His eyes radiated pain. His next words were so soft I could barely hear them. “Any pain I feel has been brought upon me because of my own actions. And your pain is my burden as well; I have caused most of your troubles. Let us not pretend otherwise.”
“But I have forgiven you,” I said. “Isn’t that what you wanted all along?”
He stroked my curls, interlocking his fingers around the tendrils. “I have wanted your forgiveness more than anything, but I do not allow myself for even a moment to think I am worthy of it.” He paused, his head bowing. “I do not let myself believe I am worthy of you. . . .”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Then I suppose you think you are not worthy of kissing me, either,” I taunted lightly.
His eyes hardened. “You are right. But that has never stopped me before, has it?”
His lips came down on mine, and I sagged against him, immediately overwhelmed by his scent and touch. He held me against him tightly, molding our bodies together. His mouth crushed mine, drugging me with its softness. When our lips parted, my heart stopped briefly, and Gabriel’s hand flew to my chest to rest over the wavering muscle.
Briefly, I was amazed at how acute his senses were, but soon the thought was lost as his lips continued to caress my own.
It took too long for me to notice that my back was now against silk sheets. Gabriel had me pinned to the bed, and he was just as lost in me as I was in him.
His mouth left mine and drifted to my neck. I tensed, unsure.
He shuddered and pulled away, turning onto his back. He was breathing even harder than I was.
“I am sorry,” he said. “I will not bite you. Please believe me. Please do not be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” I worded carefully.
He didn’t miss my meaning. “Not of me . . .” His anger was palpable. “Did he . . . ? Kara, did he?”
I stared at the ceiling.
“Kara, please . . . ,” he said, his voice breaking. My heart burned in response to his pain.
My words were slow and whispered. “I can’t remember everything. From what I can remember, he hurt me. He chained me, stabbed me, kicked me, starved me, and he withheld water from me. He never touched me in a sexual way. He talked to me some, and I thought I saw you.” I made myself face him. “But it was actually him I saw, and the next thing I knew, you two were fighting. Gabriel, he broke our blood connection by giving me a complete blood transfusion. And I only had a shoulder wound when you saved me because he . . . he gave me his blood. I think he gave me enough to form a small blood connection between us.”
Gabriel’s eyes were haunted, the face of a man forced to watch someone he loved tortured. It took several minutes for him to compose himself enough to move, and all I could do was watch helplessly as pain, rage, and hatred warred inside his eyes.
He rose, going to a draped window. He leaned against the wall, staring at the drapes where no sun shone through. His body quivered, and I swallowed hard when he spoke.
“What am I supposed to say? Thank God he didn’t rape you, or drink your blood? Thank God you were not hurt as badly as you could have been? At least you’re alive? Nothing I say can make up for what happened. Nothing I do can make up for your suffering or make up for this life I have forced you into. And to top everything off . . . I cannot even kill him!”
Suddenly, he blurred, turning away from the window and appearing across the room. I didn’t even see him hit it, but I heard the sound as his fist made contact with the wall. Plaster went everywhere.
I sat up on the bed. “Gabriel, me loving you is not your fault. It’s not my fault, either. It just happened between us. You can say it’s because we’re Eternals, but I think it would have happened anyway, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You once told me that you couldn’t help your feelings for me, remember?”
He wouldn’t look at me. “I remember. But this is the first time I truly regret the night I took you. The night I changed everything. . . . Your pulse was like a beacon to me. When I first heard your heartbeat, it was almost like a siren call, a magnetic pounding that drew me in and begged me to take you. Now the sound is like music to me, the blissful, rapid song of your life. But if I had ignored it and waited for the sun like I’d originally planned, you would be perfectly safe.”
His words made me go cold. The thought of him burning alive was too much. And if I was being completely honest with myself, the thought of him leaving me alone that night made me feel just as cold.
“But you would be dead. . . .”
“And you would be safe.”
I took a deep breath. “I almost can’t believe what I’m about to say, but you need to listen to me. I know you won’t believe my words at first, but please listen. I no longer resent you attacking me that night, Gabriel. Yes, I wish you would have just, you know, introduced yourself instead of biting me. And sure, if you hadn’t attacked me, I probably would be safe. I probably would have married Miles, popped out a few kids, and died of cancer or old age.”
“It is what should have happened. I took that from you.”
“Yes, you did. You took me away from a normal life and thrust me into a supernatural one full of danger, blood, and love. Impossible, undying love. I never would have experienced
