Gabriel's Mate

by Tina Folsom

  She had to get to Barbara and protect her. She should have never allowed her to respond to the Code Blue, but knowing the oath they’d both sworn as doctors, she realized that she couldn’t have stopped her from doing her duty. Maya would have done the same. Nevertheless, she should have insisted on going with her and blown past her boss. Hell, she should have flashed her fangs if she’d needed to.

  Maya ran along the corridor to get to the service stairs. They were safer than taking the elevator. In an elevator she would be trapped, but the stairs would get her safely to the seventh floor to find Barbara. She halted just before the corridor when faint footsteps reached her sensitive ears—it was somebody trying hard not to be heard. She couldn’t filter out the person’s scent—the smell of ammonia and bleach was too overwhelming. The corridor must have only recently been cleaned. Frantically, Maya scanned the doors on the corridor. There was only one choice. She opened a door and slipped inside the dark room. Without a sound, she closed the door behind her and listened.

  Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she realized she had no problems seeing her surroundings. The janitor’s room was a little bigger than a closet and filled with cleaning supplies, brooms, and buckets.

  A sound from the corridor made her hold her breath. The person had stopped not far from her hiding spot. Had she been spotted? Had he tracked her by her scent? Maybe he had better senses and wasn’t as affected by the cleaning materials in the hospital as her own sense of smell was.

  In desperation, Maya grabbed the broom and broke the wooden handle. It splintered, providing her with an effective weapon: a wooden stake. She pressed herself to one side of the wall next to the door and waited.

  Her hearing was so sensitive she could hear when someone touched the door handle. Adrenaline shot through her body—or was it her vampire blood boiling? Light drifted into the small room as the door swung in. Maya lunged at the attacker, the makeshift stake ready to plunge into the person’s heart.

  A hand gripped her wrist in a vice and squeezed, making her drop the stake. Oh God, no!

  Twenty-three

  “I got your message,” the voice behind him drawled. Gabriel turned and looked at his second-in-command, Zane. He looked like hell twice warmed over.

  “About time,” Gabriel chastised. “I need every man I can get. Maya’s friend has been killed and she’s somewhere in the hospital. We need to find her. The rogue is here.”

  Gabriel’s cell vibrated. He flipped it open. “Yeah?”

  “I’m in the hospital. Which floor are you on?” Amaury asked.

  “Seventh.” He disconnected the call without waiting for Amaury to respond.

  “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Thomas, I want you to try and get close to the murdered doctor and see if you can pick up traces of the vampire who did this.”

  Thomas nodded.

  “Use whatever means necessary. And check in with Ricky—he said he’d be on this floor. I don’t see him anywhere.” Then he turned to Zane. “Zane, take floors one through four and five—”

  “I can do those floors,” Amaury’s voice came from the stairs. He strode into view, his broad six-and-a-half-foot frame filling the door to the stairway fully.

  Gabriel nodded to him, grateful that everyone was showing up to help. “Good. Zane take floors twelve and thirteen.”

  “Consider it done,” Zane answered and went to the stairway, greeting Amaury with a slap on his arm in passing.

  “Let’s do it, Amaury.”

  Thomas raised his hand in goodbye and walked toward the other end of the corridor to where the sounds from the shocked hospital workers were becoming louder. Gabriel and Amaury went the other way.

  “How are you holding up?” Amaury asked.

  “It’s killing me not knowing where she is. Whether she’s safe.” Gabriel gave Amaury a serious look. “And with the stench of bleach in this hospital, I can’t even latch onto her scent.”

  “We’ll find her.”

  “I’ll take nine, ten and eleven. Nobody’s been to eight yet.”

  “I’ll take care of it when I’m done with four and five,” Amaury promised and gave him a wry smile before Gabriel rushed past him and ran up the stairs ahead of him.

  On the tenth floor, he stepped out into the corridor and stalked along the hallway, his nostrils taking in every scent, but the hospital smells were too prominent. There was no hint of Maya. With every minute, hope faded.

