The Embrace

by Jessica Callaghan

  I felt Gabriel behind me, waiting for me to say something. I stood again and stroked his hair, showing him that I was ok with his actions. I leaned in to kiss his cheek, and while my lips were still on his skin I murmured my thoughts.

  “I forgive you.” The smile that came over my face was completely genuine. I was enthralled.

  We didn’t taste her that night, despite my eagerness. I would easily have bitten in to her sweet flesh straight away, but Gabriel seemed dead set on waiting. In the end he used his charm to convince me and so I gave in.

  It was probably sensible to wait. I had difficulty controlling my hunger when faced with such enticing victims and if I’d been let free to feast on Dahlia I may have killed her before I had a chance to savour her blood.

  That night we slept beside one another once again. It was peaceful and comforting. I loved having near me. He wasn’t just my true love, he was my security blanket. I felt as if my stalking problem fell away whenever my mate was near me, as if he could protect me.

  Gabriel hadn’t elaborated on when he planned to taste Dahlia. He’d been adamant about leaving her for the day but he hadn’t given me any more guidance. I was almost as much in the dark as our victim was.

  He had certainly taken a gamble bringing her here. Although I trusted his reasoning I was unsure whether Dahlia would be a liability or an asset in the long term. She could break from her hypnotic state at any second and let out a scream that would bring the whole building to our door. If that happened then our nest would be shattered, and we would be forced to flee our comfortable home.

  I didn’t want to uproot my whole life just because of one foolish mistake. The way we handled Dahlia had to be perfect. There was no room for mistakes.

  When I woke, Gabriel was already up and waiting for me. He had dressed but he was lying on the bed next to me, watching me until I woke up. I smiled the second I saw him, elated to feel him in his rightful place by my side.

  “Good night, my dear.” He said, stroking my skin.

  I kissed him lightly on the lips. “What are we doing today?” I asked.

  It didn’t really matter to me. As long as we were safe and together, that was all I cared about.

  Then I saw the teasing smile grown on his face. He had worn that smile during my very first night of hunting. It meant that he had returned to the role of a teacher, witholding information from his submissive student. After all my progress, he still had the upper hand.

  “We’re going to test drive the new addition.” The smile on his face grew wider and I was filled with an intense excitement. Dahlia had a strange effect on me and I longed to taste her blood.

  It wasn’t long before I had my chance. As we weren’t leaving the apartment, I didn’t feel the need to dress and so I padded through to the living room in my night gown, with Gabriel dressed up in a full suit and tie. I almost laughed at our mismatched styles but I had more important things to think about.

  It felt like Christmas day. Dahlia was a present I had been waiting to open for weeks and now here she was, displayed in front of me. I was almost shaking with anticipation, desperate for Gabriel to begin the feeding.

  She was still under his control but she was simply groggy rather than completely compelled as she had been the previous night. If Gabriel wasn’t careful then I feared sge would quickly become alert again.

  We sat before her, both surveying the once powerful human in front of us. She was a mess, a shadow of her former self. Her dress, obviously a piece she had chosen for work, was torn and muddy from the struggle with Gabriel. Her red hair was still in place but it seemed more unkempt than usual, no longer the tamed beast it had once been.

  Gabriel nudged me and I tore my gaze away from the wonderful morsel in front of me. He kissed me with surprising vigour.

  “You can go first. Taste her for me.” He whispered to me.

  I was surprised. Gabriel had found Dahlia and subdued her. He was the one who had realised the potential she held and had brought her all the way to our apartment. I would have gladly allowed Gabriel to be the first to sink his teeth in to our newest victim.

  Instead he was offering her up to me first, and that touched me. I took it as a sign of my importance, as if he was flying a symbolical white flag. I wasn’t just his student anymore, I was his partner and his equal.

