Apocalyptic Page 4

  “I only cared because we have history. She was a friend. You know?” More pacing, more smoking. “My first mistake was reconnecting with her in the first place. But I know I shouldn’t have turned her. I’ll find her. I’ll fix this.”

  “We will find her,” I corrected. “I was tracking her earlier. She was on the move. You can help. You know her energy signature. Help me pick it out from the rest.”

  Gabriel looked up in surprise. He must have expected me to tear him a new one. “Yeah, of course. I’ll do anything to make this right.”

  “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you why none of us should be too quick to turn anyone,” I said with an annoyed sigh. Annoyed because all of us had turned someone at some point that we shouldn’t have. “The power in our bloodline, it needs to be kept exclusive.”

  He grimaced around the cigarette. “No argument here. This never should’ve happened. I panicked.”

  In his dark gaze I saw wariness. Readiness. He really thought I might do him in for this. Was that the reputation I had with everyone? Or just Gabriel?

  “I turned Briggs out of anger.” I shrugged. “I’ve fucked up too. When the right time comes, I’ll fix that mistake. Tonight, let’s fix yours.”

  I turned back toward the streetlight that bathed the rest of the parking lot in an artificial glow. Gabriel hesitated before falling into step with me. There was something he had yet to say.

  The hard set to his broad shoulders softened. He released a plume of smoke. “There’s one more thing. Lizzy stole my grimoire.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A witch turned vampire with an obsession had her hands on a grimoire filled with demon spells and rituals. What could possibly be alarming about that?

  Everything. The answer was everything.

  Together Gabriel and I returned to the dance club where we’d last tracked Lizzy. While he inspected the bloodstained concrete, I fired off a text to Jez to let her know we had an identity and a vampire who could sniff her out. So to speak.

  The night had grown late. Last call had come and gone. The remaining stragglers leaving the dance club loudly piled into cabs and Ubers. Then the street was quiet.

  “I can feel that she was here, but her energy signature crosses with so many others, it’s hard to pick out.” Gabriel extended a hand and lifted a dark brow. “Do you mind?”

  Did I mind allowing the precognitive, black-magic vampire to touch me and access my power? Just a little. Did I show it? I hoped not.

  I started to reach for his hand, then stopped midway. “Just a thought, did you see anything I should know about when you touched Lizzy? Like what she’s going to do with that grimoire.”

  His gaze fell, and for a second that awkward kid showed through. Gnawing his lower lip, Gabriel ran a hand along the back of his neck. I caught myself staring at his mouth, watching the tip of a fang peek out.

  “Nothing. That’s not to say I haven’t tried.” Looking ashamed, like he thought it was his fault, Gabriel slanted a glance at the stain on the sidewalk. “I don’t control the precog visions. They come when they come.” His hand started to drop.

  Hating that Gabriel’s touch gave me anxiety, I caught it in mine. “Do what you need to do. Let’s find her.”

  Gabriel’s news definitely added a steaming heap to the already massive pile of crap tonight. But what could I do but roll with it? Obviously the girl needed to be caught. I was expecting the worst, that we’d have to destroy her. But hopefully not the absolute worst. I didn’t want to have to destroy him.

  Gabriel slipped his soft fingers between mine. Even though I expected the moment when our power merged, I wasn’t prepared for the shock to my system when it happened. A shock of ardor. Straight to the groin.

  Did he do that on purpose? He was an incubus, made by Arys. It came with the territory. Still, it seemed strong and sharp. Demanding my attention. Or had I just started to take notice?

  With a gentle, smooth pull Gabriel drew on my power to heighten his own abilities. Eyes closed, he concentrated, searching the night for the vampire he’d made.

  On top of everything else Gabriel had done since turning, this perhaps more than anything proved Hurst right. He shouldn’t have been given our power. But old vampires with their wise old owl words of wisdom and foreboding didn’t have to deal with it here and now. I did, and I was over premonitions and warnings.

  This whole ordeal did force me to make the decision I’d been putting off. Trust Gabriel? Or kill him? Because there were no other options.

  He’d asked for a chance to prove himself. I’d give him that. Killing off every threat or liability wasn’t how I’d prefer to do things. Arys had turned Gabriel. That made him ours. We owed him a chance to act like it.