  Gabriel ran his hands through his hair. He couldn’t lose her. He’d only just found her. This wasn’t fair. How could life be so cruel to him? Didn’t he deserve a little happiness? Was it too much to ask?

  Something vibrated against his groin. Gabriel stopped and pulled his cell out of his pocket. He looked at the text message.

  Have Maya, Rm 534C. Be careful. Rogue is near.

  He heaved a sigh of relief when he recognized the sender’s number: Yvette. With a few clicks on his phone, he forwarded the message to his friends as he ran toward the stairway. Once they were together, the rogue would have no chance defeating them.

  ***

  Maya let herself rest against the wall of the janitor’s closet. Yvette had closed the door, but as a precaution they hadn’t switched the light on.

  “He’s out there somewhere. I sensed him, I swear,” Maya insisted and stared at Yvette in the dark. She had no difficulty making out the beauty’s features in the dim light that filtered through the bottom of the door.

  “I didn’t sense any strange vampire, but with all the bleach in here, I don’t know …” Yvette responded. Yet she didn’t open the door, and she’d complied with Maya’s wishes to send the others a warning by text message. “Gabriel and the others will be here shortly. You’ll be safe.”

  Maya reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks. I mean it. I’m sorry I almost killed you.”

  Yvette shrugged. “I would have done the same in your situation.” She nodded toward the broken broom. “Quick thinking.”

  “I’m assuming a stake through the heart will kill a vampire?” Maya hoped she hadn’t been completely off the mark.

  “That, and a few other things. Don’t worry, once this is over, Gabriel will give you a crash course in everything you need to know. You couldn’t have a better teacher. He’s been around for a very long time.”

  Maya averted her eyes. “I’d rather somebody else taught me. Maybe Thomas.” Yes, Thomas would be a much safer bet: no danger to her heart.

  “I thought you and Gabriel …” Yvette let her voice trail off.

  “You thought wrong. He has no interest in me.”

  Yvette chuckled softly as if she knew otherwise. “Honey, you wanna tell him that or shall I? Because the man is under the impression he’s in love with you. And by the looks of it, I’d say he’s not alone in his feelings.”

  Maya snapped her gaze to Yvette.

  “Oh, yes; don’t look at me like it’s such a surprise to you. He was ready to bite my head off when he found out I saw you leave and didn’t stop you.” Despite the heated discussion, they both kept their voices to a mere whisper to avoid detection by the rogue if he was still roaming the hospital corridors.

  “You’re wrong. He doesn’t love me. He’s got somebody else.” Maya pushed down her rising tears. It wasn’t fair for Yvette to bait her like this—although maybe Gabriel had her fooled as well.

  “Gabriel? Are we talking about the same guy? Mr. Lonesome himself? In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him with a woman. He’s never dated, and from what I’ve heard from the guys, he doesn’t even go along to any of their fuck fests—”

  “Their what?”

  “Some of the guys are a little rambunctious and need to let off steam from time to time. They think I don’t know, but trust me—I know. The vampires who’re not bonded, they can get quite wild when they roam the cities and go out looking for pussy. All I’m saying is that Gabriel never participates.”

  Maya swallowed back her shock. Yvett
e’s frank language was unexpected, but why should vampires be any different from other men? But that wasn’t the point. Even if Gabriel didn’t participate, it didn’t change anything about the fact that she’d caught him getting a blowjob from some woman.

  “I suppose he’s just more secretive about it. Doesn’t change anything about the facts,” Maya insisted.

  “Which are?” Yvette prompted.

  “There was a woman at the house when I left.” That was all she would say. Yvette could draw her own conclusions. And by the looks of it, she was a very smart woman. She would put two and two together and make sure it added up.

  “The witch? You’re talking about the witch?” Then she had the audacity to chuckle. “You honestly think he has something going with a witch?”

  “She was in his room,” Maya hissed under her breath, careful not to raise her voice in case the rogue was near.

  “And I’m sure there’s an explanation for that.”

