wouldn’t tell me. It was the secrecy which worried me the most.
When I woke the next night Gabriel had already gone. I had expected some kind of goodbye from him, even if that meant waking me, but his work was obviously more important to him than his relationship. I tried not to be petty, but I couldn’t help it.
As I changed I found a small note stuck to the mirror on the wall. Gabriel’s sweeping, scrawling handwriting was distinctive and I was suddenly warmed by this gesture. He may not have woken me to say goodbye but he had at least thought about me.
I took the note from the mirror and read it carefully.
Dear Louisa,
I’m sorry I have to leave you on your own. I wish I didn’t have to go but it’s important. If it wasn’t I wouldn’t leave you. I know I will miss you while I’m away and I hope you miss me too.
You mean everything to me. I wish I could explain that in a way you would understand.
I should only be away for a couple of nights. I will try to be back as soon as I possibly can. If there are any changes then I will phone you, I promise.
Don’t forget how much you mean to me.
Gabriel
I tried to stay angry but I couldn’t. The note was beautiful and I was touched by the gesture. We may have had our problems but Gabriel knew exactly how to win me over every time.
I folded the note up and put it in the pocket of the dress I was wearing. It was a new piece which Gabriel had bought for me the week before. It was red, of course, as red was my signature colour. It highlighted my pale skin and blonde hair better than any other shade.
I may have been missing my other half but I felt ready for the night ahead. I didn’t even pay attention to the prying neighbours who always viewed me with a strange mixture of jealousy and admiration. I could tell they would notice that Gabriel and I weren’t leaving together, and they would probably be quietly pleased that the man they all lusted after wasn’t on my arm anymore.
Finding a location on my own was difficult but I decided to go to the couples make out spot that we had been to so many times. I probably wouldn’t pick out a couple, maybe a teen waiting for their partner to arrive, but I could decide that when I got there.
Just before I reached my chosen hunting ground, my mind filling with thoughts of Gabriel, I felt the now familiar prickling sensation that came around my stalker. He was close. I didn’t know what to do. I kept walking, hoping that my stalker wouldn’t realise I had noticed him until I worked out what I was going to do.
I was fed up with this constant worry and fear. When Gabriel had turned me into a vampire I had expected to become a creature who causes fear, not the one who experiences it. It wasn’t right that anyone had the ability to make me feel that way.
When I really thought about it it was obvious. I would draw him out, and force him to speak to me. If I showed him I wasn’t afraid then maybe the interest he had in me would disappear and I would be safe again. Alternatively it would convince him to show himself and tell me what he wanted. Either way, I needed to take some kind of action. This had been going on for too long.
I walked on with a renewed sense of purpose. I walked straight through the park, ignoring the heart beats rising in my head from the couples around me. I had plenty of time to hunt later, but this was now or never.
The edge of the romantic den was bordered by hedges, and just beyond the arched exit there was a small embankment before a river. It was far too small for any of the couples to sit on and so it was almost always deserted. This time was no different.
There were no benches on the bank and so I had to stay standing. I felt the adrenalin pumping through my body and preparing me to come face to face with my stalker.
I stopped but I could tell the stalker was still watching me. I looked around me but despite my strong vision the darkness and shadows could easily hide a vampire as powerful as my stalker.
“I know you can hear me.” I said. I wasn’t whispering but I made sure that I was spoke at a low enough tone to block human hearing. My stalker, however, would be able to hear me loud and clear.
There was no reply, not even a sound to acknowledge he had heard me. He was probably playing coy, waiting to see how determined I was. I had things that I had to get out in the open, opinions that had to be heard by this stranger, and I couldn’t stop now.
“I don’t know who you are, or what you want, but this is over. I’m not doing this anymore.” I closed my eyes, trying to focus all my energy on locating my admirer. “I refuse to let you rule my life.” I was growing more confident with each word, but still there was no reply.
“I have someone who looks out for me. If I tell him you’ve been following me then you won’t last the night. Have you got that?” Of course I was talking about Gabriel and I knew my stalker had seen us together.
Then I heard it. Laughter. It was faint but it was certainly not human. He was laughing at me, mocking me. The laughter gave me a pinpoint for where the stalker was and as I looked out, I could see the faint outline of the figure who had been such a huge presence in my vampiric life.
