Understanding dawned, and Gabriel smiled. "You are so transparent. You’re attracted, aren’t you? She’s got you scared, Magdalena does. Otherwise you wouldn’t be shoving this down my throat."
"Not true. It’s not my fault you weren't here, little brother. You're gonna be front line on protecting Rose, as well as the rest of us. You need to give your Fae blood a chance to help."
Maggie came through the front door, her head held high, eyes hidden by big sunglasses. She carried her purse and her computer bag. Both men turned to look at her. Justin leaned toward Gabriel. "Remember. You are more than demon. It’s time you started acting like it. We’re taking the Jag, Magdalena. Your van will be safe here.”
Gabriel opened the passenger door for Maggie. He sent Justin a grin over the top of the Jag. "You guys take care," he said.
"Oh, a bit of advice. If you want Rose to sleep, keep her out of the master bedroom. Apparently there’s a strong sexual prod on that spiral. Happy marriage and all that.” Justin winked, slipped on his own shades and folded himself into the car.
Gabriel tapped the roof a couple of times and backed away, watched as the green Jag went down the long driveway. A sexual prod on the spiral in the master, huh? He stood in the drive and looked toward the house.
Rose appeared in the doorway, her red hair a riot across her shoulders. Her arms were crossed and suddenly Gabriel was able to see through the protection she'd gathered to the uncertain woman below. He wanted her. No spiral could force something that didn’t otherwise exist.
He reached her in a breath, gathered her body into his arms. Buried his face in her hair and breathed in her essence.
"I'm not good with words," he rumbled. "But the thought of you getting hurt...it scares me."
Her body softened against his. She opened her arms and hugged him tightly, pressed her face against his chest. "The whole thing scares me," she confessed, pressing back against his arms to look at his face. She raised one hand to gently trace his scars.
"Come on. Let's go upstairs and take a power nap," he suggested. He tucked her under one arm and snugged her against his side.
"I want to remember this. Every moment with you."
He steered her to the smaller bedroom he'd grown up in. "I want you to sleep, so we'll bunk down here. In you go." If they went to the master bedroom, he’d seduce her again. Or she’d seduce him, and she really needed sleep.
Rose climbed onto the twin bed and moved to one side. Gabriel lay down next to her, pulling her into his arms.
"Rest now. Just rest."
“You think breakfast wore me out?” She chuckled sleepily. “Silly man.”
"I think Satine wore you out. If you’re not sleepy, don’t sleep. I however could use a catnap."
He knew when she dropped into sleep and gathered her closer, resting her cheek against his heart.
How had this happened? How had she become the center of his world so quickly? He frowned, keeping his eyes off the spiral. It would be enough for him to see her through this safely. It would have to be enough.
Dread crawled along his shoulders. Whether he saved her or not, that night would see an ending. He set his jaw and closed his eyes, breathed in her sunny scent. He'd give himself fifteen minutes, then he'd go out and practice.
Fifteen more minutes to bask in her. That's all he needed.
"No. Noooo, nooo, noooo!"
Rose screamed and bolted up straight in her bed, panting and sweating. Late afternoon sunshine streamed in through the window and her racing heart calmed somewhat. A bellow sounded out in the garden and then the back door slammed open before she heard Gabriel's footsteps on the stairs.
He burst into her room, frantic, his demonic tail slowly disappearing as he moved.
"Are you okay? You screamed. What's the matter?" He sat on the bed and reached for her, cradled her against him.
Rose burrowed into his wide chest for comfort just until her heart rate slowed to normal and her breathing settled. It was all she could allow herself. She struggled out of his arms then, moved to the window, and pushed it wide. Feeling the sun on her skin, she sighed.
"It was a dream. It was only a dream.” She turned to Gabriel. "I dreamed about tonight. About fighting with Satine, only—I couldn't go all fiery. There was something wrong with that part of me, and she won. She won the fight."
"What do you mean, she won the fight?"
"I mean, I bled out under a bunch of snacking vampires while you killed her and then another bunch of vampires started snacking on you." Impatient, she pushed the hair out of her eyes and moved to the door. "I need water. Are you coming, or not?" Rose headed down the stairs, satisfied when Gabriel followed her.
She filled a glass with water and leaned against the cool kitchen counter, Gabriel close behind her. "It's okay. I'm not going to fall apart again."
Gabriel watched her. "You worried about tonight?"
"You mean, getting within grappling distance of Satine and not being able to get hot? Hell yeah I'm worried."
Gabriel sat. "Tell me everything you remember."
“Fighting. Lots of noise, nasty burnt smells, stuff,” she said, purposely vague. “The part that really bugs me is I couldn't catch Satine on fire. She grabbed me, but I had nothing. No flame, no demon. Nada."
"What if you go in flaming? Or at least thinking flamey thoughts?"
She shot him a quick glance. "Do you think she hampered my ability to turn demon?"
Gabriel shrugged. "It makes sense. Fire kills her. Why wouldn't she have a defense against it?"
