Chapter Fourteen
Gabriel stabbed his blood stained, leather clad fingers through his hair, the red tint the only evidence of his recent brutal deed. He’d tortured men before, deemed it a fundamental element of war, but this time was different. This time he truly enjoyed bringing pain to Boras’s guards. The darkest part of him didn’t care if the weak vampires shared their secrets, this was about justice and retaliation for what was done to his mortal.
Poison.
Gabriel had been irritated when the surgeon had called down to the dungeon, interrupting a successful torture session. Now, rage darkened his vision as he reread Jordan’s toxicology report.
Poison.
Klein had been injecting Jordan with the Red Order Hunter poison to keep her heavily sedated and, according to one recently deceased guard, to keep other vampires from tapping her vein.
Gabriel already decided Klein would be the last on the rack and he’d take his time with the Slave Handler, but now—his lips curled into a cruel smile—there’d be more. Klein would suffer untold agonies this night.
His fingers curled into tight fists. The leather split, revealing his white knuckles. Cold, hard fury rolled off him in icy waves, chilling the air. His demon roared and savagely demanded he devour the souls of those who’d harmed his woman.
Gabriel closed his eyes, his jaw clenched and his nostrils flared, drawing in deep breaths, but there was no calming the beast. Every muscle in his body pulled taught as he struggled to maintain control. His fangs violently punched from his gums, slicing his tongue and lower lip. The coppery tang of blood antagonizing the demon even more.
His eyes snapped open. Deep black, whirling pools of violence and hate. His mortal. They’d dared to do such vile things to his female.
Raising a shaking hand to his chest, Gabriel withdrew Jordan’s photo. Using his teeth, he removed one ruined glove. The leather hit the floor, discarded without a thought as he brushed the pad of his thumb over the glossy image.
Jordan’s penetrating violet eyes sliced through him, cutting so deeply her gaze singed his already darkened soul. Her pouty lips…her long, silken hair...her smooth as cream skin…She was a vision: innocent, honest, sweet and seductive—a true goddess. It was a miracle she’d survived her captivity, she was safe now. She was with him. He’d avenge her and he’d find a way to heal her.
Scott had assured him the poison would process from her system in less than twenty-four hours, but…the damage was done. There was nothing mortal medicine or light magic could do for her. The poison’s effects were irreversible. Only cursed blood could save Jordan from an agonizing death.
Gabriel stroked the image again, his gaze locked on her exposed throat, his rage forgotten. His desire turned from vengeance to pure, sexual hunger as he imagined sinking his aching fangs into her delicate neck. Her blood flooding his mouth, her taste overwhelming his senses as her pulse slowly faded beneath his lips. He’d take her to the brink then puncture his own throat to feed her.
His solid frame quaked from temptation. To feel her again…her open mouth against his neck…her warm breath teasing him. As her fingers tunneled through his hair as he’d settle his hips between her thighs—
“Never”, he snarled, ruthlessly beating back the urge to hunt her down and give life to his fantasy. He wouldn’t change her and he wouldn’t bed her. She wasn’t for him.
Gabriel delicately stroked the image again and cursed under his breath when the soft scent of jasmine drifted through the air. His senses immediately went wild, zeroing in on the woman that plagued him. Jordan was making her way down the hall, pausing at every door. Was the little mortal looking for him? His eyes aglow with excitement. Jordan was about to enter the wolf’s lair.
Frowning he chided himself. Her presence and attention shouldn’t please me.
He tucked the picture back in his jacket, then removed his remaining glove, collected the discarded leather from the floor and shoved them, along with her medical report, in a desk drawer. Flipping his gaze to the gilded mirror above the cold fireplace, a quick glance at his reflection revealed green eyes, even teeth. He knew he shouldn’t care if she saw his darker side, but he didn’t wish to frighten her.
Gabriel waited for the quiet rap of her knuckles on the study’s door before clearing his throat and beckoning her to enter.