  Another tug on my energy. The circuit running between us twisted and writhed. My power rolled over and through Gabriel, seducing him from the inside out. Lust spilled from him to test me.

  I clenched my teeth, telling myself I didn’t want to taste him. It was just the power talking. And I most definitely didn’t want to throw him on the ground and straddle him.

  Ok, so he wasn’t really a kid. And in that moment I was forced to feel it. I glanced up to see that his dark eyes had opened. He watched me with the tortured wonder I’d seen in the eyes of several vampires before him.

  Gabriel pulled his hand from mine, severing the connection so suddenly it felt like being doused in the face with a bucket of cold water. “I think I can find her.”

  We traveled in the opposite direction from the park where I’d encountered Arys. So I’d been going the wrong way. I followed Gabriel’s lead, letting him guide the way as we left the streets and ventured closer to the river.

  Neither of us were the type to force small talk, so we moved in silence. Until he randomly said, “I want to help you and Arys fix things. I know I’m not exactly skilled in light magic, but I want to help in any way I can.”

  We drifted farther from the street lights, into a treed area with a bench and trashcan. Nice for sitting and gazing out on the river. In the dark, the surface partially frozen, the water appeared black.

  “Thanks, kid. I appreciate that. Sorry. Gabriel. I’ve gotta work on that. I know you’re not a kid.”

  I wasn’t stupid. Keeping Arys and I from blowing apart was in Gabriel’s best interest. He wasn’t the only one. Self-preservation drove all of us. There was safety in numbers, and vampires like us, we didn’t lack enemies. Power had a way of creating them. Gabriel had more to gain from us alive than he did if we were dead.

  He stopped, scanning the scanty trees. Leafless and bare. Skeletal against the night.

  “Do you?” Calm despite the erratic way his energy caused the atmosphere to surge at random. “I meant what I said, Alexa. About wanting into your inner circle. I’m worth having around, and I’ll prove it.”

  I had not forgotten our brief conversation. Naturally it had to come up again. I had yet to respond directly.

  So I did now. There had always been this level of awkwardness between Gabriel and me. It had changed but it was still there. So I bulldozed right through it. Cut to the chase. “Tell me what you really want from me, Gabriel. A chance? Fine, you’ve got it.” I took a careful step back, then another. Slow. Just to keep a safe distance between us. “But if it’s blood and sex you want, then I don’t think you’ve thought that through well enough.”

  A slip of a grin changed his usually solemn expression into something unexpectedly brilliant. Gabriel was quite handsome when his eyes lit up. “I’m trying to pledge my loyalty to you, Alexa. I’m at your disposal, and you can have me any way you want me.” His sullen manner had dissipated, replaced with the growing confidence I’d been seeing in him a lot lately.

  I laughed, mostly because I didn’t know what to say to such a bold statement from someone I still didn’t know all that well. It was ballsy for sure. Had to admire that. “Sounds like you’re spending too much time alone in a demon’s house,” I half joked. “You need to get ou
t more.”

  Without taking a step, Gabriel angled himself toward me. He held my gaze, arching a brow in silent invitation. “Look, if Shya taught me anything about surviving in this world, it’s to choose your queen wisely. Because he sure as hell didn’t. And to do whatever it takes to prove loyalty. Because the only thing really worth anything anymore is trust.”

  He turned away, following the trail he’d picked up. Keeping my distance, I followed. “Ok, I get that. Strategic alliance. Makes sense. But there’s no need to make rash decisions that you can’t take back. In case you haven’t noticed, my lovers tend to form an addiction to me. And between you and me, it looks painful.”

  Casting a glance back over his shoulder, Gabriel ambled along, pausing here and there to reassess. “It’s a small price to pay for power and protection. I’ve seen the evil that’s out there, and I know who I want to be aligned with when shit inevitably goes down.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence but you might be overshooting the mark a little.” Of all the motivations men had had to sleep with me, self-preservation had never been one of them. I chuckled a little to myself, finding it amusing. I had to. It was so hard to genuinely laugh these days.

