“Hi, Cecily,” Mara almost cooed her greeting as if she actually liked her. But Javan knew, even if Mara was unaffected by sharing him with Cecily, she wouldn’t like her, simply because she was Qalal. Regardless of what side they seemed to be on, Mara didn’t trust them.
Cecily nodded toward Mara and smiled. It was more an obligatory expression than one of sincerity. “Mara, you look well,” Cecily said coolly.
She turned her attention back to Javan as she sat on the couch. Javan and Mara had to position themselves to see her. He was realizing Cecily had to feel she was in as much control of a situation as possible. He’d let her have it for a moment. When she’d settled herself comfortably and felt she had the others complete attention, she spoke.
“Like I said, I believe I can shed some light on Gabrielle’s concern for Lucas’s safety.”
Cecily paused and seemed to be wanting to be asked for her knowledge. Biting his tongue—to keep from biting her head off—so he could satisfy Cecily’s need for importance to be confirmed by others was going to prove to be a challenge.
“Yes, Cecily. What is it you can tell me?”
“While traveling, recruiting I guess you could say, I heard it was open season on a human who voluntarily made his knowledge of the Qalal known in Europe.”
“What does that have to do with Lucas?”
Cecily laughed snidely and cast her eyes to the ceiling. “Javan—Lucas is the human.”
Javan’s eyes widened again, realizing Gabrielle must have taken him.
Why would she do that?
Was she closer to Lucas than he thought? He felt a slow, quiet growl begin to rumble deep inside of him, but another thought stopped it, and he felt the curve of a smile begin. It spread across his face as he began to laugh as one does when satisfied at another’s expense. Lucas was, in fact, in a ton of trouble and danger. When he stopped, he asked for more information.
Cecily told them of Lucas and Gabrielle’s trip to see the Elders because of a vision Gabrielle had of an attack. When she finished the story, Javan felt much better about everything. He now knew when Gabrielle would be away from Lucas, and he knew how to make that distance, and time, grow.
“Cecily,” he said as he sat next to her on the couch, still smiling broadly, “I have a job for you and your minions if you think they’ll help.”
Cecily smiled back. “I have quite the little coven started, Javan. They’ll do what I ask. They know I’m going to be powerful, soon, and they want to be on my good side.”
“Great. Tell them you’re going to need them on Halloween.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY
GABRIELLE AND LUCAS ~ DOUBTS
Gabrielle watched Lucas from her car as he made his way down the steps of his front porch, hitting only two of them. He jogged toward her with his hands pushed deep in his jean pockets, attempting to shield his ears from the brisk wind greeting him by lowering his head and raising his shoulders.
She took a deep breath as he let himself in. She was going to do her best not to ruin the day with feelings of dread. She’d keep him safe, so there was no need for him to worry more. Still, she struggled with wondering if he would’ve been better off never meeting her, remaining as he was on the first day of school when they met—just a typical teenager with typical teenager concerns.
He’s had a choice to face since birth that guaranteed he’d never be typical.
Lucas leaned over and put his hand on her cheek. It was cold even though it had been in his pocket. Gabrielle placed her hand over his to warm it.
“Hi, love,” he said as he moved closer. Their lips touched gently.
Gabrielle felt the warmth of his kiss travel through her body. It was a sensation she longed for, and now that it was sweeping through her, she closed her eyes, settled into the feeling, and lingered there. When she opened them, Lucas was staring back at her with a crooked smile that parted his lips slightly.
“Sorry,” she said as she sat back in her seat and put the car in drive. “I got caught up. I’m glad to have you near me again.”
Lucas put his hand in hers as she turned the car around. “Don’t ever apologize for that, Gabby. I’m glad you’re not bored with me.”
Gabrielle looked at him with an amused expression. “Why on Earth would I be bored with you?”
“Let’s not forget, you’re a powerful angel. I’m just a normal human.”
Gabrielle glanced sideways as she turned off his road, smiling at him as he caught her eye.
“Lucas, you’re right. I am an angel, and you are human. But I believe we established weeks ago you aren’t quite normal.” She gave his hand a squeeze and snickered playfully. She tried to figure out how to tell him how much he meant to her without sounding too sappy but gave up. If she sounded sappy, that was just the way it would be.
“Hey,” she said and waited for him to look at her. When he did, she was concerned by how sad he seemed to be. “You mean more to me than I can put into words, Lucas. I don’t think you understand how much I love you.”
He smiled and let his eyes drop from hers.
She tugged his hand to get him to look back at her again. “I mean it.”
His smiled remained, but she could tell he was still unsure. Would he ever believe her? She knew from their conversation right after meeting the Elders that Lucas felt he didn’t deserve, or have anything to offer, her.
It was frustrating.
They loved each other. That was all she needed. Not some knight in shining armor who could come to her rescue. But feeling capable of the act was important to Lucas. She wondered how she could make him feel like her equal so he’d be as content as she was.
She drove several blocks before she spoke again.
“So, what do you still need to pick up?”