The door cracked open and she curiously peeked around the edge. Her gaze scanned the room before locking on him. Gabriel was struck speechless when her bright violet eyes light with triumphant happiness. Her face, free of the shadows that haunted her complexion the night before, was made even more radiant when her ruby lips curled with an enchanting smile. His fingers twitched with the need to caress the silken burgundy strands that flowed over her shoulders, to wrap the length around his fist and tug her forward for a sanity shattering kiss.
“You’re a difficult man to find,” she beamed.
He arched a brow. “Have you been searching for me?”
Her heart skipped a beat then quickened, her pupils dilated and her delicate female fragrance intensified, the effect both calming and maddening. The sound of his voice had aroused her?
“Yes, I have,” she answered, stepping fully into the room.
Gabriel devoured her with his gaze as she approached him. She wore a simple dark blue, thin strapped shirt with a deep v-neckline. The garment stretched tightly over her breasts and ended just above the waist of her form fitting black jeans, exposing the jeweled stud of her naval piercing. The crystal teased his imagination.
His lust rapidly rising, Gabriel turned from her before his eyes flashed black and betrayed his desire. He felt his fangs sharpen behind his lips. Focusing on the computer monitors, he watched his soldiers secure Klein to a metal chair to await him. He needed to get back to the dungeon and his bloody work.
“Is there something you need?” he asked.
Her fingers came up to the locket that rested just above the swell of her breasts. She stroked the silver a moment before dropping her hand back to her side. “Thank you. I know those words are simple and over used, but—”
“You needn’t thank me.”
She rolled her eyes and huffed, “Yeah, right.”
The corner of his lips tugged up into a half smile.
Jordan nervously began to play with a strand of her hair and she shifted her gaze to the empty fireplace. “During my…confinement I heard rumblings of a war. I couldn’t believe it at first. Well organized vampire factions battling each other? Their ranks made of kings, queens, nobles, knights, and outcasts.” She shook her head. “Despite growing up among hunters, I never heard of anything like that. I thought I’d lost my mind, that I’d created you and some wild fantasy to cope with everything. Then I heard the guards whisper about you as if you were some kind of boogeyman.” Jordan laughed and raised her sparkling eyes to meet his gaze once more. “I know the raids and the attacks on the slave houses and trading routes were strategic strikes. I know you weren’t searching for me, in particular, but hearing your name spoken in fear, it gave me hope. And when I saw you at the boathouse, I thought you’d said my name, like you were there to find me.” She smiled. “Silly, I know.”
Her light laugh warmed him. He didn’t like it.
“When you removed your disguise in the purchasing room, I thought I was dreaming.” Her voice wavered, her humor had vanished.
Instinct demanded he wrap his arms around her, that he hold her in the safety of his embrace. But Gabriel remained still as if his wing tips were made of steel and welded to the floor.
“I couldn’t believe you were there. Alone, outnumbered as you were, you were magnificent.” Her cheeks pinked with a blush and his heart beat stammered.
Gabriel inwardly cursed, Hell. Jordan was lovely and he was helpless. His body responded to her innocent charm, just as it had the night they met. “Anyway,” she shook her head to focus her thoughts, “what I’m trying to say is, knowing you were out there fighting and freeing others gave me something to hold on to. Whether or not I ever escaped or if you ever found me, I knew you’d win the war.”
The warmth her laugh had sparked now spread through his chest, penetrating the ice that surrounded his heart. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, he responded impassively, “You honor me with your confidence.”
She shrugged and her blush deepened. “I know you don’t think of yourself as a hero and you don’t want me to either, but you are my knight.”
“Jordan, you shouldn’t say such things,” he insisted despite his odd desire for her to see him as a valiant man. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be labeled a savior by someone—by her—but he was cold, ruthless, the remaining shreds of his humanity destroyed by his demon.
When he was a mortal male, he’d been a great warrior, a champion to his people, to his wife, until the barbarians had come. Now he was a beast. He was a vampire. He killed and tortured, he’d do anything to achieve his goals, to destroy his enemies. Never would he apologize.
Her chin stubbornly tilted up. “I speak the truth.”
He scoffed, “Believe me when I say, I’ve done nothing heroic.”
