Forbidden

by Amy Miles

  Turning to look at him, Roseline managed a weak smile. It was true. They’d shared several lifetimes together…but it changed nothing. He was her best friend, former lover, but he wasn’t the one meant for her. No matter how hard he fought it, Roseline knew deep down that he knew it too. “I’ve always known Fane,” she whispered, glittering tears flowing like a moonlit river down her cheeks.

  Fane’s head bowed low, his long blond hair falling into his eyes, loosed from the leather thong that’d held it back. He sighed deeply before straightening his shoulders. With the gentlest of touches, Fane clasped her delicate hands to his chest. “Run away with me.”

  Despair oozed through Roseline’s body, turning every nerve ending into ice. The creeping freeze stole all the way to her toes, locking her heart into a crystallized glacier. “I can’t. Vladimir will kill you!”

  Breaching the invisible barrier between them, Fane leaned across the consol. He brushed back the hair that curled around her jaw, his thumb gliding over the silky smooth curve of her cheek. “I’m willing to take that risk to be with you. We can make it. I know we can.”

  “You’re wrong. It’s just your heart talking right now. We both know that Vladimir would never give up. He’d hunt us to the ends of the earth just to hurt me.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  Roseline glanced away, unwilling to look at him as she spoke the words that she knew would crush him. “I can’t be with you Fane. Not now that I’m bound to Gabriel. You know how it works.”

  “But what if you’re wrong?” he pressed, grasping at the tinniest straw of hope. “Maybe it’s just an infatuation.”

  “I’m sorry Fane. I really am. But I’m not wrong.”

  Fane’s head bowed low, tears slipping from his pale cheeks. “So I’ve really lost you,” he muttered, pulling back from her. Roseline couldn’t bear to look at Fane, to see the misery that she’d caused. Instead she fixed her gaze on the taillights in front of them for the remainder of their trip.

  Chapter 10

  “Are you completely insane?” Gabriel raged at William. “How could you leave Rose with some strange guy?” The longer Roseline went missing, the more panicked he became. “Who knows what that guy has done to her by now!”

  “Stop ranting,” Sadie cried. “It’s making my head ache.” She held an ice pack against the large bump forming on her head. The blood had stopped not long after William reached her but the pounding was getting worse. Gabriel’s shouting wasn’t helping any.

  William shoved Gabriel back as he rounded on Sadie. “Back off Gabriel. I get that you’re worried. We all are. But attacking my sister is the last thing you should be thinking about right now.”

  The wind puffed out of Gabriel’s lungs as he sank into a plush couch in the hall, just down from where his classmates continued to dance the night away. Hearing their carefree laughter made him nauseous. Didn’t they know Roseline was missing? Shouldn’t they have stopped the dance?

  Of course not. No one in that room was as intimately in tune with Roseline as he was. Most of them probably thought it was just someone else trying to claim Roseline as their own. Not that every guy in school hadn’t thought about it. “You’re right. Sorry Sadie.”

  She nodded, begrudgingly accepting his apology before turning on her bother. “He has a point though. Why’d you leave her with that guy?”

  William shrugged. “She said she knew him. They seemed pretty friendly to me so I didn’t think anything of it until I heard Gabriel yell.”

  “How’d she know him?” Sadie asked, settling on the couch next to Gabriel, moaning as she slipped her boots off. It wasn’t the dancing that’d caused the deep throbbing to attack the balls of her feet. It was from trying to hide from Nicolae all night. “Hang on a second. Where’s Nicolae?”

  Gabriel growled. “Is that really important right now? I thought you didn’t even like the guy.”

  “I don’t,” Sadie snapped. “But he disappeared around the same time Roseline did. Do you think he went with them? I mean, he is from the same country and all. Maybe he knew the guy.”

  William shrugged. “I guess it’s possible.”

  “No, it’s not.” Gabriel adamantly shook his head. “Nicolae wouldn’t go anywhere with Rose unless he had to. You both know how weirded out he gets around her.”

