When she’d brushed against Gideon in her apartment, he’d captured her hand in his. He’d drawn her to him and kissed her hard. She’d responded like a shipwreck victim clinging to a life preserver.
Next she was on the floor beneath him. He drank only a little but gave her so much in return. When they finally finished, she’d removed her torn shirt and used it to blot the blood from the already partially healed bite marks on her neck. He’d suggested she change into the black turtleneck to hide the marks from Jake.
Then he’d made her forget.
“No!” Abby pushed Gideon away. His teeth tore her skin, leaving a bleeding gash. “How many times have I told you that I love Jake?”
Gideon sat back on the bed and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. His eyes were dark, the copper points faded to black. “You tell me all the time, usually while you’re on your back. It’s hard for me to believe that you love him when you’re always ready for me.”
Abby backed away, disgusted that she’d lost control with Gideon so many times. The memory of him inside her made her hot and shaky. It killed her that she wanted him even now.
“You’ve begged me to make you forget, Abby. Every time you give in to your desire for me, you feel guilty and you want to forget. I let you ... only because I love you.” For a moment there was regret in Gideon’s eyes. “If I didn’t cloud your memory, I’d lose you. You’d have left both of us a long time ago because you can’t justify loving two men.”
“I don’t love both of you.” Abby gathered into herself. She dragged the black sheet across her body as a shield between them. “I don’t love you, Gideon.”
“You love what I do to you. You love what I make you feel.” His voice shook with emotion she would never have believed him capable of.
“You just make me think I do.” That was meant to wound and it did. Gideon’s eyes narrowed. “You know I’ve never forced you. I’ve never convinced you to do anything you didn’t want to do. You came to the bar that night--you found me and offered yourself to me.”
She remembered. Like a key, Gideon’s words unlocked the memories.
The night in the park, she’d just come from one of the vampire bars. Hunger had driven her there--a descent meal was a necessity for a feeder, to increase their blood volume and keep them from passing out on the customers. Gideon paid for her meal, and her blood. He’d been so handsome and kind, not at all what she expected. None of the vampires the Client had paid her to kill would have turned her on like Gideon did. Why had she always credited Jake with saving her life, with making her reconsider becoming a feeder to survive? Gideon had planted that memory weeks later after she’d been with him a few times, probably right around the time Jake formally introduced them to each other.
She brought a shaking hand to her throat, felt the sting of the open wound. “I won’t let you do it again.” Only anger kept her from succumbing to the sudden wave of nausea. She didn’t want all those memories back, but she couldn’t stop them now.
“Yes, you will, Abby,” Gideon said. “You always do. You don’t want the guilt. You want to be free to love Jake so you beg me to take it all away and promise to leave you alone. Then you come back for more. Even though you don’t remember the past, you still can’t resist it. Don’t you realize this is what’s been stopping you from being with Jake? It’s not pride, not the fear of ruining your friendship. It’s me. It’s the fact that you want me.”
“No.”
“Abby, remember it.” The command let loose another stream of suppressed memories, forbidden carnal memories. Her skin tingled, her inner muscles vibrated with the memory of Gideon’s skilled hands on her body.
“Don’t. No more.”
“I’m going to win, Abby. And tomorrow night when I succeed Gregori, I’ll turn you, just like you’ve wanted me to. Just like you’ve begged me to.”
“No!”
Chapter Seven
Jake heard Abby scream. In the next second he wondered why he’d ever planned to knock on Gideon’s door when he should have merely kicked it down.
He burst through the door using strength he’d long denied. What he saw enraged him.
Abby perched at the head of the huge bed, black sheets in disarray around her legs. Blood oozed down her neck from a jagged bite mark. Her cheeks were flushed, lips swollen and her nipples stood out against the shimmering fabric of her golden gown.
Gideon whipped around, anger flaring crimson in his eyes. “You’ve come to rescue your matchstick girl, Jake? Take her. Do what you want. I’ll erase you from her mind later when I have her again.”