“I thought I had lost everything.” Jordan’s hand went back to the locket. “You’ve returned more than just things and for that I will never be able to repay you. I can’t express how thankful I am or how sorry I am for taking advantage of your kindness and comfort.”
His eyes narrowed. “Comfort?”
Her blush deepened. “I shouldn’t have disturbed you last night.”
“Do you have regrets?” he asked, his dispassionate tone disguising his own regrets. He regretted not taking her lips, not cupping her breasts, not allowing her to use him until she came. God, he’d forever regret not knowing what she looked like in the throes of ecstasy. She’d be beyond beautiful.
Jordan wet her lips, her gaze falling to his mouth. Her pulse spiked and the soft scent of her arousal set off fireworks in his head. “No,” she whispered.
His voice hoarse, he commanded, “Don’t dare apologize.”
“But I—”
In a blink Gabriel stood an inch from her. He felt the sharp exhalation of her breath from the shock of his movement. “You did nothing I didn’t want.”
With the tip of his index finger, he traced the delicate sliver chain from the base of her neck, over her collarbone, down to brush her trembling fingers, which still clutched the locket.
“May I?” he asked.
Jordan swallowed hard and moved her hand away. Gabriel carefully released the clasp. Shifting his gaze down, he studied the images. On the left side was a photo of a young, smiling couple on their wedding day. The bride wore a simple white gown and the groom was dressed in a nice button up and black slacks. There were no flowers or ornate decor, nothing fancy or flashy, just love. The image on the right made his breath hitch in his chest. The man had an arm wrapped around the woman’s shoulders while she slept in a hospital bed. Their baby tucked sweetly in her arms. Never had he experienced or witnessed such a perfect moment in all his centuries.
“Your parents,” he stated in understanding and closed he locket.
“This is all I have of them.” Jordan’s fingers wrapped around his. She stepped closer. He could feel the heat of her body and beckoned him like a flame. Entranced, he watched her tug on her bottom lip with her teeth. He wanted to nibble that lip for her.
Gabriel spun away and stalked back to the desk. “I’m glad I could return it to you.” The warmth in his chest now morphed into a sharp ache. Irritating.
“Your furniture and remaining clothing have been placed in a storage unit. When you’re ready, everything will be released.”
Gabriel frowned when he sensed her disappointment, but he refused to look at her. He knew if he saw the emotion in her expressive eyes he’d be unable to resist claiming her luscious lips. God, how he longed to taste her passion and kiss her worries away.
A desire eternally denied.
He shouldn’t care. By the Graces, he needed to destroy the feelings Jordan had unearthed within him.
“I suppose Denver is done for me now. Bummer, it was the first city I’d actually planted roots. I had a real job, went to school, and made friends.” Jordan began to fidget with her hair again. “Guess I’ll have to play the Map Game.”
He raised a brow in silent question. Jordan chuckled and explained, “It was the way my aunt and I decided where to live. We were constantly on the move. I was never at a school for more than a year. When she passed and I ditched the foster system, I continued the tradition.”
“How do you play?”
“Well, it’s really only fun when you have multiple-players. Each person would pick a State they hadn’t lived in before, close their eyes, and point to a city or town. Then we’d have a little competition to decide the winner. Now, all by my lonesome, I decide North, South, East, or West then shut my eyes and point.” She shrugged. “I’ll move my stuff once I find my own spot.”
Her last words scoured his skin, as if he’d been hauled over jagged rocks.
“I don’t want to be in your away any more than I already have,” she added.
“You needn’t be in a hurry. You may remain at the compound for however long you wish” he said casually, masking his fervor. “It is secure and Dr. Fredrick lives on the property. He can monitor your health more easily.”
Her brows pinched together. “You don’t live here?”
Again, he felt her disappointment. Damn, what made him so sensitive to her moods and emotions? “No. I stay in the city.”
“Oh.” Jordan’s eyes dropped to the smooth surface of the desk for a moment before her lashes flipped back up. “So, this is where you bring the people you rescue.”
A human had never stepped foot on his compound. Hell, no one beside himself and Gannon ever stayed at the house. Until this night, no outsiders were permitted entry, Scott and Kate included. This was a sanctuary he rarely visited and he’d wanted to keep it as separate and untainted from his day to day life as possible. Yet another rule broken for her.