"So that means I can't kill her with my fire. Oh, that's great. Now we have no plan of attack," Rose stated, her face set.
"Hang on. That's not what I said. What about if you go in all hot to begin with, as the demon? You'd dry up any defense she had pretty quickly. After all, some vampires are extremely susceptible to fire. She probably is, too. It's just a matter of flaming before she touches you, so she can't dampen the fire."
Unwillingly, Rose thought about the possibilities. "Yeah. Okay, that might work."
Gabriel reached a hand out, pushed her hair aside. "I don't want you going in alone. That's just irresponsible. Promise me you won't."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "We'll have to see how it plays out. I mean, I'd much rather not go in alone. In my dream, after Satine had bitten me, other vampires came in, lots and lots of them, crawling out of the woodwork."
"And no one was in there to help you?" Gabriel shook his head. "That's so not going to happen."
"You did show up. The vampires, though, they overran you. You died. There in my vision, you died." Her throat closed up at the memory. "I think we should go in as a group. Maybe. If you think it's a good idea."
"Absolutely. We go in as a group."
"Good. That's good, I think." Restless, Rose stood and moved to the sink. She stared out the window and gnawed on her lower lip.
"Hey." Gabriel stood, too, and looked down at her.
"Yeah?" Rose tried, but she couldn't read his mood, his eyes guarded against her.
"After this is all over." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, touched her cheek gently. "I mean, when we've cleaned up this mess. I'll probably, you know.”
“Stop.” Rose's heart sank. "We’re not having this conversation. There’s no reason for you to run again. Your family needs you here. They certainly don’t need me. So when you’re thinking about the future, remember that this is your place. It’s not mine. Not really.” She turned away and refilled her water glass. She blinked furiously.
"You mean more to me, more than I thought possible. I just. I can't," he said. He turned away, punched the wall by the door and left a hole in the plaster. "I can't risk you," he growled. “It’s too much for me.”
She stopped him with an upheld hand. "Please. I understand, I do. Really. But we're done on this topic. You need to go away now, play with your demon side. I've got some work to do on my own." She looked at the clock on the oven and sighed again. "We don't have that much time, after all," she said.
Gabriel stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'll be just outside."
Rose turned to rinse her glass out in the sink. She couldn't watch him walk away, not today. Not when he'd soon be walking out of her life permanently.
Unexpectedly her vision blurred as she recognized the truth. He was it for her, the only man who would ever hold her heart, and he didn't want it. If he did, if he loved the way she loved, the danger wouldn't matter. They’d face it together, come what may.
Pain deeper than she'd ever lived through slashed her heart and she gasped for breath, gripping the edge of the sink until her fingertips turned white.
"This is hard, Maria Therese. Letting him go. It's hard." She rested her forehead against her hands and just breathed, ignoring the knives in her lungs. She had a job to do. Maria Therese was counting on her. She couldn't let this very personal, much unexpected connection derail her now. Saving Gabriel was the goal. Her own happy ever after? Not so much.
Rose slowly straightened, looked out the window with unseeing eyes at the citrus trees glowing green in the sunlight. Before she died, her life had been pitiful. Funny how death changed her perspective. Now she knew a wider, scarier and more wonderful world. Now she loved and soon she would gain, or lose, more than she'd ever known existed.
Then the rest of her life would begin, or end as the case may be. Rose took a shuddering breath and forced her fingers to release the counter. If she lived, at some point she'd have to figure out how to live without him.
Maybe dying again wasn't that bad an idea, after all, if it meant Gabriel got his soul back, and if she could take Satine with her. Maybe that would go a long way toward her redemption.
Maybe.
* * *
"Gabriel." Kellan leaned against the alley wall across from what was left of Twisted, his cell to his ear. The afternoon slipped toward evening but the heat held sway.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"The insurance people were through here, cleanup crews have started. The Fire Marshall can't figure out how the fire started, or what could have caused such an internal collapse while leaving the external structure still standing." Kellan winked at the insurance gal who walked by with a clipboard and an unfriendly look in her eye.
"You think Satine is lurking down there somewhere?"
"It's hard to tell. The fire stink is so bad, it's hard to scent vampire."
"What about other demons? Have you seen any around?"
"Not a one. I think they cleared out during the fight in the parking lot."
"And no overwhelming evidence of more vampires."
"Truthfully? There could be a hundred down there." Kellan narrowed his eyes on the upper story. “From what I’ve overheard, they aren’t worried about vandals. The place is unstable; the explosions plus the illegal underground development has the whole thing ready to fall.”
"Great. We’ll be battling the building as well as vampires."
"Looks like. You okay with it? With your girl going point on this, I mean?"
"Hell no. Would you be? Never mind. We'll meet you there at midnight."
* * *
Gabriel stuffed his cell into his pocket and stared at the citrus grove, unseeing. So it appeared Rose's dream would come true. His hands clenched into fists and released again. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe. If his mother had really talked to her, had really put her mark on Rose as it seemed, then he could do no less than keep her safe. And then walk away.