Would so much time with him actually be difficult? Suddenly, I did not think it would be. Didn’t Gabriel deserve happiness? All he wanted was me, and I could give him that.
Did I not deserve to know peace as I did now? Even if all we did was stay in this room, I was almost certain it would not be hard to keep such a promise.
I could face anything with Gabriel. What he asked in return was so small in comparison to the ultimate peace he had given me in just one day. And this peace go could on forever if I desired it to.
“All right,” I said. “It’s a promise. And who knows? Maybe I’m just being silly, and I will want to live much longer than that.”
His eyes went brighter as he kissed me gently. His lips smiled against mine as I squirmed, and he broke the kiss.
“If you want a bath, just say so,” Gabriel said.
I giggled. “But I don’t have to say so. You already know. And I don’t have to ask you to come along; you already know I want you to.”
I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, winking at the bloodstained girl in the mirror. She looked ridiculous and happy.
I shook a bottle of body wash at Gabriel as he slipped inside.
“Is pomegranate a unisex smell?” I asked.
Gabriel shrugged, his eyes on my body.
I blushed, quickly turning the water on and pouring the body wash into the tub before I got distracted with other things.
“Good thing the tub is big,” I remarked quietly.
He came up behind me and ran his hand down my back. “Good thing,” he whispered into my ear.
I turned around and kissed him, the bath forgotten.
A few hours and a flooded bathroom later, we had the rooms cleaned up. We curled up in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames as we held one another.
“Maybe you should have made me promise two centuries instead of one,” I said.
Gabriel’s happiness mingled with my own. He kissed my neck, slowly running his lips across the sensitive points where my fang scars used to be.
But deep inside of him, he still worried about Elias. Elias was a lingering shadow that threatened me, and I was Gabriel’s reason for wanting to live.
“Don’t think about that right now, ok?” I said.
He buried his face into my neck. “Well, you quit having intrusive thoughts about Emma and me. It was nothing like this.”
I tried to quell my jealously. “I know. You never stayed to cuddle.”
He sighed. “I never did a lot of things with her, and cuddling is what you chose?”
A log in the fireplace hissed and popped. I watched the flames as they danced and ate the wood.
“I’m glad you killed her,” I said quietly.
Gabriel chuckled and kissed the corner of my mouth. “You intrigue me so. There is truth to your words, yet you still feel compassion for her fate.”
“I can empathize with one who has loved you,” I murmured. “I wonder if I would have acted the same. . . .”
Gabriel shuddered. He was nearly sick as a mental picture passed between us—him staking me instead of the beautiful blonde. His nausea rose within me.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I think it’s time for a change of subject.”
“That would be nice.”
“Ok, how about this? If two vampires decide to marry, is it the same type of ceremony as two humans?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.
Gabriel laughed softly. “A little late for that, isn’t it? You and I are already married. Did you skim the fine print when you read the outline about Violet Memory? It is an ancient tradition, but it still applies. When two members blood share during sex, they are married in the coven’s eyes. I tried to tell you that earlier, but you were not really listening.”
“While I did skim the fine print, I remember seeing that. And I was listening to you—kind of. Gabriel, I understand the gravity of what we’ve done. While I don’t regret it, I feel guilty when I think about Inola. I think it would make her happy to see you have an actual wedding.”
Gabriel allowed the mental pictures of vampire marriages he had attended to flit across my mind.
“As you can see, it can be either a human-like ceremony, or it can be the vampire one. Both are considered legitimate,” he said.
I ignored the human one I knew so well and pondered the vampire ceremony. It seemed so simple, yet at the same time, ancient and almost primal. There were no vows. There were no rings. Instead, the two vampires stood under a blood moon and exchanged blood with a kiss.
An image Gabriel couldn’t quite repress darted around inside our minds. A blood kiss was how Gabriel had given me his blood to turn me into a vampire.
I smiled sadly, understanding the gesture now. For a vampire to give another person their blood from their own lips was the deepest and most sincere act of love they could show to someone when it came to blood sharing.
“Next blood moon it is, then,” I said quietly. “I think Inola would really appreciate it.”
He hugged me tightly and kissed me so softly it was torture. Then he sighed against my lips.
“Do we have to discuss this now?” he asked, sensing my thoughts.
“You thought about it first. So yes, I think we should discuss it.”
“So much for peace.”
“Gabriel, we will never be able to relax as long as he is still alive. Besides, I think you want him dead even more than I do. I’ve been tossing around some ideas, and one I especially dread contemplating because it involves Olivia, but I think it will be our best option.”
Gabriel stared at the fire, the flames reflecting off of his