  Maya crossed her arms over her chest. She’d already heard his explanation: it’s not what it looks like. As if that explained why he’d had his pants down his thighs with the woman’s head in his crotch. He was just the same kind of philanderer as the vampires Yvette was referring to, the only difference being that Gabriel liked to conduct his debauchery in private. And Maya wanted no part of it.

  “I—”

  Yvette put a finger on her lips. “Shh.”

  Maya’s ears perked up. She stopped breathing and listened for any sound from the corridor outside. In the distance, she heard footsteps. Somebody was coming. She exchanged a look with Yvette, who nodded. She was trying to make out what direction the footsteps were coming from when she realized that there was more than one person approaching.

  Maya ignored the chill that settled on her skin and tightened like a noose around her neck. She could sense him—he was near. Her grip tightened on the stake she still held in her hand. She wanted to sink back deeper into the closet, but in the next instant the door was ripped open. Light flooded the room, and for a millisecond she felt blinded.

  “Thank God it’s you,” Yvette exclaimed and stepped out into the corridor. Maya caught a glimpse of red hair before Yvette blocked the person out with her body. Then another set of heavy footsteps rushed closer.

  “Where is she?” Gabriel’s frantic voice echoed in the hallway.

  A moment later, he’d pushed Yvette and the other vampire she now recognized as Ricky aside. He pulled her into his arms.

  Maya had no time to protest before he took her mouth and kissed her. This wasn’t the tender kiss he’d bestowed on her earlier: it was fierce, demanding, and desperate. She was too stunned to do anything but react to him. Her body melted into his and allowed him to invade her mouth with his seeking tongue.

  Vaguely, she heard others arrive behind him, but everything was a blur. Gabriel demanded her full attention. It took her a full minute to gain control over herself and to remember what he’d done to her. Just because she was safe now didn’t mean she’d forgive him for betraying her.

  She shoved against his chest and swung her hand back to slap him. But her action was cut short—he’d caught her wrist just before her palm connected with his face.

  There was a flash of red in his eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was calm. “You might think I deserve that, but I don’t. You and I have some talking to do.” He released her wrist.

  And just then, Maya’s stomach growled. Damn, she was starving, and Gabriel’s taste on her lips reminded her all too much of what his blood tasted like. She pushed the hunger away. Somebody else was more important than herself. “I need to find Barbara.”

  The silence that followed her statement was eerie. Maya looked at the assembled vampires: Thomas, Zane, Ricky, Yvette, and another one she hadn’t met before. He was as broad and as big as a football player, and his hair was raven black and reached to his shoulders. Her perusal of him was cut short when Gabriel put his hand on her arm. She tossed him an annoyed glare, but he ignored it.

  “Barbara is dead. I’m sorry,” Gabriel said.

  Had he not reached for her and wrapped his strong arms around her instantly, Maya would have fallen when her knees buckled at the horrific news. Dead?

  “Oh, God, no!” Her voice broke.

  “I’m taking her home,” Gabriel informed his colleagues as he lifted Maya into his arms. “Zane, Amaury, you get access to the security tapes and see if the murder was captured on camera.” They nodded.

  Maya felt far away while Gabriel issued his orders. All she could think about was her two friends: dead. And all because of her.

  “Yvette, Ricky, stay together and see what you can find on the seventh floor. Thomas, get Eddie here. I want you to work in pairs only. Nobody stays on their own. Is that understood?”

  “Eddie’s already on his way,” Thomas confirmed. “Don’t you want one of us to come to the house with you?”

  Gabriel snarled. “Existing evidence to the contrary, I’m more than capable of protecting Maya myself. Now go, all of you. You know what to do. Let’s get this bastard.”

  Twenty-four

  Gabriel parked Samson’s Audi in the garage and killed the engine. He glanced toward the passenger seat and cringed. Maya hadn’t said a single word since they’d left the hospital. When she opened the door and stepped out of the car, her movements were robotic, as if she was sleepwalking.

  Gabriel followed her upstairs. In the hallway, he took her hand and led her into the living room. Carl appeared instantly. “Can I get you anything?” His voice was quiet as if he sensed Maya wasn’t well.

