“Oh not again,” Oliver groans, watching Gabriel frantically search the growing crowd. “I thought we were passed this.”
Gabriel waves off his friend. “I met her. I mean, I nearly took her head off a couple days ago with a football, but I finally did it. I was starting to think I’d dreamed her up.”
“Definitely not, man,” Conner says as he plops his helmet down over his head. “That girl is out-of-this-world hot. No way could you dream her up.”
Oliver punches Conner’s helmet, jarring his brain. “Shut up,” he hisses as a group of cheerleaders walk by. They might hide their giggles behind pompoms but there is no mistaking the object of their gaze—Gabriel Marston.
There is not a girl in school who would dare go behind Claire Scofield’s back to talk openly with Gabriel, but the desire is definitely there. Not only is he the most popular guy at school and a superstar on the field, but there are rumors circulating that he is pretty amazing off the field too.
“Dude, get your head in the game,” Oliver reprimands as their coach shouts at them to huddle up. “Tonight is the state qualifiers. Don’t screw this one up.”
Conner nods as they move toward the huddle. “I heard from Sara McClintock that if you win the game tonight, Claire’s gonna make it worth your while.”
Gabriel spits to the side in disgust. Claire is head cheerleader and his longtime girlfriend…but not by choice. Sure, she’s pretty to look at, but that’s where her attributes come to a grinding halt. Her annoyingly petty personality and slutty manner have never sat well with Gabriel. She flaunts her looks at any guy that walks by. It sickens Gabriel.
Not long after they started dating, false rumors began flying around the school about them. Gabriel was furious when he discovered Claire was making their relationship out to be a sordid love affair, but there was little he could do about it. The more he denied it, the more Claire ramped up the dirty details.
Every male in the entire school envies him. If only they knew the truth.
Gabriel is trapped. His father, Steve, would throw him to the curb if he ever dared embarrass him in front of Claire’s dad, a snake of a politician who is known for having Steve’s law firm tucked securely in his back pocket. Gabriel has spent the past four years despising Steve for placing him in this situation but, at his mother’s request and for the sake of peace in their fragmented family, he submitted—but only for his mother’s sake. Steve could take a flying leap for all he cares!
This is not the life Gabriel wants, but no one seems to notice. Everyone views him as some rich playboy with a bright future. After this game, a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League school is almost a sure thing and his dreams will be long gone.
Steve has long since stopped listening to what Gabriel wants in life. All he cares about is his image. Pride will not allow him to let Gabriel pursue the career he wants. Gabriel has been set up for the “perfect life” and along with that comes the shackles of Claire Scofield.
“Whatever, man. Let’s just get this win,” Gabriel says as he calls his teammates around him. This game is too crucial to let someone like Claire ruin his mood.
Seven
“Can you believe it? We’re going to state!” Sadie squeals, bouncing up and down on the metal bleachers. The crowd lingers; no one wants to leave after such a spectacular game. The final score was 21-14 and Gabriel Marston is the talk of the night.
This topic is one that Roseline would rather avoid. Especially since she can’t seem to get his face out of her mind. His electric touch has begun to haunt her dreams.
Roseline rubs her arms, trying to hint at a chill that she does not actually feel. As if her nerves weren’t already frayed enough, she now has to deal with the green-eyed monster sitting behind her. She can literally feel Nicolae’s gaze boring into the back of her head. If she is not careful, she might just be tempted to maim the boy.
Thankfully, Sadie forced him to sit two rows behind them after she went ballistic on him for spilling hot chocolate on the back of her coat.
“For the life of me, I cannot imagine why you invited him,” Roseline mutters, hunching lower in her coat. She flips up the collar and stares fixedly away from Nicolae.
Sadie groans. “My mom made me. She seems determined to make me play nice.”
William scoffs. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”
A grin spreads across Roseline’s face. Perhaps she can just bide her time and Sadie will rip Nicolae’s head off for her.
“The guy is really creepy,” Sadie shudders, her spirits visually plummeting. “All he does is ask about you.”
That is exactly what Roseline has been afraid of. “What does he want to know?”
Sadie shrugs. “It’s all really random stuff. Like do you ever go to church, do you ever go outside on sunny days, or if you like garlic on your bread? I’m telling you, Rose, the guy is totally off his rocker.”
Roseline ducks her head, hiding her frown. So, he thinks he knows all about her. Too bad he has been sucked into all of the silly vampire myths. When will humans ever learn that vampires don’t exist?
