A Forbidden Temptation: A Vampire's Obsession: Book 2

by Rylai, Stephanie

  “Evening,” he greeted her.

  “Evening to you too,” she smiled.

  Gabriel gave a tight, pressed smile in return before guiding her towards a booth. Being under his arm, she could feel how rigid he was. He was on edge. Olivia assumed it was because he worried that the nest would react in a drastic manner to her being there. As they made their way to an empty booth, she could feel a number of stares burning into her. His arm kept her secured to his side, pulling her into the same bench of the booth as him. Her eyes dared to look around. His biker crew was spread throughout the bar, but it wasn’t hard to identify who were with him—they had all stopped and stared at her.

  Gabriel’s hand shifted through her hair, Olivia turning to look at him.

  “Don’t mind them,” he spoke lowly to her.

  She didn’t look back to the room, not wanting to look at the intimidating number of vampires lurking around; most of which seemed to hate her. There was a thick, palpable tension filling the establishment. Had she made a mistake from coming there? All Olivia wanted to do was help him resolve the issue of him being away all the time. Clearly, though, her presence wasn’t welcomed.

  A waitress came around, and they ordered their drinks. They sat in silence, Olivia overwhelmed by the attention they had. It had been a horrible idea, and she knew Gabriel would probably be hesitant after tonight to ever take any of her advice or suggestions again.

  Olivia deemed herself naïve for thinking that a family of vampires would accept a human being around them. She was just a blood bag to them. A blood bag that was putting their nest in possible danger because Gabriel was attached to her. She was the last person they would want to see in that bar.

  The silence remained as they finished their first drinks. Things were tense, to say the least. Every time Olivia gave into her desire to peek over, she would find at least a couple of them scowling at her. She leaned into Gabriel’s embrace, sipping her beverage. It wasn’t going as she had anticipated, to say the least. Really, she hadn’t known what to expect, but she definitely didn’t imagine it being paired with a resounding silence between the couple.

  Olivia found herself worrying that Gabriel would be mad at her for suggesting the idea in the first place. Staring down at her second drink, she realized she couldn’t handle being in there anymore. The stares coupled with the deathly silence was causing her mind to run wild, and her heart was racing with anxiety. It was like they knew they couldn’t hurt her but would do anything to drive her away from their nest.

  Olivia looked to Gabriel, shaking her head, “I’m just going to go,” she sighed heavily.

  She moved to slide out of the bench.

  “Going so soon?” a soft female voice called from the side.

  Olivia glanced up to see a woman with light brown hair sliding into the booth next to her. The newcomer looked over her with big, brown eyes. She let out a soft gasp, leaning in to get a close look at Olivia.

  “You were right, Gabriel. She is the complete embodiment of Genny.”

  Olivia’s eyes floated to Gabriel before returning to the woman. She was gorgeous with her creamy complexion and angelic, soft facial features.

  Giving a broad grin to Olivia, she stuck a hand out, “I’m Matilda, you can call me Maddy if you like.”

  With a small pause, Olivia grabbed her hand and returned the handshake.

  “I’m Olivia.”

  “I know that, you silly,” Matilda giggled at her.

  “Gabriel isn’t very sharing about his personal life, but that didn’t stop us from finding out your name.”

  Her eyes searched over Olivia’s face again, Matilda’s beautiful brown eyes scanning every molecule of her.

  “It’s uncanny, really. You look identical to her, just your hair is lighter in shade.”

  “How did you know Genevieve?” Olivia asked her.

  “Oh, I came into the nest just about a decade after Genny, right Gabriel? Even though we were close in age, she was just so kind and sweet. And so motherly. It probably sounds weird, since we were only ten years apart, but I thought of her as a mother during the time I spent with her. Genny was always wise, speaking like she was Kiel’s age. She was the type you could always depend on, no matter the request or demand. Genny had been a true treasure to the nest,” Matilda told her, letting out a dreamy sigh.

  Olivia’s eyes drifted to Gabriel, his eyes a tad doleful but he kept his arm about Olivia. He looked down at her as she peered up at him, kissing her once and letting his hand drift to her hip and tugging her closer to him in the booth.