“Dr. Fredrick and his team treat rescued mortals at the various clinics and safe houses throughout Tapof territory. At these locations, the humans can receive counseling and live until they are ready to return to normal life.”
“Normal,” Jordan huffed. “When I was a child, I use to wish for normal, then I realized it doesn’t exist.”
Gabriel agreed with a curt nod. “Normal would be dull anyway.”
Jordan smiled. “And who wants boring?”
Suddenly extremely uncomfortable with the intimate banter, Gabriel returned to business. Jordan wanted to leave and he couldn’t allow that. “You really shouldn’t travel until you’re well.”
Her shoulders rolled with a careless shrug. “In my limited years I’ve seen some pretty crazy shit. I’ll be fine.” Jordan’s smile brightened. “I’ll be fine. I learned how to cope long ago and the best way is to move on. You know, hit a new city, adopt a new signature, and go blonde.”
Gabriel shook his head. She felt healthy and strong because of his blood, but the effects would fade and she’d need another dose. “Stay here, recoup and relax. Take some time to select your new name and rethink that hair color choice.”
“Hey! I look good with blonde hair.”
“I’ve no doubt you’d be beautiful with green hair,” he flippantly countered. “I’m suggesting you don’t push yourself too fast too soon.”
She tugged on her bottom lip again. “I don’t know…”
“Jordan, you’re not a prisoner. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” she said with a vigorous nod. “And, you’re right, there really isn’t any rush.”
“Good.”
His tone was emotionless, his expression plain, but had there been a flicker of relief in his eyes? Had the tension in his shoulders eased a centimeter?
“If we are done here, I really must return to my work.”
Dismissed. Just like that. Well, she’d accomplished what she’d set out to: find the vampire, thank him, apologize, and say “peace out.” Yeah, everything but the last part. She knew she should’ve pressed the issue of her release, but Gabriel had hit the target when it came to her health. Something wasn’t right and, truth be told, she wasn’t in a hurry to put miles between them. Even though it went against every rule as a hunter, she couldn’t deny her attraction to the vampire and she wouldn’t. She wasn’t ashamed. Her capture had really driven home the simple fact that life was precious and way too damn short for hang ups or regrets.
But did she dare pursue the vampire? Did she want to seduce him? She knew nothing about seduction. She’d never had to try before. Boys had always just been, well, there. And after last night her confidence had taken a beating. She should leave him alone. She wouldn’t be here long and romantic entanglements would just make going their separate ways more difficult than necessary. Keep it clean and keep it simple, had been her aunt’s hunting policy, but Jordan applied it to all aspects of life.
“Yeah, no problem, I’ve got planning to do anyway.” Jordan ran her fingers through her hair and tossed the strands over her shoulder, unintentionally exposing her throat.
She heard Gabriel’s sharp inhale. His eyes were focused on the computer screen, but instinct told her his green gaze burned with black flames. Was it his bloodlust or his sexual hunger…or both? His reaction triggered her excitement and yearning to feel his mouth against her pulse, his hands exploring her body as he sank his long fangs—
Gabriel’s guttural curse echoed through the room.
Startled, Jordan shifted her eyes away. The vampire was temptation personified. To make it clean and simple I’ll have to stop fantasizing about him, especially in his presence.
Had he noticed her arousal? Vampires possessed heightened senses, he could’ve smelled her pheromones, heard her increased heart rate. Oh, god, she hoped he couldn’t read minds. She’d drop dead of embarrassment where she stood. Or was he upset that she hadn’t left? He wasn’t barking at her to get out, at least not yet.
He tapped the key board, drawing her attention to the screen. Had he cursed because of something he’d seen on the monitor?
She glanced at the computer and quickly skimmed over the multi-view screen. Black and white with shades of gray and green security images flickered. Squinting, she focused on one scene in the right corner. A male sat on a chair in the center of the frame. His head hung low until someone walked past him. The man lifted his gaze.
Ross Klein. Rage pumped as thick as tar through her veins.