“I’m just sorry that you’re stuck with the guy,” Roseline mutters.
Sadie and William exchange a glance. Their silence pulls her attention back. “What?”
William grins. “You used a contraction.”
“I did?”
Sadie smirks. “Not too bad. Maybe we can Americanize you after all.”
The corners of Roseline’s lips lift with pleasure. Maybe she really is starting to fit in, even if her slip-up was an unconscious one.
“Don’t forget that it’s not just Sadie that has to suffer in all of this,” William whispers as he climbs down onto their bleacher and ducks in low to dish the dirt. “I’m the one that has to share a room with the freak. He’s like, anal to the max.”
Roseline frowns. “Pardon?”
William grins. “Sorry. Um…he’s freakishly neat. The guy even rolls his underwear. All of his socks are color-coordinated and don’t even dream of touching his picture album. The guy totally went loony toons last night when I accidentally knocked it off the bedside table.”
Roseline makes a mental note of that. If she can get her hands on his family photos she just might be able to figure out who he is and why he’s so nosy.
“It is a tad chilly out here.” Roseline shivers for added effect. She will stoop to just about anything at this point to get out of here.
“No problem. I’ll go grab us some hot chocolate.” William leaps to his feet and heads for the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time.
“Wait up,” Sadie calls, whipping around to follow her brother.
“Aren’t we leaving? The game is over,” Roseline calls to Sadie’s fleeting back.
She grins back over the head of a little girl dressed like a Rosewood Prep cheerleader at the base of the stairs. “Leave? This is when all of the fun begins.”
Roseline groans and sinks back onto the cold bleacher seat. “Great. I knew I should have remained home,” she grumbles. She shoots a glance back over her shoulder and finds Nicolae staring straight at her, unblinking.
She takes a deep breath and turns back to face the field. Ignore him, she mentally berates. He’s not worth it.
The field is nearly empty now. A few stragglers remain along the sidelines, mostly parents of the players by the looks of it. Small clusters of students hoot and holler in the stands all around, but Roseline tunes them out. Her senses focus completely on the boy two rows behind her. She counts his breathing, hears the rising flutter of his heart as he leans toward her.
Crap.
Roseline whips around. “What is your problem?” she growls, slipping naturally into her native tongue.
Nicolae’s eyes widen as he instinctively shifts back. “Pardon me?”
“You heard me,” Roseline says, stomping up the bleachers to where he is
sitting. “You are staring at me and it is really starting to tick me off.”
Oh, wouldn’t Sadie be proud if she had heard those words pass Roseline’s lips!
Nicolae holds her glare for a moment longer than he should have done. Roseline’s eyes narrow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,” he mumbles, finally averting his gaze.
Donning her best Sadie impression, Roseline steams ahead. “Cut the crap, Nicolae. We both know you saw me in Brasov. Now I want to know who you are and why you are here.”
Although her words are spoken barely above a whisper, she can see the glint of fear in his eyes. The threat in her voice is unmistakable.
“You saw me?” Nicolae scowls. His fists clench against his leg.
“I see everything.” Let him stew on that one for a while.
“I didn’t know it was you,” he protests.
Roseline leans over, meeting him at eye level. She can smell his anxiety, but there is something in his eyes that she doesn’t like—defiance.
The glow in her eyes reflects off his dilated pupils. It doesn’t matter that he can see it. He already knows what she is, or, at least, he thinks he does. “If you tell anyone about me, I will enjoy ripping out your spine.”
Nicolae’s jaw clenches, anger exploding from his eyes like fireworks, but he simply dips his head. “Understood.”
“Good.” She smiles, patting Nicolae on the head like a child. She turns to leave but shifts back. “And leave Sadie alone. You are annoying her almost as much as you are me.”
Nicolae manages a curt nod.
Roseline glares for one moment more before shifting to return to her seat. Her forward momentum carries her right into the arms of Gabriel Marston.
“Oh!” she cries, faltering backward off the bleacher. She falls, rather ungracefully, into the space between the seats. Smooth, she inwardly groans.
Gabriel is instantly at her side, offering a hand up. “I’m sorry to scare you like that. I just wanted to say hi.”
Roseline thrusts herself upward, rising to her full height. She sends a scathing glance back at Nicolae and heads away, practically running from Gabriel. He trails behind her. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
“Why?” Roseline says through gritted teeth as she rubs her sore hip.
“Huh?”
