Gabriel popped open the bottle and took a big gulp. The thick liquid coated his throat. Damn it felt good. He’d felt drained. Maya had taken a good two pints out of him, but he hadn’t had the heart to stop her. The doc had warned him, but he knew that her instinct would tell her how much she needed. When she’d finally stopped, she’d fallen back into a deep sleep. Her breathing was better now, and her heartbeat had sped up. The signs were good.
“You’re right,” his boss agreed. “Gabriel, I want you to do something for me.”
Gabriel looked straight at him. “What’s that?”
“I’ve decided to take Delilah on a short vacation until Maya is more stable. Call me overly cautious, but I could never forgive myself if she got attacked just because Maya can’t control her urges yet. After all, Delilah is the only human in the house and Maya will be drawn to her blood.”
There was a small pause and Gabriel noticed how a soft smile crept around Samson’s lips. With a twinkle in his eyes, Samson continued, “And I of all people know how tempting her blood is.”
“You’re one lucky son of a bitch, Samson.” Gabriel grinned and for a moment forgot all his troubles. It was good to see his friend so happy.
“Don’t I know it. I want you to stay here – Carl is making up the master bedroom for you. We’re taking Oliver with us.”
“You’re taking a human bodyguard?” Oliver, a human, was Samson’s personal assistant and took care of all his daytime needs.
“For Delilah. I’m sure she’ll want to see some sights during the day while I have to stay indoors. I don’t want to deprive her of the occasion.
Oliver will keep her safe.”
“I understand.”
Samson looked back at the bed. “Maya needs to be watched twenty-four-seven. Thomas, Zane and Yvette will be around to assist you. I’m sending Quinn back to New York. He can run headquarters during your absence.”
Gabriel had no reservations about Quinn taking over New York, yet – “You sure about Zane?”
“He’s your best man. You know how to keep him in line.”
Samson was right, but having Zane around Maya made Gabriel feel uneasy. He couldn’t pinpoint why. Zane was the meanest fighting machine he’d ever met, and having him on his side meant having the best protection available.
“I’ve also alerted Amaury, and he’s offered to help, even though I’m sure he’d rather do something else.”
Gabriel smirked. “I’ll avoid calling him in on this – I’d rather not be at the receiving end of Nina’s wrath. That woman sure has a mouth on her.”
Samson laughed. “And she needs it to tame Amaury. But honestly, if you need him, call him. I’m sure he’s got his ways of calming Nina down when she gets a little too wild.”
Gabriel didn’t want to think of it, since for certain Amaury’s ways would involve sweaty marathon sex – it wasn’t an image he needed right now. Not with the most perfect woman lying only feet away from him – helpless and vulnerable. His groin tightened at the memory of how her body had felt pressed to his when he’d fed her.
“You okay?” Samson asked.
Gabriel shifted in his chair to hide his growing erection. “Sure. I’ll take care of things. Once she’s awake and has accepted the change, I’ll find out what happened. Maybe she can give us a description of the guy.
She has to have seen something.”
“Good. Carl will be here when you need him, and Drake is supposed to stop by every night to check on her. He called a few minutes ago.”
Gabriel raised his eyebrows in inquiry. Yet, he felt no guilt for having been so harsh with the doctor earlier. “What did he want?”
“He forgot to tell you what to do when she comes round. She needs to get human blood within six hours of waking or her thirst will get too much for her and she’ll turn crazy. I doubt it will be a problem feeding her – she’ll be famished, and her instincts in the first few hours will be so sharp that you won’t be able to keep her away from the blood. I suggest giving her the bottled stuff. It worked well for Carl.”
Gabriel nodded. “Is the pantry stocked?”
“I’ve sent Carl out for more supplies, but there’s plenty for you and her.”
A sound from downstairs made them both look toward the door.
“And another thing,” Samson added, “keep Ricky out of it. I think the breakup with Holly is really hitting him hard. Frankly, I was a little surprised when he told me that she broke it off with him. I always thought she was the one who was really into the relationship.”
“Goes to show, you never know what goes on inside a person,”
Gabriel agreed.
“Anyway, I’ve instructed everybody to give him some space. The guys will only take orders from you.”
“Understood.”
Voices drifted upstairs. With a move of his head, Samson pointed downstairs. “Looks like we’ve got company. Let’s fill them in.”
The voices in her dream didn’t completely disappear. While they seemed to have left her immediate area, Maya could still hear them further away. She chuckled in her sleep, feeling like the bionic woman who could hear people talking from two-hundred yards away. How funny would that be? She would be able to hear what her patients said before she even entered the exam room.
She couldn’t remember when she’d called in sick to let her colleagues know to cover for her, but she was sure she had. She must have – she was the responsible type and would never let her colleagues down.
Voices came and went, doors opened and closed. She heard car engines start and garage doors open and close. Footsteps everywhere on this floor and below, like an army was trampling through her apartment building. She’d have to complain to the
