"Patricia."
My name held a world of hurt. He reached one arm beseechingly toward me. I shook my head, my whole body going numb. I tossed the paper towel in the trash because I needed to do something other than look at him.
"Why do you fear me? I am no different than Lorcan or Eva or any of the other vampires who share my abilities."
"Lorcan was cured, so he's not a beast anymore. And Eva isn't a werewolf."
His eyes widened. "They didn't tell you."
I frowned, not really wanting to know what I hadn't been told.
"The cure for the Taint comes from the blood of royal lycanthropes," he said quietly. "But there is a side effect. The vampires who survive the cure retain the ability to shape-shift."
He sure sounded like he believed the malarkey coming out of his mouth. My friends would've told me the truth about something so important. Yet the werewolf side effect would explain why the Consortium hadn't released the cure to all vampires seeking it.
"Is that what happened to you?" I asked.
"No." He grimaced. "I was born with this ... anomaly."
A lycanthrope born with vampire tendencies? How in the world had such a thing happened? I didn't know what to believe or how to feel. Well, okay. I was insanely attracted to Gabriel, which upset me far more than his unusual parentage. Even now, though I was scared of him, I wanted to touch him. I wanted to make him feel better. Damn. His wounds had not closed. Blood flowed onto the chair and pooled around its base.
"Why haven't you healed?" I asked.
"Demon scratches are poisonous, even to mutants such as I." His words held bitterness. He sucked in a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "You shouldn't be alone. You're not safe."
That's right. Darrius was supposed to be watching me. Then I realized he'd probably gone off after Wilson. Good dog. "Why did you risk coming here again?"
His eyes flickered open. "To claim you."
"I'm not checked baggage." I put my hands on my hips and looked him over. All Gabriel needed was a little blood to help him heal. I really wanted to get closer to him - and that uncontrollable urge to be near him confused me. Terrified me.
I looked at Nonna and Dottie floating above us, hanging on to every word. "Find something else to do," I told them. For a minute, they looked as if they might protest. Nonna rolled her eyes and Dottie sighed, then pop, they were gone.
Uneasy, I approached Gabriel. He watched me, his expression solemn. I gripped the armrests, leaned down, and offered my neck. His lips brushed my skin. I felt electrified by that single, soft touch. Then his fangs sank into my neck and he drank.
Oh, God. My fingernails dug into the vinyl as I tried to keep my balance. Heat pulsed through me, and desire exploded. I wanted to crawl onto Gabriel's lap and devour him.
I don't remember my Turning; few of us Turn-bloods did. I couldn't recall drinking from my Master. Since then, I've never had a reason to share my blood with another vampire.
I didn't know the sensations were so erotic. Vaguely, I wondered about my donors - if they always felt this intense rush of pleasure when I drank from them. Did this terrible, aching need build within them? Was I experiencing normal reactions? Or was I responding to Gabriel?
Delicious, beautiful, dangerous Gabriel.
I couldn't stop myself. I maneuvered onto his lap, my legs dangling off the sides of the chair. I didn't care about the blood staining my jeans and shirt. I pressed closer, my hands clutching at his broad shoulders.
His hands cupped my buttocks, and he brought me against the hard-on bulging in his jeans.
I moaned. He felt so good, so right. I never wanted this moment to end.
Then it did.
"No!" I couldn't bear for him to stop. Damn it!
His fangs receded, but his lips stayed on that spot. His tongue flicked across my neck. Lust burned bright and hot.
I cupped his face and kissed him. His lips were soft, plump. He tasted like blood and that reminded me that I hadn't eaten, either. The coppery taste inflamed me. As our tongues thrust against each other, I stroked his chest, which was smooth and firm. He's healed! wiggled through my fogged brain. Yay! He could do more naughty things to me.
"Patricia," he murmured. He grasped my wrists and pulled me away. "I know our destiny. I will happily mate with you, but I don't think you're ready."
Mate. Yeah. That sounded like a fine idea. I tugged my hands free and yanked the top of his jeans. The metal buttons popped off and the material parted, revealing the top of his large cock. My fingertips danced along the mushroomed head and then I caressed the sensitive ridge.
He sucked in a sharp breath. "Patricia." He let me dip my hand inside his pants, then growled in frustration. "Damn it!"
He grabbed the armrests and yanked them off. They clattered to the floor. Then he plucked me from his lap and set me on my feet. He scrambled from the chair and put his hands out in a "stop" gesture.
Someone rattled the front door of the salon. I ignored the racket and stepped toward Gabriel. His expression was caught between amusement and desperation. Blood streaked his torso and his jeans were still open. His hair had come loose again.
"You'd better answer the door," he said. "I'll hide in the bathroom."
Frustration roared through me. After he hurried into the bathroom, which was located just a few feet away in the back of the shop, I started to regain my senses. The fog of lust lifted and I felt as if I'd been released from a magic spell. Jeez. Our proximity caused me to go wild woman on him. What was wrong with me?
Rattled by my behavior and annoyed by the persistence of the unexpected customer, I turned around and marched to the door. I flicked open the bolt and the person on the other side swung into the shop.
"Why haven't you answered your cell phone?" yelled Drake.
