The Gates (4 page)

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry,” she cooed, let some ashes fall into an ashtray, “we go way back.”

“Yeah, you said that.”

“Scarlet?” Gavin came from behind her. “What are you doing here? It’s been ages.” He looked over at me, food in hand. “I see you’ve met Camille.”

“Sure have. She’s a doll. I was just telling her how much history you and I have. It’s so nice to have you in town, Gav.”

“Yeah, it’s … been a while.”

Staring him down, I gestured toward the plate in his hand. “Mind if I eat?”

“Oh, no. Sorry, Arianna and I got to talking.” He handed me what looked like roast duck and some sort of rich, creamy sauce.

“Well, I’ll let you two lovebirds be. We’ll catch up after the meeting, okay?” Scarlet winked at me once more, then kissed Gavin on both cheeks and squeezed his arm before she snuck away, an intimate exchange that made me nauseous.

“What was that all about?” He took her place on the table, leaned in toward me and rubbed the side of my leg.

“You tell me.”

“You look like you could give me a black eye right now. Did she say something to you?”

“I think I’ve lost my appetite.” Dropping my fork, I stood and adjusted my coat, then made my way to the front door. The Parisian streets of Montmartre and a stiff drink were calling my name.

2

MIDNIGHT IN MONTMARTRE

“Please, let me take you home. You’re drunk.”

“I am not.” I shoved him, spilling some kind of delicious poison on him. “Go home and have a wild time with Ms. Scarlet. In the bedroom. With the—”

“Okay, you’re starting to talk board game. Let’s go home, babe. I’ll get you into bed.”

“Sounds like a great idea!” I hopped, then wobbled, my heels getting stuck in the cobblestones. The narrow streets and bustling throngs of passerby were buzzing all around us, multiple scents wafting in the breeze. “Only, you won’t sleep with
me
until you’re human and you don’t see me as a pity-case anymore.…” I tossed my drink into a trashcan, continued to wander away from him.

“Cam, that was glass.”

“So sad. The whole thing is just
so sad
.” Laughing, I somehow managed to swing myself around a street light. “I mean, first I fall in love with you, and you’re a vampire. And then I stay with you. Really, who does that?”

“Camille. It’s almost midnight and we need to get you off the streets. It’s dangerous.”

“Excuse me, sir …” Slurring this, I dug around in my wallet for cash to buy another drink. “I got around just fine after midnight before
you
ever came along.”

“That was before you ran in my circle. Before a vampire queen had a hit out on you. Don’t make me carry you back to the apartment. Because I’ll do it.”

“You know, a Frenchman would sleep with me. How much you wanna bet I can find one right now?” I looked at him, hazy, still digging for some cash. Spotting a bar’s liquor sign, I shuffled toward another quaint terrace and waltzed up to the first young guy I laid eyes on. “
Parlez-vous français?
My boyfriend doesn’t want to have sex until we’re married, but he has no problem having crazy, passionate sex with someone else. Does that sound fair to you?
Non?
”

The guy looked me up and down, smiled, then shifted in his stool to face me, clearly amused. I smiled back, winked, then stumbled. “How about you buy a girl a drink,
mon ami?
We can rendezvous at the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.” I trailed a lazy finger under his chin.

“
That’s it
.” Gavin grabbed my elbow.

“Don’t touch me.” I wrestled with him as he tossed me over his shoulder and stormed out of the bar, my body swaying over him like a ragdoll. The last glimpse I caught was of the poor guy I’d accosted. His expression made me crack up, and before I knew it, I was laughing hysterically.

“That’s enough, Camille Hart.” Gavin smacked my rear and readjusted me over his shoulder as we made our way outside. It made me laugh harder. “I know it’s pointless to talk to you right now, but I’m going to do it anyway.” He put me down, stuffed us in between two buildings in a snug alleyway, steadying my shoulders. “We have to be extra safe right now. Normally, I could get by with taking little to no energy from anyone, because it wasn’t every day I was taking on other vampires. But now, they’re after me. After
us,
in legions. And they’re going to have an advantage over me because I’m not loaded up on energy. We don’t have time for your drunk escapades, love. Definitely not around midnight, while they’re out on the prowl for their next meal.”

“Oh, just take the energy from me like you did last time, when you used it to help us escape Amaranth.” I leaned up against the wall and fumbled with my lighter, attempted to light a cigarette. Failed.

“You’d be no good to me right now.” He let out a breath and grabbed the cigarette and squashed it, then slung me back over his shoulder.

* * *

“You’re pretty cute when you’re a mess.” Gavin shrugged off his jacket and scarf and tossed me down on the bed. I could tell he was smiling, even though it was dark. A hint of moonlight filtered in through the blinds.

“Cute? I guess I don’t have to worry about you taking advantage then,” I said. The bedsheets felt cool and refreshing, and the room smelled like Arianna’s delicious
crème brûlée
.

“
And
when you’re mad.” He let out a sigh, leaned down to unbutton my dream coat, still grinning while he loosened each button, his eyes fixed on mine in the dark. He slipped me out of the coat and pulled off my boots. I looked up at him, wondering if he’d talk about
her
while I had booze in my system.

“Gavin?”

“What I had with her was nothing.” He peeled off his shirt and sighed, probably aware of where I was going with this. “That’s what drove us together, and that’s what drove us apart: nothingness.”

“It’s just … she had a part of you that I haven’t. And I had to hear it straight from her mouth. She said you guys talk all the time, and you told her all about me.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry. She never should’ve said those things to you. For the record, we do
not
talk all the time, she’s exaggerating. That’s just how Scarlet is: manipulative. Last time I
did
talk to her, I gushed about you. Look, I really do want to marry you first. I told you, it’s what I want—for you to know that you’re set apart. After what you’ve been through with the others, physically and emotionally … it matters to me. When I was with her, I was a new vampire. That made me incredibly reckless and lonely,” he slid on top of me and let his weight rest on my body. “You’re not some ancient fling to me, you’re my life. Something I don’t deserve and something that is irreplaceable. Forgive me if I want to handle you with a little more care.”