  Gabriel shook his head. “Thanks, Carl. Just make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

  Carl nodded and closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with Maya, who had turned away from him and stared into the fire.

  “It’s all my fault.”

  Gabriel crossed the distance between them and stopped behind her. “No. It’s the rogue’s fault. Don’t ever think it’s yours.”

  “How can I not? Because of me, my two friends are dead.” A sob tore from her chest.

  “Your two friends?” A terrible sense of unease rolled over Gabriel.

  Maya turned, her eyes wet with tears. “Paulette is dead. I found her—it was him. He killed her.”

  He pulled her into his arms and held her. “I’m so sorry, baby. I wish I could undo it.”

  She pushed against him, freeing herself from his embrace. “He wrote it in her blood. ‘It’s your fault, Maya.’ ”

  Gabriel shivered at the thought of Maya seeing her friend’s dead body, her blood.

  “I should have warned Barbara,” she continued blaming herself. “I knew Paulette was dead when I spoke to Barbara.”

  He took her chin and made her look at him. “You spoke to her. What did she tell you?”

  “I didn’t get a chance to ask her about him. She was called to a Code Blue. I should have never let her go. I should have insisted.”

  “It’s not your fault. He killed her because she knew what he looked like. It’s my fault. We should have brought your friends in immediately. I should have known it wasn’t safe for them.” Gabriel cursed himself for his bad planning. Two lives could have been saved if he’d only thought things through. But when it came to Maya, he never thought things through properly. He was too distracted when it came to her.

  “She’s still in her house. He hung her on a hook on her bedroom door, like she was a slab of beef. And I didn’t even have the guts to take her down and give her some dignity. I just ran.”

  Gabriel stroked softly over her hair and pulled her back into his arms. She buried her head in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. “I’ll send someone to Paulette’s house.”

  Without releasing Maya, he pulled out his cell and speed dialed Yvette’s number. She answered immediately.

  “Yvette, I need you to take care of something for me. I want you and Ricky to go to Paulette’s house. She’s Maya’s other friend. She’s dead too.”
>
  “Oh, fuck,” was Yvette’s response.

  “Yeah, I know. Comb the place for any evidence. Ricky has the address—he was supposed to find her and find out what she knew about Maya’s stalker. I guess it’s too late for that now.”

  “I’m on it.”

  He terminated the call. Then he turned back to Maya and gave her a long look. “Maya, I know what happened to your friends is painful for you, and I wish I could give you some time to grieve, but we don’t have that time. To keep you safe, I have to be sure that you trust me one hundred percent, and I know you don’t right now.”

  She pushed away from him. “I can’t do this, Gabriel. I can’t think of myself when I know that my friends are dead because of me.”

  “You have to stop saying that. It’s what he wants you to believe. He wants to break your spirit, and I won’t allow that. Do you hear me?” He cupped her shoulders and shook her gently. “We will avenge your friends. He will pay for their deaths. I promise you that.”

  “I don’t want to talk right now. Not to you.”

  “Then don’t. Just listen to me. What you saw in my bedroom wasn’t what you thought it was.”

  Maya tried to pull away from his grip, but he held firm. She would have to listen to him. He needed her trust to keep her safe. And he was prepared to gain that trust even if it meant laying himself bare.

  “The woman you saw wasn’t giving me a blowjob. There was nothing sexual about it. She’s a healer.” He paused to give her time to process what he’d said.

  Her defiant look finally turned to reluctant curiosity. “What kind of healer?”

  “She’s a witch, and I have a problem nobody has been able to solve. But she thinks she can.”

  Maya’s gaze dropped to his jeans. “What kind of problem?”

  Gabriel cleared his throat. There was really no easy way to say this. How should he phrase it? “It’s a physical thing.” He knew that didn’t explain it, so he tried again. “It has to do with my …” He broke off again. This wasn’t easy at all. How had he ever thought he could come clean and tell her what ailed him when he was scared shitless that she’d leave him if she found out?