by Amy Miles
The wintry wind feels wonderful on her burning skin. Her tears crystallize as they catch in her eyelashes. She wants to break something. No. Scratch that. She would love to kill something right now. The warrior within is screaming for release. Instead, she plays the part of a heartbroken human and sulks in the backseat of William’s car. At least the heartbroken bit isn’t hard to fake.
Sadie and William sit in silence, ill at ease, the entire way to Roseline’s house. Neither one knows what to say. It’s not like they are gurus on the subject of love.
Tears drip endlessly from Roseline’s puffy eyes. She refuses to acknowledge her pain as she rapidly builds walls around her heart to stave off the tidal wave of anguish pouring out. How can he do this to her? They are bonded. Doesn’t he know how intimate this rejection is for her?
No. Of course not. She hasn’t explained any of this to him. If she had, would it have made a difference?
Two blocks from Roseline’s house, Sadie breaks the silence. “Alright, I can’t take this anymore. The guy is a jerk, end of story, but I’m not going to let him ruin your only school dance here. You’re coming with me.”
“Oh no. I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Roseline hedges. She is sure to run into Gabriel and Nicolae will be there waiting for her to rip someone’s head off. Judging by the anger boiling in her chest, that idea is starting to sound a heck of a lot more appealing. Besides, there is no way she is going to stick around to be the third wheel. Three strikes, you are so pathetically out.
“Please, Rose,” Sadie begs, grabbing hold of her hand across the backseat. “I really need you. You can’t leave me all alone with Nicolae.”
Roseline groans. Of course, Sadie would hit below the belt. How does she get out of this now? “Isn’t it weird for me not to have a date?”
“Of course you’ll have a date,” Sadie beams, looking far too proud of herself. “You can go with William.”
William’s eyes bulge as he swerves around the corner. He glances at Roseline through the rearview mirror. “Uh, Sadie, don’t you think you should ask before you make assumptions like that. I could have a date, you know.”
Sadie rolls her eyes. “Please. We both know you’ve been hoping Roseline would throw Gabriel’s butt to the curb so you could go with her.”
William reaches back and knuckles Sadie’s leg. “Shut up,” he hisses.
Roseline chews on her lower lip. She has to admit that going with William could be fun. He might even be able to cheer her up.
“Oh come on, Rose, you can’t miss the last dance of your high school life.” Sadie says.
“I’m game if you are,” William offers, doing a poor job of hiding his excitement. Oh yeah, this could really come back to kick her in the backside.
Chuckling, Roseline finally shrugs. “Fine, but I have nothing to wear and the dance is tomorrow night.”
“No problem. We’re going shopping.” Sadie grins.
Twenty-Nine
Roseline waves to her friends as William pulls away from the curb. She turns toward the door and freezes as the familiar scent barrels into her stomach, like a wild bull with its horns lowered. “What are you doing here?” she hisses as Gabriel rises from his seated position next to her front door.
She has no idea how long he has been waiting, but despite the red tinting his earlobes, he seems completely unfazed by the cold. “I had to see you. I need to explain—” She cuts him off with a glare. He positions himself between her and the door.
“There’s nothing to explain.” She tries to push past him but he does not budge. He is like a reinforced steel wall, lined with granite, titanium, and every other immovable metal all rolled into one annoyingly handsome barrier.
“It’s Steve.”
Roseline juts out her hip and allows him to see every ounce of anger his betrayal has caused. He winces at the vibes coming off her. “I don’t care what the reason is, Gabriel. I want you to leave.”
“No.”
She snarls at him. “If you don’t move, I will make you.”
Gabriel’s laugh is harsh, filled with bitterness. “You think you can?”
“You may be strong but I know a heck of a lot more about fighting than you do.” She marches toward him, daring him to test her. Instead, he sighs and steps aside.
“Smart decision,” she growls. Her fingers tremble as she digs deep into her back pocket for her keys. Anger clouds her mind as she fights to place the key in the lock. Gabriel sighs and shoves her hand away to unlock the door for her. She snatches the key out of the door and shoves past him into the house.