The bastard was alive. She’d assumed Gabriel had killed the Slave Handler in the forest.
Her mind began to race. Why had he captured the vampire rather than drive a blade through his heart? Where was Ross being kept? He was Gabriel’s enemy, wasn’t he? Ross belonged to the opposing faction, right? Or had she missed something? Images from the night before flashed like lightning, splintering her thoughts leaving her angry, confused, and suspicious. Her rescuer hadn’t slain the guards in the purchasing room.
Jordan’s stomach dropped as she began to analyze her conversations with Gabriel. He’d said he wasn’t one for small talk, but that could’ve been a front to cover his vague answers.
How could she have been so gullible? To this point, Gabriel had done nothing to merit her mistrust. Nothing that I know of, she amended. He was a vampire. Simple fact, vampires couldn’t be trusted. Her aunt’s voice drifted through her mind, “We all have our demons.”
Jordan shook her head. Yeah, only some are literal while others are figurative, she thought. Gabriel didn’t just have demons, he was a demon. Deception was in his nature. Had his words been calculated movements? What had he hoped to gain from her? If he’d wanted her blood or her body, he could’ve easily taken both. Was he planning on using her as a bargaining chip? He seemed concerned for her wellbeing, but an unhealthy bleeder wouldn’t fetch a solid price.
No. Gabriel wasn’t like the vampires that had kidnapped her. Then there was Scott. He wouldn’t heal her so she could be sold. He wouldn’t allow anyone to harm her. But he’s a vampire too. He isn’t the charming, easy going surgeon/hunter that used to tuck me in at night…Still, his smile is warm and his caring demeanor is the same…
Jordan drew a sharp breath between her teeth as she struggled to focus her thoughts. Calming her mind, she leveled her gaze on Gabriel. The vampire stood, his hands clasped behind his back, his piercing green eyes locked on her, chilling.
“You didn’t kill him,” she stated, pointing at Klein. “Or the guards in the purchasing room. Why?”
He impassively responded, “I’ve my reasons.”
Her fists clenched at her sides and she carefully retreated a step then two. “You brought them here?”
“The guards from the purchasing room? No.”
Her irritation was quickly boiling into anger. “The ones who gave chase,” she clarified.
“Some.”
He refused to give her a full answer. “Why?” she demanded.
Gabriel’s wide shoulders rolled, his form fitting jacket pulled taught over his muscles. “Questioning.”
Had he bagged other guards when he raided the slave warehouses? Was that how he’d been able to track the trader’s movements and find the auction? What did he do with the guards once he’d procured the information he sought? Did he leave them out for the sun to claim like hunter tradition? Did he catch and release or did he offer them a place in his faction? She’d over heard a few guards debating the pros and cons of switching their allegiance since the “Blood Bastard King” would offer his enemies a chance to join his ranks before he destroyed them. Would he extend that courtesy to Klein? She couldn’t allow that. She wouldn’t. She’d vowed to drive a blade through the bastard’s heart and nothing and no one would stop her.
Another possibility formed and threatened to make her violently ill. Klein was a high ranking officer of Gabriel’s enemy’s faction. He could be used for ransom or prisoner exchange. Or worse, Gabriel could plan to use her in the same fashion. She’d been the only human he liberated last night and he’d brought her here. He’d kept her close. Like a dizzy school girl, she’d hoped he’d brought her to his vampire den because she was somehow different from the others, that she was special. Not going to acknowledge that tinge of disappointment, but will focus on the stab of betrayal. She’d fight Gabriel with all she had if sending her back to those repugnant, ruthless, blood-suckers was his plan. Lord, she’d believed his pretty words of freedom.
Gabriel stepped from behind the desk. “If you will excuse me, I’ve work to attend to.”
Jordan shifted and placed herself directly in his path. “We’re not done.”
His cold gaze sharped, but his indifferent expression remained firmly in place as he replied with a bored drawl, “We’ve nothing more to discuss.”
“The hell you say!” she snapped and his crystal green eyes flickered with obsidian shadows.
