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  Adrian attempted to jerk his arm away from Xander. The chair he'd been sitting on tipped over with the motion. Kyle leapt to his feet, snarling and hissing in agitation. Xander kept hold of Adrian's arm, pulling him toward the bar.

  Indy, Wolf and Gabriel's enforcers formed a half circle behind Gabriel. The rest of his court stepped back, watching Gabriel and Niles in silence. Their Prince was being challenged, and everybody but the ones directly involved stayed out of it.

  Another man moved in from the crowd. He slowly advanced on Adrian as several others moved up behind Niles. Adrian's gaze followed him warily while still trying to keep an eye on the imminent fight at the same time. Twice he lost sight of the dark-haired man in the crowd. The next time Adrian saw him, the man was holding out his hand toward Adrian. Adrian saw the ripple of a brilliant yellow wave of energy before the burning blast of it threw him back, careening into the table behind him as he fell.

  Somewhere, in what was left of the recesses of his mind, Adrian fought with the after effects. He had to struggle to try to regain dominance over himself. His limbs refused to obey his commands to get up, until he willed himself to override the numbing and made it to his knees. Adrian's fingers seemed frozen to the gun in his hand. He felt no pain, but movement seemed virtually impossible. Beside him, Xander struggled, trying to throw off a woman who had jumped him. Kyle fought near Adrian, trying to tear apart one of Niles’ enforcers as Adrian mentally pushed past the effect of the attack on him. He just couldn't get to his feet yet.

  A flash of silver glinted in the light before the dagger hit Adrian's shoulder. Even with the feeling of an enormous weight trying to pull him back down, the pain grating through him gave Adrian the momentum to struggle to his feet. A heavy sensation still made his arm useless as he tried to get the gun up. Wolf suddenly appeared and dragged the woman off Xander before throwing her across the bar counter. The force sent her crashing into the back wall mirror.

  All of a sudden, Xander darted in front of Adrian. A second dagger, aimed for Adrian, hit Xander in the chest. Kyle leapt forward, landing on the knife-wielding maniac and dragged him down. Xander fell to his knees, swaying slightly before he collapsed on his side.

  Dropping to the floor, Adrian rolled Xander over onto his back. Xander's sightless eyes stared at him as Adrian shook him. A thread of Gabriel's thoughts reached for Adrian's mind, pushing through the shock.

  Blood poured from Gabriel's face as he staggered backward. Indy stood behind her Father, frantically grabbing him to keep him on his feet. Wolf ran across the room toward them. Another figure quickly launched itself at Wolf, stopping him from reaching his Father. Gabriel's youngest, Skye, tried to get to Gabriel from the opposite direction, but he was blocked as well.

  Gabriel would lose the battle; Adrian knew it in an instant. The overwhelming need he felt from Gabriel triggered a deafening roar within Adrian's mind. It filled his head as the force of his energy was pulled upward, draining from him. Adrian couldn't stop it. Swirling, blinding colors and the sensation of enormous power surrounded him, blocking out everything. A moment later, he collapsed near Xander as darkness sucked him under.

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  Chapter 13

  Disembodied voices surrounded Adrian in the haze of blackness that danced around him. Dimly, he could feel pain, but it wasn't enough to disturb him as he drifted within the blanketing darkness.

  The sound of others talking ebbed slowly in and out of his thoughts, but Adrian couldn't grasp them long enough to make sense of them. Suddenly, a soft pressure intruded for a brief moment with the touch of fingers caressing his forehead. Adrian could feel the sensation, but it seemed somehow distant, as if it weren't him it was happening to.

  "Something I already understand, Xander, but is it enough?"

  Xander? Adrian tried to move, to struggle through the hazy twilight. His limbs felt as if they had shifted before he fell back into a bare awareness of everything around him. He floated for a moment back inside it. As he surfaced from it, Adrian tried to feel where his hand was. He realized it hadn't budged at all, so he tried again. Partial reality flickered at the edges of his mind, but not enough to tell him where he was, or what was happening.

  "I wasn't certain you understood, Gabriel, and I'm not the one to answer that."

  "As long as you accept things, I will not question it. You have my acceptance as well."

