A Vampire's Soul (29 page)

She flushed, and combined with the glow of being pregnant, it made her look radiantly beautiful. “Yeah, I'm sorry it's taken us so long, but filing the paperwork makes it all so
final
. Jake and I wanted to give you some time . . . you know, in case you changed your mind.”

“I'm not going to change my mind,” I said firmly. “I really want you and Jake to live here, and be happy, and raise at least another three or four kids in this house, okay?”

She began tearing up again, but managed to give me a puzzled look before wiping her eyes. “How'd you know? About the deed being filed? Jake only took the paperwork in this morning.”

“I can't cross the threshold,” Gabriel said in a low voice. “I'm a vampire, Laycee. I need to be invited in . . . by the
owner
.”

“Oh.”

I watched as a half dozen different expressions crossed my friend's face—all of them variations on possibilities of things that might be. Or not. She wavered for a moment, and then I saw her make up her mind, and knew what she was going to say before the words left her mouth.

“Do you want to invite me in, Laycee?” Gabriel asked, keeping his voice low.

She shook her head. “No, Gabriel. I don't think I do.”

This time the smile he gave her was positively angelic. “Then you don't have to,” he told her.

He turned to go, but Laycee stepped onto the porch and stopped him with her hand on his arm. “Promise me you'll take care of my girl,” she said, looking up at him. Taking both her hands in his, Gabriel leaned down and put his mouth next to her ear and whispered. Her eyes glittered brightly as he let her go, and we both watched him walk down the driveway to go lean against his latest toy—a Lamborghini he'd christened Lola.

“Are you okay?” I asked, seeing Laycee swipe at her cheek.

“You know what he told me?” She reached for my hand, and I shook my head. “He told me he'd give his life for you.”

“He doesn't have to,” I told her as my heart whispered good-bye. “He's already given me his soul.”

Carla Susan Smith's fascinating vampire series continues with
A VAMPIRE'S HONOR.

 

 

 

Rowan Harper thought being with a vampire would keep her out of harm's way. But true evil lurks in the darkness, and not even her lover, Gabriel, knows all of its tricks.

 

Rowan may be his Promise, the one woman who can save Gabriel's soul, but the two of them have a long and complicated history that Rowan is only now discovering--complete with old enemies who will stop at nothing to make them suffer.

 

When Rowan is abducted and forced to witness unspeakable violence, secrets of the past begin to unfold. Secrets that show Gabriel's best friend Aleksei in a new light.

 

Will the truth destroy all three of them or bind them more tightly together, and if evil prevails, will it be Rowans's soul that ultimately needs saving?

The real estate woman was flirting with Gabriel . . . and really starting to piss me off. Even though I knew women were going to come on to him, it wasn't always easy to accept. Or watch. I've often wondered if they'd be just as enthusiastic if they knew he was a vampire. Honestly? I don't think it would make the slightest difference. I've seen little old ladies throw out the most amazing innuendoes when he's helped them to a seat, and little girls play peek-a-boo from behind their mother's skirts because he smiled at them. I have no problem with old ladies and little girls. It's the ages in between.

I realize that much sex appeal is going to arouse any healthy libido, so I do my best to ignore the suggestive glances, fluttering lashes, and breathy voices. Especially as I know the interest is never going to be reciprocated. I can even turn a blind eye to the occasional
oops-I-didn't-really-mean-to-press-my-boobs-against-you
contact, because when that happens—and it has—Gabriel uses the moment to demonstrate that he's with me. Usually with his tongue in my mouth. But every now and then there's a woman who views his affection for me as some sort of unspoken challenge. And Claudia Benton—Exclusive Properties was such a woman.

