"You had us all scared," Justin said.
"Yeah, well. Apparently I'm good at that." Intensely aware of Gabriel at her side, she tugged on his hand. “Sit down, would you? Then fill me in. It sounded like I interrupted a war council.” She looked at the circle of concerned faces, feeling at peace for the first time since she woke up. “It’s really good to be here. What’s been going on?”
“Aside from you scaring everyone?” Gabriel squeezed her hand. “Just the typical. I went back to the nightclub, found Kellan sniffing around. Oh, and we let the pregnant werewolf go.”
Warmth spread through her. “You remembered? Thank you. You just made my day.” Rose couldn’t contain her joy and she beamed at him. She’d been cold in the hospital, but here warmth filled her and her smile grew wide. “Did you get the other werewolves out?”
“It’s in the plan,” assured Gabriel.
“So what is the plan?”
"Fire." Kellan spoke up then. "Simple. A couple firebombs set during the day, and whoomph! No more building, no more vampires, you're done."
"Not exactly," said Gabriel. "You know they've got werewolves. They'll pick up the scent of a bomb before you have it within fifty yards of the place. And even if they are on our side, they wouldn't hesitate to save themselves and make a scene."
Rose shuddered. No one could want to be there. No were animal, at any rate. "We need to free the other weres before we do any sort of bombing. I can’t believe the weres are working for the vamps. The trick will be to get it done without getting caught.”
Kellan straddled a chair and leaned forward against the back. "There's any number of ways. One, we take out the vamps and the demons, let the weres go, and blow up the building. Two, we let the weres go and blow up the building. I’m thinking either way—blow up the building." Kellan looked from one to another in the small office, grinning wickedly. "What?"
Rose took a quick survey and smiled at Kellan. “Maggie and I are shocked, Justin is working the angles, and Gabriel isn’t sure what to make of you.”
"Good read, Rose.” Gabriel turned from her to Kellan. “A bit bomb happy, aren't we?" He cocked his head as he eyed his cousin.
Kellan bared his teeth in something resembling a grin. "The desert is big, my friend. Empty. I have learned a lot out there."
"It's something to consider." Justin looked around at everyone. "I'll visit the Nine Hells, see what's up. It's usually demon territory, but I should be able to find out where the weres' normal watering hole is. Hopefully Daniel Roush will be feeling generous. Willing to help."
Gabriel’s hand jerked in hers. She turned to look at him, noticed his eyes had turned molten silver. He grinned in happy anticipation. "I’ve never been to the Nine Hells. Legally."
"Fill me in. The Nine Hells?" Maggie asked.
"A bar in Venice Beach." Gabriel shrugged. "It's part biker bar, part demon bar. It’s the kind of place where people like us tend to gather."
Gabriel had never been to a bar with his brothers. Astonished at the insight, Rose tightened her hand on his. He’d been robbed of so much. No wonder eagerness practically poured out of him. “Maybe we can all go? It sounds like the perfect place to plan.” Rose sent a questioning glance to Maggie who shrugged back.
"They've got great beer on tap, and a pool room in the back. Balcony out back, too, with a nice view of the ocean. Typical fried bar food, good for what it is," added Justin. "Not many women—scratch that. Not many proper, well-groomed women go there. And they tend to stand out when they do," he added, with a meaningful look at Rose.
"All three of us will go together," said Kellan. He cracked his knuckles thoughtfully, one at a time. "We need to make up for lost time, boys."
“Maggie and I could dress down,” Rose offered.
All three men turned toward her. “No.”
“I can’t risk you,” Gabriel added, before he turned back to the other two.
Rose frowned. How could she keep Gabriel with her? How could she keep him from going to the bar?
“I guess Rose and I will do research on the spiral tattoo and the Soul Chalice while you guys are thumping your chests and grunting over beer. There's got to be something about that spiral somewhere," Maggie added.
“While you do that,” Justin said, “Gabriel and Kel can open up the old homestead. It’s a place to stay,” he added when they groaned.
Kel and Gabriel shared a look. “Maybe so, but we’re not doing all the gardening around the place,” Gabriel said.