  The sound of their voices began to fade. Silently, Adrian called out frantically to them, wanting to know where he was.

  A quiet, comforting warmth engulfed him, stilling the panicky feelings as Adrian felt the touch of fingers again.

  "He's trying to wake up.” It was Gabriel's hand; Adrian understood that from everything that enveloped him. The soothing cadence of Gabriel's voice completely calmed the panic. “Rest quietly, Adrian, everything is fine. You are safe now."

  Adrian couldn't stir, and he hated that, but he stopped trying. The pain continually nagged at him somewhere, and he couldn't fight against the waves trying to drag him backward into full unconsciousness.

  "You need to heal, Adrian."

  He barely heard Xander. Even as he tried to make the effort to cling to the sound of Xander's voice, Adrian tumbled back into the abyss.

  * * * *

  The silk and velvet hangings surrounding Gabriel's bed were getting to be a bad habit as Adrian finally regained consciousness. How long have I been out this time?

  A twinge of pain protested in his shoulder as he sat up, and a wave of dizziness hit him with the memory of Xander dying. His last memories of Xander were vivid in Adrian's mind as he hauled ass out of bed. His next thoughts were of Gabriel.

  "You called me, Adrian?” Gabriel strolled in the door, as casual as could be.

  The first thing that hit Adrian was relief at seeing Gabriel, and the second was questions. He ignored the first and concentrated on the questions. “What happened? Xander? Where's Kyle?"

  "They are both fine. Now,but the ones directly involved, established earlier?prairie, everything. e cabin. ng with a bird or something.of schooling tog let me make sure you are, and then I will answer your questions."

  It proved to be harder for Adrian to move than he'd thought it would be. He was wobbly on his feet and Gabriel's words completely stunned him. Even with that, he made it halfway across the room to Gabriel.

  "I told you I'm fine.” Adrian couldn't believe Gabriel had said Xander was okay. He'd seen Xander die right before he passed out. “I saw Xander die. He...” Swallowing hard against the knot in his throat, he couldn't finish.

  "I promise you, Xander is absolutely all right. Next time, I will tie you to the bed just to keep you there.” Gabriel turned him around, propelling Adrian back to the bed.

  "Gabriel, I'm fine. I swear. Tell me what happened."

  "Lie down, Adrian."

  Adrian whirled around, glaring at him. He didn't like being pushed back toward the bed.

  "Please, lie down. I only want to reassure myself you're all right. I could have lost you.” The look of pain in Gabriel's eyes startled Adrian. Without thinking, he sank down onto the bed.

  Gabriel removed a section of the bandage around Adrian's waist to examine the wound. He gently touched the raw slash, and a warm tingle skittered over Adrian's skin, aiding the healing. “The dagger that hit you was coated with a rare substance known as Witches’ Wrath. It can sap the strength of a ghoul in a matter of minutes. The liquid was used, just in case killing you outright failed."

  Pulling the bandage off, Gabriel dropped it on the nightstand.

  "I'll live."

  "Thanks to Xander, you will. If he hadn't stepped in front of you...” Gabriel trailed off. His hand remained on Adrian's shoulder, fingers brushing against the skin.

  "He tried to save me, Gabriel.” Emotional pain crashed over Adrian like a ton of rocks. He didn't understand how it could be possible that Xander would still be alive.

  "He is fine, I swear to you, Adrian."

&
nbsp; "Fine? But he was dead. I saw him.” Adrian stopped because of the tightness in his throat.

  Gabriel's hand traveled to beneath his chin, raising Adrian's face to look at him. “Xander is perfectly fine. He will explain things to you later."

  Adrian had to take Gabriel's word for it; it didn't look like Gabriel would explain further. A small flicker of hope kept the potential grief pushed away for now. As he wasn't getting any answers regarding Xander, Adrian went back to his original question. “Why were we attacked?"

  An unpleasant smile twisted Gabriel's lips, matching the cold hardening of his expression. “Robert Niles wanted my title. The one who attacked you was his full blood. Both are dead."

  A wannabe Prince and his kiddy. Vampire turf war. Great. “Earth to pissed off vampire.” He waved his hand in front of Gabriel's face.