  Gabriel jerked to a sudden halt. Then he turned and came at me, stopping just close enough to make my breath catch but not so close as to raise my defenses. “I don’t want to feel like I’m always on the outside looking in. I know where my loyalty lies, and I want you to know it too.”

  I swallowed hard and licked my lips. “Um, alright. Thank you, I think. I appreciate that.”

  Frustration seeped from him, raw and sharp. He didn’t think I was taking him seriously. In all honesty, I didn’t know what the hell to say.

  Letting out a breath on a huff, Gabriel continued to surprise me by sinking to his knees before me. “You are my queen, Alexa. I know what that means even if you don’t yet.” Pausing, his hungry gaze slid down my body, slowly over my hips and thighs and back up again. “And I am willing to serve you, in any way you like. I want you to make me yours.”

  His declaration hung between us. He waited, allowing it to sink in. Holding my gaze, letting me see the vampire where the boy had been. On his knees, pledging himself like a warrior to his queen, Gabriel emanated an otherworldly awareness.

  What did he know that I didn’t?

  Having him on his knees before me with darkness in his eyes and wisdom far beyond his years, it caused my stomach to tighten. A tremor shook me as the hunger encouraged me to take what he was giving.

  His offer of service hung heavy on the air with its many intentions. My encounter with Arys had left me hungry and frustrated. Sure Gabriel was young at twenty, but already he’d gained a reputation among the women of The Wicked Kiss. So, so fucking enticing.

  Part of me remained wary. Cautious. He saw things and that worried me. The rest of me was a little turned on. Our eyes locked and he saw it. My temptation. Darkness drove my hunger. I couldn’t fathom a single reason why I shouldn’t ravish him right there.

  “I’ll most definitely consider it,” I managed to say. It came out smooth and seductive, a tease. “Let’s see how you handle Lizzy.”

  I clenched my fists to keep from touching him. Arys’s darkness streaked through me, determined not to make it easy for me to resist.

  Having nothing more to add and likely sensing my internal struggle, Gabriel rose with a nod, and we continued on. My phone buzzed in my bag, and I busied myself with texting Jez. Anything to distract from the tension in my loins.

  Gabriel wanted me to claim him. To give him my body and blood. To enslave him through blood and power as I had Kale, Jenner, and unfortunately, Willow. He wanted it. Requested it. And it blew my mind.

  What would Arys think about this? He’d made Gabriel, and he didn’t regret it. Would he want to immerse him that deep into the fold? Because what this was really about for Gabriel was belonging. To us. So that he could never be forced to belong to someone else. Like Shya. Or worse.

  Jerking to a stop, Gabriel kicked at something etched into the dirt. A symbol? It looked like a series of intersecting lines. He bent to inspect it before hissing, “Fuck.”

  “Not loving the sound of that,” I muttered, turning to scan our surroundings. We were alone. I couldn’t feel anyone else. “Ok, how bad is it? What is that thing?”

  He studied the mark, shoulders slumped. “It’s a spell from my grimoire. A cloaking spell that Shya showed me. Lizzy’s hidden her energy signature. The trail ends here.”

  “Well this is an unfortunate yet not entirely surprising turn of events. Want to tell me why the hell that spell book was accessible?” I pinned Gabriel with a stare that I hoped he felt to the soles of his feet. “Briggs used that book to make a goddamn zombie.”

  Brow furrowed in anguish, he clenched both fists and uttered something Latin that sounded like a curse. Fire erupted from his hands. It scorched a path straight to the symbol, destroying it.

  “I spelled the book after that. The pages look blank, but anyone with enough magical ability and knowhow could crack it.” Scuffing a boot through the small pile of soot, he grew sullen, Gabriel’s customary expression. “Lizzy does have the knowhow, and I gave her enough power to crack the spell. Stupid. So much for earning your trust.”

  Yes… so much for that. Inwardly I sighed. Outwardly I remained calm and tried to shut out the dark voice shouting inside my head to destroy this waste of time and effort. This evil little part of me decided if it couldn’t play with Gabriel, then it might as well kill him. That part of me was all dark, all Arys.

