Gabriel’s disappointment hits her like a wrecking ball, but she refuses to be swayed. She has to leave, to get some fresh air to clear her mind before she does something she will really regret. Like seal the bond that’s not even supposed to be possible with a human!
Why didn’t anyone tell her this could happen? Maybe it’s never happened before. What if she is special somehow? Or Gabriel? Whatever he is, he is obviously not human.
She takes a deep breath. He smells human…only slightly off. Like he is somehow something more than just human.
His scent lingers in her nostrils, making her head spin. “Please let me go,” she begs.
A strange cold lingers where his fingers were only a moment before. Roseline rubs her arm, refusing to acknowledge the yearning of her soul.
Gabriel crouches beside the hatch, finger hooked through the door. “I’m sorry. I should never have…I didn’t mean to…” he sighs, shaking his head. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not you,” she whispers softly.
She bites her lip as his face droops. She doesn’t want him to feel guilty. In fact, she wishes he didn’t feel anything at all, but the rebellious side that risked life and limb to escape from Vladimir wants Gabriel to fight for her. To tell her that all of this is happening for a reason, that there just might be a way to make it work.
She knew if he did, she would lose herself to him. It takes every ounce of strength she possesses to not pull him back as he opens the hatch. She cannot trust herself. Not with him. Not in this moment.
She knows he is not in any real danger from her. No matter how good he smells she would never bite him. Blood is the source of life, for humans and immortals, but taking the lifeblood of another being comes with a terrible curse.
Although she and her family do not actually feed off the blood of others, like so many of the vampire myths claim, it does happen from time to time to help speed healing. Like any prescription drug that can become addictive, so can too much human blood. Personalities begin to change, behaviors become more violent, and the result has been the creation of the vampire myth.
A myth that Roseline fights against daily.
The need she now feels for Gabriel goes beyond fleshly desires. Even her lust for him has begun to fade against the presence of the bond somehow formed between them. Their souls have somehow entwined and that fact scares her, more than she could ever admit. She cannot fall for a mortal. It is forbidden. And yet…
Her heart tells her it is already too late. The bond is sealed. But how? They have not shared any physical intimacy, which should be the moment when two become one. So how is this even possible?
“What do you think you’re doing?” a shrill voice screeches from the hallway below.
“Claire,” Gabriel gasps, teetering toward the hatch opening. Roseline’s hand shoots out, gripping his shirt as she pulls him back from danger. He gives her a weak smile of gratitude before rushing down the ladder. “What are you doing here?”
Roseline dashes across the room and snatches her heels. In a flash, they are wound around her ankles and she is back at the attic hatch. Neither Gabriel nor Claire notices her movements.
“Looking for you, duh,” Claire snaps, swaying slightly on her feet. Her blood-red lipstick is smeared; her breath reeks of alcohol and something else. Roseline leans through the opening and sniffs the air, her nose scrunching with disgust when she recognizes the scent.
“How dare you cheat on me, Gabriel Marston,” Claire shrieks, slapping him across the face. Roseline bares her teeth and hisses but her reaction goes unnoticed as Gabriel rubs his reddening jaw. “Your father is going to hear about this.”
Claire turns and stomps toward the stairs, wavering precariously on her silver stiletto heels. Her hands wave wildly just before she tumbles end over end, landing in a heap on the landing. Groaning, Claire rights herself and scoots down the remaining steps.
Roseline hurries down the ladder, peeking to make sure no one will see her descent. Gabriel appears deeply embarrassed by his girlfriend’s state. “Sorry about that. She probably won’t even remember this tomorrow morning.”
“I sure hope she doesn’t remember what else she’s been up to,” Roseline mutters under her breath as she smoothes out her dress.
Gabriel’s eyebrow rises. “Oh yeah?”
Roseline chuckles. “Well, by the smell of that aftershave, I’d say your girlfriend just messed around with Oliver.”
Gabriel grimaces. “Yeah, that sounds like them. I’m gonna have to do something about her.”
Sensing an awkward moment rapidly approaching, Roseline steps toward the stairs. No way can she handle a talk about his crumbling relationship with Claire. “I should probably get going,” she mutters. “Thanks for the tour.”
She turns to head down the hall but Gabriel catches her arm. “I meant what I said earlier. I really want to get to know you.”
Roseline struggles to pull her gaze away from him. She can already feel the gravitational pull building between them. She clears her throat, annoyed by how flustered he makes her feel. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.
