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  No wonder Gabriel had wanted him to stay around. Double damn, he really didn't want to see this, but he couldn't get out of there gracefully. The sound of the woman's moan reached Adrian as she lifted her hand to the man's head, holding him at her throat. Her expression was a taut mask of pleasure as her body twisted slightly before shuddering. The vocalizations from her joined with the low growl of the vampire. They were lost to everything and in their own little world, no matter that the entire room found themselves a witness to it. When he finally lifted his head, a whimper of protest came from her, and the lights dimmed completely.

  Adrian could feel the play of Gabriel's finger drifting slowly back and forth against the side of his throat. As the lights brightened, Gabriel leaned toward Adrian, whispering, “I have wanted to taste you ever since that first night, Adrian."

  The low tone sent an immediate quivering through Adrian. Trying to ignore it, Adrian focused on Wolf and Allie. Their heads were bent slightly toward one another as they conversed quietly. He felt a fluttering in the pit of his stomach, and his heartbeat began an erratic pace. As Gabriel drew his head back, his hand captured Adrian's, slowly turning it to expose his wrist and raising it to his lips. The sharp tips of his fangs pressed slightly into Adrian's skin.

  The only thing Adrian could do was whisper, “Please, not here."

  The fierce hunger quickly dimmed in Gabriel's azure eyes, forced to retreat by the words. As he raised his head, a faint strain on his features showed the effort it cost him. Adrian understood that hunger and the price of denying it.

  "It is not just blood, Adrian. There is more than that to it. You understand now, don't you?"

  Part of Adrian wanted free of it, the other half wanted to drown in everything Gabriel could offer him. Thankfully, Allie's voice disrupted his thoughts. “I hope you don't mind, Adrian. I can catch up with you later."

  "What?” He blinked at her, realizing he must have missed something.

  "I need to get a bite to eat since I missed dinner. All right if I catch up with you later? We should be back before the others get here."

  The things Adrian wanted to say to that went unsaid. “Sure, Allie."

  Grinning, completely ignoring the warning look he sent her, she stood with Wolf, heading toward the door.

  Adrian really wasn't happy that she was taking off with Wolf.

  "Wolf will not harm your friend, I promise."

  "I realize that, Gabriel, but just in case, I will hold you to your promise.” He felt fairly sure Wolf would behave, but there was always the off chance something would happen.

  "And when will you realize I will not hurt you, either?” A faintly brooding quality descended over Gabriel's face.

  Silence stretched between them as Adrian tried to find the words. “That isn't what I'm afraid of.” He already knew Gabriel wouldn't hurt him; it was everything else. “What do you want from me?” Adrian wanted the answer to try to make sense of things that were becoming blurry to him.

  "Only what you are willing to give.” Gabriel's searching gaze traveled slowly over Adrian's face. “Whatever you will give me."

  "And if I don't give you anything?"

  "Then you don't, but I will never stop trying to reach you, Adrian."

  "I believe you want more of me than I am willing to give. You want everything I am; that is not something I'm up to.” Adrian drew the words out, not really wanting to say them.

  "If that is what the future brings, then so be it.” Gabriel remained unperturbed by his words.

  "You want everything and give only lust in return."

  "Lust?” A hint of anger made Gabriel's tone rise. “Is that all you believe I am capable of?"

  "You're a vampire."

  Gabriel's bitter laugh surprised him. “Being a vampire is no safeguard from emotions. In us, they are not only present, they are far stronger than you can understand."

  A twinge of doubt nagged at Adrian as he considered what Gabriel said. “Then what is it you feel, Gabriel?"

  He smiled faintly at Adrian but his expression shuttered, betraying nothing. “I feel whatever it is I wish to feel."

  Gabriel had neatly avoided the question in his own way. That puzzled Adrian. Usually Gabriel could be very blunt about things. Rethinking their conversation, Adrian realized Gabriel hadn't told him exactly what the vampire wanted from him, either.

  Taking his hand, Gabriel slid out of the booth, pulling Adrian with him. “Come with me, Adrian. There are some things I would like you to see."

