Ganriel

by D. B. Reynolds

  “He has no moral compass, no honor or loyalty, except to himself. He can’t comprehend the existence of those traits in anyone else.”

  She rubbed her fingers along his collarbone in a gesture that seemed half nervous and half comforting. “You’re right. He was furious when I said I’d never willingly help him. But then he laughed and said he didn’t need my cooperation. I think he was happy I’d refused. He likes hurting people.”

  Gabriel fought to control his own fury. Someday, he promised himself. Someday, he was going to rip that fucking sorcerer to pieces with his bare hands. “He’s the one who hurt you?” The words left his throat like jagged shards of glass.

  She nodded against his chest, but then pushed away enough to see his face. “But I hurt him, too. His giant flunky had searched me before dumping me in that room, but he only found the gun. I always hide a last-ditch blade in my shoe when a situation is questionable. I knew Raphael was nervous about leaving me with your Nico, especially since Nico put so many restrictions on which vamps could stay and how close.”

  “Was it a blade? Your fingers were sliced pretty badly.”

  Hana lifted her hand, peering closely in the dim light. “It’s gone.”

  Gabriel took her fingers and kissed them. “Raphael wanted to help. He said it was a matter of honor, since you were under his pro­tection.” He smiled. “I think he just said that to let me save face, since you’re mine, and my blood should have been enough to heal you. But I wouldn’t have objected anyway. All I cared about was making you well, and I’ve tasted his blood. The power in it . . . I don’t know how he deals with that stuff running through his veins all the time.”

  “It was you who brought me back, though,” she said staunchly. “I couldn’t open my eyes yet, but I knew you were there, and I knew I was safe.” She lay quietly for a moment, then said, “That’s when he hit me. After I cut him.”

  Gabriel couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled between them. “Fucking coward, beating a bound woman.”

  “Most psychopaths are. They’re typical bullies, eager to hurt people who can’t hurt them back, and terrified of the tiniest injury to themselves.”

  “Did he leave then? The plan was for Nico to draw him away, so we could take the house and get you out of there.” She didn’t say anything for a long time, and Gabriel knew there was more. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

  “No, I want to. You need to know, and so do the others. Because Sotiris forced my magic to work for him. It was a replay of what I felt in Raphael’s office—like a giant bug sucking my brain dry—but it was real this time.”

  “It hurt?” He didn’t want to ask the question, didn’t want to know the answer. But he had to. He needed to know every damn thing Sotiris had done. So he could recite the bastard’s sins as he killed him.

  “It hurt.” No details. Just those two words.

  “I’m sorry, älskling.”

  “Just promise me one thing,” she said, her voice taking on a hardness it had lacked as she recounted her captivity.

  “Anything.”

  “When you kill him, I get to help.”

  Gabriel hugged her tightly. “I promise.”

  Hana returned his hug, and the feel of her breasts against his bare chest made him aware, as he hadn’t been earlier, that she was naked. His body responded predictably, which was why he’d left her clothes on when he’d taken her to bed that morning. She’d had a terrifying experience and needed to recover. The last thing she needed was— “Fuck.” He swore as she rolled over to straddle him, her pussy warm against his belly.

  She leaned over to kiss him. “I thought I’d lost you,” she whis­pered against his lips.

  Gabriel had to clear his throat to speak. “I’m, uh, not that easy to get rid of.”

  Rubbing her breasts against him so he could feel the hard scrape of her nipples, she bit his chin and said, “I don’t want to get rid of you at all.”

  His cock flexed against her sweet ass, and he groaned. “I’m not sure we should—”

  “I am. I need this.” She rotated her hips, grinding the growing heat and wetness of her pussy against his groin, while his cock stiffened even further.

  He put his hands on her hips because he needed to touch her, but he let her take the lead, going at her own pace. That didn’t stop him from watching her, though. She was the very picture of feminine sensuality, her eyes closed, hips swaying, her long hair a curtain of ebony silk that surrounded them both when she leaned forward to kiss him.