“Me either,” he admits. “But I don’t care.”
She hates how easily those five words change her life. Roseline knows it is wrong, for so many reasons, but she refuses to care for tonight. She nods with a tiny smile and slips down the stairs.
“Where have you been?” Sadie moans as soon as she arrives on the ground floor, relying heavily on the wall to remain upright. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I think I’ve had too much to drink.” She belches loudly and swipes her arm across her mouth. Her hair is matted with crushed chips and gooey chocolate. She must have gone in headfirst to the pudding bowl.
“I think you’ve had a bit too much fun for one night,” Roseline says as she pulls Sadie toward her. “Your mother is going to kill you when she finds you like this.”
The only answer she receives is a gentle snore as Sadie passes out in her arms. Roseline darts a glance around to see if anyone is watching before she lifts Sadie’s legs and carries her out of the house. Judging by the moon’s location overhead it is well past two in the morning. The house is dark as she approaches but Roseline can hear Sadie’s parents whisper complaints from their room on the backside of the house.
Clutching Sadie tightly in her arms, Roseline kicks off her high heels and easily scales the tree. She slips in through the cracked window, gently tucking her snoring friend under the covers. Roseline hesitates, smiling down at Sadie. It is amazing how sleep can tame the wild beast.
“Goodnight,” she whispers from the window before leaping to the ground.
Deciding it would be best not to go back through the door she exited only a couple minutes before, Roseline slips down between the two houses. An eight-foot privacy fence stands between her and Gabriel’s back yard. Roseline steps back then jumps straight over the top, landing silently on the other side.
“How can you embarrass me like that with Oliver?” an angry voice calls out through the night. Roseline ducks behind a tree, wincing at her bad luck. She has just landed in the last place she wanted to be—right in the middle of Gabriel and Claire’s confrontation. Fate is obviously having a laugh at her expense tonight. Roseline peeks out, unable to stop her curiosity.
“Oh, that was nothing,” Claire replies from where she slumps on a lounger. “Why do you even care? You were fooling around with that slutty new girl.”
“Take it back,” Gabriel growls, yanking Claire to her feet. His face contorts with anger.
Claire’s high-pitch laugh grates on Roseline’s nerves. “Are you serious? Are you actually defending her honor? Oh, that is too good.”
“I said, take it back.”
Claire’s laugh cuts off. “What’s gotten into you, Gabe? You fall for some new girl and now you are ready to give up everything for her? Have you even seen who she hangs with?
Sadie-Freakshow-Hughes.”
“You know what,” Gabriel says, releasing Claire’s arm. “I’m glad Sadie got out so she didn’t have to stick around and let you dig your claws into her.”
Claire spits at him, unwilling to take that comment lying down. “We both know you haven’t changed. It’s all just an act to get in that girl’s pants.”
Gabriel rolls his eyes. “Sure. That’s my motive. Just like I’ve worked so hard to get into yours.” His voice is rising right along with his blood pressure.
Roseline is sure all of the neighbors can hear Claire’s howl. “You jerk. How dare you talk to me like that?”
“Why? It’s the truth.” Gabriel’s response is surprisingly emotionless. Roseline cannot help but pump her fist in triumph. Gabriel has not fooled around with Claire. That’s nice to know.
“You’re just trying to ruin my reputation. Everyone knows you can barely keep your hands off me,” she screams, making sure all of the questioning ears plastered to the windows can hear. “You can’t get enough of me.”
“We both know how much you’d like to believe that.” His bitter laugh masks Claire’s cry of indignation. “And it’s not like you work hard to make everyone believe that you’re an upright girl. You spend more time on your back than you do shopping.”
The sound of Claire’s slap does not surprise Roseline. In fact, she is surprised it didn’t happen sooner. “We’re through. Do you hear me, Gabriel Marston? I never want to see you again.”
“Fine by me,” Gabriel replies, slamming the glass door in Claire’s face. The eavesdroppers scatter, diving behind couches or slipping down the basement stairs as Gabriel stalks past.
Roseline remains crouched, wondering how long Claire will linger on the back porch. She really needs to get inside and find William.
“Hello? Yeah, it’s me, Daddy. Gabriel just broke up with me,” Claire cries into her cell phone. Roseline rolls her eyes at Claire’s exaggerated sobbing. “I don’t know what happened. He just blew up and started accusing me of messing around with some other guy.”
