“Trinity, are you okay?”
“I should be in a minute or two,” the vampire said with a wry smile. When the green eyes opened, Gabriella clasped her hand to her mouth.
“Oh, honey,” she murmured, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“No harm done, my love,” Trinity said and pushed an errant lock of dark hair behind Gabriella’s ear. “Let us just say that you have accidently discovered the most sensitive part on my body.”
Gabriella giggled. “You should’ve said something.”
“I also only found that out a few moments ago.”
Her heart swelled with love as Gabriella looked at Trinity. “I love you madly, vampire.”
“Me too,” Trinity said as she came to her feet, clutching Gabriella to her chest. “Do you still want to meet the family?”
“Oh my!” Gabriella squirmed in Trinity’s grasp. “I can’t meet them looking like this. Where’s my make-up?”
Gabriella changed into jeans and a pullover, all the while aware of Trinity’s eyes on her from where she lounged on the couch. Well, a little bit of anticipation will do her good. She reapplied her lip gloss and dusted her nose a little.
“The place is huge. The Marsden's must be sinfully rich,” Gabriella said to break the silence.
She saw Trinity smile in the mirror’s reflection. “Vampires are rich old geezers, my dear. The four most powerful vampires in the Clan are over 2 000 years old. More than enough time to amass unbelievable fortunes.”
Gabriella couldn't keep the shock from her face as she turned to face Trinity.
“Two thousand years? I bet they must look their age by now.” No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't imagine anyone being that old. As old as time almost. It's impossible. “I'll only believe it when I see one of them.”
Trinity chuckled. “But you did, my love. Paloma.”
Gabriella's mouth fell open. Paloma! That sexy, mysterious woman couldn't be that old. Physically, she didn't even look a day older than twenty. It was only her eyes. She had ancient eyes, ageless eyes. Gabriella studied Trinity closely. She was a gorgeous woman and nobody would believe her if she told them her age. She didn't even know how old Trinity was.
“And you? How old are you?”
“I am four hundred years old. A mere baby compared to the others.” Trinity smiled.
“Four hundred hardly sounds young to me, but if you say so.” She walked over to where Trinity sat and placed a kiss on her hair before she returned to the mirror to finish up. “Inger said she was bringing her parents around later tonight to meet me.”
“They are here already and are eager to meet you,” Trinity said with pride in her voice.
Gabriella looked at Trinity with a smile.
“In that case, I can't wait to meet your family, honey.”
†
The family was gathered in the garden. Trinity could already smell the fire smoke. Over the years they'd found it a very relaxing habit to make a fire deep in the darkest corner of the garden and stand around talking. James and Rafina had also joined them a few times with their camping chairs and coffee flask. Recently old age had made the two less mobile and they spent most of their time confined to their bedroom suite.
Trinity led Gabriella as they walked through the empty lounge to the balcony. There, with the stars flickering down on them, Trinity swung Gabriella into her arms and looked down into anxious amber eyes.
“I just want to make one thing clear to you. When I introduce you to my family tonight, I am claiming you as mine—my mate. My family will accept you as such and trust that you understand the significance of this first meeting.”
Their eyes locked and held for a few moments before Trinity bent her head and kissed Gabriella. A deep, possessive kiss that made Gabriella whimper, begging for more. Without warning, Trinity skipped from the balcony, her mouth still firmly attached to Gabriella's. They landed softly on the lawn, breaking the kiss. Trinity took a deep breath before she sped forward using preternatural speed.
†
Gabriella closed her eyes when the trees and the stars merged into one massive dark blur, praying that she wouldn't be sick. When they came to stop, she didn’t immediately open her eyes, even as she felt Trinity carefully sliding her down her wiry frame until she felt solid earth under her feet. When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Trinity's tender green eyes.
“Ready?” she asked softly and Gabriella nodded.
Trinity slowly turned her away from her to face the rest of the group.
~~~~
Chapter Ten
Over the years Gabriella had been to fashion shoots and fashion shows with Jessica. Every time she shamelessly gawked at the models, astounded by their beauty and ‘perfect’ physiques. All those models paled in comparison to what she was looking at now.
A large fire lit up the area and standing around, illuminated by the fire's glow was the most beautiful group of people she had ever seen. Trinity gently pushed her in the direction of a petite redhead with beautiful green eyes. Next to her, a tall broad shouldered blond man stood, holding the woman’s hand in his large one. A huge grin split over his handsome face as he looked at her.
“Gabriella, meet my parents, Genevieve and Pierre.”
Gabriella found that she topped Genevieve by a few inches. The slight physiological advantage she felt at the thought disappeared when Genevieve pulled her into a warm hug. The woman was also incredibly strong.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Gabriella. Trinity has spoken about you often.”
Pierre took her by her shoulder and stared into her eyes, his blue eyes intense. “She is very beautiful.” He said to Trinity, before kissing Gabriella on both cheeks. “Welcome to our family, chérie.”
Gabriella nodded, speechless. Trinity led her over to an attractive, dangerous looking man. The man was huge, with short dark hair and pitch-black eyes. Whereas Pierre was blond and insanely good-looking, this man was broodingly sexy. His black eyes stared straight into hers, making Gabriella's breath catch as she quickly lowered her gaze.
