A Vampire's Honor (26 page)

“How mad is Jake about all this?” I asked when we were done chuckling.

“Well, he doesn't want people to think he can't provide for his own child.” I winced. I could understand how that might emasculate him. “But I think he'll forgive you when I tell him this was all you. He was worried about how to refuse a gift—any gift—that came from Eye Candy.”

“So is that why you asked if it was from him too?”

Now it was her turn to look guilty. “I wasn't sure if, well, if this was because of what I'd asked him to do.”

Now I understood. Laycee had naturally been concerned there was a possibility Gabriel's offer of protection came with strings attached. The same sort of strings that I had assumed might be attached. I told her about Gabriel's decision not to be an active participant in Jenna's life, something that pleased Laycee, but saddened me.

Jenna would never know the wonderful gift Gabriel had given her, and he would never experience the wonder of watching a child grow up. Still, sensing Laycee's relief, I knew I should not try to reverse this decision. Of course I couldn't guarantee we wouldn't spoil Jenna on her birthday and Christmas, but that would probably be more my doing.

“It's okay,” I reassured her. “He told me you still don't have to invite him in.”

“Ah, I was wondering about that.” She reached for a stack of receiving blankets and began to fold them into a neat pile. I could already tell she was mentally selecting which items she would keep and those she would give away. “So where's he gone?”

“Who?”

“Eye Candy, of course. You said he was out of town.”

“Oh, he's away on business. Paris, I think.” Laycee was right. I did lie to her. I was doing it now, and it was amazing how easily the words rolled off my tongue.

“You don't know? You haven't spoken to him?” Her problems-in-paradise radar was all plugged in and rarin' to go.

I shook my head. “Not recently.”

“When's he coming home?”

“Soon.”

“Uh-huh.” Her eyes suddenly took on an unnatural sparkle.

“Are you going to start crying again?” I asked worriedly.

“Probably.” Her smile was definitely wobbly as she pointed to her chest. “If I'm not crying, then I'm leaking. Either way I'm losing liquid—oh, but thanks for the breast pump. That's been a godsend.”

Breast pump? I didn't remember ordering a breast pump, but the sound of Jenna wailing put a stop to any further conversation about my spending habits, missing boyfriend, or lactating mothers. I was happy to spend the next few hours holding the most perfectly beautiful thing I had ever seen.

“W
ould you like me to contact the realtor?” Gabriel asked two nights later when he returned.

I was torn between wanting to throw myself in his arms and needing to haul off and smack him. “Do you mean that bitch who flirted with you? The one with the pretentious name?” I said instead, acting as if he'd only been gone half an hour instead of nearly three weeks. Keeping my eyes downcast, I continued with my task of pulling weeds from around the planter of evening primroses and night gladioli.

“Well, I'm sure we can find someone else to flirt with me, if you prefer. I had no idea it was that important to you.”

Unable to help myself, I looked up at him and saw the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried not to laugh. “Oh, you enjoyed her flirting, did you?”

“Not particularly, but I did find your method of putting her in her place more than pleasurable.”

I was suddenly back in the bathroom, feeling the cold tile against my ass. “You never did give me back my panties.” There was a sudden huskiness to my voice.

“No, I didn't, did I?”

I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the planter. The lack of a real garden was, as far as I could see, the only downside to living in the penthouse, a fact I felt more acutely after my recent visit with Laycee. But Gabriel had more than made up for it by having a number of raised wooden flower beds and planters installed on the terrace. All were filled with night-blooming flowers, and the scent of Casablanca lilies was particularly fragrant in the night air.

“Why do you need a realtor?” I asked, returning to his original question. “Are you going to make me give back the apartment?” I was surprised by how proprietary I felt. Gabriel had put the apartment in my name, but since my abortive attempt to move out, I hadn't trusted myself to go there. I had, however, succumbed to the temptation of internet shopping again by ordering some new furniture and draperies, being a little more circumspect in my spending this time. As well as stone-cold sober.

“The apartment is yours, and I would never take that from you.” He walked to the far wall of the building, where pink and white moon flowers climbed a supporting trellis. His fingers curled gently around one of the massive blooms, and I swear the damn thing shivered in delight at his touch. “I just thought perhaps you might want to live somewhere other than here.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I don't want you to be reminded of what happened whenever you go into the living room.”

“The K Incident,” as I thought of it, complete with the appropriate capitalization and quotation marks, was already old news as far as I was concerned. But I wasn't an Original Vampire who'd seen his girl being snacked on by another Original Vampire.

