Cross the Line: A Gabriella Cross Paranormal Romance Book 2 (11 page)

The wind tore through the pines like a banshee’s cry of mourning. The moon glowed bright, illuminating the foggy forests as the mist danced and swirled all around her. She felt eyes upon her back and whirled around, sure that she would find Victor’s maker standing right behind her. She found nothing but fleeting phantoms of shadows lurking just beyond the mist.

“Come to me, Gabriella.”

The voice came from all directions. Gabby twirled around, searching for the source. Her eyes settled on the distant castle tower, half crumbled by the abuse of weather and time.

“Come to me.”

Gabby hurried through the forest toward the castle. She was barefoot and dressed only in her nightgown, but she traversed the forest floor quickly, nimbly.

The doors to the castle hung from rusty hinges. Through the crack created between them, the soft glow of lamplight flickered and beckoned.

She walked through the threshold boldly and found two sets of stairs; one led left and the other led right, but both wound up to the same landing. Gabby took the staircase to the right and entered through the double doors at the center of the landing.

A long table sat at the center of the room, and at the end burned a large fire. The stained-glass windows were broken and cracked. Candelabras and chandeliers were scattered throughout the room. They held cobwebs and years of dust, but no flame.

“Hello, Gabriella.”

Victor’s maker sat at the head of the table farthest from her. She wore a tight black dress that accentuated her curvaceous form. Long black braided hair snaked over her shoulder, ending at her waist. Luminescent green eyes held Gabby in their gaze, and in those eyes, Gabby saw centuries of wisdom, experience, and knowledge. She was humbled before the vampire, who looked like a queen of her kind. Gabby cringed to think what she must look like in her true form.

“Who are you?”

“You know who I am.”

“Victor’s maker.”

“My name is Lilith.”

“What do you want from me?”

“What do you think?”

“Revenge?”

Lilith let out a musical laugh, and in the blink of an eye she was standing before Gabby.

“I have something that you want, and you have something that I want. Come to the island, alone, and I will hand over your father’s cure.”

“What do you want in return?” Gabby asked. But Lilith had turned to smoke and now melded with the quickly swirling scene.

“What do you want from me!”

Gabby woke up in a cold sweat and glanced at the clock. It was 3:00 a.m., the witching hour.

She sighed and sat back, but realizing that her sheets were soaked, she got up and went to the kitchen to pour herself a shot of whiskey.

Come to the island, alone, and I will hand over your father’s cure.

Lilith’s promise came to Gabby’s mind again, and she tried to remember as much as she could about the dream. It was definitely the castle that she had found online, there was no doubt about that now. She didn’t remember seeing anyone else in the dream, and indeed the feeling of the dream had been one of isolation, as though they had been the only two people on Earth.

Gabby shivered, wondering what Lilith wanted from her. She hadn’t seemed angry, but then again, she was an ancient vampire, one who would have outgrown the emotional impulses of mortals. But if it wasn’t revenge that Lilith wanted, what could it be?

Gabby downed one shot of whiskey. Knowing the questions in her mind would keep her from sleep, she decided to make herself a pot of coffee.

She resigned to the living room and played some classical music on the computer. She had read somewhere that it helped people focus. Mitzy joined her on the couch, rubbing up against Gabby with her lithe body and purring contently.

“What do you think I should do, Mitzy?”

The cat meowed and nuzzled against her body.

“Michael said to trust him, and I don’t doubt that he has the resources to eventually find a cure, but how long will that take? And will Dad even live that long? Lilith isn’t going to wait forever.”

Mitzy offered none of her feline wisdom, but went to grooming herself, as though such trivial issues were below her.

“I didn’t listen to Juliette when she told me to nullify Carrie and Sophia, and I was nearly choked to death. I didn’t listen to Dad at the warehouse, and now he’s fighting for his life. Maybe I should just do what they say for a change. I’m bound to just fuck things up even more.”

Mitzy purred and nudged Gabby, letting her know that if she was going to listen to all her problems, she wanted to be petted. Gabby sighed and absently petted the cat, contemplating what she should do.

It all hinged on what Lilith really wanted. Considering that she had sent a Vampire hit squad after her more than once, it seemed clear that Victor’s maker wanted her dead. But Gabby had a feeling that this wasn’t about revenge. Her father had been specifically targeted with the poisonous round, which meant that Lilith had known they were coming, and if she wanted Gabby dead, she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to force her hand.