  Shifting his hands to her ass, he gripped the firm globes in both hands and spread her legs wider, his fingers dipping low into the slick heat between her thighs, and then even farther, until one finger slid into her pussy. Her body clenched, and Gabriel held his breath as she began fucking herself on that single digit, her moan filling his mouth as her kiss became increasingly frantic, her teeth clashing with his, her tongue lashing with hunger.

  She came without warning, her moans turning into cries as her pussy clamped down hard on his finger, slick heat flooding his hand while her nails dug into his chest. Gabriel slid his finger out of her body, dragging it up the crease of her butt, sliding on the cream of her orgasm. Hana gasped, her heart a throbbing beat against his chest, thumping in time to the pulse of her sex against the root of his cock.

  She licked his lips a final time then sat up, and giving him a wicked look, raised onto her knees and grasped his cock in one hand. His fingers dug into her hips, but he didn’t have time to groan before she was lowering herself onto him, sliding his hard length into her hot, wet pussy. She began moving then. Slowly, deliberately. Lifting herself up until just the tip of his cock was inside her, then lowering herself even more slowly, until she could grind herself against his groin with gasping cries of pleasure.

  “I love you,” she murmured, her nails digging into his chest once again, as if afraid she’d fly away if she didn’t hold on. When she began moving faster, grinding harder, Gabriel sat up and wrapped his arms around her. Two seconds later, she was on her back, his arms braced behind her knees as he pushed her legs wider and thrust deeply. Her cries grew desperate as he held back his own hunger, fucking her as slowly as she’d done him, reveling in the delicious wet heat of her, the soft moans becoming pleas as she begged him to go faster, harder, to release her from the building pressure of her orgasm.

  Her fingers clenched on his arms in the instant her pussy clamped down on his cock, her entire body trembling as she climaxed. She sucked in a shocked breath and then closed her teeth over his shoulder, biting fiercely as she screamed.

  Gabriel loved having her teeth sink into his skin, knowing she was drinking his blood, becoming ever more a part of him. He wanted to sink his fangs into her, as well, to savor the dark honey taste of her blood as it rolled down his throat. But she was still recovering from her ordeal. His blood would help her heal. She didn’t need to lose any more of her own. He flexed his hips, driving his cock farther into her body, through the tight grip of her sheath, her inner muscles shivering around him as he began to move faster, his own orgasm building to a fury in his gut. He slammed into her once, twice, and then he was climaxing, his release a flood of heat as it raced down his cock and spilled into Hana, who moaned as fresh tremors rippled through her body.

  Gabriel lay on top of her for a moment, bracing himself on his forearms, breathing heavily as tried to slow his racing heart. Hana’s arms fell from around his neck, as if she didn’t have the strength to hold them there, her fingers brushing over the tender spot where she’d bit him. Gabriel smiled, then slid his hands under her shoulders and rolled them both, settling her on top of him, right where he wanted her.

  With his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head and said, “I love you, älskling.”

  It was a few minutes later when Hana lifted her head to meet his
eyes as she whispered, “And I love you, my angel. My Gabriel.”

  NICK FOUND A message waiting when he finally woke. Noting the number, he half-expected to hear Cyn’s voice, but it was Raphael’s lieutenant, Jared. He climbed out of bed and crossed to the window while listening to the message. The fact that Jared was calling told him it was after sunset, but he sought the visual confirmation of peering down at the beach anyway. Yep, definitely nighttime. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so long.

  Something Jared was saying snagged his attention. A meeting at Raphael’s. A “debrief” Jared called it. And weren’t they being all hut-hut military? Fucking vampires. Jared mentioned a ten p.m. starting time, which had Nick shooting a glance at the bedside clock. He had less than an hour to get there. Good thing he’d already showered.

  He called Damian’s cell first and got Casey instead. “Hey, Nick. The big man’s in the shower.”

  “That’s all right. You guys get a heads-up on tonight’s meeting?”

  “Yeah. You want to ride over together?”

  Nick snorted. “No, I do not. I’m taking the Ferrari.”