“This is Jonas. He is my father's brother.”
This time when Gabriella turned to look at him, his dark eyes were soft and a little sad. He too kissed her on both cheeks. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My mate is not well, but she asked me to welcome you to the family on her behalf too.”
Gabriella nodded. That explained the sadness in his eyes. His mate's illness was really troubling him. The next couple they approached, made her stare, open-mouthed. They were both very beautiful and reminded her of when she had first seen Inger and Paloma. They had the same chemistry; theirs were just so much stronger than Inger and Paloma’s. The blonde stepped forward and held out her hand. She was not as tall as the other dark woman who stood quietly next to her.
“I'm Jemima, Inger's mother,” she said in a soft melodious voice and curled her hand gently around Gabriella's. She turned to look at the other woman. “This is my wife, Tahlia, Inger's other mother.”
Tahlia stepped closer and Gabriella stiffened. The woman moved like a predator—soundlessly and purposeful. When she held out her hand, Gabriella quickly looked at Trinity, who nodded reassuringly.
“It is an honor to meet you, Dr. Talos. Both my wife and I are great admirers of your work.” The woman said in a deep husky voice, which sent shivers down Gabriella’s spine. All Gabriella could do was to stare into those bottomless black eyes. To think that this woman admired her work was mind-boggling. She looked like she knew everything there was to know about the topic of sex — not to mention the practical application side of it. The longer she stared at the woman, the warmer the black eyes became.
“Thank you,” she said shyly and moved back to Trinity’s body, looking at the group of people she'd just been introduced to. They all stared at her with their strangely hypnotic eyes, probing her.
“Enough staring, everyone. We don’t want to scare her, now do we?” Inger said
in an amused voice as she walked over to where Gabriella stood. She threw her arm around Gabriella’s shoulder and led her away from the others. “We need to be up early for work tomorrow.”
Relieved to not be the center of attention anymore, Gabriella allowed Inger to lead her away. Out of nowhere Paloma fell into step next to Inger.
“We have received news about Tristan and the rest of us will go to follow up on the lead. Will you sleep over? If so, I will come to you as soon as I can.”
Inger nodded and pulled Paloma close for a quick kiss. Gabriella blushed when afterwards; the couple rested their foreheads against each other’s.
“Be careful,” Inger whispered after a while.
With a curt nod, Paloma disappeared right in front of Gabriella's eyes.
“I can't help but think this is a dream that I will wake up from soon,” Gabriella muttered and clasped her hand in front of her mouth when she realized she'd spoken out loud. Inger chuckled softly.
“You'll get use to them. They really are a great bunch.”
“I know, but it's still strange. Look at you and Paloma for instance. Doesn't it bother you that your partner is 2,000 years old?”
Inger shook her head, her blue eyes soft and tender as she obviously thought about her partner.
“Not at all. When we met I was just twenty years old. At first, my parents were mortified when I told them that I was in love with Paloma. They were scared that dating a vampire could affect my natural growth process, but Paloma insisted I live a full life.” Inger smiled brightly. “We've made a compromise. The daylight hours are mine to do with what I want, but the evenings are hers and hers alone. It has worked and eighteen years down the line we are still very much in love.”
Gabriella shook her head slightly. Even scared as she was tonight to meet them, she could sense the love and ageless bond the group shared. She thought of Genevieve and Pierre, holding hands, Jonas' sadness over his mate's illness.
“What's wrong with Jonas’ mate?”
“Old age. Joan is seventy years old.” Inger sounded sad now. “She has been around since my mother was a baby.” Inger saw the confusion on Gabriella's face. “My mother was human until the age of twenty-two when she was captured by a rogue vampire and bitten. Tahlia had no other option but to turn her into a vampire.”
“I take it we are destined to go the same route as Joan one day?”
They were almost at the front door and Inger turned to Gabriella, her usually sparkling blue eyes were somber.
“Yes. We will grow old and die while our partners will still look youthful and gorgeous.”
Gabriella's mind conjured up an image of her, old and grey sitting next to a youthful Trinity. Will she really be able to live through something like that?
“Let's go in. It's not safe to stand out here.” Inger said softly and they entered the house.
†
The girl was already dead by the time they'd filed into the warehouse. Looking at the lifeless body of the girl, Trinity felt anger and guilt well up inside of her. She was angry at her inability to track Tristan down. At the same time she felt guilty for being the reason that he came to New York and was killing innocent young girls so he could lure her out of hiding. Trinity frowned as she looked at the body. The girl’s throat had been ripped open, but there was too much blood. If he had fed on her there wouldn’t be this much.
She felt the Royals presence in her mind as they caught her thought.
Trinity scanned the warehouse and stiffened when she heard the soft mocking laughter. Looking up, she found Tristan, perched on a steel beam, looking down at them.
