Justin started in on Maggie, but Gabriel ignored them as his past and present merged and dread settled in his belly. He closed his eyes. Not another innocent woman harboring a fire demon, not another killing. He barely survived the fight last time. What made him think it would be any different this time?
"You must have done something to upset her," Justin pointed out to Maggie, who kept shaking her head in denial.
"I told you, I didn’t do anything. We were just talking, that’s all. I got caught by surprise. Let me check her over." Maggie moved to her purple bag. "I've been working with Doc Cavanaugh."
"No.” Gabriel sensed both of them turn his way in surprise, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Rose now. “She'll be okay. I've seen this before. It’s proof that she’s got a fire demon inside her, but by my guess, it hasn't been there very long." Gabriel shot a quick glance to Justin, who turned to Maggie.
"What did you guys talk about that so upset her?"
"Stuff. Nothing of any importance, until the demon she’s harboring spoke to me. He said that what was left of Gabriel's soul was safe with her. He said he wouldn’t touch it." Maggie spread her hands when the men turned to look at her. "Don't ask me why. It wasn't that chatty."
“And yet, it spoke to you. Fascinating. What about motive? Why would any self-respecting, talkative fire demon latch on to
her
?"
"I don't know, but I'm staying with her until we get this figured out. No arguments," Gabriel said to Rose, who shivered. “You’re getting what you wanted.”
Justin raised an eyebrow. "Is that wise? Besides, you don't have a place to stay."
"We're moving in with you. When I go out tonight, you'll take over watching her. You're here in the area?"
"Yes." Justin's unvoiced protest hung in the air.
"You have a better idea?" Gabriel sent him a challenging look.
“No. I just have to change my plans for tonight,” Justin said. “You remember where Dad used to keep the spare key?"
"Yeah."
"It's in a similar place at my house. I'll leave you directions on my desk." Justin looked at Rose, now staring unblinking out the window. "Magdalena and I have some research to do, and I've got some people to see." He gripped Maggie by the arm and hustled her along, talking over her protests. "So we'll say goodbye for now. Just lock the door when you leave," he instructed Gabriel. "I don't know when I'll be home tonight, but I've got my cell on me. The number will be on the desk, along with the address."
"Get your hands off me," Maggie hissed. She sent a narrow-eyed glare at Justin before turning to Gabriel and Rose. "I look forward to seeing you both again. I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you." The door closed behind them.
"Now what? What else will go wrong?" Rose turned away from him to walk in circles.
"So, this being host to a demon isn't something you already knew about? They didn’t tell you that part while you were in the waiting room?" Gabriel leaned against the desk and watched her.
"No. They didn’t say a word about demons. I don't know if I'd have gone along with that, seeing as how I didn't believe in demons then. I'm just a normal person. How can they expect me to handle this?"
"I know you're scared, but I can't go along with the normal bit. Not now, when you can use a fire demon's powers. Do you know how rare that is, how dangerous?” He never knew Marianne had been a host to a fire demon. At least with Rose, he knew in advance. He’d do everything in his power to help her control the demon.
"Great. Just great. I'll never have a normal life." She threw herself on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
Gabriel eyed her uncertainly. "I'm not an expert on demon possession, but I do know that handling demon powers is mostly a matter of control. Do you remember what you were talking about before this last manifestation?"
"Maggie wanted to separate us." Unexpectedly she blushed, a fiery wash of color over her pale cheeks.
His lips twitched. "Okay, so you felt strongly about it. You and me, staying together, is important to you? I’m trying to stay out of your head now," he added.
"Right," she mumbled. "I've told you that part, though. I need to be with you to protect you. Plus, you feel better when we’re together."
He skated over that issue. “You were trying to make Maggie see your point?"
"Yes."
"Demons respond to strong surges of emotion, especially when they have a new host. When your emotions engage, you need to be careful about where you put your energy."
Her gaze met his, her eyes forlorn. "So in the meantime, I've just got to live with it?"
"Something like that. Are you scared of the demon?"
"Yes. No. I mean, I went from watching myself die to having been dropped into a fantasy world. Now I find I'm one of the fantastical creatures. How would you feel?"
Remembering his adolescence and grappling with coming into his own demon powers, he understood exactly how she felt. Still, Gabriel picked his words carefully. "Disoriented. Unsure who to trust and unaware of how powerful you could be. I've been there, Rose. I can help you."
"Really?”
"Demon blood, remember?"
Rose rubbed at her eyes. "My life has taken a very 'Alice in Wonderland' turn." She sighed. "So what do we do now?"
"You need rest before we train at Justin's house. Later tonight, I'll go hunting for Satine."
Rose shuddered. "Hunting vampires? Are you freaking insane?"
“Maybe. But the damn bitch has a good chunk of my soul. What else can I do?”
"You really don't have a choice, do you?" Rose looked down at her fingers. “It would help you if I could, what, protect my mind?”
“It’s the best thing you can do to keep yourself safe.”