Jake advanced on Gideon and delivered a punch that would have left a human unconscious. Gideon’s head snapped back and blood welled at the corner of his mouth where the white tip of a fang peeked out. He rubbed his jaw, stunned, but recovered quickly and smiled.
“I was wondering when you’d get around to defending her honor. Don’t forget, Jake, she’s a killer and a liar. Let that lie between you when you take her to your bed.”
Jake took another menacing step and Gideon wisely backed up. He put his hands up defensively but there was humor in his tone. “I won’t stop you, Jake. I’m still hungry and she’s not enough for me tonight. She’s all yours.”
He turned and stalked toward the door. Jake watched him, his hands aching to wrap around Gideon’s neck, if only it would have had any effect.
When Gideon disappeared into the hallway, Jake turned to Abby. She sat in a ball surrounded by pillows, clutching a zebra print throw to her chest. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m so sorry.” Her tortured whisper tore at him.
“What did he do to you?” Long-suppressed emotions roughened his voice. He gathered her in his arms and rocked her gently as she clung to him.
“He told me he’s been clouding my memories all this time. I’ve ... been with him.”
Jake growled and cupped her head against his chest. It made sense now. Gideon’s distaste for Abby hid his abuses. All this time, he repeated in his head. All this time when she was supposed to be mine.
“Come on.” He looked down into her face. Her skin was so pale, her eyes so wide. Her lips beckoned him. The sweet, salty aroma of the blood on her neck made him want her in more ways that one. “Let’s get out of here. I’m not going to let him touch you again.”
“He’ll make me forget. I’ve asked him to make me forget....” There was a dreamy quality to Abby’s voice that scared him. What exactly had Gideon done to her?
Jake forced himself to maintain control as he lowered his face to her neck. He inhaled the complex mixture of scents that clung to her. Gideon’s cologne, the heady musk of the abundant candles, blood and her own feminine scent, layered with her enticing new perfume that smelled just like Gregori’s flowers.
It’s a drug.
“Where are your clothes?” He tore himself away from her and began searching the room. Gideon’s overnight bag sat in the corner but Abby’s was not with it.
She shook her head. “Marabel took them.”
“Come on, I’ll give you something to wear.” He took her hand and pulled her from the bed.
“Are we leaving?”
“We’re going to get as far away from here as we can and never look back. If we have to run forever, we will. I can’t let Gideon use you and I won’t let the Client hurt you.”
The gaze Jake leveled at Abby took her breath away. Her thoughts were so muddled from the wine and Gideon’s revelations that it took her a moment to process what Jake was saying. “Run away? Together?”
“Come on.”
He pulled her out of Gideon’s room and down the hallway to his own. Once they were inside, he locked the door. “Get out of that gown,” he said. Abby would have found the command a turn on if he hadn’t looked so angry. “Go in the bathroom and take a shower. Get that scent off you so you can think clearly.”
“Oh....” Abby looked down at herself and tried to concentrate on Jake’s words. The perfume. Gideon had given it to her
a week ago when he’d shown up at her apartment late one night hungry and horny. The sexy scent in its beautiful crystalline bottle seemed to put her right in the mood and they’d ... she didn’t dare call it making love. She remembered wanting him so badly. It was only afterward that she’d thought once again of Jake and how she’d spent the day fretting over buying him the perfect Christmas gift.
With a startled glance at Jake, she fled into the bathroom.
Jake paced. It was close to midnight. If they drove fast and stayed on the freeway, they might make it over the border before dawn. The windows of his truck were tempered. He could drive all day long without fear of the sunlight, as long as no one stopped them. He pulled his luggage apart and dragged out a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt for Abby. He assessed a pair of Fruit-of-the-Loom briefs and decided they’d look damn sexy on her. He tossed them into the pile of clothes along with sweat socks and a flannel shirt for warmth. Marabel had even taken Abby’s boots and coat. He’d have to carry her to the SUV, assuming he could get it back from Gregori’s valet.