My chest tensed and I was hit by fear. This stalker was so close to me and yet I couldn’t make myself move towards him. I was practically frozen to the spot with fear. What if he wanted to hurt me? I wouldn’t have a shot at defending myself.
I blinked and as I
opened my eyes the figure disappeared. I had come so close to him but I had been too scared to do anything. I could feel my whole body shaking. My relationship with this figure had changed in just a few seconds. Now he knew I was aware of him, and he knew I was fed up with his games.
I fed quickly and ran back to the nest, and the next night I found a victim just a few feet from the apartment complex. For as long as I was alone I refused to stray too far. I didn’t know whether the laughter of the stalker was a sign of their contempt for me or a sign of genuine amusement, but I didn’t want to find out just in case.
I regretted drawing my stalker out but I had done it and there was no turning back. As soon as I fed I locked myself in the bedroom, thinking about the thin shadowy figure I had seen.
I pledged to myself that I wouldn’t leave until Gabriel returned home. I sat in the bedroom, reading his note over and over and trying desperately to stop my body from shaking.
On the third night of Gabriel’s absence I fed early and returned to the nest, waiting for him as I had done every other night. I hadn’t expected to miss him as much as I did but my nerves had been completely destroyed after meeting my stalker that night in the city.
I was sleeping when he returned. I had found it difficult to sleep without Gabriel by my side. I would wait until after the sun had risen, falling asleep at the last possible second. It made me feel a little safer to know my stalker would also be in their nest when I fell asleep. No vampire, no matter how strong or ancient, can withstand the power of the sun.
It was safe to say that after just two days the lack of sleep and the loneliness had already begun to take it’s toll on my body. I could see black circles developing under my eyes, although it didn’t diminish my attraction to humans. They wouldn’t be able to see the imperfections the same way I could. They were still be blinded by the predatory gifts I had been blessed with.
My limbs felt heavy and I was noticeably more sluggish than usual. I could still overpower even the strongest human but it took more effort than usual, and I would be glad to see Gabriel return. I felt so much safer when he was around.
I was in a deep sleep when I heard the thud. Normally I would have sensed Gabriel’s presence before I actually saw him but I was in a deeper sleep than normal and it was the noise which roused me first. It was the sound of our front door as it hit the wall.
My hackles rose and I was instantly on the alert. This wasn’t the normal entrance Gabriel made and I knew without even leaving the room that something wasn’t right.
I could hear his voice through the bedroom door. “Just keep still. Keep still and it will all be ok. You’re safe here, if you keep still.” He said in a soothing tone.
He was compelling someone. There was no doubt that there was someone else in the apartment and it was clear that this person was a human. Gabriel had never brought a victim back to the nest, except from the day we first found the apartment. He had disappeared for days and now he dared to return with some human on his arm.
I didn’t even know whether to walk through the door. I was furious. I had no idea what I would find on the other side and that fear almost wiped the image of my stalker from my mind.
It took me a few minutes, but eventually I calmed myself enough to leave the bedroom. As I opened the door I carefully took in the scene in front of me. The living room lights were off but the street lamps and neon lights of the city cast an eerie glow through the large windows.
I could see two figures by the window. One of them was Gabriel, I could tell that already. Even if I hadn’t heard him speaking I would have been able to recognise him.
It brought me back to the first night I met him. I was just a second away from being murdered and then I had seen his figure in the dim moonlight. I had instantly recognised the beautiful glow around him, that unique aura he held.
Now I saw his figure once again in the artificial light. There was still a glow around him but it was different now. It was the look of someone beautiful but it didn’t leave me in awe.
I left these thoughts behind. I was more concerned with who the other figure was. Whoever they were, they were shorter than Gabriel and didn’t have his presence or intimidating attitude. He or she was remarkably still and I knew Gabriel must have been controlling them for a long time to make them that tranquil. Gabriel had had years to hone his talent but he hadn’t been lucky enough to posess the natural gift I seemed to have.
“Gabriel.” I whispered.
I hardly recognised the sound of my own voice. I usually spoke with a quiet confidence but now I had been reduced to 13 year old Louisa again, back to a time before Gabriel had stepped into my life.
He turned around quickly, surprised to see me before him. He had obviously been focusing on his compulson and hadn’t noticed my arrival.
I reached for the light switch. I didn’t know whether I really wanted to turn on the lights and find out who Gabriel was with, but I knew that I had to find out eventually. I felt my hand shaking as I moved but I couldn’t resist. I always had been curious to the point of danger.