Rose took a deep breath. Her eyes met Gabriel's, full of determination. "Okay. Train me."
* * *
Sweat rolled down Rose's throat and soaked into her tee shirt. They had found Justin's house and she’d rested. The past couple hours had been spent training in the backyard, sitting on a perfectly groomed lawn surrounded by tropical plants. Palm trees stood motionless in the hot summer night. A koi pond shimmered, the waterfall adding to the island feel of the place. The pool, at the other end of the yard, beckoned.
Gabriel had lit incense and the smoke curled upward, adding a sharp, exotic spice to the air. "I'm going to slip into your mind again. I want you to stop me."
"I’m exhausted. How am I supposed to stop you?" Rose lay flat on her back and closed her eyes. “You’re a slave driver. Can’t you give me a better explanation than ‘keep me out’?”
"My teaching skills are non-existent. I should have left you with Justin.”
Remorse filled Rose. She sat up, caught his arm. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to complain. I’ll try harder.”
“Control, Rose,” he cautioned, and the fire in her fingers backed off at the reminder before she dropped her hand. "Think of it like a game of hide and seek. When you sense me in your mind, just drift away. Okay?"
Rose bit her lip. "Let’s try it again."
It felt strange, but not unpleasant. The scent of earth rose up as he slipped into her mind. He shared a vision of a hallway with a ton of doors off it.
She smiled.
Don’t smile. Stop me instead,
he chastised. He opened a door. Abruptly they were in a small, sticky-hot bedroom that reeked of drugs and urine. A woman huddled up against a wall, her eyes closed, a pipe clutched to her naked chest, recognizable only by the color of her hair, lank and plastered to her head. Rose.
Gabriel had them out of there before she could protest. He headed for another door, but she slammed it before he could get it open all the way.
Better.
I don’t like this game.
It’s not a game, Rose.
Her heart hammered hard in her body. She opened her eyes to see him glaring at her.
"Get it through your head. You're not alone any more. You've got a demon roaming around inside you. Plus, you've got a part of my soul in there. The vampire with the other part of my soul is a master at mind manipulation. You really want to wander around without any mental protection?" he demanded. “Not to mention the whole Soul Chalice thing you’ve got going.”
"I don't know what I want," she said. "My life was so ugly. I don’t want you to see it. Can you blame me?” Shame beat against her mind, filled with images she’d just as soon forget. “God, I’m tired.”
"I won’t hold your past against you if you don’t hold mine against me. Deal?” At her nod, he continued. “If you can hold a barrier when you're tired, the rest will be easy. Come on. Work to keep me out of your mind entirely. Unless you're wimping out on me," he prodded.
Rose stiffened her spine. "I'm not wimping out. Try to get into my mind, and I'll try to keep you out."
It was like a damned sword fight, Rose thought as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. He poked at her mind, looking for the hallway of doors. She learned to parry his pokes, and even managed to prevent him from slipping in some of the time.
Barrier. Barrier. The only things that came to mind were the cement barriers between freeways. She kept searching and evading, looking inside her mind for a good barrier.
God she was hot. All she wanted was to cool off and rest. Or, alternatively, get hotter and naked with Gabriel in the pool. Her body, healthy for the first time in a long time, was itchy with the need for release. The pool called to her, distracting her long enough for Gabriel to slip into her head once again.
You can swim when we're done. Focus now. Be a good girl.
Get out, damn it!
Tired of being caught thinking about him, Rose reacted instinctively, the thought accompanied by a hefty mental shove and a slammed door. At a muffled curse by Gabriel, Rose opened her eyes to find him sprawled backward on the grass.
"Are you okay?" Horrified, she flew to his side and touched his cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
In one swift move he had her on her back, staring up at him while he leaned over her. Rose saw the need, the loneliness in his eyes. As she sensed him drawing away, she reached up to his shoulders. "Oh, come on. What do we have to lose?"
With a muffled oath, he covered her mouth with his.
She'd expected the flash and heat, and gave as much back to him. But she got so much more. He tasted of darkness and need, and both twined themselves around her, left her aching with him. Lonely, he'd been so lonely…she caught those glimpses of his past as he ravaged her mouth, his guard lowered.
Surrounded by his strength, his hard length pressing her into the warmth of the grass, she gloried in the taste of him, in the darkness. She pushed at one side and he rolled, taking her with him, easing her on top of him.
Rose broke their kiss to pass her fingers over the hard planes of his face, the shiny-smooth ridges of scarring on his cheek and neck. She met his gaze, saw the wariness in them and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, and kissed along his scars before taking his mouth with her own, pressing her body close, her hips moving against him.
***
Gabriel grabbed for the reins of his control even as he ached to let loose his desire. Her body moved against his in a long-remembered dance. He ran his hand down her side to the gentle curve of her ass. He pressed her hard against him, thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, and sent Rose an image of her writhing in ecstasy, naked and straddling him, her hair streaming down her back as she arched back, shuddering in completion.