Roseline bites her lip, annoyed that she forgot to adjust back to English. “There is nothing to say.”
Her limp is slight but it’s enough to encourage Gabriel to offer his hand. Roseline stops and warily glances up at him. Towering well over six feet tall, she has to crane her neck back to see him.
“I won’t bite,” he grins, holding his arm steady for her. Roseline hesitates. She glances around, noting several curious eyes have shifted their way. Why does she keep attracting so much attention?
Gabriel stands before her, commanding her attention. She can see the stubborn set of his jaw. He isn’t going to let this drop.
With a sigh, Roseline allows her gloved hand to wind around his arm. Even through the thick material, she can feel the heat radiating from his skin. The intensity is shocking, but what is even more shocking is that instead of running away from the heat, she is drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
She has never felt such heat in a human before. What is it about him that calls to her?
“Thank you,” she mutters, allowing him to help her reach the bottom of the steps. She breathes a sigh of relief as her boots hit level ground, one step closer to the parking lot.
“So…” Gabriel clears his throat, glancing at the watchful eyes following their departure. No doubt, word will spread quickly about their conversation. “You’re a very mysterious girl. Do you know that I’ve asked all around school and no one seems to know your name?”
Roseline shrugs. “I mostly keep to myself.”
She darts a glance up at him, amazed at how blond his hair looks under the stadium lights. His breath hangs in the air, pumped from lungs buried under a broad chest and a band of rigid abs that press enticingly against his thin sweater. He must be freezing.
“I noticed that, but it seems like you’re pretty close with Sadie Hughes.”
“Oh, so people do know her name,” Roseline laughs. “I was beginning to think I was the only decent person at this school.”
Gabriel chuckles. “Sadie’s great, but I didn’t peg you for the type to hang out with a girl like that.”
“A girl like what, exactly?” Roseline asks, crossing her arms over her chest. She juts out her hip and waits for what needs to be a really good explanation.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just…Sadie’s not really a football fan,” he says.
“Well, neither am I,” she snaps. Like an alpha wolf, Roseline can feel her hackles rising to Sadie’s defense
Gabriel tugs gently on her arm and they resume walking. “Then why are you here?”
Roseline shrugs, wishing for the hundredth time that she’d had the sense to remain home tonight. Although she has enjoyed regaining the teenage years that Vladimir stripped away from her, she has to admit that all of the teenage angst can be very wearing. It’s hard not to long for a normal adult conversation. “I didn’t have any other plans.”
Gabriel’s stunning grin takes her off guard. She is used to seeing beauty. It has surrounded her every day since Vladimir transformed her, but immortal beauty and human beauty are two very different things. This teenage boy is appealing in ways Roseline never dreamed possible.
The softness of his hair, the smooth curve of his lightly stubbled jaw, the tantalizing scent of cologne, and his easy smile all add to the charm that is irrevocably sucking her in. She blinks, shocked to find herself actually leaning into him.
A light mist of freezing rain glints off Gabriel’s sun-streaked hair. His eyes are the palest blue she has ever seen, so pale they could pass for transparent. In the light they appear iridescent, a quality she finds deeply appealing.
It’s obvious Gabriel takes pride in his looks, from his body-hugging cashmere sweater to his designer jeans and rain-dampened leather shoes. He knows he looks good and yet, oddly enough, he does not come off as overly cocky. This surprises Roseline. She thought a boy of his social status would be different.
“So does that mean you’re free now?” he asks, pausing as they reach the rear end of the bleachers. He takes a step closer to see her. Gabriel’s eyes linger on hers; the hope shining from them steals her breath away.
Roseline braces for it. The inevitable is about to happen. The harder her heart pounds in her chest, the faster the hormones will seep from her skin. Any second now, he will be putty in her hands.
She watches his pulse thump against his neck. The tender flesh commands her attention as her nostrils flare, inhaling his masculine scent. As his eyes lock onto hers, the world disappears. Her senses go into a frenzy and she forces lead into her legs to keep from moving toward him.
The instant her feminine scent hits Gabriel, his eyes dilate. Pheromones leech from his skin in alluring volumes. Beads of rain mingle with the sheen on his forehead. Heat stains his neck as he licks his lips. Roseline waits for him to give in to his desire…but something is wrong.
He has all of the usual symptoms but is annoyingly in control of his muscles. Instead of dragging her under the bleachers for a spicy make-out session, he remains rooted in place. He should be pleading to touch her, begging to be near her, but he isn’t. His restraint is deeply unsettling.