Light flooded every corner of the room and now I could clearly make out Gabriel’s striking figure. He looked stressed and I could see that he hadn’t been resting during his “business trip.”
In front of him was a woman. She was tall, for a female, but Gabriel obviously made her seem small. I could only see her from behind but I was instantly drawn to the light bouncing from her striking red hair. It looked sultry and sophisticated, and was certainly her most beautiful feature.
It took a moment for everything to click together, but eventually I realised who this woman was. Gabriel turned her around, making sure to keep contact with her in some way to keep her under his spell. His eyes were bloodshot and I knew that something was seriously wrong with him.
The woman lacked her usual confidence and powerful attitude but she still seemed to have something unique about her that set her apart from other humans.
Standing in my apartment in a torn dress, fully under Gabriel’s compulsion, was the lawyer who had impressed me so much on our first meeting. Gabriel had returned with Dahlia Elton.
Chapter 24Time seemed to slow down and I could barely move. Dahlia was still under his control and completely still, but understandably he wanted to be certain she was subdued. He found some ropes from somewhere in the apartment and used them to tie her to the railings of the large windows. There was no way she’d be able to escape the knots but they weren’t necessary anyway. She seemed to be completely calm, even when Gabriel broke contact with her.
While he completed his task I sat on the sofa, burying my head in my hands. Gabriel had a lot of explaining to do and I could tell the night was going to be a long one.
After he was sure that his victim was secured, he took a seat next to me on the sofa. There was a tension between us that I hadn’t experienced in weeks. If I’d been a human I might have cried, but I couldn’t give in to those weak emotions.
“I know this probably seems strange.” He said. It had been a long pause and I was glad when he finally broke the silence. “I had to bring her here.”
I felt his hand reach out for mine but I stood up before he could touch me. I didn’t want him to sweet talk his way out of this mistake. I couldn’t give in to him without finding the true explanation. I needed a level head for this.
My whole body was screaming but I had to keep calm. I tried to keep my voice level and composed. “I don’t have a clue what could possibly be so important but you’ll have to come up with a damn good explanation for this.”
I was proud of the way I was handling myself. I wasn’t screaming or shouting, and I was keeping my cool for the moment. I couldn’t give in to Gabriel the way I normally did. I was asserting my own independence more than I ever had before.
He nodded. He was listening to my opinion in an argument, which was a first.
“I know, I’m sorry. It’s going to sound ridiculous but I swear that a lot has been going on recen
tly. I had to take her.”
“Is this part of the business trips you’ve been going on?” I asked. He didn’t say anything and I felt the pressure inside me building. “I deserve to know what’s going on if you expect me to babysit some human.”
He sighed and I could tell he was frustrated. “I know. Dahlia has been working for me. She’s a good lawyer and she has been my go between with the human world. She helped me to sort out my affairs and manage my money. She’s been invaluable, really. Anyway, one of my human business partners has been entering in to some less than respectable business ventures. Dahlia found out and she threatened to expose him. I had to make sure she couldn’t endanger us.”
It sounded plausible, but I didn’t know whether I could trust him anymore.
“So why didn’t you just kill her? Why did you let her live?” I asked.
It wasn’t like Gabriel to spare a human life without good reason, in fact it wasn’t like any vampire to spare a human. Humans usually mean nothing to us, unless we intend on turning them into vampires too, and I didn’t imagine Gabriel would turn Dahlia without my approval.
“She’s worth too much. I thought she could still be of use to the business if I could erase her memory. I thought we could keep her here, until I’ve figured out how to do it. Until then she could be like a slave, or something. A blood slave.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed. I tried to hold it back but the whole notion of a blood slave sounded utterly ridiculous. I truly believed Gabriel. His explanation was solid and I had no reason to doubt it, but he should have just killed this woman. She wasn’t worth the hassle.
She was still tied up and fairly calm so I walked up to her, lowering myself to her level. There was something incredibly striking about her even while she was in this catatonic state. I remembered our first meeting: she had seemed fearless, unlike any human I had ever known.
As I watched her shallow breathing I was drawn in. If I hadn’t known her as my lawyer I would have quite happily chosen her as a victim. She was tantalising and I could tell from her sophisticated scent and confident air that she would taste divine. It took all my strength to stop myself from digging my fangs into her neck right then.
The Embrace Page 21