There is a brief pause before Claire cries indignantly. “How can you even ask me that? Of course, it’s his fault.”
“Whatever, Daddy. Just come get me.” Claire snaps her phone shut and stumbles toward the fence at the side of the house.
Roseline sneaks out of the bushes as Claire unlatches the gate with great difficulty. Claire loses her balance and plops to the ground as the gate swings closed behind her. Roseline silently races across the moonlit yard and eases the glass door open. Most of the drunken students have begun filtering out of the house now that the show has ended. That should make it much easier for her to find William and get the heck out.
“William?” she calls, cupping her hands around her mouth. She wanders through the house, stepping lightly over snoring teens.
“He’s over there,” Gabriel whispers as he slips up behind her. He points to a crumpled heap on a couch in the basement.
Roseline rolls a snoring William over. His face is covered with bright red lipstick and an impressive bruise has begun forming on his neck.
“It looks like someone had a good time,” Gabriel chuckles, sounding impressed. She nods and bends down, bracing to lift William. Gabriel’s electric touch stops her. “Let me. He’s probably heavier than he looks.”
Frustrated with Gabriel’s intervention, Roseline is forced to watch him struggle to lift William’s dead weight. “It’s no problem. I’m sure I can manage him.”
Gabriel laughs, struggling to stand upright. “You’d just crumble under him. Especially in those shoes.” His gaze trails back down the curve of Roseline’s calf but quickly shifts away.
Relenting, Roseline settles with following his slow pace up the stairs and across the side yard. He knocks on the door before Roseline can stop him. Her ears perk up as light footsteps approach.
William’s mother looks livid when the door opens to reveal her son passed out in Gabriel’s arms. Roseline can tell she is fighting back the urge to scream at Gabriel as she moves aside to let him pass. “Put him on the couch, please. I won’t have him ruining my new carpets upstairs.”
When she turns to look at Roseline, she manages a weak smile. “Nice to see you on your feet, Rose.”
She tries to find some response that might lessen the grounding William is sure to receive by morning but comes up empty. She settles for a simple nod. Mrs. Hughes’ lips press into thin lines. “Have you seen Sadie?”
Roseline nods. “She left over an hour ago. Said she was tired and wanted to get some sleep. I think she might have had a headache from all of the noise.”
Gabriel gives Roseline a sharp look as he passes by Mrs. Hughes. “Yeah, it must have been all that dancing. She sure did tear up the dance floor.”
Mrs. Hughes smiles tightly at him, her disapproval barely restrained from the tip of her tongue. “Do you need a ride home, Rose?”
Before she can speak up Gabriel interjects for her. “Not to worry, Mrs. H, I can drive her.” Her eyes narrow as she takes in Gabriel’s steady stance and clear gaze. She nods. “Alright. Goodnight then.”
“Oh, and Gabriel?” she calls as he steers Roseline away from the porch. “I expect that party to clear out now, you here?”
He dips his head. “Sure thing, Mrs. H.”
Fifteen
“My car’s this way,” Gabriel calls back to Roseline as he heads toward the far right side of his parent’s three-car garage. Flipping open a hidden panel, made to look like the rest of the bricks on the house, the door slowly clatters open.
“I’m really not sure this is a good idea…” she trails off as her lips pull up into a smile. “A Range Rover? I have one just like this back home.”
Fane talked her into buying it on a whim a couple years back and it has quickly become her favorite although her cherry-red Ferrari is a close second.
Gabriel shrugs. “It’s just a car.” Roseline glances at him over the hood. Her slender fingers glide over the smooth paint as she fights back a stab of longing for her own car. “It looks expensive, it’s foreign, and it makes Steve look richer than he really is. That’s the only reason I have it.”
“Sounds like you two don’t get along so well.”
Gabriel smirks, shaking his head. “Not at all. Jump in. You must be freezing out here.” He hits the automatic unlock button and climbs up into the driver’s seat. Roseline follows, somehow managing not to expose herself as she makes the leap into the car. “So…where to?”
Her mind is still screaming at her to jump right back out and run away, but she thinks that plan might make Gabriel a tad suspicious. Instead, she resolves to get out of his car as fast as she can, while holding her breath. “Um…you can just drop me off at Jimmy’s on Brendon Street. I can walk from there.”
