Forbidden

Gabriel holds the phone away from his ear as he and Nicolae march rapidly down the deserted street. His boots punch through the ice with ease. Nicolae only shows slight signs of difficulty, causing Gabriel to once again question who he really is.

  “Have you completely lost your mind?” Sadie screams at him down the line. “You’re actually going to get on a plane with that lunatic?”

  “What choice do I have?” he says back, fighting to keep the anger from his voice. He has to remember that she cares about Rose too. “He knows where Rose is. I have to go after her, Sadie.”

  There is an extended pause. Gabriel can hear the clacking of fingernails on a wooden surface. “Sadie?”

  “I’m thinking,” she snaps. Gabriel sighs as they cross the road. They are getting close to his home and he needs to be planning out what to pack, not fighting with Sadie.

  “Fine,” she finally says, “but I’m coming with you.”

  Nicolae blows up when Gabriel relays the message. Sadie’s screechy voice mingles with the ringing in his ears. Nicolae snatches the phone from Gabriel’s hand and immediately leaps into the fray. “Out of the question. I will not allow you to put your life in danger.”

  “It’s my life and you have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do with it,” Sadie explodes.

  Gabriel grimaces, almost feeling sorry for the guy. “Bad move, man,” he mutters in Nicolae’s ear.

  After five more minutes of fighting, standing one block from Gabriel’s house, Nicolae finally concedes to not only allowing Sadie to join in but William as well.

  “Fools. They have no idea what they’re walking into.” Nicolae hands the phone back to Gabriel.

  “We good, Sadie?” Gabriel asks.

  “Yeah, the idiot actually thought he could use not having a passport against me. I’ve got that baby sitting in my top drawer from our summer vacation to Jamaica.”

  “That figures,” Gabriel mutters, unwilling to start another brawl over his own concerns. Going with Nicolae is one thing but bringing along Sadie and William will slow them down. “Meet us at my car in twenty minutes. You still got my keys?”

  “Duh.” She hangs up on him.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Gabriel sighs. “Look, I’ve gotta grab some stuff and try to avoid Steve. Pack a bag and sneak out with Sadie. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Fine, but make it quick,” Nicolae growls, obviously in a bad mood.

  Nicolae’s scowl falters as Gabriel’s hand catches his. “You’re wrong about her. I know Rose. She would never hurt anyone.”

  Nicolae’s eyes frost over. “When I was a little boy, I saw her for the first time. My parents had gone to a party that night and made me stay home with my nanny. I was angry they wouldn’t let me go, so I snuck out and ran across the town square to the main hall.” Nicolae closes his eyes against the tears that threaten to spill over. “By the time I arrived, the doors were locked. Their screams still haunt me.”

  “What happened?” Gabriel asks, letting his hand drop away.

  “Every single person inside was slaughtered. It took weeks to clean the blood from the floors,” he chokes out. “My mother, father and two sisters were found among the carnage…in pieces.”

  “Oh, god.” Gabriel grimaces at his loss. “I’m so sorry.”

  Nicolae straightens his shoulders and pushes away the memories. “Vladimir is a sadistic monster, Gabriel, but he doesn’t even come close to comparing to your father.”

  “And Rose was with them?”

  Nicolae nods. “She was.”

  “And you think she was a part of this massacre?” Gabriel’s mind refuses to accept it. Rose is gentle and kind. She could never be a killer.

  “I know she was.” Nicolae takes a few steps but turns back. “She’s not who you think she is, Gabriel. Or maybe you already know that. Maybe you’re keeping a few secrets of your own.”

  Gabriel is shocked by the urge to rip out Nicolae’s throat for speaking such things. Unsettled by the sudden desire, he stands his ground. “I don’t know who, or what, I am. All I know is that I love Rose and I’m going to save her.”

  “Even if she’s a blood-sucking monster?”

  Gabriel nods. “Even then…but I know you’re wrong. Can you honestly tell me that she’s the same person today that you think she was then?”

  Nicolae thinks for a moment, considering his words. “She is different than my Uncle Sorin has led me to believe. I have not seen her kill or maim anyone during my time here.”

  “Then maybe she isn’t as evil as you think she is,” Gabriel says.

  “No. I think she is exactly as evil as I have been told.” He meets Gabriel’s gaze. “She plays on people’s emotions. Look at how she has captured your heart and those of William and Sadie. No,” he shakes his head, “she is a master at deception. Nothing more.”

  “Make no mistake, Roseline is evil in its purest form. She’s far more dangerous than you can ever imagine, especially since this evil is masked behind such exquisite beauty.”

  Struggling to breathe, Gabriel forces his shoulders to rise in a shrug. “It changes nothing. I am still going after her. I won’t let Vladimir kill her.”

  A faint gleam flashes across Nicolae’s eye. “Trust me, there are things far worse than death for a vampire.”

  Thirty-Seven