  “I’ve been wondering about that…” William trailed off, scratching the back of his head. The wax had begun to lose its effect from all of the sweating on the dance floor and its usual scruffiness had returned. “Everyone seems to like Roseline right? I mean, she’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met. So why does he always seem so intense around her? There’s definitely a bad vibe between them.”

  Gabriel rubbed his jaw, his brain hurting as he fought to remember any clues to explain Nicolae’s strange behavior. “I don’t know. When we find him we can ask. Right now all I want to do is find Rose.”

  “You mean Roseline,” William muttered.

  “What’s that?” Gabriel asked, sitting up straighter.

  “That guy…he called her Roseline. I’ve never heard anyone call her that before.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “She probably changed it when she moved here. It’s not exactly a popular name, is it?”

  Gabriel frowned. Something didn’t feel right. He’d seen Rose and the stranger talking, laughing and then everything had changed. The handsome man’s face had darkened and he’d looked furious with her. What if Roseline was in danger? “I can’t take this anymore. I’m getting out of here.”

  “What about Claire?” William asked, glancing at the sequined figure racing towards them from the ballroom.

  “I don’t care about her. Let her find a friend to give her a ride home,” Gabriel cried, surging to his feet. “I’ve got to find Rose!”

  Sadie nodded, rising too. She clutched her biker boots under her arm, staring at her brother with firm resolve. “He’s right William. I’m going with Gabriel. He can drop me off once we find Rose.”

  “What about your car,” William protested. He didn’t even really care about her car. William was sure her mustang would be fine in valet parking overnight. He just dreaded explaining to his parents why Sadie had left the dance with Gabriel.

  Sadie gave her brother a withering look before heading down the hall, rushing to catch up. Gabriel ignored Claire’s furious shouts as he slammed through the front door, startling the doorman. Instead of waiting for the car to be brought around, he grabbed his keys and rushed into the parking lot, frantically searching for his car.

  “Try the alarm,” Sadie suggested, struggling to catch her breath. She might be slender but she was far from fit. Working out was for jocks and cheerleaders and she certainly wasn’t one of those!

  Gabriel pushed the alarm and rushed towards the end of the row where his silver Range Rover was parked between a Hummer and a Lincoln Navigator. He pushed the alarm button again and deafening silence filled the concrete prison. “Get in,” he commanded, unlocking her door.

  Sadie leapt inside and tossed her boots into the backseat. She shoved her seatbelt into the lock just before Gabriel threw his car into gear and raced out of the garage with squealing tires. The SUV slid wildly on the ice before righting itself. “Where are you going? She could be anywhere.”

  White knuckles gripped the steering wheel as Gabriel wound in and out of traffic, too focused on his mission to answer Sadie. There was only one place that he could think of to look. The drive to Roseline’s house was tense, silence blanketing the car.

  When they arrived the two story bungalow stood dark. There was no sign of movement. The driveway was empty apart from a fresh set of tracks that’d been ground into the snow.

  “She’s not here!” Gabriel roared, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. Tingling numbness raced up his forearm but he refused to acknowledge it. “I was sure she’d still be here.”

  “Yeah well it looks like you were wrong,” Sadie snapped. Her anger and concern for Roseline was m
aking her very irritable. “Where to now, Sherlock?”

  Gabriel yanked on the door handle, spilling out into the snow. He righted himself, his slick dress shoes slipping underneath him as he raced for the porch. Holding onto the railing for dear life, Gabriel worked his way up the icy steps.

  “What are you doing?” Sadie called. There was no way she was gonna leave the warm comfort of Gabriel’s car to go bang on an empty house in the middle of the night.

  Gabriel pounded on the door until his fist went numb. Tears of frustrations slipped from his eyes as he cupped his face to look through the window. The same bleak emptiness stared back at him. But there was something new this time.

  Leaning closer to the window pane, Gabriel breathed in deep. The scent burned as it slid through his nose and down his throat. Cinnamon and vanilla mingled with pine and dirt. The stranger!

  “She’s not home,” Sadie called, leaving only enough room for her head to fit through the raised window. She shivered against the frosty night air. The windshield was slowly freezing over; giving way to the sleet that’d begun falling not long after they’d left the dance.