He’d tell Gregori that he’d be back before the ceremony began.
What was he thinking? With Rogenet and Garvey already here, Gregori would not permit anyone to leave.
He gathered the clothes and headed toward the bathroom. At the door, he hesitated. It didn’t seem natural to barge right in, so he knocked, at first tentatively, then with more conviction. When there was no answer after the third try, he opened the door.
* * * *
Abby’s tears mingled with the hot water sluicing down her body. She braced herself against the black tiles of the shower stall and leaned into the soothing spray. Thick steam filled her lungs, replacing the intoxicating scents that had helped Gideon control her thoughts. Slowly her perception cleared.
Gideon. She didn’t love him. That much was clear immediately. What they had was a parasitic relationship. She laughed ruefully at the thought. She needed him because he let her indulge her fascination with vampires--a fascination she only now remembered having. When the Client destroyed her life, she’d finally broken down and gone to the vampire bars out of desperation. It was easy to get in. They always needed new feeders. Vampires tended to keep their favorites--often whisking them away to private clubs after a while--leaving an opening on the menu. Abby was young and fresh and she filled a newly empty slot at a place called the Underside.
At first she’d told herself it was only because she’d starve otherwise, but when she met Gideon that night she’d felt an instant carnal attraction. They become lovers not long after, but by then she’d also met Jake and he was human at the time. Her feelings for him were different, but just as immediate.
It was only now that she realized that Gideon was indeed the force behind her suppression of those feelings. It was his constant subliminal suggestion that Jake could never love her if he knew the truth about them that kept her from admitting the depth of her love to herself or to Jake.
A tapping on the shower doors made her gasp. Jake stood in the bathroom, his back to her, a fuzzy shape beyond the steamy glass. His attempt to preserve her modesty made her smile.
“Are you okay?” His voice was muffled by the pounding of water around her. “I knocked but you didn’t answer.”
“I was just ... thinking,” she replied. “I’m fine.”
“I’ll leave these here. They should fit.”
“Okay.”
He left before she could think of anything else to say. After another few minutes under the liberating warmth of the shower, she shut off the water and rested her head against the wet wall for a moment. Maybe Gideon was right. Jake would never be able to love her once he knew the whole truth.
* * * *
In Jake’s jeans and T-shirt, Abby looked like a teenager. She stood in the bathroom doorway rubbing her dark hair briskly with a towel and giving him a sympathetic look that made his lungs feel like bags of wet cement.
He tried to concentrate on his plan but two things distracted him. First was Abby’s clean scent. She smelled like a meadow after the rain and he wanted to take her in his arms and bury himself in that soothing aroma. Second was his growing hunger. The memory of the scent of blood on her skin clawed at his gut. It enraged him that Gideon drank from her, deliberately weakened her. No matter how hungry Jake got, he could not allow himself to do the same.
He would have to feed soon or begin to suffer the effects. He couldn’t let himself get too weak to protect her.
“Sorry about your shoes,” he said over his shoulder as he contemplated the door of the bedroom. Their best bet was to simply walk down the stairs and out the front door, but she wouldn’t last long wearing nothing on her feet but socks.
“How are you going to get your car back?” she asked as she tossed the damp towel onto the floor behind her.
“I have a spare key in the right front wheel well. My main concern is finding the car. If it’s not still snowing we can probably follow the tracks. I doubt the valet will bring it back for the asking.”
“How do you know? Maybe--”
“No. Gregori isn’t expecting any of us to leave. We’re all here until the ceremony is over.
“What happens if you win?”
“I won’t.”
“Then what happens if you lose?”
Jake turned. He hated to admit that he had no idea. If Gideon won, his power would increase exponentially. Only Gregori would be able to control him. As Jake’s friend, he probably would have been a great asset, but now.... It was likely neither one of them would survive. Vampires were notorious for not tolerating their rivals.