  Adrian didn't expect the change of subject, but he followed along as Gabriel led him through the bar. Xander had been watching them the whole time; Adrian only became aware of it as they passed by him. Xander leaned against the wall near the bar, his arms folded over his chest. The look he gave Adrian had a knowing hint to it, as if he understood something Adrian didn't. Adrian just shook his head at Xander before moving down the hall with Gabriel.

  Gabriel drew him downstairs to the vampire's sanctuary. This place was guarded like Fort Knox, the door to it hidden behind a panel in Gabriel's office. The rest of the underground complex could be accessed from the conference room upstairs, but this section was private, and its existence, it seemed, was known only to a very few.

  Adrian had never seen this room before. There were various pieces of antique furniture, statuary, knick-knacks and even paintings. Adrian walked over to one of the portraits of Gabriel to study it. The young face astonished him. The hair and eyes were the same, but a carefree, youthful innocence lightened Gabriel's face. Something Adrian had never imagined Gabriel having. The artist had captured it in Gabriel extremely well.

  "I had just turned eighteen when my father commissioned that. Ten years before I was changed."

  Adrian found himself wondering what Gabriel had been like when he'd been alive. Compared to the picture, Gabriel looked slightly older and nowhere near as carefree, yet Gabriel really didn't seem to have changed all that much. Up until now, Adrian had never really thought of Gabriel as ever being human. “What was your life like?"

  "I was born in 1544. A far different age than now, but my father was titled, and I lived a very ideal childhood. My mother was a very beautiful and loving woman. Most of those well to do around me were raised by servants; however, my mother thought differently.

  She died when I was twenty-two. Everything seemed to end then, especially for my father. In a space of moments, I saw him age before my eyes and become withdrawn. After the funeral, he refused to speak to anyone, and shortly after, he killed himself."

  Adrian watched the play of emotions before he moved to Gabriel. Taking the vampire's hand, he curled his fingers around it, giving his own show of sympathy and understanding.

  "It was a long time ago, Adrian."

  "Who changed you, Gabriel?” Adrian released Gabriel's hand to wander around the room. He had never bothered asking Gabriel questions about his past, but many things in the room made him very curious.

  "My creator was a very ambitious man, and my estate was a rich one. One night, I went gaming in one of the notorious hellholes with a few of my friends. In the middle of one of the games, I passed out. The next night I woke up as I am now. Later, I found out my friends were members of Diocourides’ Society, and they had drugged me. Alistair fed me his blood with the formula, and I managed to live."

  Confused, Adrian said, “I thought if you weren't willing, the formula wouldn't work."

  "That is a misconception the society has never bothered to correct, and Diocourides never wanted it known."

  As he listened to Gabriel, he ran his hand over a large wooden box. The dark wood was intricately detailed and smooth, the design of ancient origin. When Adrian opened it, the glitter of gemstones sparkled in the light.

  "Oh my lord.” Astonished by the overabundance of jewelry and loose stones, he picked up one of the necklaces. The delicate filigree of silver, set with emeralds the size of the tip of his finger, gleamed in the light.

  "Each piece
has its own history, everything in the room does. That necklace was a favorite of Elizabeth I, given to her by a paramour."

  Adrian very carefully replaced the necklace and shut the lid. He hadn't meant to sidetrack the conversation with jewels. “Is Alistair still alive?"

  "He is. He reigns over Paris now.” The terse way Gabriel spoke matched the tight, withdrawn look on his face.

  "Something you'd prefer not to talk about."

  "It is not a pleasant subject, Adrian.” A bitter smile twisted Gabriel's lips, but no other emotion showed.

  Adrian had already learned the face Gabriel used to hide things, so he left off with the questions. He knew Gabriel wouldn't answer what he didn't want to. Two miniature portraits caught Adrian's eye. The first showed a young woman holding a young boy in her lap. The second picture showed a woman sitting with two children. Her hair seemed almost white, yet she looked about twenty-five at the most. The young girl, no more than three, was seated in her lap and had the same odd coloring as the woman. A dark haired boy of around eight stood by her side.