  There was no way I would turn down Gabriel’s offer. I nodded and leaned over to Dahlia. I kissed the soft skin on her jugular and breathed in her scent. I had never experienced a victim with such a unique and complex smell. There were so many layers to it and each time I conquered one another popped up in it’s place. She was perfect.

  My fangs were already protruding. There was no way I could contain them with a scent like that before me. Her heart beat was slow, probably kept at a steady pace by Gabriel’s efforts the previous night.

  I placed my hand on her arm. I no longer needed to speak out loud to control a human, particularly not one who was already so well subdued, and so within moments I knew she wouldn’t cry out when I bit into her.

  Gabriel touched my lower back and rubbed in circles like a comforting father. He was proud of my achievements and my renewed thirst. In a strange way Dahlia had brought us closer together as a couple, despite my initial anger.

  I focused my mind on Dahlia’s amazing scent and my primal urges. As my thirst overpowered me, I bit in to her neck like a hungry child. My teeth punctured the skin and I felt the rush of blood hit the back of my throat.

  It was stronger than I had ever imagined, like an aphrodisiac or an exotic delicacy. I had never tasted anything so powerful and completely intoxicating. I put my hand up to the other side of Dahlia’s neck, pressing her closer to me. I wanted to take in every part of her. The blood wasn’t enough any more, I needed to drink in the energy itself.

  I could hear the soft, tuneful sound of Gabriel laughing behind me. He was probably impressed by my infatuation with his little find, and my hunger for her blood. I hadn’t shown such vigour for a victim in a very long time.

  As I let her blood work it’s magic on me, I felt her grow weaker. Her body was getting limp and her breathing had shallowed. I needed Gabriel to stop me or I would lose all control, as I had with Jared. I would drain her dry in a heartbeat if I could.

  Luckily he realised what I needed. He grabbed me by the hair and pulled me backwards as if I was a reckless dog terrorising the neighbours. My first reaction was intense hatred: he had torn me away from Dahlia’s blood and brought me back to earth with an unpleasant crash. Then my sanity returned and I realised how thankful I should be. Without him Dahlia would be dead and I would have lost her blood for eternity.

  He kissed me and licked the blood from my fangs. I could see his pupils dilate when the tiny drop of Dahlia’s blood hit his tongue but he managed to contain his desires.

  I lay on the tile floor, pressing my head against the ground. I felt as if my skin had been lit on fire. I was exhausted, completely satisfied yet wiped out by my intense desire. Gabriel hadn’t even tasted her but he lay down with me, cradling me in his arms.

  “I take it she tasted good then.” He said with a remarkably straight face.

  I looked up at him and, despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hold back my giggles. He joined me and our laughter mingled in the air. We were almost hysterical as I lay on the floor and savoured this new victim’s exquisite taste.

  I knew then that for as long as I lived, which may be the rest of eternity, I would never forget the night I first tasted Dahlia Elton.

  **

  Gabriel didn’t taste her for a while, which surprised me. I had expected him to be as eager as me to taste Dahlia but it seemed he was holding back.

  Instead he wrapped his arms around me and we lay together while her neck wound healed. The blood had started to dry in a long trail on her neck and I could hear her breathing pattern return to it’s normal state.

  After we fed Gabriel’s excitement always seems to be raised. He would shower me
with kisses and act like I was irresistable. There was something primal in the hunt that lent itself to being aggressive and passionate. One desire seemed to perfectly compliment the other.

  “Don’t you want to feed on her?” I whispered into the crook of his neck. I wanted to taste Dahlia again but I knew it was only fair to let Gabriel have a try as he had been the one to capture this tantalising morsel.

  He smiled at me and kissed my forehead. “Not right now. I want you to enjoy yourself first. That’s what this is all about.” He whispered.

  I had underestimated Gabriel’s intentions. He had been thinking about me the whole way through. I regretted doubting him while he had been away. I had no reason to worry about him, that was clear to me now.

  Gabriel brushed my hair away from my face in that familiar paternal gesture. “Do you want to taste her again?”