“I don’t plan to be here to find out.” Jake took Abby’s hand. Despite her shower, her fingers were cold. “Let’s go. Move fast and quiet. If anyone stops us, let me do the talking. They’ll expect you to be ... obedient.” She nodded and he tugged her toward the door. Jake flung it open and found himself face to face with Gregori.
He heard Abby gasp. Gideon stood behind Gregori with a satisfied smirk on his face. Jake backed up and the two men entered the room.
“Jake.” Gregori’s smile was brittle. Maybe Jake could lie to him, but Gideon certainly wouldn’t. “This must be Abby. I’ve heard a lot about you, Miss Shore and I’m eager to discuss your ... what shall we call it? Your part-time job?”
Abby just stared. Jake saw the pulse at her throat throbbing and it drew him like a beacon. Gregori could make her tell him anything he wanted to know.
“I gave Gregori all the stuff from Abby’s box,” Gideon said. “And now he’s got a few questions.”
“Please, sit down, Miss Shore. I assure you this won’t hurt a bit.”
Abby obeyed, not because Gregori Nachevik compelled her, but because she saw no other option. She had no problem telling him the Client’s secrets, and it was clear she would probably never get another chance.
* * * *
Abby awoke hours later in the middle of Jake’s bed. Dull gray light filtered through the thick windowpanes illuminating Jake’s face where he slouched in the chair beneath them.
For a moment, Abby panicked. It was dawn. What if the sun finally broke through the snow-heavy clouds?
“Jake! Wake up--the light.” Her voice startled him awake and he immediately looked out the window. “The sun’s coming up.”
“It’s okay. Tempered glass. This is a vampire mansion, remember?” His smile was sad.
She remembered all too well. Gregori had questioned her for more than an hour. True to his word, though, the inquisition had been painless. She readily told him everything she knew about the Client, down to telephone numbers and the fact that he used various methods to disguise his voice when they spoke. It amazed her that Gregori seemed to harbor no anger at her for killing half a dozen of his chosen successors. In fact, he’d congratulated her on avoiding detection by his own private investigators for so long.
She thought it eerie that his only emotion seemed to be polite curiosity. He maintained his composure even whe
n he and Gideon finally left the room and he coolly bade them good day.
Moments later when Jake checked the door, he found it locked from the outside.
Abby ran shaky hands through her tangled hair. “What now?”
“We wait. I’m sorry, Abby. We’re not leaving here until the ceremony is over.”
Abby sighed. “What actually is going to happen? I don’t understand all the references. Are you going to compete for succession? Will Gregori pick your name out of a hat?” She wanted to laugh at the idea, but it occurred to her that whatever the reality was, it would not be amusing, or benign.
Jake’s hesitation spoke volumes. He dragged himself up from the chair and crossed the room to try the door again.
“I never wanted to be chosen,” he said. “In fact, originally I wasn’t one of the twelve, but when the candidates started dying....”
Abby went cold when his voice trailed off. When she began killing the candidates, she’d opened up a space for Jake.
“I think Gregori thought it would make the other candidates angry if he chose a newbie to replace one of them. It made them all want it a little bit more.”
“How did Gideon take it?”
Jake turned. Relief flooded Abby when he met her gaze and approached the bed. “He was cool with it. Or so I thought. I don’t think he expected I had a chance. Maybe I don’t. Which is fine with me, but Gideon isn’t playing games.”
“Oh, yes he is.” Abby’s anger flared. He’d been playing games for years and she was the chief pawn. The thought of vengeance crossed her mind briefly but logic told her it was no wiser to try to punish Gideon for his actions that it was to try to make the Client feel sorry for the mess he’d made of her life.
Jake sighed. He looked exhausted and ... hungry. “Maybe you should get some sleep. You can have the bed.” He smiled at her offer and she scooted over, giving him room to stretch out his long legs. He curled his arms around a pillow and stretched, then looked up at her. His eyes held hers for a moment and in their depths she saw herself.
Bonfire of the Vampires Page 7