Lucas, along with Nonie and Nate, had decided to go as two vampires and their victim. It was a bad joke. Nonie and Nate were the vampires; Lucas was the victim. Of course, no one but them and Gabrielle would understand the meaning behind it, but the three of them thought it fitting. Gabrielle kept her opinion to herself.
“I still need to get the waxy stuff to put on my neck to make puncture marks, makeup to make it look like skin, and fake blood.” He spoke without looking at her, gazing out the window instead. The leaves being stripped from trees were no match for the strong autumn wind. Gabrielle knew he wasn’t as entranced with the foliage as he acted. He was avoiding her eyes, knowing she didn’t like the costumes even though she hadn’t said anything.
She tried not to sound displeased. “So, where do you want to go to pick those up?”
“Back to the costume shop we were at a couple of days ago. I need to pick up black capes for Nonie and Nate while we’re there also.”
Gabrielle couldn’t help but laugh at how far into the Hollywood version of vampire attire and appearance the teens were going. Lucas looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“It’s nothing—” she searched her thoughts for a different subject. “Where all are you guys going tonight?”
They’d already told her, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. He would feel belittled if she told him how silly they were being about their costumes.
Lucas responded in a careful tone. “Just to the Halloween party at the school, then to Nonie and Nate’s afterward to watch some horror flicks. Are you at least going to come by for that?”
Lucas didn’t like that Gabrielle wasn’t planning on spending any time with him. He didn’t understand that she needed to be watching for trouble, and the best way for her to do that was in her angelic form. Spending more time as an angel than a human, as Amaziah had urged her to do, was proving to be difficult, and it was affecting her senses while in human form more and more.
“I don’t think I will, Lucas.” She could see her answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “Horror movies just aren’t my thing, you know?”
Lucas looked back out the window. “I guess, but I was hoping you’d come so we could be together
for a while.”
“I’ll think about it. Okay? Regardless, I’ll see you when you’re back home.”
Lucas gave her a slight nod and smile, but his disappointment wasn’t concealed.
Normally, the quiet moments between Lucas and Gabby didn’t concern him, but she seemed to be keeping something from him, and the silence between them seemed to grow with every turn of the car’s tires. He could feel the tension pushing on him, believing it would shove him out the door and onto the ground as soon as he tried to exit the car. When it didn’t happen— when he was able to stand and walk without picking pieces of pavement out of his skin—it almost surprised him.
Gabrielle made her way to his side faster than he thought she could have walked, and he wondered if she’d somehow manifested next to him. There was still a lot about her he hadn’t figured out, and she didn’t seem to want to show him all she could do. He’d asked her to once, but she said it wasn’t important, and she didn’t want to make a spectacle of herself—especially to him. He wondered, though, if it wasn’t more about not wanting him to feel even more inferior to her than he already did.
Lucas laughed to himself and shook his head. He wasn’t finding actual humor in his thoughts. He was questioning, once again, what he could ever offer her. He wished he knew how she felt about Javan, if what she said she felt about the two of them even began to compare to what she had with the fallen angel, and, more importantly, if those feelings still existed. He thought back to how she’d said he made her feel things Javan never had been able to.
Wouldn’t it also be true that Javan made her feel things I’ll never be able to, as well?
Gabrielle moved past him toward the restroom. He watched her, feeling the distance expanding between them. It wasn’t the physical distance he was aware of, however. There was something going on between them he couldn’t explain. He wasn’t even sure who was the cause, him or her. Maybe it was simply what was to be expected. They really had no business being together. How would it ever work between them? Short term wasn’t the problem; long term realities were the issue.
He didn’t know when it was all going to end, but it would. It was the only logical outcome for an angel and a human being in love unless the angel chose to give up their life to be a human, like his grandmother had done for his grandfather. He would never let Gabrielle do that for him. He’d feel guilty the rest of his life. The more he thought about how he felt they were growing apart, the more he was sure the reason was because he wasn’t good enough, or right, for her.
As the shop’s employee returned to the register with what he needed, Lucas could see Gabrielle approaching in the periphery of his vision. He didn’t turn to look at her as he would normally have done, afraid of what she’d see in his eyes—believing his concerns and insecurities would be known to her right away. Even though he felt like parting ways was inevitable, he wasn’t going to encourage the conversation. He wanted to be with her as long as he could, and the things on his mind would surely bring about their separation sooner if they were made known to her.
Gabrielle waited for him. After he’d paid, he turned toward the door, away from Gabrielle, and started to walk, wishing he could leave his thoughts behind as he moved closer to the exit. He felt her hand reach for his, then she laced their fingers. As soon as his eyes met hers, he felt the warmth of his love for her begin to push away the negative thoughts. He leaned down to kiss her, and when she raised her head so her lips could meet his, the desire consuming his mind and body chased away any lingering doubts—at least for now.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
JAVAN ~ ROMEO
Javan was pacing his usual path in front of the windows of his great room as he waited. He didn’t know how long he’d been moving from one end of the room to the other until he looked at his watch and was frustrated to see not nearly enough time had passed. All his plans were put in place, and there was little he could do but wait. He had a hard time not wishing time to hurry so that he, Mara, and Shea could leave.
Shea was his newest pawn, and right now, the most important.