“I really am sorry,” he mutters from outside.
Roseline braces for impact as she turns. The utter misery painted on his face stops her from kicking the door shut in his face. She exhales and fights for calm. Rational is the last thing she wants right now.
“Look, I get it. You have to make your dad happy. Whatever, but don’t you dare think you can stand there and give me a sad puppy dog face and think I’m okay with this. You betrayed me, Gabriel.”
“Steve’s not my dad.” He sags against the doorframe. “And I’m not doing it for him. I’m doing it for my mom. She’s got this nervous disorder and she can’t stand it when Steve and I fight. She had an attack last week and I caved, alright?”
“Back up a second.” Roseline pinches her brow. If she were human, she would imagine the pressure building behind her eyes would create one heck of a migraine. “Steve isn’t your biological father?”
“No.” Gabriel looks away. The muscles in his neck cord as he grinds his teeth. “I don’t like to talk about it.”
“Well, you’re going to. How could you fail to mention this to me before? We’ve been researching your markings for a week and you never told me that Steve wasn’t your dad.”
Gabriel’s eyes flash; the sheen in them is dangerously close to the blue light she knows can emanate from them. “I didn’t think it mattered.”
“Of course it does!” she cries. “Do you know who your real father is? Can we track him down?”
His face reddens as he looks fixedly at her. “He is not a part of my life and I’m going to keep it that way.”
“You stubborn mule,” Roseline growls, pinning him to the doorframe. She rises onto her toes to stare him down. “I don’t know what happened to you and to be honest, at the moment, I don’t really care. His bloodline is all that matters. He is the missing link we have been looking for.”
“Well then maybe you should check your newspapers from back home to find him then,” he shouts. “I’m sure he’s on the list of most wanted criminals.”
Roseline’s grip falters as she lowers to the pads of her feet. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. The guy is Romanian.” He tugs on his shirt, adjusting the collar. “Happy now?”
She backs up into the opposite doorframe and stares vacantly at him. When she tries to speak again, her voice is muted and croaky. “What happened?”
Gabriel runs his hands through his hair. “I don’t know much, only that he messed my mom up real bad. She talks about him from time to time. I think she’s still smitten with the bastard.”
She waits, holding her breath until her lungs begin to ache from trapped air.
“She was young, stupid. She thought a one-night fling while touring Europe would help her deal with a bad break-up back in America. Boy was she wrong.” He grinds out the words. His fingers latch around the doorframe, splintering the wood in his hands. When he looks at Roseline, she can see the bottomless well of pain. “She was in the hospital for nearly two weeks. Broken ribs, shattered right leg, and the scars…” He shudders, falling silent.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, thinking of the countless tortures she has endured. Broken bones heal, burned flesh regenerates, but the mental wounds last a lifetime, or in her case, three lifetimes.
“You want to know the sick part?” he spits out. “She’s like one of those battered women on TV. She actually misse
s the guy. He must’ve been a real nut job to slice her neck so many times.”
“What did you say?” She leaps toward Gabriel, clutching his arms. Please no. There must be a mistake. “How many times did he cut her?”
“I don’t know. Fifteen, maybe twenty times. Why? Is he some kind of serial rapist where you live?”
The blood in her veins turns to ice, chilling her. Fear grips her. It can’t be. It just can’t. “What’s his name?” she whispers.
He scrunches up his face as he thinks. “I’m not really sure. It’s a funny name. I’d probably butcher it if I tried.”
“Do it,” she commands.
He flinches back. “What’s with you?”
“The name, Gabriel. What is it?” Her fingernails claw into his flesh. He grimaces as blood seeps down his arm. “Lucien something. I think it started with an E.”
The room begins to spin. “Lucien Enescue?”
He snaps his fingers. “That’s it. I’m sure of it.”
Roseline’s eyes roll back into her head as she drops to the floor.