  He picked up the first one, examining it more closely. A smilingly sweet serenity framed the young woman's face as she held her child. The resemblance between the raven-haired woman and young boy was striking enough to tell him this was a mother with her son. Her head was slightly turned, caught for eternity in a soft kiss brushed to the child's hair.

  "My mother.” Gabriel took the small portrait from Adrian's hand.

  "The child is you?” The child in the portrait couldn't have been more than five, and it was hard for Adrian to swallow, seeing Gabriel as a little boy.

  Gabriel nodded as he set it down.

  "The other picture?"

  "My wife and children.” The low tone had no inflection or emotion.

  He glanced quickly over at Gabriel in shock. It was a lot of information to digest, and Adrian wasn't sure how to take any of it. The thought of Gabriel growing up and even being married seemed alien to Adrian. He couldn't ask anymore on the subject.

  Turning away from the miniatures, he intently studied some of the small statues. One in particular held his attention, as it was of Sekhmet.

  Gabriel moved behind him, placing both hands on his shoulders. “I told you, it was a very long time ago, Adrian. This place is no more than memories. They are precious, but they do not feed the soul."

  The familiar silkiness had returned to Gabriel's voice as his head bent to the side of Adrian's throat. Adrian shivered slightly with the trailing touch of Gabriel's lips.

  "What are you feeling?” Gabriel whispered before nipping lightly at his skin. A dart of longing jittered through Adrian, refusing to be ignored.

  Good question. He had no clue as he tried to form the stray thoughts into words. Gabriel's actions distracted him. “You want me in your bed. That isn't something I can do."

  "You want me, though, I can smell that."

  He turned to face Gabriel, searching for something Adrian wasn't sure he understood. “It's not enough, Gabriel. And everything else is too much."

  To Adrian, lust wasn't enough. Even if Gabriel had been living, it wouldn't have been enough. Everything else required would be too much for Adrian to contemplate with a vampire.

  "I will not give up, Adrian; my patience is endless.” Gabriel dropped a soft kiss to Adrian's lips, and then took his hand, leading him back upstairs.

  When they returned to the bar, Gabriel left him with Kyle to attend to a minor dispute between two of his court. Kyle stood next to Adrian, practically jammed against his side. Adrian had gotten Kyle over his habit of growling at every vampire he saw, but the were eyed Nikolai warily as the first formula approached them.

  He couldn't blame Kyle because Nikolai put him on guard, too. Adrian had already been through enough, and he'd bet Nikolai had been behind Robert Niles’ attack.

  "I had heard you charmed a were, Adrian."

  "Yeah.” Adrian wasn't much up to being polite to Nikolai.

  "They would make very effective guards. You must tell me how you managed it."

  "I'm nice to him.” Smirking at Nikolai, Adrian wondered how much trouble the vampire would have with the concept. Kyle stayed stiffly silent and out of the conversation.

  "How do you control him, then?” Nikolai moved closer to Adrian, taking his hand. Vampires, in their own way, were as touchy feely as weres. However, in vampires, touch would often as not denote possession. Not in this case as Nikolai didn't own him, though Nikolai wanted to. Technically, Gabriel owned Adrian.

  Adrian shrugged, resisting the urge to yank his hand away. He couldn't answer as he didn't control Kyle, so he stayed silent.

  Nikolai continued, his tone filled with an intimate invitation that had nothing to do with the words spoken. The color of his eyes slowly changed to a molten silver hue, edged in black. “You impress me very much, Adrian."

  Christ, Nikolai's eyes were fascinating. Like staring at a cobra. You should look away, but it had your attention. Not to mention if you looked away it might strike, repellent yet captivating. Smiling slowly, Nikolai exposed the tips of his fangs, dazzling white against his lips. His thumb ran lightly back and forth across Adrian's palm.

  "I lengthened my stay here just to learn more about you. So far, the Romanorum has not questioned my decision to remain."

  He stayed longer because of me? That part really threw Adrian. Shit, it made him feel bad for the other vamps around him. He wasn't the only one Nikolai made nervous and twitchy.