“It makes me sick,” I whispered, distracted by his position and all-too-alluring scent.

“You don’t think it’s revolting to know about the guys you’ve been with before me? The ones who had their hands all over you, against your will? Who treated you like—” His body became rigid, his grip tight around my pillow.

“That’s not what I meant.” I pulled him closer, aligned my lips with his.

“No?”

“I won’t ever measure up to someone like her.”

“Camille,” his lips barely grazed mine, his breath hot and close proximity unbearable, “she won’t ever measure up to
you
. No one will. There’s nothing to be jealous of.
I’m
the one who’s jealous. I almost went mad tonight.” He shifted his hands underneath my back, moved me up toward the headboard to hold me in place. “Seeing you waltz up to that guy in the bar …” His breathing hitched and he leaned in closer.

“Well … good. You deserved it.” I placed my hand on his chest to force some distance, shoved him backward. But then I felt a grin spread across my face, and I felt a slight annoyance that my anger was dissipating. There’d be enough of it to go around in the morning when my buzz wore off, though.

“You’re no match for me, you know,” he cocked a brow and wrestled with my arms, effectively crushing the barrier I’d made, pinning my wrists to the headboard with one hand.

“You know,” I mimicked his threatening tone, “if you want me to comply with this whole marriage thing, seducing me is not the way to go about it.”

“Who said anything about trying to seduce you?” He spoke low and inviting, running his hand up my thigh, allowing his thumb to glide along the inside.

“Damn it Gavin, my inhibitions are out the window and you’re not helping matters. Cut it out.” I nudged him with my leg.

“Don’t try to fight it, love. I can assure you, you won’t win.” He pressed my leg back down with the weight of his thigh and bit down on my bottom lip, careful not to press too hard. I sighed, surrendering, knowing he was right.
Such a tease.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that old, reckless side of you someday,” I whispered when he let go of my lip.

“Ha. Patience is a virtue.…”

Whether it was that last drink or the intoxicating effect of his mouth now moving with mine, as his fangs slid lecherously across my lips, I entered a midnight euphoria. Mortals didn’t know what they were missing. While I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I envisioned wedding bells and the day I could have Gavin. All of him, forever.

* * *

The next morning, Gavin and I decided to catch a real flight back to Louisiana, to follow through with the plan we’d all agreed on during the meeting at Arianna’s. Arianna flew with us, to stay at Josh’s house to help with preparations. A good friend of Gavin and Gabe, Josh helped Gavin and me rest and refuel after escaping Amaranth, then managed to save me from Marie’s kidnapping shortly after. His home and presence were a safe haven, and one we were very thankful to have. As soon as we were home, we headed to Gavin’s plantation home to meet Vivienne, avoiding the bookstore
and
my house. One avoidance was fine, the other less so. I definitely couldn’t face my former boss Carol after what I’d done, leaving my job mid-shift to sneak away to Amaranth with no warning whatsoever, and there was no sense in torturing myself over the loss of my favorite job or saying goodbye to my home just yet. No, it was the second change in plan that concerned me. Apparently, what we were about to discuss was so confidential that Vivienne, my conjure mentor and the woman who’d introduced me to Hoodoo, didn’t feel safe enough to talk about it at her shop. We’d briefed her on our escape from Amaranth and all it entailed, and she agreed to help us, but offering her help would mean great danger for her conjure family.

From my spot on Gavin’s couch, I looked around at his roomy but neglected living room while I scarfed down a shrimp po’ boy. The stoic grand piano, long, taupe drapes, and elegant Victorian furniture all still intact, his collection of movies and records lining the walls with a visible sheen of dust around the edges. Examining the character of his historic home made me miss my own. Not nearly as majestic as his, my little, cozy yellow house suited me just fine, with Cajun food joints just up the road. Hard to believe, but I missed my job, too. Breaux Bridge really had become my home, a part of me. But I was a ghost now, a detached entity that couldn’t quite connect with that part of its past, no matter how hard I tried to make contact. A new fate awaited me, and I tried to accept it was time to surrender to its pull.

“I told ya, nah, I’m no psychic.” Vivienne meandered around the room, eyed Gavin’s record collection as she spoke. “But obstacles will come that you aren’t expecting, ya hear?”

“We know it’s going to be a tough battle,” Gavin said, jingling the keys in his pockets. “But we’re ready.”

“You gotta be willing to do
whatever
necessary while you’re in Amaranth, nah.”

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” I said, washed my sandwich down with a swallow of water. “Our friends’ lives are depending on it.”

Vivienne exhaled, an old, tired sound full of apprehension. She set a long rectangular wooden box onto the table in front of us, and glanced at me. “She know about Arianna?” She set her gaze on Gavin, raised her eyebrows.

“Yes,” he replied. “Arianna told her, but no one outside our circle knows. Only Marie, but she thinks she has her son to protect, so she won’t talk. That’s it.”

“You’re certain.” Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing.

“Positive.”

“If anyone learns of this before the attack—”

“I know what it means.”

“Samira has no idea where Arianna is,” I spoke up, making sure I followed.

“Yes,” Gavin replied, “and no one knows she’s Samira’s daughter. Arianna’s never told a soul. Only our family knows, including Gabe and Josh, who I count as family. If anyone, even someone in the resistance here on earth, were to find out and rat us out before the attack in Amaranth, our plan to attack Samira and overthrow her kingdom is ruined. Arianna is what Samira wants. And Samira
definitely
has no knowledge of Arianna being placed with me and my family all those years ago.”