  “I can see that you have some of that spark to you, though, Olivia. There’s something about you, other than just your looks, that reminds me of her. Like your aura or something.”

  “You think so?” Olivia asked, her eyes gleaming a bit with curiosity and excitement.

  She still couldn’t explain how in the world she looked just like Gabriel’s ex-wife and that they had crossed paths, and had fallen in love. The only likely possibility Olivia could find was the thought of reincarnation. To her, it just seemed like a statistical improbability for Gabriel to run across a random woman in a random city bar, to fall in love, and for her to look exactly like his beloved ex-wife. There had to be something more to it, and she felt like maybe it was fate.

  “I do,” Matilda nodded excitedly.

  “Matilda,” a manly voice snapped.

  They all turned to see a man with olive skin and thick black hair standing several feet away from the table.

  “Come here, please,” he beckoned her.

  “Ezekiel, why don’t you come join us?” Gabriel called over to him.

  The man’s black hues flickered to Gabriel before falling back to Matilda.

  He nodded in another direction, “Let’s head out,” he called to Matilda.

  Matilda gave a pout, “But I don’t want to leave, Kiel. Come here,” she purred to him, waving him over to the table.

  The man’s face held firm, his eyes glaring down at Matilda.

  “Come on, Ezekiel. What will it hurt to sit with us and have a drink?” Gabriel asked.

  The two locked eyes, Ezekiel’s scanning Gabriel’s eyes with a look of skepticism and uncertainty. Another bout of silence veiled the air. Tension rose between the two men before Ezekiel reluctantly moved to the booth across from the three. Once his bottom slid across the seat, Matilda stood and moved to sit next to him. The pale woman wrapped her arms around Ezekiel’s neck, giving him a big kiss on the cheek before giving a giggle and looking back to the other couple.

  A waitress came and took their drink orders before disappearing shortly, and then returning to them. Picking up her drink, Olivia took a big swig. It was strange to have a vampire so willing to talk to her after only being met by animosity since she walked in the door. It left her feeling a little on edge, but still a little hopeful. Matilda chatted in an excited fashion to Gabriel and Olivia, only bringing Ezekiel into the conversation when necessary.

  After a few drinkings, Olivia and Matilda were laughing heartily. Matilda indulged Olivia on stories of their past, telling her of some embarrassing things other vampires and even Gabriel had done. Ezekiel and Gabriel spoke quietly to themselves, letting the women enjoy their drinks and their conversation. Olivia’s heart was warmed by the entire experience like they had officially had friends and allies when it came to the means of the nest.

  Their fun times lasted for a sizeable portion of their evening at the bar. The other vampires weren’t paying Olivia much mind, only giving the occasional dirty look. They were all wrapped up in their humans for the time being, needing to feed. The dirty looks didn’t bother Olivia though, being far too intoxicated to care. She and Gabriel were madly and deeply in love, and she knew in her heart that there was nothing that the pissed off members of his nest could do to ruin that. Olivia would go to the ends of the Earth to be with him.

  Her thoughts were turning sickly sweet and sappy as she grew more and more intoxicated. Olivia was de
termined to stay at the bar the entire time the nest was, not only to spend time with Gabriel but to also to prove that she was there to stay. Well, that’s what drunk Olivia believed. Gabriel was hers. She didn’t understand why anyone would want to get in the way of two people in love. Gabriel had explained to her that as long as none of them were reckless enough to drain a human, they could stay in town practically for as long as they wanted. They were being selfish and mean for no reason.

  Gabriel, Matilda, and Ezekiel continuously ordered drinks. They tossed them back with ease and didn’t seem to get anything more than a buzz. Olivia tried to keep up, but it quickly became a heavy task. Within a couple of hours, Olivia’s head was permanently on Gabriel’s shoulder as she nursed her drinks. His arm stayed around her the entire time, his hand gently stroking her side.

  It surprised her how nice of a time they were having with Matilda and Ezekiel; it felt almost like a double-date. Matilda was certainly the life of the party, having story after story. Each story was woven together perfectly with wit and humor. Ezekiel was much more reserved and wouldn’t speak to Olivia, and would only talk to Matilda and Gabriel. He wasn’t rude about it, but just clearly uncomfortable with speaking with her.