  "What will it take to get you out of here?"

  "Now, that would be easy enough to accomplish, if you agreed to join me for a week. I have a beautiful place in Colorado I'm sure you would enjoy seeing."

  "I don't think—"

  Nikolai didn't let him finish. “It would be a pity if you turned me down, Adrian. The others are growing even more restless, and they will most likely continue to test Gabriel. I might be tempted to do so myself."

  Adrian didn't need the faint warning in Nikolai's tone to tell him what Nikolai was trying to do. The temptation rose to shoot Nikolai right where he stood and have done with it, but Adrian knew that would mean all out war. “You mean, you'll clear out if I spend a week with you?"

  Kyle started growling in warning, clearly not liking the suggestion.

  "Kyle, why don't you go talk to Jade?"

  The growling stopped as Kyle muttered, “I'm fine where I am."

  "Please, Kyle. I can take care of this.” Adrian figured Kyle wouldn't know when he told a lie, and Kyle would be better off not hearing the discussion.

  He gave Adrian an abrupt nod before he reluctantly walked off toward Jade. She was one of the few Adrian really trusted around Kyle. He thought she actually had a bit of a crush on the were.

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  Chapter 16

  "Certainly, things will calm down when I leave, that is a given. If I stay, I can't guarantee the behavior of the others.” Nikolai continued as if Kyle hadn't interrupted.

  "If I do agree, what are the rules?"

  "Rules?” Nikolai looked liked he had no concept of the notion.

  "Rules like no snacking on the mortals or feeding them blood, no use of force, no torturing. You know, that sort of thing.” Adrian couldn't believe he was contemplating going along with this, but Nikolai wasn't leaving him much choice.

  "Of course, I would not torture you, Adrian. That is understood."

  "Not by me. What about the rest?"

  "It will be as you wish.” Nikolai didn't seem to have any problem agreeing to the conditions, and it made Adrian wonder how well he would stick to them.

  "When it's over, I come back here, and you go on your merry way to wherever it is you are going, right?"

  "You have my word it will be so."

  He had to wonder what Nikolai's word would be worth, but if Nikolai reneged on any of it Adrian could shoot him, and nobody would take exception. Well, Nikolai would, but nobody else would. Moreover, the Romanorum would back G
abriel if Nikolai broke any part of the bargain. “And we get left alone to live happily ever after? No retaliation if you don't like what happens?"

  "If you wish to leave by then, I won't stop you, Adrian."

  When Adrian saw Allie had returned, he tried to signal her to get her ass over to him. He kept his head turned slightly away from Nikolai so the vampire wouldn't see his desperate facial contortions in Allie's direction. Thankfully, Allie got the message and headed over to them.

  "Three days, Nikolai, providing I bring some backup."

  Allie and Wolf joined them as Nikolai nodded to Adrian in agreement, a begrudging admiration lighting his eyes.

  "Allie, how charming to see you.” Smiling widely at her, Adrian continued, “Let me introduce you to Nikolai. Nikolai, this is a business acquaintance of mine, Allie Kingston."

  Wolf didn't say a word about Adrian's strange behavior, and Adrian hoped Allie would get his message in the bizarre behavior and words.

  Immediately, she smiled at Nikolai, offering her hand to him. “Delighted to meet you."

  Nikolai took her hand, raising it to his lips. “The pleasure is mine, Allie."

  The subtle caress over her name brought out a shiver in Allie. At least Adrian wasn't the only one there with that problem. Nikolai released her hand before stepping back. “If you will excuse me, I must attend to a few matters."

  When he'd walked far enough away, Allie started in, “All right, what's up?"

  "How soon can you get a charm for me, Allie? I'll explain it all later."

  "One that strong? A day at least. It's going to have to be a really good ward for that guy."

  The moment he saw Gabriel's face, Adrian could tell by the mounting fury that Nikolai had opened his mouth. “Fuck,” he muttered as Gabriel came striding toward them, his features set in a towering rage.

  "Adrian, what is going on?"

  Nikolai strolled more leisurely behind Gabriel, clearly enjoying the show.