“The Royal Four under one roof, this really is my lucky day.” Tristan made a mock bow and Trinity caught the glint of a small apparatus in his hand. Why would he expose himself to Tahlia if he knew they were all hunting him? Tristan was planning something. She quickly scanned the room, her razor-sharp eyesight combing every inch of the warehouse. She could be wrong, but she believe the apparatus that Tristan was holding, was a detonator. The explosive device should be somewhere in here. She felt Tristan's eyes on her and it made her skin crawl. She looked up at him. He was positively gloating; a sign that he was sure his plan was going well. He vulgarly licked his fleshy lips as he stared at her.
“My dear Trinity, you are even lovelier than I remember. Our last meeting ended so abruptly and I was hoping we could go somewhere and...get a bite to eat.” He said it through his teeth showing off his sharp white fangs. “I love that phrase. Humans can come up with the most fascinating sayings.”
“Tristan, this is between the two of us. Come down here so that we can talk?”
Tristan's dark eyes hardened slightly.
“Do not underestimate my intelligence, girl?” His voice was taut with anger. “You all did not come here to just chat with me, now did you? I know about their reputation.” He waved a hand to where the four master vampires stood, as silent and motionless like statues. “I have hunted in their town and I know that alone carries a death sentence according to their set of laws. But if I can kill them first then I can take over the city. I really love New York and prey is plentiful.”
Trinity slowly stepped forward, but Tristan held up a hand.
“Stay put, my dear, or you might just regret your next move.”
Trinity stopped. She needed a different approach.
“Why are you hunting me, Tristan?” She injected the right amount of vulnerability in her voice. “I have done you no wrong.”
She saw a brief look of confusion on Tristan's handsome face, before he tossed his head back and laughed. That split second of distraction was more than enough for the four master vampires to escape. When Tristan looked back at her and found her standing there alone, she saw his face flush with anger.
“You tricked me, you bitch. I will make you pay this time.” He stuck his hand out and pressed the red button. Her gaze was still fixed on the detonator when she felt a powerful surge around her and then everything went black.
†
Tahlia sensed the girl's dread the moment Gabriella became aware of her presence. She slowly stepped out of the shadows of the room and held up her hand.
“I mean you no harm, but I bring distressing news.”
She saw the girl sit up, clutching the sheet to her chest. The amber eyes were wide-awake now.
“What happened? Where's Trinity?”
“Trinity was injured tonight.”
Gabriella jumped out of bed in a flash. Her hands trembled badly as she pushed back her hair.
“I want to see her, please. Where is she?”
Tahlia remembered a night many years ago. Although her wounds were not mortal, the presence of Jemima at her bedside was one of the most unforgettable moments she had of her wife. Frightened, yet so incredibly brave, Jemima stood by her, soothing her pain. Trinity deserved that. The girl sacrificed herself so they could escape. Luckily the blast of the explosion was so powerful; it threw her out of a side window.
“I must warn you though that she's been badly burned and that it will take a few days before she will be back to normal.”
Gabriella reached for her gown. “I want to see her.”
Tahlia nodded and walked to the door, holding it open for Gabriella. They went down the stairs, through the kitchen and into the storeroom and up to a wall. At first glance it seemed like a dead-end. The girl looked up at Tahlia with raw fear in her amber eyes. Tahlia put her hand to the wall and turned to the girl when the wall slid away, revealing a set of stairs.
“I am obviously making you uncomfortable, but I cannot let you walk down the stairs alone. There are some places that are uneven and tricky to maneuver the first time around.”
The girl’s eyes shone bright in her pale fa
ce. “Just take me to her, please.”
Tahlia couldn't help admiring the girl. Her fear of Tahlia was so strong that it hung like a bad odor between them, but she was still willing to walk down a dark staircase leading deep into the earth to see her mate.
She held out her hand and with the slightest of hesitations, she felt the girl place her smaller hand in hers. Together they walked down the steps, carved out of the hard granite which made up the walls of the underground cave. There were numerous small enclaves and Tahlia came to stop before the second to the last one.
She stepped back and Gabriella rushed past her only to come to an abrupt stop, her hand flying to her mouth.
†
When Tahlia had warned her that Trinity looked bad, she hadn't really cared, as long as she was alive. But Trinity looked really bad. Bald patches were visible on her head where long rich copper locks had been and the one side of her face was completely burnt. Gabriella shuddered. Is Trinity ever going to recover from this? She took a hesitant step forward and Genevieve looked up from where she was busy cleaning Trinity's face. She saw a mother's pain reflected in the green eyes, which looked so much like Trinity's. Without thinking Gabriella placed her arms around the woman and held her tightly.
“Ah, my girl, I am glad you are here. She will find more courage to bear the pain knowing her love is nearby,” Genevieve said and kissed her on the cheek. “Look, she is waking now. She must have sensed your presence.”
Turning out of Genevieve's embrace, Gabriella saw pain-filled green eyes looking at her. She took a step closer and reached out, but Trinity closed her eyes again.
“Please…go away. Do not…want you…see me…like this,” Trinity croaked through chapped lips. When the green eyes opened again, they were pleading with her.
“I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here until I'm sure you'll be okay?” Gabriella said softly and placed her hand on the chapped lips. Genevieve quickly pulled her hand away.
A Guardian's Passion Page 11