  "Sorry, Adrian."

  "Another question for you. Before I passed out, it felt like my energy—"

  Gabriel interrupted him. “I couldn't beat him alone; I needed your help to do that.” Adrian scooted over slightly when Gabriel sat down beside him. “I called to you, and you answered by giving me your power before the poison in your system could work."

  He remembered the enormous surge and blinding flashes before he went under; it had been Gabriel's power that he'd felt combined with his own. Gabriel could call on Adrian's energy when he needed; the idea stunned Adrian. “How in the hell can you do that?"

  "We share power now that you are my Favored One. If you ever need it, you can use mine in the same manner that I did yours. But it is only temporary."

  Adrian had problems digesting that, so he didn't even think to protest when Gabriel drew him onto the vampire's lap. Everything sort of tumbled in on Adrian, and he felt even more tired than he thought possible. As Gabriel rocked him slowly within the circle of strong arms, Adrian laid his head on Gabriel's shoulder. The sound of Gabriel's heart was a reassuring solid rhythm.

  His heart? “Your heart is beating?"

  "It is an effort I make for you.” Gabriel left unspoken his desire for Adrian to see him as more human, but Adrian could imagine no other reason why Gabriel would do that.

  "Did you know this would happen before you made me your ghoul?” Everything confused the hell out of Adrian, to the point where his brain wasn't sure it wanted to function.

  "A normal mortal would have increased the strength of my power somewhat, but I believed that you might do even more because of your special abilities. My blood would make yours stronger, and in turn mine would grow. I wasn't sure how strong it would be, or if it would work, Adrian."

  "Bastard."

  Gabriel drew Adrian's head back to his shoulder. Sleep claimed Adrian before he could add anything else. It helped bury the hurt he felt.

  * * * *

  Gabriel wasn't there the next time Adrian woke up. Gabriel had obviously tucked him in. He was curled up in the bed, covered to his ears. Yawning, he stretched and saw Xander sitting in a chair beside the bed. He looked very much alive. Adrian stared at him in disbelief, and then quickly sat up, scooting over to him. “Xander?"

  "Good morning, Adrian."

  "Are you all right?” Adrian could see a vague apprehension about Xander that puzzled him. He couldn't believe Xander was still alive. He knew what dead looked like, and Adrian couldn't understand Xander's current behavior. It was also a stupid question to ask; Xander looked completely fine except for the unease. But some reassurance to Adrian would come in handy.

  Hesitantly, Xander said, “I know you want me to explain what happened, but I don't know how to say it."

  "Then out with it, just tell me. I know I saw you dead, but you're not.” Adrian's hand covered Xander's, trying to help him. Adrian also knew Xander wasn't a vampire, ghoul, or a were. Something was there, but Adrian didn't understand what.

  Xander took a deep breath, before exhaling in a sigh. His gaze fixed on the hand over his. “Do you know anything about mummies?"

  "Mummies. As in the myth, bandages and all?"

  "Not exactly. Mummies are extremely rare. There are no bandages, but we do have immortality. There is no true death unless you know exactly how to kill us.” He still refused to look at Adrian.

  Now Adrian understood the odd sense of energy around Xander. He didn't understand everything, but it had a name attached to it. His brain tried to work from there.

  Xander continued to explain, “When the dagger hit me, my body died. My soul needed to leave my body. Luckily, the damage to the body wasn't severe. I was able to return to it pretty fast, once it healed. If the damage is bad enough, it can take decades for my body to reform."

  Another species linked to the dead in a way. How many were out there? “I've never heard of such a thing."

  "Not many know. We like it that way. But there is one other thing."

  "More?"

  Xander swallowed hard. “When I died, my soul needed to enter someone. But my host died in the fight, and I had no time to find a new one."

  It sounded like he expected Adrian to hate him for saying that. Interrupting him before he could continue, Adrian said, “I take it your soul entered me while I was out of it. Xander, I thought you were dead because you tried to protect me. If your soul needed a place to hide out, that's fine."

  Xander still regarded him warily.

  "There's more, right? Well, out with it."

  "When your body accepted, you became my new host; you are part of my ka now. You are the one who keeps my soul from escaping when my body dies."