I pushed him back through the door and shut it behind me. He looked surprised, but I wasn't about to explain why I was hiding a Consortium-wanted fugitive. Mostly because I didn't know.
"My cell phone is on." I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and looked down at the slim device. "Oh. Well, sorry." I turned it on. "There. Problem solved. Is Darrius watching Wilson?"
"Ja." Drake's nostrils flared. "What happened to your shirt?"
I looked down at my clothing. Blood from Gabriel's wounds had stained my T-shirt and jeans. "I ... uh, cut myself. I'll go change my clothes after I'm done in the shop."
His gaze narrowed. "Is someone in there?"
"Is it your business if there is?" I asked tartly. I was relieved that Darrius was tracking Wilson, but now I was worried about protecting the other man in my life. "Can't a girl date around here?"
"Date? You?"
Maybe not the best lie I could've told, considering everyone knew about my ex-husband and my feelings about relationships.
I put a hand on my hip and glared at him. "Do you want something?"
"Who is the lucky man?" His jade green eyes studied my face and he grinned wickedly. "If such a thing were possible between our kind and yours, I would've asked you out a long time ago."
My mouth dropped open. As much as I flirted with him and his brother, I'd never thunk either one of him took it seriously. He was probably yanking my chain, hoping I'd give up the identity of my new beau.
"Well, aren't you sweet, you liar." I made a shooing motion. "I got work to do and I don't want you shedding on my clean floor."
He pressed his hand against his heart. "You wound me, Liebling."
"Drake," I said warningly, "if you don't go away, the next time I groom you, I'll shave you bald."
He put his hands up in the air and stepped back. "I would not dream of angering my stylist. But I will be watching you, Patsy. Damian's orders. "
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. So long as you do it outside."
He nodded. "Deal." He walked to the concrete-block wall and leaned against it. "I'm only a scream away."
"Terrific." I returned to the shop. I looked at the closed bathroom door and pressed a hand against my roiling belly. Panic gurgled.
How the hell was I going to get Gabriel out of here?
Before I could answer my own question, the door opened. I whirled around to give Drake what for, but he wasn't the one coming into my shop.
The lady looked like Lucy Liu except she was taller and had no freckles. Her dark brown hair cascaded in thick ringlets to her ass. Jewels sparkled in the sleek strands. Her lips were bloodred and her almond-shaped eyes doe brown. The gold, knee-length dress she wore screamed expensive and so did the black calf boots. Gold bracelets pinged together as she sashayed past me.
As beautiful as the woman was, she carried with her a stench so bad, my eyes started watering. Hovering above her left shoulder was a black smudge. Within it were two white orbs. Ick. Eyeballs. And they were looking at me.
"We're closed," I said.
"I don't need your services," she sneered. Her delicate brow furrowed as she glanced around my shop. It wasn't fancy, but it was clean and tidy. Her arrogant glance assessed me. "You are a messy eater, my dear."
I looked down at my clothing. Blood from Gabriel's wounds had stained my T-shirt and jeans. Well, let her think I'd just devoured a donor. It wasn't any of her business.
"Like I said, we're closed. Door's this way, in case you forgot." I hitched my thumb over my shoulder toward the front of the shop.
Her gaze landed on the closed bathroom door, and then she turned and sauntered toward me. Good God! That awful smell filled up the whole room.
The woman looked at me as though she was a scientist examining an alien. "I've found Broken Heart to be very quaint." She smiled beguilingly. "I can't believe that Lorcan and Patrick haven't already tired of their little business endeavor. "
I wasn't particularly fond of the Consortium or its rules, but her condemnation got my back up. It was like picking on my sister - that was my job and no one else's.
She was obviously waiting for a response, but I didn't give her one. How many times did a person have to be told to leave? Her gaze was flat and cold. Her smile was as fake as my particle wood entertainment center. "I'm Magnolia Blossom."
"It's a shame to walk around with a name like that. I guess your parents didn't like you much."
She blinked at me, her pretty little mouth hanging open. "My real name is Hua Mu Lan. The founder of the Family Hua. I'm one of the Ancients."
"That's fantastic," I said in a tone that suggested the opposite. "Do you need shampoo or something?"
I really wanted her to leave. I didn't like her attitude, or the creepy thing hanging around her shoulder, or her horrible stench. If I'd had the ability to breathe, I would be running outside to gulp in fresh air. Jess had once told me that her nose had gone crazy after Turning. To this day, she said ol' Doc Michaels smelled like a ham and cheese sandwich. I wondered if I was experiencing something similar.
"Might I use your bathroom?" she asked. "I'd like to freshen up."
"The toilet's backed up," I lied. "It stinks to high heaven in there."
"Oh, I don't mind." She turned and headed toward the bathroom. Now, why did I believe she knew Gabriel was in there? And if she did, why was she looking for him?
I didn't know how to stop her, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I grabbed her shoulder and yanked her backward.
My palm felt like it had melded to her. Power zapped down my arm and surged hot and electric through my whole body.
What the hell?
Magnolia Blossom whirled around. Two short, sharp daggers shot out from her sleeves and into her hands. She pointed them at me. As if that wasn't scary enough, flames rolled over the blades.
"Stupid little Turn-bloods like you should mind their manners."