“I’ll help when I can. So will Gregor.”
“Where is he, anyway?”
“Taking a break. His best friend, Tara, died a couple months ago.” Justin moved restlessly in his chair. “He needed to get away. And no, I’m not calling him on this. We can handle it.”
“If you say so,” Kellan said.
“So, we open the homestead up. We’re agreed?" said Gabriel. He looked to Kellan.
“Agreed.”
"I appreciate it.” He turned to Rose. “Take a short walk with me? Just down to the conference room and back.” He held out a hand.
Rose struggled to keep her grin from taking over her face as she placed her hand in his. “Absolutely I’m up for a walk.” She stood and smiled at everyone. “We’ll be right back.” So much had changed for the better in the last twenty-four hours. It felt like a miracle. Rose left the office with Gabriel in happy anticipation.
* * *
He didn’t know where to start, so he didn’t say anything on the walk down the hallway to the conference room. Rose didn’t speak, either, which told him she was just as uncomfortable with their physical closeness.
Her hand fit his. She didn’t have dainty hands. She had worker hands, big hands that fit his perfectly. He frowned over that as they settled at the conference table, side by side.
Their hands were still entwined, resting now on the table. Gabriel looked at them. It was easier than looking at her. “For tonight, you need to stay with Maggie. Tomorrow maybe we’ll all be able to move to the homestead.”
“What? But I thought…”
“I know. I know what you thought, and you’re not wrong. I do need this,” he said, lifting their hands. “I need the closeness with you.” Finally he looked her in the eye. “Tonight we’ll head out to the Nine Hells. If there’s another fight, I want you safe. I don’t know Maggie well but my guess is, she can keep you safe.”
Gabriel watched as she swallowed hard. “How long do you think you can go without us touching?”
“I don’t know. Six to eight hours, maybe longer.” He looked at her, bright and pretty as a sunbeam with a dark edging of cloud. She had depth. He really liked that about her. “Are you okay? I mean, really okay?”
She looked down at their joined hands. “I’m fine. But Gabriel, I'm here to rescue you, not the other way around. That's what Maria Therese told me," Rose said.
Gabriel stilled. "What? What's that about my mother?" Hope trembled inside him.
"I met Maria Therese, there in the waiting room. The big black woman came to talk to me, and then Maria Therese came. She begged me to come help you, to protect you, to stay by your side no matter what. She told me it was imperative. I promised her I would, Gabriel. I promised her."
Gabriel pulled his hand from hers and pushed his chair back. He didn’t know what to think. His mother. He’d known her loss from the very beginning. He’d missed her from the first breath he took. "You’re lying. Why didn’t you say something earlier?" None of this made sense.
"I’m not lying. You are why I’m here," she shot back. "You are the only reason I'm still alive. I have a job to do where you're concerned. You want to know why I didn’t mention Maria Therese earlier? You and I, we had to spend time apart before you could understand why we need to be together. Could you have believed me without our time apart? I don’t think so."
“Leave my mother out of it.” Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. There had to be a way. "I almost let you die.” Options flew
through his head. “Okay, look. We need to connect. A couple of times a day for a brief amount of time, or once for a longer period. With other people about, you should be safe enough. But I can’t be there for you every hour of every day. I'm not good for you. Surely you can understand that."
She glared, her eyes sheening with tears. "If a demon tries to climb into my window at night and you're not there, I'm so gonna kill you."
"Rose, I'm a demon," he said, exasperated.
"Yeah, and apparently, so am I. I'm going to need your help when I feel stronger. But Gabriel, think. You're not just a demon. You've got Fae blood in you, and human blood, and that's got to count for something. I have a part of your human soul. You are so much more than just a demon."
"And you are a Soul Chalice, something out of legend." Gabriel stared at her, feeling the ground under his feet shifting, long-held beliefs suddenly under question. "I'm more demon than the rest. I might kill you."
"You might. And I might kill you. We don’t know what Soul Chalices can do. Did you ever think of that? Come on. You know I'm right."