  It was a stupid question. Dahlia’s blood was the only thing in my mind since the second it had hit my lips. I nodded and slid across the tiles towards her body.

  She was still under our control and hadn’t even noticed the blood drying on her neck. I licked the red trail from her throat, savouring it like a fine wine. I wanted to change my method, try out a different area of her skin.

  Her skin was pale and the veins were protruding through the surface. Sometimes that happens after a kill. With the rapid, unnatural blood flow to the surface the other veins are drawn out. They have to work harder to pump the blood around the body and try to keep the organs running.

  I picked up her wrist and licked it, tasting the remnants of the sweat on her skin. I ran my fangs along her wrist, opening up the veins and letting the sweet red liquid trickle from the wound. I didn’t want to puncture the skin like I had before. I wanted to watch the blood fall before I tasted it again.

  The blood was a deep shining hue that almost hypnotised me. I licked the bottom of the trail, right up to the source of the wound.

  The taste was just as strong as it had been the first time, which I hadn’t expected. Usually the sensation dwindles and loses it’s appeal after the inital high but Dahlia’s blood was different. She tasted just as strong as she had before and she still had a powerful effect over me.

  Eventually Gabriel pulled me away. I needed him to watch over me or else I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. Luckily he pulled me back just in time, and we lay together once again as I enjoyed the taste of Dahlia’s blood lingering in my mouth.

  Chapter 25Gabriel had never been an early riser up until Dahlia’s arrival, but within days we returned to the usual sleep pattern. I would wake up and watch him sleep for a few minutes until his eyes flickered open.

  Gabriel tasted Dahlia on her third night in our nest. I could see from his reaction that he enjoyed the taste of her blood but there was something missing. He didn’t seem as passionate as he usually did, and something about his attacks lacked the power they had once had.

  I didn’t spend much time thinking about what could be wrong with him. I was too concerned with my own appetite to worry about his dwindling thirst. Just a small drop of Dahlia’s blood was more than enough to satisfy me and it was all too easy to become wrapped up in myself.

  He had managed to restrain himself from taking any business trips since returning and for a while it felt as if everything was back to normal. We seemed to have regained the relationship we had once lost, all because of Dahlia.

  The night after Gabriel first tasted our new guest, I woke up earlier than usual. I had been watching Gabriel’s face for a few minutes but he was yet to wake. I decided to walk around the apartment to kill time. Although we had been living there for a while it still comforted me to take a look at our possessions. It made me feel as if I was part of something, as if I had a family and a home to keep me safe.

  Dahlia was sleeping, still tied to the railings by the window. Our power over her had lasted all this time, and she spent the hours either sleeping or calmly waiting for us. I didn’t want to taste her when Gabriel wasn’t there so I took a seat on the floor next to her instead. Her scent was fading but there was still a hint of it around and I breathed it in eagerly.

  I saw her head fall limply to the side, her eyes staring blankly at me. She was awake now but still clearly under compulsion.

  While I waited for Gabriel I stared out over the city through the windows. There was so much going on, so much happening under the surface. I could feel the people buzzing around from place to place, unaware of what could be lurking in the shadows around them.

  “Louisa.”

  The word pierced through the night like a knife. I had grown used to the silence but within a second it was disturbed. I looked around the room for the owner of the voice but Gabriel was nowhere to be seen.

  “Louisa.”

  There it was again. It was a croaking voice that would have been barely audible to a human ear, but it was loud and clear to me.

  I looked to my side and saw Dahlia. She was the only one who could have said something, but that made no sense. She was under compulsion so she had no control over herself. I locked eyes with her. There was something more going on there. I expected a blank stare with nothing behind it but I saw a tiny spark in her eyes. She had broken the compulsion. That was the only possible explanation.

  “Dahlia? Can you hear me?” I asked her. I had no idea how much control she had wrestled back and how long she had been free. If she was fully conscious again then that could be very dangerous for us.