Gabriel rushes to her side, tilting her head back. “Rose?” He checks her pulse and finds it strong but erratic. He scoops her into his arms, cradling her head as he carries her into the living room.
Glancing around, he realizes just how empty the house really is. He heads upstairs, careful to protect her head on the narrow stairway. He sniffs, following Roseline’s scent until he finds her room. He stands in the doorway and sighs. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She stirs in his arms. “Hold on. I’ve got you.”
He enters the sparse room, curling his lip at the sight of the mattress on the floor. He lowers her gently onto the rumpled covers and places a blanket over her. She moans and rolls to her side. “How could I not have known you were living like this?”
Unsure of what to do, Gabriel crosses the room and sinks down on the stool to wait. It creaks under him but holds his weight. His fingers drum on the wooden table as he watches Roseline stir.
His gaze falls on the spiraling screen saver on her open laptop. She stirs at the tiny beep as the Gabriel brushes his fingertips across the mouse pad, disengaging the screen saver.
Roseline groans as she begins to come out of her haze. She can smell Gabriel’s presence nearby but is confused by the change in his scent. There is something masking his masculine aroma.
She presses her face to her pillow as she fights lucidity. There is a reason why she wants to remain in the dark but she can’t quite remember it.
Hurried footsteps attract her attention, as does the banging of the bedroom door followed by a final slam of the front door. She pulls herself upright and rubs her eyes.
She can smell the change on the air now—anger. “Gabriel?” she calls to the empty house.
His thundering footsteps race down the front walk. Roseline rises from bed to stand by the window. He disappears around the corner. Less than a minute later, she hears the squealing of his tires. The silver Range Rover slides recklessly around the icy corner and guns away.
Roseline bends at the waist and cradles her head in her hands. The room spins around her as she falls to her knees. Gabriel’s scent permeates the room, making her dizzy. What happened to make him so angry?
Her gaze falls on the blinking cursor of her computer screen and her heart plummets into her stomach. She sighs as she sinks down onto the stool to read what Gabriel must have viewed as damning evidence against her.
Dearest Fane,
I miss you so much it hurts to breathe. Speaking with you on the phone was amazing, but I miss seeing the twinkle in your eyes and the warmth of your smile. I miss so much about Romania.
The boy I spoke to you about, Gabriel, is starting to ask too many questions. I don’t know what to say to him anymore. How long can I stall him before he finds out my secret?
Should I be afraid of him, Fane? His markings…I cannot understand what they mean. Can he really be a danger to me?
My heart tells me no, but it has been wrong before. Oh Fane, tell me what I should do. I am so lost without you…
“This day can’t get any worse,” she whimpers, slipping out of the chair to press her flushed face against the cool wooden floor, but she is wrong. Her eyes fly open wide as the memory of Gabriel’s revelation hits her all over again. “Lucien.”
Thirty
Roseline twirls in front of the floor-length mirror, self-consciously holding the curve of her hips. “If you’re trying to make Gabriel jealous I applaud you,” Sadie grins. “Then again, I hope Mom has some life insurance on Will cause you’re gonna give the dork a heart attack!”
It’s amazing how different their two outfits are. Sadie has gone for a black strapless dress with an added paper clip décor. Her knee-high biker boots, black fishnet hose, and heavily applied eyeliner finish off the outfit. It looks like Sadie’s love for grunge is not completely gone.
Roseline’s deep green corset is low cut, pushing all of her organs together to give her killer curves. Waves of material cascades over her legs, spilling to the floor over her black heels. She is long and lean, yet curvy in all the right areas. Glancing at herself in the hall mirror, she is thankful for immortality’s one good gift. Her bronze hair piles in loose curls atop her head and spirals around her face.
“I guess I’m ready. Can we please get this over with?” Roseline begs, wishing the night were already over. Her stomach twists in knots at the thought of seeing Gabriel. The betrayal of his snooping around her computer stings, but not as much as his jumping to conclusions without giving her a chance to explain.