  Gabriel rushed back to his car, annoyed with Sadie’s lack of help. “Thanks for stating the obvious,” he snapped as he clicked his seat belt in place. “Is that all you’re good at?”

  “Don’t yell at me,” Sadie screamed shrilly. “I’m not the one that pushed her into some stranger’s arms!”

  Gabriel’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t…it’s not my fault,” he stammered.

  “Oh no? We both know how you betrayed her. Roseline was crushed.”

  “Right,” Gabriel growled, backing down the drive. “Did she also tell you about the email to her boyfriend back home?”

  Sadie frowned. “What boyfriend?”

  “Fane. The guy she’s in love with.” Gabriel spat out the words, afraid to be tainted by their poison.

  “Are you insane? You’re all Roseline has been able to talk about since the first time she met you. No way there was another guy,” Sadie protested.

  “You didn’t read the letter.”

  Sadie gasped. “And you did? You violated her privacy?”

  Gabriel winced. “Yes, but I never meant to…she’s been lying to me Sadie and I needed to know why.”

  “So you think that gives you the right to go snooping? Unbelievable! I knew you were a jerk!”

  “Hey,” Gabriel objected. “I’m not the one with secrets!”

  “Well maybe she had a good reason for keeping her secrets. Ever think about that?”

  Gabriel sighed. Of course he’d thought of that. But the idea of Roseline trying to protect him didn’t allow him to excuse away his anger. Gabriel blew out a breath, imagining the anger flowing out of his body, riding on the ripples of heat flooding the car. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m just scared to death about Rose.”

  Sadie begrudgingly agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. “So what’s the plan?”

  Gabriel shrugged, feeling a heaviness settle over his heart. “What about a phone? Did she ever give you a cell number?”

  Her squeal startled Gabriel so badly he slammed on the breaks. “Yes! Oh thank you Gabriel, you’re a genius. She just bought a cell phone not too long ago.”

  Hope flared to life. “Great. Give her a call.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “Do I look like I have a purse?”

  Gabriel groaned, glancing at her form fitting dress. He really didn’t want to guess where she’d have to hide the phone under that. Instead he shoved the car into gear and raced back towards Sadie’s house.

  ***

  “Wake up,” a shrill voice screamed in Gabriel’s ear. He groaned and batted it away, worried that his ear drum might burst. “My mom’s gonna kill me if she finds you here!”

  Gabriel jerked upright, confused by the room around him. A purple lava lamp blobbed on the desk nearby, red converse sneakers poked out from under an untidy bed and a bright pink neon bean bag sat under a window. Various rock band posters covered the ceiling. Gabriel rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember where he was. A girl shoved her face over his. “Argh!”

  Sadie stood up, rolling her eyes as Gabriel picked himself up off the floor, his right leg still draped over the couch. “Oh please. Like it’s such a shock to wake up here. You spent the entire night running up my phone bill trying to reach Rose, remember?”

  Sleep’s haze quickly dissipated as Gabriel brushed his fingers through his tangled hair. The events of the previous night began to come back to him. “Rose? Did she call?” A withering look from his neighbor was enough of an answer. “I had to ask.”

  Sadie shrugged. “So what do we do now? Go back to her house?”

  Gabriel nodded, grabbing his car keys from the floor as he raced for the door. Sadie blocked his path. “Hold on there bucko! You can’t just go walking through my house at six in the morning. My mom will have both our heads!”

  “Then what do you suggest?” he asked, annoyed with the delay.

  Sadie smiled and pointed to the window. Gabriel groaned. “Oh you have got to be kidding me.”

  “Nope. There’s a tree not too far from the ledge. Just swing on over and do your best Tarzan impression. But for goodness sake be quiet!”

  Gabriel grabbed his tux jacket and lifted the window. He glanced down and swallowed roughly. His hesitation didn’t go unnoticed. “Don’t tell me a big guy like you is afraid of heights.”