“I don’t know any such thing.” He drew a breath through lungs that felt too tight. “We need to compromise, Rose. We’ll spend the afternoon together, but you need to be with Maggie tonight. I’ll see you when I can. We’ll connect until the job is done, but we won’t be living in each other’s pockets.”
“Compromise.” She pursed her lips, thinking. Gabriel resisted the urge to peek inside her head and just waited. “You want me to compromise? Then go shopping with me. Spend the next few hours with me, just the two of us. If you do that, then I promise when it’s time to go to Maggie’s, I’ll go and won’t make a scene.”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. As compromises went, this one sucked. “Shopping.”
“And a late lunch. Maybe dinner. I want to walk along the beach. I want to feel the heat of the day on my back and your hand in mine. I want to feel normal, just for a few hours. Fair enough trade?” She tilted her head to one side, a smile curving her lips.
He sighed. She wanted the fantasy of happy-ever-after for an afternoon. Of all the things she could have asked for, why did she pick the one that was the hardest for him to give? Her body was already imprinted on his. Growing closer to her would make his leaving worse in the end.
But he couldn’t deny her, not when he wanted the same thing as she did. Time together.
“Fair enough.” Gabriel stood and reached for her hand. “Let’s go tell the others.”
* * *
“Here, drink this. Its just tea,” Maggie said. After spending the entire afternoon and much of the evening together, Gabriel had dropped Rose off at Maggie’s apartment.
Decorated in pale greens and big, bloomy pink flowers, Rose found herself relaxing in the intensely feminine living room.
Rose accepted the mug and warmed her hands. “I don’t drink tea. What kind is it?”
“It's my favorite mint medley, plus some chamomile. Tastes pretty good, and it should help you sleep.” Maggie perched on the arm of the couch. “How are you doing?”
Rose shrugged. “Amazingly good. Gabriel was useless in the shopping department.” She giggled at the memory of him wandering, bewildered, through a woman’s clothing store. “So I stuck with jeans and tees. I had the best time.” She gave a happy sigh. “Great memories.” They’d walked hand in hand through the mall, stopped at one restaurant for sliders and fries. At sunset, he’d picked up a to-go bowl of clam chowder and they’d walked on the beach, sharing the chowder and talking about their past. She’d loved every second of it.
“I’m glad you got your mind off this whole thing,” Maggie said.
Rose sipped the tea and watched her new friend. “What do you think about it?”
“Impossible comes to mind,” Maggie said dryly. “If you’d asked me two days ago if Soul Stealers existed, I’d have told you to grow up. As it is, I’m finding I have to re-think the stories and legends I learned as a child.”
Rose looked into her tea pensively. “Do you think it’s possible… Is there hope for Gabriel and me?”
“I believe we’ll prevail, and you’ll get his soul back. Beyond that, I don’t know. Everything is changing shape in front of me. I’m not sure of anyone, or anything.”
Rose bit her lip. That wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped to hear.
Maggie moved to sit on the floor. “I believe there’s a connection between the two of you. I noticed it that first day, and then this afternoon it seemed stronger, somehow. But Rose, from what little I know about him, Gabriel has a lot to work through. He may not be capable of love right now. If you want him, you’d better be prepared to fight for him.”
Rose acknowledged the worry in Maggie’s eyes. “Yeah. Once we get this Satine business out of the way, that’s the first thing on my to-do list.”
“Good. For what it’s worth, my money’s on you. Now let me show you to the guest room. You must be exhausted. I know I am.”
“Thank you.” Rose grabbed Maggie’s hand as they stood. “I’d forgotten how nice having a friend could be."
Maggie slipped an arm around Rose’s shoulders and led her down a short hallway. “Welcome to La La Land, Rose Walters. Here’s my office. It just happens to have a spare bed in it. Think you’ll be comfortable here?”
Rose looked around the cozy room and nodded. “Perfect.” Painted muted grays and greens, the room was a cool and soothing change from the floral patterns in the main room. A desk faced the window and the single bed stood opposite the desk. One bookcase held a few books. Rose looked up at her new friend and smiled. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a couple of sleep shirts in the closet and a robe. Feel free to use anything you want. Now, try to get some sleep. Don’t think about anything but resting. Keep your mind barrier up, too, as much as you can before you fall asleep. It should stay up automatically, but keep your focus on it for a bit. Don’t want any demons smashing in the windows to get at you.”