I brushed the dirt from my hands and walked over to him, taking his chin in my fingers. “Kartel took my blood.” I didn't miss the flinch when I said his name. “But I will not allow him to take anything else from me. Especially not the home I share with you. I like living here.”

“But if we had a house, you could have a real garden.”

“Yes, I could, and I'd have a lot more weeds to pull!” It was nice to hear the low rumble of his laugh. “Besides, you can't beat the view.” Whenever possible I tried to be sure I caught the sun coming up over the city before going to bed for the day. The skyline never looked more lovely than when it was bathed in a warm golden glow. “I'm not saying I wouldn't like a house one day,” I told him quietly, “just not right now.”

“You know we already have a half dozen. In other countries.”

“Well, one of these days you're going to have to let me see them. Each and every one.”

Turning his face into my hand, Gabriel kissed my palm. His lips tickled, and I giggled at the sensation. “I've missed you,” he murmured as his lips moved to my neck and began making up for lost time.

“I missed you too,” I murmured, putting my arms around him. “Where have you been?”

I paused, waiting for him to give me a rehearsed excuse, not because he was hiding anything from me, but more as a way of protecting me from things I might not be ready to know about. He surprised me by saying, “I've been following Kartel.”

“Because of what he did to me?”

“Yes, but also because I want to know what he's up to.”

“You don't trust him, do you?”

He shook his head. “No, I don't.”

“So where is he?”

“I don't know.” He gave me a frustrated look. “He seems to have disappeared just outside of Nuuk.”

“Nuuk? Is that even a real place?”

“It's the capital of Greenland.” He grinned at me. “I promise we'll visit, and I'll take you to Kangerlussuaq so you can see the Northern Lights.”

Oh boy. That was a definite on my to-do list. “So you don't know where Kartel is now?”

Gabriel shook his head, his mane of white hair forming a halo in the moonlight. I found it hard to believe that no one had seen Vampire Smurf. Someone knew where he was; they just weren't saying, and in a way I couldn't blame them. The risk of having two Original Vampires pissed off with you wasn't something I'd want. As long as Kartel stayed down whatever hole he'd crawled into, Gabriel would have no choice but to let sleeping vampires lie. Personally I didn't think the blue-haired vampire was stupid enough to try crossing paths with Gabriel anytime soon.

“Did you try looking somewhere other than here?” I made a circular motion in the air with my forefinger.

“He's not in the Dark Realm either. I know. I looked.”

“Ah well, maybe he's at the North Pole. With that color hair he should fit right in with Santa's helpers.”

Gabriel laughed and kissed me again. And then deepened it, pressing himself against me so I could feel just how much he'd missed me. It was a balmy night, and I had no problem with getting naked out on the terrace. My hands went for the bottom of his shirt, pulling it out from the waistband of his jeans. I slid my hands over his smooth skin, feeling the muscle move beneath my fingers and hearing his breath quicken. I had more than half the buttons of his shirt undone when the sound of discreet throat-clearing made us both freeze.

“This better be important,” Gabriel murmured in my ear.

“Has Tomas ever interrupted you when it wasn't?” I murmured back.

With a sigh I re-buttoned his shirt and made sure my own clothing was as it should be before turning to face the sentinel. The remnants of a faint blush stained Tomas's cheeks.

“My apologies, but Miss Anasztaizia is here, and is most insistent that she speak with you.”

“Which one?” I asked, pointing a finger first at myself then Gabriel.

“She did not specify, but I believe it would be best that she speak with both of you. She seems a wee bit agitated.”

Dressed in a figure-hugging black sheath, with her hair pulled up in an elegant French twist, the lovely Magyar had obviously come here straight from the restaurant. I watched as she paced in front of the fireplace, wringing her hands and then holding herself, then wringing her hands again. Whatever was wrong, she was beyond agitated.

The moment she saw us she launched into Hungarian, speaking so quickly I wasn't sure if Gabriel caught more than every third word. She was also gesticulating wildly. Taking hold of her hands, more to stop her from accidentally poking herself or him in the eye, Gabriel listened intently as she raced through whatever it was she needed him to hear. From the tone and the number of times she said his name, she was talking about Aleksei.

When she finally stopped to take a breath, Gabriel took advantage of the sudden silence to ask something of Tomas before addressing Anasztaizia. He spoke in a low voice, his tone calm and reassuring. I saw her clutch his hands so hard her knuckles turned white. She nodded her head and then, at a slightly slower rate, she pleaded with him for something. I didn't need to understand Hungarian to know she was asking for his help, and also that something was wrong. Very wrong.