  “No. I’m afraid of falling,” Gabriel corrected her tersely as he swung his leg over the ledge. His mind raced through all of the crazy things that had happened since he’d met Roseline. Super strength, increased speed, amazing hearing, freaky tattoo…but could he trust that he would survive that fall?

  Glancing over the edge, Gabriel’s fingers hooked tightly around the window ledge. His knees locked down and he went pale with fright. After several moments Sadie stuck her head out next to his legs. Her mocking humor had faded. “You really are scared aren’t you?”

  All Gabriel could do was nod. His eyes were riveted to the ground, his breathing shallow as he fought to control the churning contents of his stomach. There was nothing in the world that frightened him more than heights. No, that wasn’t true anymore. The fear of losing Roseline was worse.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Sadie said softly, worried that he might fall out of her window. “Come back in and we can head out in an hour when mom has left for her aerobics class.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “No, I can’t wait that long. Rose needs me.”

  Sadie noted the firm set of his mouth and the waves of determination flooding off of him. “You really love her don’t you?”

  His terrified eyes flitted her way. “More than you can imagine.” Despite his fear, his voice didn’t waiver.

  She nodded. Tugging his hand, she slowly helped him back inside. “Fine. Then let’s get this over with.”

  With a firm resolve, Sadie opened her door and lead Gabriel into the hall. She stopped short as William’s door cracked open. Sadie gasped, shoving open the door, knocking Nicolae flat on his back. “You sneaking snake,” she hissed, kicking Nicolae in the shin. “When did you get home?”

  Nicolae clamped his hands around his throbbing leg. “Last night. Before you,” he groaned.

  “Why did you run off?” Gabriel questioned, remembering how Nicolae had snuck out at the same time as Roseline.

  “I just needed some fresh air.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “Sure you did. At the exact moment Roseline was kidnapped.”

  “You think she was kidnapped?” Nicolae’s laugh grated on Gabriel’s frayed nerves. “Why would Fane kidnap her?”

  Liquid ice froze Gabriel in place. “Fane? That’s who took her?”

  Stunning green eyes flickered over Gabriel, suspicion pinching his features. “How do you know about Fane?”

  “I read an email.”

  Nicolae’s face relaxed. He rolled over, rising to his feet. “Yeah, w
ell then you already know they’re best friends so it makes sense that she’d leave with him.”

  “Friends?” Gabriel choked out.

  “I thought you knew,” Nicolae frowned, darting a glance between Sadie and Gabriel.

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “He thought Rose was in love with Fane. Stupid jealous fool!”

  Gabriel swallowed on his bitter guilt. “I didn’t know.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Sadie snapped. “You decided it was easier to think she’d betrayed you than to just ask.”

  William groaned, rolling over. He was still wearing his rumpled dress clothes. His hair was plastered on the side of his face. “What’s up?” he asked, surprised to see everyone in his room. He jerked upright. “Did you find Rose?”

  “No,” Gabriel whispered.

  William looked crestfallen. Nicolae backed away. “Where do you think you’re going?” Sadie cried, yanking Nicolae back.

  “We don’t have time for this Sadie. Just let him go,” Gabriel called, heading towards the door. “Rose needs us.”

  Reluctantly, Sadie turned, motioning for William to follow. She shot a threatening glare towards Nicolae. “Don’t move.”

  Nicolae remained rooted to the floor, pondering the strange turn of events. Something definitely wasn’t right.

  ***

  “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do missy,” Mrs. Hughes said as the trio made it to the ground floor. Sadie grimaced, turning slowly.

  “It’s really not what it looks like.”

  “Oh no?” her mother questioned, lips pinched tightly. “Cause it sure looks like the three of you crashed upstairs after a long night of partying.”

  “Oh,” William snickered, fighting to straighten the wrinkles from his shirt. “Then it looks exactly like that.”

  “Uh-huh. So that explains why Gabriel’s father has been ringing us non stop for the past three hours.”

  Gabriel groaned. “I’m so sorry Mrs. Hughes. I never meant to disturb you.”

  “I understand that Gabriel. But what I don’t understand is why you are here. Your father is under the impression that you should be with Claire.”