  It didn’t much matter, though. At some point in the night, Olivia’s eyes had closed. And shortly after that, she fell asleep. Perhaps it hadn’t been her brightest idea to attempt and keep up with vampires drinking. Honestly, she didn’t know why she had even tried since she knew alcohol didn’t effect vampires as severely. Maybe it had been her nerves getting the best of her, wanting to drink to numb the anxiety the first part of the evening had given her. Either way, Olivia had drank too much and was out for the time being.

  Her weight shifting caused Gabriel to lean down to look at her face, only to find her asleep. He gave a chuckle and wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her knees.

  Glancing to his dear friends, Gabriel looked to Matilda, “Thank you for coming over to talk to her. It means a lot to me,” he told her honestly.

  “I’ll see you guys back at the warehouse.”

  He scooted out of the booth then, picking her up bridal style as he stood.

  “We’ll walk with you!” Matilda beamed, standing from the booth as well.

  Ezekiel didn’t even protest, just giving a sigh and following Matilda’s lead.

  Gabriel wasn’t going to protest the company. While he was with his nest every other day of the week, most of his time was spent doing damage control. Matilda and Ezekiel were his age-old friends, and Gabriel felt like he hadn’t had a genuine conversation with them in months. He carried her through the bar, cradling her close to him and making sure he didn’t bump her into anything along the way.

  When he stepped outside, the cold air stirred Olivia in her drunken sleep. Her eyes didn’t open, the girl finding it to be far too much work. Her head laid against his shoulder as he carried her. The scent of his cologne comforted her, loving the musky, oaky scent. She supposed she could have tried to get up, but Olivia had a keen impression that if she fallen asleep in a bar, then she certainly wasn’t going to be able to walk in her state of drunkenness. So she let him carry her, enjoying his embrace.

  “You two were so cute!” Matilda swooned somewhere in the distance. “I have a good feeling about the two of you.”

  Gabriel let out a breathy chuckle, “You’re not alone in that.”

  Olivia’s limbs felt heavy from the alcohol, and her head was swimming as Gabriel carried her back to her apartment; she had certainly learned her lesson about trying to keep up drinking with vampires.

  As she clung to consciousness, she could hear Ezekiel as he began talking from Gabriel’s side, “I’m sorry I ever doubted your affection for her. I can see now how much you truly love her… but the nest won’t accept your relationship unless she’s one of us.”

  Gabriel’s only response was silence. Her heart ached. It felt too real to hear someone else point it out. They were in love and caught at a crossroad. The nest clearly wasn’t going to accept the fact he was with a human, so it was either turn her or leave her. Olivia wanted option one, but she wasn’t sure when or if that was going to happen.

  “I just need some time,” he finally spoke, his voice sounding a little defeated.

  “Time for what?” Ezekiel asked.

  There was a pause before he spoke, “I’ve known this was going to be a problem eventually ever since I met her. So I’ve been doing some research and made some contacts with a shaman in Africa. He says he can temporarily cure vampiric infertility. I want to see if he’s legitimate before she is changed.”

  What? Surely Olivia was just wasted and had misheard his words…

  There was a thick silence in the air. It was strange for Olivia, to be present as they talked about her while they believed her to be unconscious. She felt like she was eavesdropping, but hadn’t had any intentions of doing so. She was just too intoxicated to walk on her own.

  “Gabriel…” Matilda began carefully, “You need to remember that Olivia is her own person. She isn’t the real Genevieve, no matter if she’s her reincarnated or not. She isn’t Genevieve.”

  Her tone was sad and soft, clearly not wanting to upset him and empathizing with him.

