Chapter Seven: Six Months
If Gabriel could get drunk, he'd have taken vodka straight from the bottle. But the only thing vampire bodies could digest was blood, and the subtle flavors of various alcoholic beverages were lost on his deadened tongue. Still, he kept a good store of the finest, most expensive wines available to share with any human diplomats or dignitaries who he entertained.
In the two months since Naya had left him, he'd drunk the whole store, hoping that if he drank enough it would somehow find its way to his brain. It never did, even when he mixed it with the bags of blood he got from blood donation clinics. The prepackaged stuff was just awful, but he didn't even want to think about having a living donor.
Gabriel sighed, staring out the window of his private chambers. He missed having Naya around. He missed the way she laughed, and the way she rolled her eyes if a male approached her and Gabriel snarled at him. He missed holding her in his arms at night.
But was he meant to be with someone who didn't trust him?
He wanted to. He wanted to go to her and swear he'd do anything she wanted as long as she would return to him. And he was going to. He had been about to go to the city and promise her the moon if that was what she wanted. Just as he had been leaving, he received a text message from her.
A text message.
Not even a phone call. It had detailed the story between her mother and father and, as he read, his heart had sunk into his stomach. Even though he was still upset that she didn't understand his gestures towards her, he understood why she would think as she had. What sort of man was her father, to repeatedly betray his mate and break his daughter's heart? If that was all that Naya knew, how much worse must her fears about their relationship be? They weren't even mates, and he had out and out told her that vampires were rarely exclusive.
But why should he have to prove that he wasn't like her father? He could spend a lifetime trying to, but if she wasn't going to trust him then he would never convince her otherwise.
The door opened and he smelled the soft, lilac scent of Angel, but he didn't turn.
"Have you talked with Naya today?"
"We've texted," Gabriel muttered. "Not that it's your business."
"You have been grumpier than I've ever known you since she left. You just need to go to her and tell her exactly how you feel. You haven't been with another woman since the Blood Moon, and you know that hearing it from your own lips will do a lot towards getting her to forgive you."
"Trust should count for something." Gabriel's fists clenched. "If Naya can't trust me, then she can't… I can't…"
Angel moved closer, her footsteps so light and graceful that he hardly heard her. He turned towards her–and his jaw dropped. His eyes bugged out of his head as he took her in. Angel wore nothing but a pair of strappy high heels. Her head was high, her hands on her hips in that pose that never failed to get a reaction out of him.
Except that this time it was anger, not arousal. He thought she cared for Naya. How could she suggest this?
"If you and she are not going to mate, then perhaps you and I can have some fun?" Angel arched a delicate eyebrow. "After all, as you said yourself, sex is as vital to vampires as food is to humans."
Gabriel strode to the bed, snatching the comforter off it. He tossed it at Angel. "Get out of here this instant before I have you banished." He kept his voice low and calm, making sure she knew he was completely serious.
To his surprise, a triumphant grin crossed her face. "I knew it."
"Knew what?" Gabriel asked, taken aback.
"That you love her."
"That's what this was about? Proving that I loved her by rejecting you?"
Angel wrapped the blanket around herself. "Gabriel, I am going to give you a little advice. Go to her. Apologize for your behavior and let her apologize for hers. It doesn't matter who was right and who was wrong, even though she was clearly out of line."
"If it doesn't matter—"
"What matters is that she was hurt. She misunderstood the situation and lashed out, but you also dismissed her hurt. And you both have been miserable without one another ever since. So just go, tell her you're sorry and admit that you love her."
Gabriel frowned at his lover–no, former lover. He didn't desire her anymore. He didn't desire anybody but Naya. But how could he love a woman who didn't trust him? It was just setting himself up for heartbreak. "What makes you think that I love her?"
Angel groaned and rolled her eyes. "Please! Don't pretend I'm an idiot. Your majesty," she tacked on at the end, when he narrowed his eyes. "You have never been exclusive until you met her. Never. You have been sulking around the castle ever since she left. And every time you get a message on your phone—"
Just as she spoke, a ding sounded, indicating he had a text. Gabriel dived for his phone, snatching it up. It was from Naya.
"You do that." Angel cocked her head to one side. "You love her. You're just afraid. You always get what you want, and so what you want is never that important to you. Naya is important and you want her, but you're afraid that she won't want you back. You love her. You're afraid she doesn't love you."
"I'm not afraid."
"If you weren't, then you wouldn't care if she thought you were sleeping with me. You would be sleeping with me. Or you would be sleeping with other women, at least. I think I'm going to go exclusive…" Angel shook her head. "Go to her. Please. I love you both, and I hate that you're both so miserable."
She adjusted the blanket around her body and, with a final, small smile, she left the room. Gabriel let out a deep breath, considering her words. It was true. He knew it was, of course, but at the same time he didn't want to admit it. He was the one who was always strong and in control. But, with love, you had to give some control to somebody else. You had to give the most fragile part of yourself to another person, and if they weren't careful…
He closed his eyes. Naya was worth it. Her jealousy, her pain, it was parallel to his. Wasn't that why he snarled at the males approaching her? Because he wasn't sure if she was his, despite his claim?
He began typing a text but dismissed that idea, phoning Naya instead. After three rings he worried that she might not answer, but after the fourth one she did.
"Gabriel." Her voice was soft and shy.
"Naya. Can I come see you?"
There was a moment's hesitation. He could almost hear her heartbeat over the phone. "Yes."
Gabriel's spirits soared, and within an hour he was outside the door to the hotel penthouse, his hands trembling as he knocked. Belatedly he thought he ought to have brought flowers, chocolates, diamonds. Something other than just himself.
Naya looked radiant as she opened the door. Her stomach had the gentle swell of pregnancy, and Gabriel could hear their child's strong heartbeat. She wore a simple t-shirt and skirt, but she looked more beautiful than all the diamonds in the world. As she stepped back to admit him into the hotel suite, a nervous smile played on her lips.
"Is Ivanna here?" Gabriel asked.
"No. I thought it might be best for the two of us to speak alone."
Gabriel nodded, understanding. He twisted his hands, uncertain of how to start.
"I'm sorry." Naya folded her arms over her chest, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry for the accusations I made, I'm sorry for not trying to understand the vampire way and I'm sorry for insulting Angel."
"And I'm sorry for not considering your feelings more," Gabriel replied, a sense of relief washing over him as he said the words. He always hated apologizing, but this felt good. "I'm sorry for not coming sooner."
"I'm sorry for—"
Gabriel put a finger on her lips and shook her head. "We're both sorry. We can talk about everything we're sorry about later. Right now I want to talk about us."
Naya's heartbeat increased and she sucked her plump lower lip between her teeth. "Us."
"I have not been with another woman since the first night we were together. I have not wanted another woman since then. No, don't say anything. Let me finish." His thumb traced her lips, and the soft sigh he got in response distracted him momentarily. "I know you're afraid. You saw what happened with your mother and decided you would never put yourself in that pain. But please know you can trust me with your heart."
Naya's breathing quickened.
"I love you," he whispered. "I will always love you. I want you to be mine, but know that I am yours regardless. Forever."
She cupped his face with her warm hands. "I am yours. But not because you claimed me. I am giving myself to you, heart and soul."
"And I give myself to you," he replied in a murmur.
Their lips brushed, their gazes locked on one another. Utter rapture shot through Gabriel's body and he held her tighter, pulling her against him as he deepened the kiss.