He held his demon at bay, but she could tell underneath his controlled façade the beast lurked. She’d dared to challenge him and as she held his stare she saw the vampire within him, ready to attack, to rend flesh and muscle with teeth and claws.
Her instinct demanded she be cautious. She couldn’t take him in a fight. He wasn’t like the lowly, loathsome outcastes she’d fought in the past.
Focusing on her breathing, she forced herself to calm down, but she didn’t relax her guard. “What are your plans for the Slave Handler?”
“As previously stated, questioning.”
“I’m sorry, vampire, but repeating answers isn’t allowed,” she said, mimicking a game show host’s chime. “Would you like to try again to earn points?”
“No.” Gabriel moved to step around her, but she slid to the side blocking his exit again. She knew he could escape her with little effort, but he remained.
“After you question him, what then?”
Anger flared in the depths of his gaze but was instantly extinguished. “He is a prisoner.”
“He can’t be trusted. Ross is dangerous—”
“No.” Gabriel closed the space between them. Jordan craned her neck back to meet his gaze. His size was overwhelming, his stare intimidating and the heat of his solid body…Jordan clenched her fists even tighter, her nails biting into her palms. She refused to lean into him and she wouldn’t run her hands over his hard chest or tunnel her fingers through the hair at his nape. She didn’t want to rise on her tip toes and lay claim to his lips.
Gabriel tilted his head down, his breath caressed the side of her face. “I am dangerous, sweetheart. You’d be wise to remember that.”
Her throat suddenly dry, she asked, “A-Are you threatening me?”
He straightened and took a step back. His expression and his eyes softened. “I state fact. Klein is secured and well-guarded. Never again will he cause you harm.”
“Fine. If you won’t answer my questions regarding the Slave Handler, then answer this: why am I here?”
“Jordan.”
She felt his exasperated sigh as if it were her own. “You said it yourself, the humans you release are treated at the clinic and or some other safe-house, but you brought me here. To your home. You’re clearly not the type that enjoys slumber parties.”
“I explained last night, you were the only mortal taken from the auction. We had little choice but to bring you with us. Not to mention, every second that past brought us closer to sunrise. There was little time to drop you at a safe-house.”
“Another repeat,” she chided.
He didn’t acknowledge her acidic tone and continued, “You are safe here and once you are well, you will be free to go.”
“Just like that? No strings attached?”
He gave a clipped nod. “None. You have my word.”
“And what is the vow of a vampire worth?”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched so hard, Jordan could hear his teeth grinding. She knew she should stop, but something inside her urged her on. It wanted to see him snap. “You’ve given me no real explanation—”
“I owe you none,” he snarled. “Klein is my prisoner and his fate does not concern you.”
“He is your enemy, correct?”
His eyes narrowed and he replied with a silent nod.
“Yet he, the guards, and that bitch hostess still live.”
“Captives can prove useful in war,” his voice rumbled unnaturally rough and deep. “Sparing lives can be necessary. You should know that.”
“Another vague answer, shocker!” She placed her hands on her hips. “Let’s review facts as I see them. You went to the auction house, for reasons unknown. You not only bid on slave Number Fifteen, you won her.”
Black flickered within his green eyes like a torch’s flame and his lips curled back over his sharpening fangs. She ignored the warning signs and charged on, “You were in the purchasing room, negotiating terms with X-Tina when your slave was brought in.”
He growled, “Chose your words wisely, mortal.”
Jordan shivered as the temperature instantly dropped ten degrees. Had he done that? It didn’t matter, she had to press, “A warrior as hardened as you would’ve killed his enemies.”
“Is that so?” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, demonic black bled into the light green. Consuming. “You doubt my purpose and you doubt my word.”
Damn straight, she thought but he hadn’t asked a question.
“If it is bloodshed you seek, my sweet, ask and you shall receive.” Without taking his demonic dark eyes from her, he pressed a button on the key board. “Gannon, will you kindly escort one of our guests to the study? I don’t care which.” He didn’t wait for a response, instead he slid open a desk draw and removed a set of damaged gloves. “I’d hoped to spare you this, but allow me to demonstrate how ruthless I truly am.”