  She nodded her head just a little and I could tell that she was still groggy from such a long spell under our influence. Luckily we had a short while before she could fully break free from compulsion. I decided to wait. I didn’t want to act without Gabriel, and to be honest I was intrigued by what she had to say to me.

  “It’s nice to see you again.” There was no expression on her face but her voice was becoming stronger and I could almost hear a smile in it. She was beginning to seem more like the Dahlia I knew.

  “Dahlia, do you know where you are?” I needed to know how much she was aware of to assess how much of a risk she held.

  Her face screwed up in concentration. “No. Where am I?”

  I couldn’t tell her. It wouldn’t be safe to reveal too much to her, just in case. I had to wake Gabriel and let him know. He would work out what to do. I still didn’t know what his plan for her was and I didn’t want to act without consulting him.

  I got up to make my way to the bedroom, but as I did I heared Dahlia’s croaking voice again.

  “Where’s Gabriel? He told me...” She seemed to give up by the end of her sentence.

  I slowed my pace but I couldn’t answer her. I didn’t know what to say.

  “He told me I’d be one of you.” She whispered

  That stopped me in my tracks. Gabriel told her she’d be a vampire? That couldn’t be what she meant. She must still be delusional after so long under a vampire’s control. He wouldn’t do that. I told myself I trusted him but part of me was less than convinced.

  I crouched down to her level. My body was shaking but I needed to find out what was going on, for better or for worse.

  I brushed her hair aside like Gabriel always did to me. Maybe in her groggy state she would feel comforted by the gesture, just as I usually did.

  “Did Gabriel tell you about us?” I tried to phrase the question so that I didn’t reveal too much. If it turned out that she didn’t know about vampires then I couldn’t risk revealing our true nature accidentally.

  I saw her nod her head slowly. I felt a rush of panic surge through my body. My face was becoming hot and I felt my head pounding. I had no idea what I was getting in to.

  “Can you tell me more about you and Gabriel?” I asked her.

  She cleared her throat and when she finally spoke her voice was noticeably clearer. She was becoming more lucid and so I hoped her answer was quick. I was running out of time.

  “I helped him with his legal issues. He needed some advice. I can’t remember...” She faltered
and her brow crinkled up as she tried to remember.

  I rubbed her arm sympathetically. “ I know. It’s ok. Just move on.”

  “I met with him and he told me about you. You’re vampires. I thought he was mad at first. He asked me if I wanted to be his mate, and then he kissed me.”

  Each word she spoke felt like a dagger. Not only had Gabriel asked her to be his mate but he had kissed her. I knew my sire, or at least I thought I did, and I had never pictured him betraying me with a human. He may not have been perfect but I never thought he would do that to me.

  I was stunned. I could hear a soft movement and I knew Gabriel was waking up but I was frozen to the spot. He had betrayed me. Even if I somehow managed to forgive him, which seemed unlikely at that moment, I knew our relationship would be damaged.

  He stood behind me for a while. I could hear him talking but none of the words he said made any real impact. It didn’t matter what he was saying. There was nothing that could change the way I felt.

  I turned to face him. I felt my blood boiling but I couldn’t even look at him. I didn’t want to see his beautiful eyes because I knew he could talk me out of my fury with just a look. I needed to be strong for our confrontation.

  “You told her you would make her a vampire.” I heard my voice coming out in a whisper. I had no power behind me anymore.

  I’d never seen fear in his eyes before but when I finally locked on to his gaze I saw a flash of panic. This momentary lapse of control confirmed to me that everything Dahlia had said was true.

  He tried to walk towards me, making some pathetic effort to win me over. I backed away quickly and he stopped in his tracks. He could sense how mad I was.

  “Please, just listen to me.” he pleaded in a whisper.

  I wasn’t interested. I could feel my eyes filling with tears. It was a pathetic, human thing to do but I couldn’t help myself.