  She laughed. “Figured. That’s why I asked. Damian will be jealous.”

  “Let him. I’ll see you there.”

  THE GUARDS WERE expecting him when he showed up at the gate. That didn’t mean they let him pass without inspection, however. Their eyes flashed red as they subjected the Ferrari to the same kind of inspection they’d have given the UPS truck. Hell, probably more, since he doubted they permitted any kind of delivery truck through their gates. Vampires had always been a paranoid lot, but Raphael had raised it to an art form.

  Nick had to admit the bloodsuckers had good reason for their paranoia. Before there were grand estates like this fucking fortress of Raphael’s, they’d been vulnerable during daylight to anyone who could break a window. The suspicion and delay that these vampires were according him, however, still pissed him off. They were supposed to be allies, weren’t they? At least for another few hours, anyway. He snickered to himself as he waited for the gate to finally roll back, then barely nudged the gas pedal, driving the low-slung Ferrari with painful slowness over the metal tracks.

  Once beyond the gate, however, he took the wide, sweeping turns of the driveway with unnecessary speed, gunning the engine as he came to a tire-screeching stop at the foot of the stairs. Juro—at least he thought it was Juro—was waiting there, seeming entirely unimpressed with the car or Nick’s driving. He tried to remember if he’d ever seen any other expression on the Japanese vamp’s face, and came up blank.

  “Everyone else here already?” he asked cheerfully, knowing they weren’t, because his people were behind him.

  Juro didn’t answer, just waited for Nick to come even with him, then walked up the stairs. The doors swung open at the top, and they continued through to find the pale-eyed female vamp waiting for them, her nearly white-blond hair short and spikey. Nick wasn’t fooled by her delicate features or petite stature. He could tell she was fit, despite the mannish suit she was wearing, and she was a vampire. Even the weak ones were strong, and this one wasn’t weak or she wouldn’t have been on the front line of Raphael’s security.

  “I’ll take him up, Elke. The others are right behind him.”

  “Oh, goody,” she said in a whispery voice. “I get the witch.”

  Nick gave her a second look. He didn’t sense any power within her, other than the usual vampire weirdness. Maybe she was crazy. Or maybe she was just fucking with him. He gave her a wink and followed Juro, catching up before they reached the top, so he wasn’t following like a dog.

  Jared and the other twin were in the conference room when he arrived, but no one else. Jared indicated a small wet bar. “Help yourself, Nick.”

  It was a surprisingly friendly offer, especially when compared to Juro’s semi-hostile silence. Nick responded in kind. “Just throw me a bottle of water, if you have it.”

  Jared opened the little refrigerator and tossed the water with an easy underhand, but it still hit Nick’s palm with a slap. Fucking vam­pires. Couldn’t go easy if they tried. That brought up images of vamps fucking, which made him want to scrub his brain clean.

  Fortunately, the others arrived at that moment, with Damian immediately coming over to whine about the Ferrari. “It wouldn’t kill you to share,” he muttered. “It’s only a fucking car.”

  “Then it shouldn’t matter if I drive it,” Nick said easily, smiling his greetings at Kato and the two women.

  “What’s this about?” Kato asked, leaning forward, his arms on the table to avoid putting his weight against his back and the ensorcelled blade he always wore there. Just because it was invisible didn’t mean it was comfortable. Especially not this blade, which tended to dig its sorcerous teeth into Kato’s flesh at every opportunity.

  “Mission debrief,” Nick replied. “I’m assuming Gabriel and Hana will—”

  They appeared at that moment, Gabriel first, pausing to scan the room for danger before walking in with Hana behind him.

  Nick stood with a smile. “Hana, you’re looking well.”

  She glanced at Gabriel, before shifting her gaze to Nick. “I am well, thank you. Gabriel has taken very good care of me.”

  “I hate to ask this, but . . . can you tell me what happened? It might help the next time—”

  “We’ll wait until Lord Raphael is here, so she only has to say it once,” Juro said, speaking up just as Gabriel opened his mouth, proba­bly to say the same thing.