  Gabriel didn’t answer her, his hold on Olivia tightening a bit as he carried her. There was nothing more said between them as they walked down the street. Soon, Olivia heard the door chime to her apartment building as they walked through the door. There were no final words or goodbyes. There was just silence as everyone parted in their own thoughts. Olivia was in shock from it all, and the alcohol wasn’t helping. He was planning on starting a family with her? Her head was already heavy from the alcohol, but it was swimming from the mix of liquor and emotions then. When the elevator lifted off, Olivia’s stomach revolted. Turning her head quickly, she vomited onto the floor of the elevator.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Olivia didn’t remember the rest of that night and woke up feeling like death warmed over. She hadn’t even sought out to get drunk, she had just been a bit reckless and tried to keep up with Gabriel and the others. Never again. She didn’t think she would be able to drink again for a quite some time.

  Her day was spent going to work, suffering through the commotion of the restaurant and forced conversation with customers. When she got home, Olivia was more than relieved. There wasn’t any noise or people to bother her. Her legs dragged her into the kitchen where she retrieved more headache medicine and a large glass of water before retreating to her room. Olivia flopped onto the bed and buried her face in the blankets. She felt terrible. She rested her eyes for a while, trying to ease the massive migraine the hangover and work day had left her with. After a bit, her head started to feel a bit better, but her stomach began to growl. It was then she realized she hadn’t eaten all day.

  Forcing herself from the bed, she dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before pulling on her sneakers. With everything going on lately, she had neglected to go grocery shopping so she would have to go to the store to get something to eat. Olivia definitely was not in the mood for it, but she knew if she didn’t get something in her stomach, then she would probably get sicker. Grabbing her keys, phone, and wallet, Olivia headed for the door, begrudgingly making her way to the store. She despised being sick. Olivia had never been one to fall ill very often, so when she did, it really got to her.

  Olivia got to the street and headed towards the market. Her mind was filled with her own woes from being ill. But as she walked, she felt a prickling at the back of her neck. Olivia slowed her pace, looking around the busy street. Once again, it felt like someone was watching her. She had to have been crazy; why would someone want to watch her? Her eyes scanned the sidewalks and streets, not seeing anyone looking directly at her. She tried to shake it off, not wanting to get paranoid like she had the other morning. Attempting to ignore it, she sped up her pace.

  The feeling didn’t go away. It felt like it was growing stronger
. Olivia looked around again, her eyes darting to each street corner and alleyway, trying to find where the stare was coming from. In the far distance, she could see the silhouette of a person that was just barely poking out from around the corner. Was that who was watching her? Who was it? Nothing was signifying it was, in fact, that person. It didn’t matter to Olivia, really. She just wanted to get out of the line of sight. The faster she walked, the more intense the stare became. Olivia would glance back to look every now and again. Each time she did, she would see that same silhouette but closer.

  She could feel the panic starting to set in. Her heart began to race, and her palms began to sweat. If someone was following her then, then they were following her the other morning. Her hands started to shake at the realization. What if they were trying to hurt her? Olivia reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Even just talking to someone would help calm her down. She didn’t want to feel alone.

  Olivia wasn’t supposed to call Gabriel on the nights he spent with the nest unless absolutely necessary. But being scared, Olivia really just wanted to hear his voice. Olivia dialed his number, her eyes moving around the street nervously as she waited for him to pick up her all.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Gabriel answered in a complete panic.

  “Hey, yeah… I mean, I guess. I don’t know,” Olivia began, nibbling on her lower lip as she thought about it, not sure if she even wanted to tell him.

  She let out a forced, dry laugh, “I’m probably just imagining it… I’m sorry, I know I’m not meant to call on these days…”

  “Well, what’s going on, babe?” he asked, letting out a small sigh.

  “Oh, well, I’m pretty sure I’m just paranoid…” Olivia’s head turned to look behind her, noticing the silhouette peeking out from behind a building just a half block away.

  “I just… The other morning, after you left, I had trouble sleeping and went for a run. I could have sworn I felt someone watching me, like the whole time. I was just drained, though, so I just thought I was just paranoid. But I’m walking to the store, and I feel like someone is watching me again. I keep seeing someone in the distance… I don’t know. I feel like I’m going crazy. Do you think I’m just overreacting? I mean, I don’t know anyone who would want to follow me around… I mean, Kent, but he’s states away. And I haven’t heard anything from him since your interaction with him…”