I’d never told him my favorite flower was roses, but then again, I hadn’t needed to. He had been inside my mind; he had seen my soul. He knew me better than anyone else ever had or ever could.
The roses were everywhere, all of them as red as blood. Candles gave the room an intimate glow, casting shadows against the crimson petals. In front of the crackling fireplace was an easel, and on the easel was a painting of me sitting on the floor with Everest’s head on my lap. I was laughing and looking at something or someone the viewer could only guess at. There was the unmistakable look of happiness and love in my eyes and posture, and something else I couldn’t quite identify. My . . . essence? It was obvious Gabriel had captured something about me I had never even seen in myself.
I was speechless, especially when I saw the makeshift bed on the floor near the couch. The thick pile of black quilts and silk sheets were surrounded by rose petals, and I was pretty positive it was not intended for sleep.
I jumped when Gabriel stroked my upper arm.
“Kara?” His voice made my stomach squeeze nervously. Made my blood feel like it was burning.
I tried to reply, but my throat was suddenly very dry. I grew dizzy.
He pulled me closer to him, and I once again felt his pulse through my back. It was so much slower than my own, as if it were trying to calm my racing heart.
“Please, say something. Have I frightened you?” Gabriel asked.
I shook my head, unable to find my voice.
His fingertips quickly brushed under my eyes, obviously checking for tears. Finding none, his hands went to my shoulders, and he turned me to him gently. My eyes automatically went to the floor.
“Look at me.”
He was patient with me. It took me a few minutes to comply, and when I finally raised my eyes to his, what I saw surprised me.
He looked shy. Gabriel Arundel was actually feeling shy.
“I love it. Every bit of it,” I assured him.
He relaxed immediately. “See why your animals had to stay in the bedroom today?”
“Yes, I understand. Where in the world did you get all of these roses?”
He cracked a smile. “Internet. I hid everything in the garage.”
“So Thomas lied to me about staying out of the garage? There’s not really an infestation of spiders in there?”
“Not that I know of.”
I smiled at him, and my next words would have been indistinguishable to a human. “My eyes don’t look like that.”
Gabriel glanced at the painting and then back to me. “To vampire eyes they do. To humans, your eyes are just hazel. To vampires, you have the most intriguing eye color that exists. They are a kaleidoscope of blue, green, and gold.” His lips brushed the side of my mouth, making me shiver. “It’s one of my favorite things about you. I could gaze into them for eternity and be content.”
His hands ran up and down my back, feeling me tremble.
“Heart, we will not do anything you are not ready for,” he said.
“I’m not afraid of that,” I answered honestly. “I’ve wanted you for days now. Ok, maybe I am a little nervous. It’s just . . . I love you. So much. And after everything that’s happened . . . I was dying, and my memories of it are so cloudy, but I truly remember just wanting to see you one more time. Oh, Gabriel, what if he has Controlled me to do something horrible? What if I hurt you again? What if I kill you this time?” Tears formed in my eyes, and my hands moved to my temples in fists. “I’ll live in fear the rest of my life because of him!”
His hands gripped my face carefully, and my hands moved to clasp themselves over his.
“You will not hurt me,” Gabriel said. “This isn’t his moment. This is our moment, ok? He has no idea where we are, and had he Controlled you to harm me, you would have done it by now.”
I bit my lip almost to the point of drawing blood. “Gabriel, I’ve been trying to fight it. . . . And I have been, and you and Inola and Thomas have helped . . . but I am so scared.”
His face was agony. “I know you are.” He hesitated, and his next words were soft. “I can help you. I can Control you to not be afraid. I can Control you to forget what he did to you.”
“Then why haven’t you?” I asked.
“I loathe Control. I always have. And when it comes to you, I especially hate it.” He tucked a curl behind my ear. “I’ve already taken so much from you. Your free will was bound to my bedroom inside a house full of vampires.” His hand became a fist against my cheek. “How I despise the choices I make when it comes to you. In my fear of losing you, I always hurt you the most.”
I wrapped my arms around him. “Then help me in another way. Drink my blood, Gabriel. Connect to me, and help me bear this fear.”
Now Gabriel began to tremble. “The sight of blood frightens you now. We will have to be careful.”
I kissed him. I paced myself, moving my lips slowly against his, brushing them back and forth, trying to draw out the moment.
But it felt like the very air was going to collide in on itself.
“You’ve been holding back for too long,” I murmured against his lips. “I know your thirst pains you. Stop fighting it.”
My words seemed to light a fire within him.
His hands gripped me tightly, and his mouth moved with frenzied fervor against mine. Suddenly, I was against the wall, and I vaguely wondered about the makeshift bed, but the thought vanished as he kissed me deeper.
Before I even knew it was