Piercing blue eyes gleam out from the dark as he appraises her. “What are you afraid of? Think I’m gonna stalk you if I know where you live?”
Stalking? No, but if he ever looks in her windows, he will certainly start to ask questions that she is not ready to answer.
“Of course not,” Roseline laughs, wincing at how forced it sounds. Her palms feel clammy, her forehead beads with sweat. “It’s just that I’m kinda embarrassed about my house. It’s a temporary thing until my mom can find something better, but she’s always gone for work so she’s barely even seen the place.”
Gabriel’s gaze softens. “The first thing you should know about me is that I’m not hung up on status. Sure I might look like I am, but it is just a mask I wear to get through the day. Under the designer clothes, expensive house, and flashy car, I’m just a guy that wants to be normal. I don’t care about the money. Actually, to be honest…I hate it.”
“You hate money,” Roseline scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Well, I have learned one thing tonight. You’re a terrible liar.”
&nb
sp; “Okay. Well not money in general,” Gabriel chuckles. “Just Steve’s money.”
Roseline nods slowly. “I see. You don’t like feeling like something you’re not.”
“Exactly,” Gabriel agrees, turning over the engine. He backs smoothly out of the drive and pauses in the street. “So? Where to?” he asks again.
“Jimmy’s.”
Gabriel laughs. “All right. If that’s what you really want.” He maneuvers the empty streets with confident ease. “So you’re from Romania right?”
“Yes,” she replies, frowning at the tension she hears in his voice. There is something there, something he’s not telling her. She can’t help wondering why this topic makes him uncomfortable.
“Ever see Dracula?”
Roseline splutters. “Are you serious?”
“Sure.” Gabriel shrugs. “Isn’t that what all Americans ask you? Vampires are all the rage here, you know.”
How can she not know? Everywhere she looks, handsome movie stars bare their teeth on movie posters and book covers. Teenage girls fight over which guy should win the human girl. T-shirts, calendars, and even key chains promote the romanticized idea of the vampire world but it is all so painfully far from the truth.
“Yeah I think I’ve heard about it but it’s all just fantasy. Vampires aren’t real,” she whispers, feeling a lump form in her throat.
“Really? That’s a bummer.”
Roseline laughs at his pained expression. “Oh, don’t tell me you actually believe those stories.”
“No way. But the idea behind it is pretty cool.” Her wince does not go unnoticed. “You don’t agree?”
“In my experience, there are many different forms of evil. Some are much older than others, more sinister and devious than humans can ever imagine.” Roseline’s voice drops to a whisper as she speaks of her past life. Gabriel leans in, visibly drawn in by the husky passion radiating from her. He pulls the car into the first spot in Jimmy’s parking lot. The neon bar sign overhead provides enough light from for Gabriel to see Roseline clearly.
“So you have seen something?”
Roseline blinks, waking from a trance. She smiles, grasping the door handle. “Nothing worth mentioning. I’ll see you around.” Roseline leaps out of the car and slams the door behind her. Icy winds curl around her with a delightful vengeance.
“Wait a second,” Gabriel scrambles to exit the vehicle. “You have seen something, haven’t you? You gotta tell me.” Roseline laughs, shaking her head.
“Oh, man,” Gabriel groans. “Come on. That’s like telling a guy that you’ve actually been to Area 51 and then refusing to spill. That’s so not cool.”
Roseline pauses, wondering how much she can say. Obviously, the truth is out of the question, but a part of her wants to let Gabriel in, just as he did when he shared his artwork. “The things I’ve seen in Romania are a smoke screen. A hidden world veiled behind human reality.”
“Why?” Gabriel leans in closer. His eyes widen with anticipation.
“Some things are not meant to be understood. People don’t need to know the horrifying truths that are hidden from them. It’s for their own good.”
Despite the fact that the solemn tone in Roseline’s voice obviously creeps him out, Gabriel is hooked. “You’ve seen this hidden world, haven’t you?” he whispers.
Closing her eyes to the pain, she nods. “But that is a story that I reserve only for my dearest friends…and you, Gabriel Marston, are still a stranger.”
His pout is endearing, but Roseline shakes her head. “Fine. Then I’ll have to see about changing that.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” she chuckles as she turns and leaves him standing next to his purring car. The winds whip around her, tangling her hair about her face, but she doesn’t notice. Her thoughts have drifted away, to a time so long ago. To when life was simple and death meant the end, not the beginning.
Sixteen