Rose laughed. “Yeah. That’ll keep me from worrying.”
Maggie flushed. “Sorry. The apartment is protected, of course. Nothing can get to you in here. Holler if you need me.”
“I’m fine, Maggie. Get some rest.” Rose smiled and waved her away. Maggie left her alone.
She checked out the closet and found a peachy silk tee shirt and a matching robe. She stripped out of her new clothes and slipped on the silk shirt with a shiver of appreciation.
Sliding under the covers of the bed, Rose groaned at the luxurious comfort of the softest cotton sheets and the most perfect bed ever. Before she closed her eyes, she spoke her mind to the ceiling. “Gabriel Caine, you’d better take care of yourself. I need you to come through this whole thing in one piece,” she declared. “The rest will sort itself out. I hope.”
* * *
“Let me do the talking. Neither of you know Little Harry,” Justin advised Gabriel and Kellan as the three of them walked through the doorway of the Nine Hells just before closing time. It had the feel of a once-hip bar left over from the Seventies. Located in Venice Beach just one street away from the sand, the dark wood and monster movie posters gave the bar a goth vibe. The plants hanging in every corner were silk and dusty from neglect.
While it wasn't packed, there was still a fair-sized crowd rumbling about the place, with chaotic electronica music playing in the background. The two large-screen TVs were dark. The movies must be over for the night, mused Justin.
He nodded toward the bartender at the back. "Hey, Little Harry. How's it going?"
Harry sent them a fierce grin and slapped a beefy hand atop the bar. "Well well, if it ain't the Caines with the fairy leading the way. How ya doin’, Justin? Sorry can't serve y'all, seeing as you came in after last call." As tall as he was wide, Little Harry was part demon but mostly human. Not truly a tribred, not in the Caine family’s sense of the word.
Justin smiled, showing his teeth. "Not a problem, Little H
arry. We're just dropping in for some information."
Gabriel and Kellan flanked him at the bar, Gabriel watching Harry and Kellan watching the crowd. Justin noted Harry paled a little bit at the show.
He sent Justin a conciliatory smile. "What can I help you with?" He wiped the thick plank of wood that served as the bar with a bit of dirty rag that had seen better days.
"Twisted. Satine. What's the scoop?"
Harry relaxed, sent a disgusted look to the three of them. "Vampires. Jesus, Caine. You had me worried for a minute there."
Justin just stared at the big man. "What do you know?"
The big man shrugged. "She's Vlad's puppet, but she's scared. Buying protection. Word has it she's fed up with being under his thumb."
Gabriel looked at Justin and raised his eyebrows.
"You seem to know an awful lot."
Harry put on a wounded air. "You asked. I answered. Besides, yeah, I like to keep my ear to the ground. Can't afford to be caught short, right? Not in this economy."
It made sense. The Nine Hells was a demon bar much like The Crypt in Hollywood was a vampire bar. Mostly patronized by humans who didn't know any better, but often a place where the real deal would go to feel at home, get some information.
"How much more do you know?" Justin leaned in to Harry, let his eyes bleed to demon-green. "How much more should we know that you don't want to tell us?"
Harry quailed at the look in Justin’s eyes. "Uh. She's got a deputy, goes by the sissy name of Chazz. His specialty is disposing of the bodies. He's a were tiger, though, so I guess names aren't everything. Oh, and Vlad has big plans for Los Angeles."
Harry got more conversational and leaned over the bar. "At Twisted, apparently a demon came in and trashed the place the other night, killed a few vampires and scared the humans shitless. Nasty mess to clean up, from what I hear," he added, his voice lowered. "The word is, Satine's out for revenge on the demon, and the girl he snatched from her. Wants them both for playmates."
Gabriel snarled. "What about the girl?" He reached across the bar and grabbed Harry's shirt. Shook him. "What have you heard about the girl?"
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