I stood at one of the apartment's large picture windows, pretending to be mesmerized by the view of nighttime Greenley Heights. The city's neon splendor sparkled like a Christmas tree, but I was too busy surreptitiously observing my would-be antagonist to give it more than passing notice. Busy pointing out the features of the kitchen's built-in wine cooler, Claudia Benton was hanging on Gabriel's every word. He said something I didn't quite catch, but it made Ms. Benton laugh, and I watched as she put her hand on his muscular forearm, keeping it there far longer than a real estate agent should. Even if she did want to make her commission.

“Oh please, you must call me Claudia,” she said looking up at him. “I feel like we're such good friends already.”

She pronounced her name
Cloud-ia
, which struck me as somewhat pretentious, but she could call herself Ophelia, Queen of the Outhouse, for all I cared. I knew the first-name invitation didn't include me.

Narrowing my eyes, I took her in from head to toe. If I had to guess, I'd put her in her early thirties. Her dark suit was tailored and looked expensive, as did her high heels. The blond hair may or may not have come from a bottle. Unless I could see roots, I couldn't tell for sure. And she wore no wedding ring.

Having exhausted the finer points of the wine cooler,
Cloud-ia
was extolling the virtues of the kitchen's other appliances when she suddenly stumbled, managing to save herself from kissing the hardwood floor only by grabbing the arm she'd just been caressing. Apparently flustered by her clumsiness, she apologized and thanked Gabriel for his gallantry.

I was fully prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes a stumble is just that, and she did seem embarrassed by her clumsiness. But then she glanced over at me, and the smile on her face told a different story. It was a sly, malicious smile. One that said if she tried a little harder, she could make Gabriel look her way, and once she had him looking, who knows what else he might want to do?

It was absolute crap, of course. She stood no chance of persuading him to sample what she was offering, but she didn't know that. Vampires, once they make a commitment, don't cheat. At least not while the object of their affection is still able to draw breath. And as one of the most possessive creatures ever, a vampire's focus becomes a problem only if those feelings aren't reciprocated. Gabriel and I had no worries in that regard. The proof of our devotion to each other had sent a tremor through the Dark Realm that blew the lid off the Richter scale.

But even if all of this was known to my wannabe rival, I suspect it would have simply made her more determined. Some women think they're irresistible. My inner bitch, who hadn't had much to harangue me about recently, now tapped my mental shoulder.
You gonna let her get away with that?

No fucking way.

“Ms. Benton.” I'd stab myself in the eye with a pencil before I called her by her first name, no matter how she pronounced it. “Would you mind showing me the bathroom?” I asked.

“But you've already seen it, dear,” she replied in a condescending tone.

“Yes, I know, but if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see it again. There's something I need to check out.”

“Oh?” The lift of her brow was as condescending as her smile. “And what might that be?”

“Counter height.” If my smile was any sweeter, I'd give myself a cavity, but as I passed Gabriel, I made sure my fingers brushed the back of his hand, causing a spark to flash in his neon-blue eyes.

There was a pleasing warmth about the bathroom, even if the décor reflected the taste of a strong male presence. Tile that looked like bricks covered the walls and floor in a color palette ranging from beach sand to a dark, coppery red. An old-fashioned claw-foot tub with curved sides took up a good amount of space, but there was enough left over for a spacious, modern shower with a glass door. The toilet was hidden behind a discreet half wall, and a double-sink vanity completed the necessary appointments. I stared at the space between the two sinks. It certainly looked like it would be adequate.

“I never thought of the shower as being small . . . until now,” Ms. Benton murmured, her eyes glazing over as she gave Gabriel's wide shoulders a lingering look. I could just imagine what was going on inside her head and decided I'd had enough. Standing next to the open bathroom door, I put one hand on my hip and gripped the doorknob with the other. “Ms. Benton, would you give us a moment, please?” I really wish I could have seen her expression when she heard the lock engage.

I turned and reached for Gabriel, my fingers slipping inside the waistband of his jeans as I pulled him to me. I saw a glimpse of white as his mouth covered mine. He'd dropped his fangs, and a tremor of anticipated pleasure ran down my spine as my tongue slid between them.