Jordan flinched. Oh, god, what had she done? What was he going to do? “Gabriel, I—”
“Are getting exactly what you wanted,” he coldly finished, fitting the leather over his fingers.
No, this wasn’t what she wanted. She hadn’t meant to shove him over the edge. She’d only wanted an explanation. She only wanted to make sense out of this nightmarish situation.
She jumped at the sound of a fist pounding on the door. Gabriel didn’t say a word when the threshold flung open. A tall, tanned man with midnight black hair and hard hazel eyes entered the room. He didn’t look her way, nor did the two soldiers that hauled a struggling vampire with them.
Jordan felt the world fall from beneath her feet as sickening realization sank in. She’d gone way too far.
“Blood bastard,” the vampire snarled. “You’ve no right to hold us.”
In a flicker of movement, Gabriel stood before the prisoner. “On the contrary, I’ve every right. As your King, your life belongs to me.”
The guard lunged toward Gabriel, but the soldiers held him firm.
“You’re fucking filth. A disgrace to vampire kind. Bastards like you should burn in the sun.”
Gabriel ignored the insults that continued to fly and returned his focus to Jordan. She wrapped her arms around her middle as fear fluttered in her stomach.
“Is this one of the guards who hurt you?”
The air punched from her lungs as she watched a blade slip from its hiding place beneath Gabriel’s jacket sleeve. His long fingers wrapped around the hilt.
“You’d spare mortals like this whore!” The guard spat in Jordan’s direction. Gabriel delivered a ruthless right hook and his head snapped to the side. Blood filled his mouth and dripped down his chin as he continued to rail.
“Did he harm you?”
She swallowed hard and wet her lips. Yes, this guard had been the one to tackle her in the parking lot the night of her abduction. He’d handcuffed and gagged her before tossing her into a waiting van. Over the last months, he’d dragged her across many slave warehouse floors, kicking her awake from a drug induced sleep to feed her crumbs. He’d thrown water in her face when she asked for a drink and laughed as she panted from dehydration. He’d beaten her fellow slaves, restrained them as they were branded.
“It is a simple question with a simple answer,” Gabriel pressed.
“Lowly slut!” the guard snarled. “I should’ve fucked you and bled you dry.”
Gabriel struck him again. Teeth and fangs scattered across the polished hardwood floor.
The soldiers forced the guard to his knees.
Jordan opened her mouth, but no words came to her lips. Her heart pounded so loud, it drowned out everything but Gabriel’s guttural voice. He spoke slowly, pausing after every word, “Did he hurt you?”
Hypnotized by his demon black gaze, Jordan swayed beneath the intensity. Would she faint? No, she couldn’t faint, but she felt the darkness rising. Not to claim her, but to embrace her. She felt Gabriel’s cold purpose as if it were her own and she surrendered to the sensation with a simple lowering of her head.
Gabriel’s blade swung with such speed and precision, not even the vampires in the room noticed his movements or heard the sound of splintering bone. Not a single drop of crimson fell from Gabriel’s knife as the guard’s head rolled to join the discarded teeth.
Jordan turned her back while the soldiers silently collected the remains and departed. She clenched the locket in her hand and whispered a prayer for strength and forgiveness. Gabriel had been right; it was bloodshed she’d sought. Never had she been so merciless, so ready to see death delivered. She’d pushed Gabriel to this outcome. How else was he to prove beyond a doubt his loyalty to her and his cause?
Existing among the vampires for so long, living surrounded by so much violence, it must have changed her.
“Jordan?”
She couldn’t look at him now and she couldn’t stand to see the puddle of blood that doubtless coated the floor.
Gabriel stepped in front of her. “You are not a slave. You are not a prisoner.”
He framed her face, his gloves gone. The heat of his touch scorched her. The sensation startled her from her shocked stupor. His fangs had receded, but his eyes remained black as coal—intense, vacant, and haunting. A chill tickled her spine. Fear? Desire? Were they one and the same?
She closed her eyes, savoring the rough growl of his voice as he rasped, “You don’t have to like me. You don’t have to trust me. But never doubt my hate, my goals, or my word.”