“Yes?”
“Amaury, it’s Gabriel.” Gabriel’s voice was barely audible.
“Thank God.”
“We’re at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Maya is with me. Come and get us. Be careful; Ricky tracked us to the park.”
“Five minutes.”
The call disconnected and Gabriel turned to her, pulling her into his arms before lowering his lips to her ear. “Can you get us into the Conservatory? We’ll have more places to hide in there.”
She nodded.
The Conservatory was a large structure made entirely of glass and steel. The steel had been painted white and was curved to create a dome the length of a baseball field. A cupola graced the center of the building, reminding her of the cupola of City Hall that was of a similar form.
Gaining entry to it was as easy as unlocking the door to the hut had been. Maya was grateful for the skill she’d been bestowed, and while mind control would have been a neat skill to have, this one proved to be more practical and useful at present.
She inhaled the scent of the plants in the tropically warm hothouse. The smells overpowered her senses, the pollen so strong and fragrant, she could barely scent Gabriel next to her. It was as if the flowers blocked out everything else.
The windowpanes had let in the sun during the day and the large halls had heated up. Even now at night, the structure retained most of its warmth. Maya looked around, noticing the walking paths that had been constructed between the large plant beds. Little boards were erected next to each plant species, explaining their name and origin.
Gabriel’s arms snaked around her from behind, and for a second it startled her. But he pulled her against his chest and simply kissed her neck. “I can hardly wait to make you my wife,” he murmured against her skin. He nibbled on her earlobe and Maya let herself melt into him.
She moaned at the pleasure he gave her with a simple touch. “Don’t make me wait too long. I’ve never liked the idea of a long engagement.”
“Two, three days tops,” he agreed. “Once this is all over and Ricky is dealt with.”
“You shouldn’t make her promises you can’t keep.”
The voice sliced through her like a knife. Gabriel released her and pushed her halfway behind his large frame. She’d never seen him move this fast. Ricky emerged from the shadow of a large fern. She hadn’t heard any sound of him entering the glasshouse. Nor smelled him. Even now that she focused on him, all she could smell were the exotic flowers around her.
Gabriel’s stance instantly changed, and she could see how he readied himself for a fight. His hand suddenly held a stake. She hadn’t even seen when he’d pulled it from his coat where he must have hidden it.
“I always keep my promises,” Gabriel replied, his voice tight. “The one I made last night was to kill you.”
Before she could stop Gabriel, he launched himself at Ricky. His large frame crashed into the slightly shorter vampire, knocking Ricky off balance. But before Gabriel could land his stake, Ricky had rolled to the side and jumped up. She hadn’t figured him to be this agile.
Gabriel swiveled in the blink of an eye and growled low and dark. In his fury, his fangs had erupted through his gums, and Maya could clearly see them almost as if glowing in the dark. His scar seemed to throb.
With one step, Gabriel was again lunging for his opponent, his powerful arms landing a blow against his side. But it wasn’t enough. Ricky’s leg kicked out a second later, powering into Gabriel’s left thigh, unbalancing him. For an instant, Gabriel tumbled sideways, but the branch of a bush next to him provided him with enough support to right himself again.
But the strike had cost him. Ricky’s next kick landed in Gabriel’s stomach, knocking him into the dirt behind him. Gabriel rolled and jumped up the second he hit the earthen flowerbed. For a large man, he was surprisingly flexible.
“Shit!” Gabriel cursed, and a second later she realized that he’d lost his stake. Maya gasped when she saw Ricky lunge for him.
Ricky’s head snapped in her direction, and within a split-second he changed tracks and jumped onto a railing surrounding the flowerbed.
That’s when she saw the rope. It hung from one of the beams above the plant bed. Ricky had seen it too and now grabbed it. As he held onto the rope, Ricky kicked against the stem of a small palm behind him and catapulted himself into her direction. Maya tried to sidestep him, but she wasn’t fast enough. Ricky’s arm swung out as he closed in on her. He knocked her off her feet in one clean swoop.
She fell face forward into the soil. Knowing he was right behind her, she rolled to the side, avoiding him by a hairsbreadth. From the corner of her eye, she saw Gabriel run toward them. Maya pulled herself up, trying to steady her feet, but slipped in the muddy soil.