“Not so fast,” Sadie’s mother calls as she enters from the hall, pushing a rather reluctant Nicolae in front of her. His eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when he notices Roseline standing in the foyer. Apparently, Sadie failed to mention she is joining them. Although it should have been obvious given the dopey grin that has been plastered on William’s face since the day before.
“Mom,” Sadie groans. “Did you really have to slick down his hair?”
Roseline tries not to laugh but it is hard not to. Nicolae looks like he has just dipped his head in a bucket of oil.
“I think he’s dashing,” Mrs. Hughes replies. She looks deeply amused by the mortified look on her daughter’s face. Judging by the heat rising along Nicolae’s collar, this look isn’t exactly his idea of dashing.
“I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” Sadie grumbles. She fingers her paperclip necklace with fierce annoyance. “Couldn’t you find some other way to destroy the best dance of my life?”
Sadie’s mom cocks her head to the side, contemplating. “Nope. This is the best I’ve got.”
Roseline hides her grin behind her hand. She absolutely loves the dynamic in this family. Their pranks might seem cruel to an outsider but in reality, it is all downright good fun. Besides, she has to admit Sadie’s mom has found the perfect solution to the after-dance hotel room issue. There is no way Sadie would even consider that one!
“Surely there’s a law against this kind of thing,” Sadie whines, sounding like a tortured animal.
“Well, just because you’re miserable that doesn’t mean you have to ruin it for everyone,” William calls as he rounds the landing at the top of the first set of stairs. His eyes widen as Roseline comes into view and he trips over the final steps and tumbles into a heap at the bottom.
“Walk much?” Sadie snickers, looking gloriously vindicated.
William rises to his full height. He brushes off his shirt. “Wow, Rose, you look freaking amazing.”
“You clean up pretty well yourself,” she laughs, giving William an appreciative glance. His shaggy hair has been tamed, waxed, and styled. His tanned skin looks amazing against the white dress shirt, left unbuttoned at the top to hint at the muscles beneath. Khaki pants and brown leather loafers round out the outfit, leaving Roseline slightly taken aback.
“Like what you see?” He grins, twirling so she can get the full view. He p
auses to shove out his butt, pulling the material taut. “I didn’t have time to order a tux but I think these pants do justice to my most appealing feature.” His eyebrows bob.
Roseline laughs and taps her temple as if in deep thought. “I gotta say, I am really impressed. Who knew you could pull off something other than a ratty t-shirt and jeans,” she praises him.
“Amen to that,” Mrs. Hughes mutters under her breath.
“I have my moments,” William beams, his sapphire eyes twinkling.
“Picture time!” Mrs. Hughes shouts and heads toward the living room.
Sadie groans and yanks Nicolae into the living room. Her tiny hands struggle to fit around Nicolae’s arm. “Seriously? You’re like a nerd. What’s with the muscles, He-Man?”
Nicolae’s laugh is strained as he darts a glance at Roseline. “I uh…I used to work out.”
“Whatever.” She turns to find her mom and dad setting up the video camera, digital camera, and even a webcam so her grandmother can take part. “Is this torture Sadie day?”
Once they are all in place, Sadie leans over toward William. “If you drool all over Rose the entire time, I swear I will kill you.”
Snap. The camera light blinds Roseline momentarily. Thirty minutes and what feels like a hundred pictures later, she finally steps back into the foyer.
William shuffles his feet, looking unusually nervous. Even his ears have taken on a red tint. “Sorry I don’t have any flowers for you. It was kinda last minute notice and all. I called all of the local florists but they were booked.”
Roseline smiles warmly as she tucks her arm through his. “They probably didn’t have my favorite anyways.” Orange roses would have clashed with her dress, not to mention remind her of someone she really didn’t want to think about tonight.
“Can we go now? My feet are killing and we haven’t even left the house yet,” Sadie whines. Roseline sighs. Yep, this is going to be a long night for everyone.
“Alright, get out of here,” Mr. Hughes says as he snatches the camera out of his wife’s hand. “You kids have fun.”