  “Right, sorry.” Nick took a drink of water and cursed himself privately for not thinking about Hana’s feelings. It must have been a grueling experience. That last thing she needed was to relive it multiple times, just to satisfy his curiosity. He tended to get lost in the details when it came to magic, and especially if it involved that asshole Sotiris.

  The great and wonderful Raphael finally showed up, Cyn by his side. She bent over and hugged Hana as she passed her, and even Raphael slowed to place a hand on her shoulder and exchange nods with Gabriel. Fucking vampire lord.

  Raphael didn’t waste time on pleasantries. He waited until Cyn was settled, then turned his gaze on Nick. “I’m assuming your people briefed you on what happened at the house?”

  Nick nodded, just as eager as Raphael to get this over with. “Most of it. Lots of shooting, bad guys killed. You’ll have to tell me sometime how you managed to engage in a firefight in the middle of a tightly guarded city like Hidden Hills without freaking out the neighbors.”

  Raphael shrugged. “I’m sure you could do the same.”

  Obviously, the alliance was cooling fast, Nick thought. Fine with him. “What I don’t know is what happened with Hana.” He turned to look at her. “But I suspect Sotiris tapped into your magic, because he was stronger than he should have been.”

  She looked briefly stricken, then her jaw hardened. “You’re right, he did, after beating me bloody and nearly choking me to death.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply you were in any way responsible, Hana,” he said gently. “Sotiris is far too powerful for you or anyone else to resist.”

  “What about you?” she asked, giving him a challenging stare.

  “I’ve defeated him before, but not this time. It’s been millennia since our armies first battled. He’s learned new tricks in that time, and so have I. All we’ve managed to do lately is fight to a draw, or until Sotiris becomes afraid of losing and runs away. That’s one technique he’s mastered. But anything you can tell me might help for the next time, so I’d like to hear it. Believe me, I want him dead as much as you do.”

  She didn’t look like she believed him, and he could hardly blame her. Sotiris was cruel and ruthless. No one was indispensable when it came to getting what he wanted. She probably assumed Nick was the same.

  “I have a question,”
Raphael said. “As you surmised, Sotiris used Hana’s magic to augment his own. Is that effect permanent, or will he have exhausted it in his fight with you?”

  Nick frowned in thought. “Hana’s gift is rare, but there are enough records going back a long time that I know something about it. I assume Sotiris does too, unfortunately. But to answer your question, the effect is temporary. It boosts the strength of his power, not the volume. Every time he uses his power, he also uses up the boost.”

  “That much is good news,” Hana murmured. “And it’s consistent with him keeping me alive, instead of just hot wiring his power and killing me off.”

  Nick watched as Gabriel hooked an elbow around her neck and pulled her closer, scowling when she looked up at him. Nick knew his warriors well enough that he probably guessed the reasons for Gabriel’s scowl before she did. It didn’t take long, though, before she was smiling up at him, understanding that he didn’t like her speaking so casually about anyone “killing her off.” She brushed her lips over his in apology, and Nick had to look away. There was that love again. The kind he’d never managed to find. Yet. But he wasn’t giving up on it.

  When he turned back, his comments were for Raphael, but he was looking at Hana. “Hana still needs training,” he said. “Her shields are far too weak. I don’t want to be an asshole here, but that affects all of us.”

  Gabriel and Hana both looked to Raphael to address the com­ment, which told Nick they’d probably discussed it before he arrived.

  “We’re all agreed that Hana would benefit from additional training, most especially Hana herself. But her security remains paramount, and I won’t risk another disaster. One of my people died, completely unnecessarily. If there is to be training, it will take place here on the estate.”

  “I’ve already explained—”

  “Yes, I know what you explained,” Raphael interrupted, his gaze cool. “We can accommodate your restrictions without putting Hana at risk. My vampires will maintain a security perimeter that suits your requirements, but Gabriel and one other of my choosing will remain in the room with her, at all times. You can use one of my interrogation rooms.” He bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile. “They’re ex­tremely well protected from outside interference.”