Gabby paused.
Lilith knew we were coming.
The realization had eluded her before, and she wondered if Michael had realized this as well. If so, he hadn’t mentioned it to Gabby. But if Lilith knew that they would hit the warehouse, that meant that there was a spy in their midst. Perhaps one of the guards who had gone on the job with them. Perhaps it was Bob, or even Valentine. Michael obviously trusted his men, and Bob had seemed pretty adamant about his loyalty. But Michael seemed to trust Valentine as well. She hated to think it might be Quip, and considered also that Juliette was behind it all. The woman had always been distant, and Gabby had almost killed her brother. Maybe Juliette thought that Gabby was a threat to Michael.

Mitzy leapt off her lap, and Gabby realized that she had stopped petting the cat, lost in her ponderings as she was. She sighed and went to the kitchen and lit up a cigarette before pouring another cup of coffee. Outside the glow of the new day had begun to illuminate the world in soft pinks, oranges, and fading blues.

Gabby backed up in her thought process and considered again what it was that Lilith might want. If not her death, then what? And if Lilith did want to kill her, would Gabby be able to protect herself? She was confident that she could nullify Victor’s maker—unless, of course, it was Lilith’s blood in the vials in the white room. That seemed like a long shot, though it would do something to explain how Lilith had been able to reach her in her dreams.

If Gabby was unable to nullify Lilith, she would be doomed. People would come looking for her, and her father would likely die of his affliction.

“Maybe I should just sit tight and listen for once. I’ve only managed to screw everything up so far,” said Gabby to the empty room.

Once again Gabby found herself longing for her boring, black-and-white life. She regretted ever going after Michael and getting mixed up in all of this Otherworld bullshit.

She put out her cigarette, aggressively smooshing it into the bottom of the ashtray and managing to burn herself with the cherry in the process. She turned on the water and ran it over her finger, feeling miserable and lonely. Everyone acted like they cared, but not in the way that friends cared. Michael, Juliette, even Quip had been acting like a parent rather than a friend. She realized that the only one who seemed to respect her decisions was Valentine.

Gabby reminded herself that she had an incredible power, one that no one trusted her with. But were they right? Gabby had killed Victor after all, and other vampires as well.

She thought of Michael’s story of the forest fire he had started, and his atonement. If anyone was going to risk their lives to save her father, it might as well be her. She had started this mess, and it was her responsibility to make it right.

Her feud with the vampires had almost gotten Michael killed, Quip had been shot, and now her father was fighting for his life.

I’ve got to end this once and for all, before anyone else gets hurt.

Now that Gabby had finally made a decision on the matter, she felt much better, and she immediately began planning her escape. It wasn’t going to be easy shaking the weres, not like when they had been posing as the FBI. They knew full well about the underground tunnel to the storage unit with the Hummer, and Gabby knew that it was being watched.

She racked her brain for hours trying to think of a way to evade their detection, but short of nullifying them all, she could think of nothing. If she made a big spectacle of the escape, Michael would be alerted, and once he learned what she was attempting, he would stop her.

Gabby had nearly given up on it when she suddenly thought of Valentine. Surely with her succubus powers, Valentine could distract the guards long enough for Gabby to escape undetected.

Excited, Gabby called Valentine on speed dial and paced the kitchen while she waited for an answer.

“Hello beautiful,” came the alluring purr of a voice on the other end.

“Val, I need your help. Can you come over?”

“Say no more. I’m on my way.”

Gabby hung up the phone and forced herself to eat some breakfast. If she was going to meet with Lilith tonight on the strange island in the middle of Lake Michigan, she was going to need her strength.

The thought caused her to pause more than once, and she tried not to linger on it, for the longer she considered the insanity of what she was about to do, the more her determination wavered.

You can do this Gabby, you’re a badass nullifier.

She chanted the mantra over and over as she ate cereal without tasting it much. When the doorbell rang and snapped her out of her ponderings, she ran to it, eager to go over the plan with Valentine.

“I’m so glad you’re…”

Riggs stood in the doorway with a raised brow.

“Oh, Detective Riggs…hello.”

“Were you expecting someone else?”

“No…uh… what can I do for you?”

“I would like to ask you a few more questions, if you don’t mind.”

“This isn’t the best time.”

“I’ll be quick.”

Gabby let out a sigh. “Fine, come in.”

“Thank you,” said Riggs as he strode into the house and took off his jacket and matching fedora.

“Coffee?”

“No thank you. As I said, I won’t be long.”

Gabby moved to the island and grabbed her mug. Riggs was glancing around at everything the way he always did, as though he hadn’t been there before.