  Could he take anymore? Somewhere, his mind said “Not really.” “Does that mean, whenever you die, your soul will come to me?"

  Xander nodded, tensely waiting in his seat as if expecting Adrian to rant and rave at him.

  "Can you choose another?” Adrian dug around for a few more facts.

  "Not until you die, Adrian."

  Well, with any luck, that would be a really long time in coming. Adrian's hand covered Xander's again, gently squeezing. “You saved my life. What's a little soul receiving between friends? I'm all right with it, Xander."

  There, he'd said it. Adrian did mind, but he bet he'd get used to it. Xander was a decent guy, and Adrian already cared quite a bit for him. Standing, he pulled Xander to him, hugging Xander tightly. Xander returned the hug as if he would never let go.

  * * * *

  Two hours after Adrian had managed to convince Xander everything was fine, he returned to his apartment. He tossed his keys, mail, and the paper on the stand by the front door. In the kitchen, he dropped the shopping bags on the counter before heading back outside to help Kyle bring the rest in. Double the groceries meant more work.

  Fifteen bags later, Kyle started putting everything away while Adrian got some juice and checked the answering machine. Since he hadn't been home in a few days, he expected to see the light blinking because the tape was full.

  The first message was from Gray, wanting a call ASAP. The next was Cas asking him what was going on with Gabriel. How'd she find out about him? The other messages were Charlie wanting to know more about Adrian's love life with a vampire, and a dour Yar asking if Adrian knew how deep he was being buried.

  Damn, what the hell was going on? Even his mother had gotten in on it. Her message was the longest. She went on and on about living with the shame of her son carrying on with a vampire. How could she hold her head up? Plus similar guilt trip inducing phrases Adrian had heard all of his life. After listening to enough, he shut it off and picked up the phone, dialing Cas. She would be the most levelheaded, and Adrian wanted to know how everybody had suddenly found out about Gabriel.

  "Cas, it's Adrian. I got your message."

  "I wondered why you hadn't told me what was going on, and it was a shock reading about it, Adrian."

  "That's because nothing is going on. What are you talking about?"

  "You haven't seen the newspaper, have you? Try page seven. At least you didn't make the headlines."

  "Give me a minute.�
� Shouldering the phone, he grabbed the paper and opened it to page seven. Scanning the page, he couldn't miss the pictures. One showed Gabriel with an arm around Adrian, and both of them were watching Nikolai standing near them. The other showed a shot of Gabriel, leaning in to kiss Adrian's forehead, a nice little close up. The caption beneath identified everyone, and hinted at the romance of the century brewing in their fair city. It was nothing more than pure speculation and gossip.

  "Damn. They were taken at the club when we were meeting with Nikolai, Cas.” Closing the paper, Adrian tossed it back to the stand.

  "And the great romance?"

  "Not an ounce of truth. It was just a stupid meeting I agreed to attend because some bigwigs were coming from out of town. One of them wanted to buy me, and Gabriel staked claim.” He grumbled, definitely put out.

  "Your life is getting more exciting than mine is. I'm going to have to start hanging around you more often.” Cas was getting a serious kick out of this, he could tell just by her tone.

  "Believe me, you wouldn't like it. Just take my word for it, Cas."

  "Oh, come on, Adrian. I'm looking at those pictures right now. Two men that gorgeous are worth getting dragged out of the house for."

  "And I'd keep one of them, if he wasn't who he is. My mother must have read the article, and Gray, too.” Adrian had already figured a way to turn this one to his advantage with his mom. She was the one who called him every couple of days just to ask who he was dating. Now he could rub it in that she knew. It'd be good for at least three months of quiet from her.

  "And just about everybody else you know. I doubt if many of your friends missed this one. And I sympathize with you on your mom, but Gray will be harder to get off your back than her."

  "Thanks for the words of encouragement, you've been a great help."

  "You're more than welcome anytime, ole man. You had better call your mom before she gets too far out of hand. And get back with me later, will you?"

  "Yeah, yeah. I'll think about calling you later.” With a laugh, he hung up and then dialed Gray's number. Talking to Gray would be harder than Adrian's mom would be, so Adrian dealt with it first.