When Gabriel makes love to me, that's exactly what he does. He takes my body on a long, sexy thrill ride, stopping at every erogenous zone to ignite a fire that burns white hot inside me. Radiating a sensuality that threatens to steal the breath from my body, he electrifies every nerve ending I possess until my need to feel him moving inside me eclipses everything else. It is without a doubt the most glorious carnal experience I could ever hope to have.

But then there are other times when a girl just wants to be fucked . . . and this was one of those times.

 

 

 

Rowan Harper sacrificed her blood and her soul to keep her friend, Aleksei, alive—and in the process, broke a bond of sacred trust with her lover, Gabriel.

 

But her act of heroism wasn't enough to stop the evil bent on tearing the world asunder.
Newly turned vampires are slaughtering innocents, and those lurking in the darkness are threatening the people Rowan loves.

 

She may be Gabriel's Promise, but it's looking more and more like Rowan will belong to the demon of the Dark Realm instead. Time is of the essence and with her soul already tainted, will Rowan be forced to break the ties she's forged with Gabriel? Which of the two rivals will stand beside her as she faces the end of the world?

 

 

At some point I either fell asleep or passed out. I'm not sure which, and I don't think it made much of a difference. Surfacing back to the land of semi-consciousness, I became aware of three things. I was no longer on the floor, I was completely naked, and the vampire holding me was very much the right one. I took in a breath, and the scent of snow and pine trees and that other elusive
something
that was uniquely Gabriel flooded through me.

“Shhh,” he murmured, pressing his lips against my forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

“What . . . time . . . ?” I mumbled.

“Almost midnight.”

I smoothed my hand across the wide expanse of his chest, my palm brushing over a nipple that immediately hardened at the contact. Gabriel sucked in a breath, and I felt the ridge of muscles in his abdomen tighten before he slowly exhaled as my hand moved. I let my fingers drift down his rib cage to his waist and then over his hip, curling my hand in the pocket of warmth above his thigh. His erection kicked against my belly. I felt warm, safe, aroused—and guilty.

“Where's Aleksei?”

I went to push myself upright, using the hand I had on Gabriel's hip for leverage, but it slipped, and I almost squashed his balls. The sound my lover made was one I hope to never hear again. At least not from his lips. It was a cross between a wheeze, a grunt, and an almost girly shriek of pain. To prevent any further chance of accidental emasculation, long fingers closed firmly around my wrist.

“He's resting,” Gabriel told me. “I put him in your father's room. It was the only other one with a bed. I hope you don't mind.”

It was my father's room only because a few of his old work shirts were hanging in the closet, and some personal items were on the dresser—all things I couldn't yet bear to get rid of. The shirts were for comfort. If I was feeling particularly melancholy, as I usually did on the anniversary of his death, I would slip one on and go lie on the bed in his room and cry myself to sleep. At least that's what I did in the house where we had both lived. The house that now belonged to my best friend and her family. And because I had moved in with Gabriel, all my dad's belongings had been packed in a cardboard box and put in a storage unit. This year I'd had no shirt to slip on. Instead Gabriel let me hold onto him until I cried myself to sleep. And that was part of the reason he had bought me the apartment. He hated the idea of my dad's belongings being kept in a concrete-floored, ten-by-twenty steel-walled box almost as much as I did.

And now a vampire was resting in my father's room. Thankfully, it wasn't the bed my dad had slept in. I'm sentimental, not stupid, so no, I wasn't upset Gabriel had put Aleksei in there. It was the only logical choice because otherwise it would have meant having the Russian vampire in the king-size bed along with me and . . .

“What are you doing here?” I winced at the sharpness of my tone.

“What do you mean?”

I couldn't say if Gabriel was surprised by my tartness, or if the question itself was what caught him off guard. Either way, the look he gave me was decidedly wary.

“I mean, you were on your way to California, and now you're here.” I pulled my hand free of his hold and gestured to the room. “How did you get here, inside the apartment?”