  I was able to shut the voice out with focus and intent. It continued to beat at me though in the back of my mind. Did Arys feel this way all the time? The constant urge to fuck, feed, and kill.

  Not anymore. Now he also felt the torment of humanity. After many years of living the most wicked of lives, I’d brought his heart back to life. And now it tortured him. As it tortured me, here in this moment.

  Good fucking times. One day we’d look back at all this chaos and laugh. Right?

  “Let’s go.” I turned to head back the way we’d come. “There’s not much time left before sunrise. She’ll be forced to hide out somewhere. First thing tomorrow night, we look for her.”

  Staying in a secluded area with Gabriel right then was too dangerous. I didn’t trust myself not to fuck or kill him. Or both. As Arys had wanted to do to me just hours ago.

  Gabriel stewed in silence behind me as we backtracked through the trees to the city streets. There weren’t many vampires I trusted entirely at my back, but I felt pretty confident that his guilt would hold any wicked temptations in check.

  Yep, he’d messed up alright, in a bad way. But it wasn’t anything I hadn’t done myself. My own vampire creation was a federal agent turned mad scientist. I’d cut the kid a break after I let him sweat about it a bit. I needed to be confident he’d never make this mistake again.

  We met up with Jez and Smudge outside the nightclub where the body had been found. They’d been in the area scouting a lead given to them by a patron. They too had turned up nothing.

  “So this chick can do black magic too?” Jez laughed in disbelief after we’d filled them in. She eyed Gabriel, then me. Red lips twisted in mock judgment. “You vamps shouldn’t breed, you know that? You pick the worst possible people to turn. Except Willow. He’s amazing.” She laughed right over Gabriel’s frown. How she found amusement in this I’d never know, but then again, she was on the outside looking in.

  Golden hair piled atop her head in a sexy, messy bun, green eyes sparkling, Jez looked happier than I’d seen her in a long time. The pain was still there behind her eyes every now and then, the loss of Kale we both shared, but she’d thrown herself into moving forward.

  From her neck hung a tear drop-shaped black obsidian amulet. It had been made for her by Gabriel himself. After Kale’s death Jez’s nephilim power had burst free, revealing itself. Necromancy. The woman could simply walk into a room and s
uck the life force from anyone breathing with her mere presence. Jez had been working with Gabriel, as well as Spike, a badass nephilim whose name was starting to make waves in the underworld. But Jez’s power was new and intense. Control was precarious and touchy. It would take time to master. So Gabriel had created the amulet to subdue her power. As long as she wore the amulet, she couldn’t accidentally suck anyone dry.

  “Willow is amazing,” I agreed, sneaking a glance at the moody vampire scuffing his boot against the ground. “I guess, if you two don’t have anything else to go on tonight, there’s not much we can do but wait.”

  Smudge gave a toss of her inky black bangs. They fell right back into her eyes. “I’ve got people all over this city. If they get a visual on her, I’ll know the second it happens.”

  Dressed all in black, the dark to Jez’s golden light, Smudge was one person I’d liked right away. Since getting to know her, that feeling had grown. She and Jez had hit it off too. They’d been inseparable for several weeks now. It was adorable really. Jez deserved to be happy.

  Smudge was part of The Circle of the Veil. A watchdog, she knew everything that happened within the supernatural community in just about real time. We all had our jobs in The Circle, but I believed hers to be among the most difficult. Yet she made it look so smooth.

  “Sounds good,” I said, eyeing the sky. Sunrise would force three of us to seek shelter in about an hour. “Keep me posted.”

  Before I could leave, Jez hooked her arm through mine and pulled me away from the others.

  I’d been meaning to ask Jez if she’d decided to sell Kale’s house or not. He’d left it to her. I’d gotten the Camaro. Of course. Which is all I would have wanted. This didn’t feel like the right time to bring it up. So like every time I decided it still wasn’t the right time, I kept my mouth shut.

  So it surprised me that, when we reached the end of the block, she turned to me, her smile gone. “I decided to sell Kale’s house,” she blurted, like it couldn’t be contained. “I called to have it listed earlier today. And I feel so fucking guilty about it. But I just can’t live there, Lex. Renting it out would just be a constant reminder. Am I making a mistake?”