He made his way over to her slowly. Gabby didn’t like the look on his face. It said that he knew something that she didn’t.

“What?” she said, growing frustrated with the charade.

“Miss Cross, isn’t it true that your father was a resident at a retirement home for nearly twenty years?”

“Yes, he had early onset Alzheimer’s .”

Riggs grinned. “And is it also true that he recently signed himself out due to his condition suddenly disappearing?”

“Yes.”

“Can you please explain this to me?”

“Explain what?”

Riggs spread his arms wide. “What happened? Was it a miracle cure? Holy intervention?”

“No, I cured him.”

Riggs sighed.

“I didn’t tell you before? I’m a nullifier. I have the ability to nullify magic. A witch had put a curse on him that took his memory. I lifted it.”

“Miss Cross, if you insist on continuing with this façade, I’ll be forced—”

“Forced to do what? Arrest me and bring me in for questioning? Your higher-ups told you to back off the case. So why don’t you?”

“Something’s going on here, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

“I’ve already told you what’s going on.”

“Ah, yes. A vampire killed your sister and you killed the vampire.”

Gabby looked at him as if to say, “
Uh, yeah!”

“Do you think this is some kind of game?”

Gabby didn’t like where this was going. She needed to distract him from his questions. She knew that he had a thing for her; he had been coming over every chance he got, and there was an unmistakable chemistry between them. He looked at her the way Michael sometimes did, though he seemed just as guarded about his feelings. She had to fluster him, shake him up a little.

What would Maggy do?

She moved toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know why you’re really here.”

His brow furled. “What?”

“You’ve been told to drop the case, but you refuse. You come here every other day to ask me the same questions over and over.”

“It’s my job.”

“No, it’s not. Your job is to listen to your superiors and not waste the department’s time and money on dead leads. The truth is, you’re into me.”

Riggs laughed, though she could see the effect her touch had on him. “You
are
out of your mind.”

“Am I?”

Gabby kissed him before he could get out another word. At first he pulled back. She felt him go rigid in her arms, and she realized she’d probably made a hasty mistake. But then, surprisingly, she felt his tense lips relax beneath hers. He parted his mouth and suddenly kissed her back. He lost himself to passion and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Their tongues danced and their hands roamed freely. Gabby felt him hard against her, and she grabbed ahold of him through his pants. Riggs groaned and lifted her up. Their kiss became frantic, and Gabby wrapped her legs around him as he parked her ass on the island, knocking over the cereal box and sending the empty bowl crashing to the floor. Gabby had meant to distract him with the kiss to get him to shut up, but now she felt hot passion boiling deep inside of her. She guided his searching hands beneath her nightgown, and he parted her swollen folds. He worked his fingers in a circle and Gabby held him close, burying her face in his neck and taking in his intoxicating aroma. Groaning with passion, he pulled the nightgown down from her shoulders and bit her left nipple.

Gabby frantically unbuckled his pants and yanked down the zipper. Riggs’s kisses became more frantic as she guided his throbbing manhood, wetting it with her passion. He let out a groan and pulled her hair back as he thrust into her. Gabby cried out and pulled his bare ass toward her, gyrating against his shaft. Their passion boiled over as they frantically grinded against one another. The love making was fast and hard, and Gabby could tell that Riggs would soon erupt. She pulled him close and kissed him deeply, tongues dancing and lips flirting. Riggs began to tense, and Gabby cradled his head against her chest. He suddenly swelled and erupted inside her, thrusting deeply and holding her firm as his body quaked with jerks and spasms.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Riggs reeled back drunkenly and stared at Gabby wordlessly.

The doorbell rang again.

“I…I’m sorry,” Riggs stammered as he tried to get his belt back in place and searched for his hat.

Gabby grinned to herself as she watched him bumble about, stuttering and stammering apologies.

This must be what it feels like to be Valentine.

“Riggs, your hat is on the coat rack,” said Gabby. She fixed her nightgown and tied off her robe before moving to the door.

Valentine stood there, looking flustered at having been made to wait. But her expression changed the instant she saw Riggs. She looked from the detective to Gabby and raised a brow.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“Ah, no, no, I was just about to leave,” said Riggs. He tipped his hat to them both and told Gabby that he’d be in touch.

“I look forward to it,” she said, smiling as she watched him leave.

Valentine looked her over, amused.

“He came snooping around again this morning asking his annoying questions. I think I managed to scare him off good this time.”

Valentine studied her with a mischievous grin.

“Don’t ask,” said Gabby playfully.