Tomas came back into the room and took hold of one of Anasztaizia's hands. He turned it over and pressed something into her palm, and she immediately became calm, relaxed, and more focused. I looked at her hand and saw a small, black rune lying in her palm like an exotic blossom. With his arm around her shoulders, Gabriel led her to a seat. Thankfully, Anasztaizia had not been present for our little tête-à-tête with Kartel, so there were no additional recollections to upset her. Except, of course, the ones from Aleksei's past.

“Talk to her,” Gabriel said in a low voice to me. “I think she might respond better to a female voice.”

I pushed the coffee table out of the way and knelt on the floor in front of her, reaching for her hand.

“Be careful not to touch it, lass,” Tomas warned as I turned Anasztaizia's hands over and cradled them in my own. The rune pulsed gently, but I don't think Anasztaizia was aware of it being pressed into her palm.

“Anasztaizia? What's happened?”

Hearing English, Anasztaizia answered me in the same language. “He's gone,” she said, hiccupping back a sob. “Aleksei has gone.”

“Gone?” I repeated, “Gone where?”

“I don't know.” Her lip began to tremble. “He's just . . . gone.”

Apparently this was more than the big guy popping out to pick up Thai for a dinner surprise. From her distressed state, it seemed obvious that Anasztaizia didn't believe Aleksei was coming back. “Has he ever done this before?” I asked and flashed Gabriel a look that said,
See what happens when you guys take off for parts unknown without telling us? See how badly we deal with the situation? We can handle you being gone, as long as you tell us where the hell it is you're going.

Anasztaizia shook her head in reply to my question. “He always tells me if he's going to be away for more than a night.”

Gabriel had the decency to look apologetic when I glanced at him. “Is it possible he just forgot to tell you?”

“No.” She shook her head so hard I was surprised her hair remained in place. “He didn't forget . . . he doesn't want me to know.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because I can't feel him anymore.” Pulling out of my hold, she tapped her temple with her forefinger. “In here. He's gone from inside my head.”

I looked up at the two men standing behind her chair. Both of them wore grim expressions, and that, more than anything else, told me this was bad.

“Have you checked the gym?” Gabriel now asked, coming around to kneel at the side of the chair. “The gun range? The stables?”

She nodded yes to every suggestion he made.

“Aleksei rides horses?” It would have to be a Clydesdale or something similar in size, but even so, he didn't strike me as a horsey kind of guy.

“No, but he owns a horse farm,” Anasztaizia said, taking the handkerchief from Tomas's outstretched fingers and dabbing her eyes with it. This was a woman who would never use a roll of toilet paper to blow her nose. “He usually goes there in the summer, on campfire night so he can make s'mores with the kids while they tell each other scary stories.”

Don't they know Aleksei
is
a scary story?

“It's in Virginia,” Gabriel explained. “A horse farm where kids with disabilities can go riding. Aleksei discovered a long time ago the therapeutic benefits of riding and of being around animals in general. A lot of kids will respond to animals when they won't, or can't, to humans.” Yet another side of the big Russian that I knew nothing about. “But he wasn't there?” Gabriel asked gently.

Anasztaizia shook her head, tears now flowing. “You don't understand, Gabriel—
he's gone!
”

“Then I'll find him, and I'll bring his stubborn ass home.”

She paused and held the square of white linen to her mouth before crumpling it in her hand and saying, “That's not why I'm here. We both know, even if you do find him, you won't be able to bring him back.”

“Aw shit—are you sure?”

Anasztaizia nodded, and I watched Gabriel pick up her hand, the one without the rune in the palm, and press his lips to the back of it. Something significant had just gone down, only I had no idea what.

He turned to look at me and said, “I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but I have to go. This is important.” And before I could say a
yeah, sure
or whatever, he got to his feet and left the room.

“What the fuck just happened?” I said, looking first at Anasztaizia and then Tomas. Guilt flushed the lovely blonde's tear-stained face, while Tomas turned completely stoic. If I wanted answers, there was only one place to turn, and I needed to hurry.

Gabriel was completely naked as I burst into the bedroom. Under normal circumstances, indeed even fifteen minutes ago, the sight would have brought me to my knees in a pool of take-me-right-now need. But these weren't normal circumstances. “What just happened out there?” I said, pointing to the closed door behind me.

“I have to leave.” I followed his magnificent ass as it disappeared into the closet.

“Yeah, I get that, but what does this have to do with Aleksei? And why can't you bring him back?”

“Because he's about to do something very stupid,” Gabriel said, pulling on a pair of black jeans.

“He's going to kill Petrov, isn't he?” Gabriel's answer was slightly muffled as he pulled a black T-shirt over his head, but muffled or not, I recognized an affirmative response. “But I thought only you could kill other vampires?”