She was Gentry, a huli jing, and Mara had recruited her only yesterday. He hoped she was as skilled with changing her appearance as she claimed. Shea said it would be risky for her to change and then turn around and do it again the next day, explaining how it took a lot of energy. She didn’t want to risk being able to transform herself convincingly twenty-four hours later.
Javan veered off his pacing course to pour himself a drink. Just as he was about to tip the bottle and fill his glass, he stopped.
“Fuck it.”
Javan put the bottle to his lips and began to drink, righting it when he heard a knock. He abandoned his beverage and jogged to the door, reminding himself to calm down as he reached for the knob and opened the door.
Through a breathy whisper, he said her name. “Gabrielle.”
He had to remind himself to breathe, stunned by her beauty. Her hair hung in loose waves far past her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to capture all available light, giving them a sparkling effect. A fitted red sweater and jeans embellished her curves. He didn’t know what to say. Why was she there? Javan felt his hopes rise. A smile spread wide across his face. Was she coming back to him? A smile parted the lips he longed to press against his. As he was about to do what he’d wanted since he’d first seen her in this body weeks earlier, she spoke.
“You’re pleased by the likeness?”
She waited for him to respond. He couldn’t.
The smile that had spread across his face slowly reversed, along with the hope that sprung with it. He was as disheartened as he was amazed. Shea had convinced even him.
He studied her more carefully. From what he remembered of Gabrielle’s appearance in her human form, Shea was a dead ringer. Even her voice sounded similar. She’d be in his embrace then if she hadn’t said something that made him realize whom she was.
Javan didn’t notice that her own smile had vanished into a scowl. She crossed her arms and threw her hip out one way, pointing the opposite side’s foot and knee the other direction.
It was the universal stance of an annoyed woman.
“Hello?” Shea voiced her agitation.
Javan looked back to what he thought were Gabrielle’s piercing green eyes and was once again torn by what he’d hoped for only moments before.
But she isn’t Gabrielle.
And there was still work to do before he could make her see things his way so she would return to his arms. He nodded his head to Shea and moved aside so she could enter.
“Are you happy with what I’ve done or not?” she asked curtly as she entered, turning in time to see him checking out her backside.
Javan’s gaze traveled up her body to her eyes—eyes he could get lost in if he allowed himself to believe it really was Gabrielle for just a little while. He moved close to Shea. So close she arched her body. He took one of the dark waves of hair and wrapped it loosely around his finger, trailing its length. His hand remained where the lock ended, and he didn’t resist the desire to caress the area it rested upon. Shea closed her eyes, and Javan saw a smile part her lips. As he put his other hand on her face, she pushed into it.
As he was about to press his lips to hers—to Gabrielle’s—he prompted her with a breathy whisper. “Open your eyes.”
When she did, he knew she was going to allow him to do what he wanted while looking into them—believe it really was Gabrielle in his arms.
Javan relaxed a little after being with Shea, just enough to be somewhat patient while he waited for Mara. He didn’t have to wait long. He heard her knock on the door, and Mara let herself in. He was glad she arrived later than Shea.
He looked at Shea and smiled. He knew she wasn’t Gabrielle, but it was nice to think of her being there, anyway. It would be satisfying when she sat in his loft as casual and content as Shea was at that moment.
Mara’s eyes fixed on Shea. “Holy shit! If I didn’t know what we were about to do, I wou
ld’ve sworn you really were Gabrielle.”
Mara sat in her usual chair, in her usual manner. Only this time, she was turned the other way so she could continue to analyze Shea’s transformation. She spoke to Javan without turning around at all.
“Are you happy, Javan?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer. Shea beat him to it.
“I think it’s safe to say he’s more than happy. You were right, Mara. He seized the moment.”
The two of them laughed.
Javan didn’t really mind that the two had expected this of him, but it did bother him how Mara seemed to have figured him out. He wanted to stay more of a mystery to her, knowing that the less she knew or expected would give him an advantage. As it now stood, it seemed that advantage was gone, and Mara was several steps ahead of him. That shift in power might prove to be a problem. He would have to correct his mistake some other time. He looked at his watch. They needed to leave. The minutes that had seemed to be dragging now moved at a normal pace.
“Ladies,” Javan said and took another drink straight from the bottle. “I’m glad to have amused you, but we need to get ready for tonight. Let’s wrap up comparing notes and move on to what we need to focus on.” Javan spoke in a tone that made it clear not to test him.
Shea was quick to take the cue from Mara as she swung her body around and stood. Shea followed her into the kitchen area. Mara was apparently ready to make him feel like he was back in control. Now that he sensed the shift with Mara, he wouldn’t let her gain any more footing. He would keep a closer eye on her from now on, which meant finding a way to spend more time together. It was something he wouldn’t have looked forward to three months ago, but now that he knew he’d underestimated her, he was far more intrigued. She was becoming desirable, instead of a convenience.
As she looked at him, he could see confidence in her he’d never noticed before. She gave him a subtle, crooked smile that seemed to be both flirty and knowing. He found himself smiling back, enticed by the demon he didn’t know, but thought he’d figured out many years ago.
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