Roseline frowns. She decides to test his resistance. “What did you have in mind?” she asks, her voice low and sultry as she steps closer. She marks the increase in his pulse and still he resists.
He wants her, there is no doubt about it, but somehow he is able to keep his wits about him. Gabriel shrugs and, instead of moving closer to her, he actually backs off. Leaning against the bleachers, he glances away.
Roseline
bites her lip to silence her cry of indignation. No man, human or otherwise, has ever backed away from her once she decides she wants him. Gabriel, unknowingly, has just physically rejected her.
She has seduced many humans over the years, each time to spite Vladimir, but never once has one of them had so much control around her. Gabriel is not only holding his own, he is actually making Roseline beg for him.
“Oh, there you are, Rose,” Sadie gasps, holding the stitch in her side as she rounds the corner with William right on her heels. Her eyes open wide—rain-streaked mascara lines her cheeks—as she notes Gabriel’s presence. William glares openly at the quarterback, obviously not the least bit happy to find Mr. Popular moving in on Roseline. His fingers dig into the Styrofoam cups; cocoa flows over his fingers.
“Nicolae said you wandered off with some guy, but I didn’t think it would be him,” Sadie says, jerking her head toward Gabriel.
“And what were you two doing back here in the dark, Gabe?” William asks.
“What’s it to you?” Gabriel challenges, turning to face off with William.
“Enough,” Roseline snaps, quickly inserting herself between them. “Gabriel and I were talking. That is all.”
“So, you do know my name,” Gabriel grins, backing away. “And you’re Rose, right?”
Roseline nods, painfully aware of the tense situation she has caused. She glances at her friends before turning toward Gabriel. “I guess that answers your question.”
“Yeah.” Gabriel frowns, his smile drooping with disappointment. “I guess it does. I’ll see you around.”
She turns her back on him, refusing to give in to the urge to watch him walk away. Sadie pounces before he rounds the corner. “What on earth are you doing back here with Gabriel Marston? Didn’t I warn you about him?”
“You did, but it was completely innocent.”
Well, almost innocent, she silently amends.
“Nothing happened,” she insists, annoyed that she has to defend her actions.
“Sure, that’s all Gabriel ever wants to do with beautiful girls,” William scoffs.
Roseline eyes him up. His possessive nature is beginning to grate on her nerves. Her brief meeting with Gabriel has really thrown her for a loop.
To add more fuel to the fire, Nicolae chooses this moment to pop his head around the corner. “Everything alright?”
Sadie groans loudly, whirling around. “I said to wait by the car, Nicolae. Can you not understand basic English?”
He raises his hands in surrender and turns, but not before glaring icily at Roseline. He has made his presence known and that irks her. Nicolae is checking on her or, more accurately, he is checking on Gabriel.
William chucks the nearly empty cups aside as they head toward the parking lot. “So, are we gonna party or not? Sophie Reynolds is throwing a huge bash at her house tonight. Wanna crash?”
“I’m game,” Sadie grins, wiping the mascara smudges from her face. Instead of looking like a raccoon, she almost resembles a zombie on Halloween. Roseline is pretty sure that is not the look Sadie is going for.
Roseline shakes her head. “I think I would prefer to return home. I’m feeling a tad flushed at the moment and should probably retire for the evening.”
Sadie rolls her eyes. “There you go again. I thought you had that proper lady talk tucked into bed. What’s with you?”
Holding her forehead, Roseline winces. Her face feels warm, boiling actually. It isn’t possible for her to get sick, and yet there is an obvious fire burning deep within her. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel very well.”
William cuts off Sadie’s protests as Roseline wavers on her feet. He scoops her into his arms and carries her across the parking lot. Roseline’s head lolls to the side as a jacked-up Jeep guns past them. Gabriel’s eyes lock onto Roseline from the passenger seat.
Her stomach flips. She pulls out of William’s arms and drops to the curb. Dry heaves attack and acid burns her throat as she gives in to this mystery illness.
“Holy crap,” Sadie gasps as she wraps her arm around Roseline’s shoulders. “She’s burning up. Will, get the car.”
Her voice fades as Roseline passes out.
Stuttering brakes rouse Roseline. She groans and peels her cheek off William’s leather backseat. “Want me to carry you inside?” William offers.
“No. I can manage.” She slips from the car, unlocks her door without a goodbye wave, and crawls up to her bed.
Eight