Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (10 page)

Gabriel tugs gently on her arm and they resume walking. “Then why
are
you here?”

Roseline shrugs, wishing for the hundredth time that she’d had the sense to remain home tonight. Although she has enjoyed regaining the teenage years that Vladimir stripped away from her, she has to admit that all of the teenage angst can be very wearing. It’s hard not to long for a normal adult conversation. “I didn’t have any other plans.”

Gabriel’s stunning grin takes her off guard. She is used to seeing beauty. It has surrounded her every day since Vladimir transformed her, but immortal beauty and human beauty are two very different things. This teenage boy is appealing in ways Roseline never dreamed possible.

The softness of his hair, the smooth curve of his lightly stubbled jaw, the tantalizing scent of cologne, and his easy smile all add to the charm that are irrevocably sucking her in. She blinks, shocked to find herself actually leaning into him.

A light mist of freezing rain glints off Gabriel’s sun-streaked hair. His eyes are the palest blue she has ever seen, so pale they could pass for transparent. In the light they appear iridescent, a quality she finds deeply appealing.

It’s obvious Gabriel takes pride in his looks, from his body-hugging cashmere sweater to his designer jeans and rain-dampened leather shoes. He knows he looks good and yet, oddly enough, he does not come off as overly cocky. This surprises Roseline. She thought a boy of his social status would be different.

“So does that mean you’re free now?” he asks, pausing as they reach the rear end of the bleachers. He takes a step closer to see her. Gabriel’s eyes linger on hers; the hope shining from them steals her breath away.

Roseline braces for it. The inevitable is about to happen. The harder her heart pounds in her chest, the faster the hormones will seep from her skin. Any second now, he will be putty in her hands.

She watches his pulse thump against his neck. The tender flesh commands her attention as her nostrils flare, inhaling his masculine scent. As his eyes lock on to hers, the world disappears. Her senses go into a frenzy and she forces lead into her legs to keep from moving toward him.

The instant her feminine scent hits Gabriel, his eyes dilate. Pheromones leech from his skin in alluring volumes. Beads of rain mingle with the sheen on his forehead. Heat stains his neck as he licks his lips. Roseline waits for him to give in to his desire…but something is wrong.

He has all of the usual symptoms but is annoyingly in control of his muscles. Instead of dragging her under the bleachers for a spicy make-out session, he remains rooted in place. He should be pleading to touch her, begging to be near her, but he isn’t. His restraint is deeply unsettling.

Roseline frowns. She decides to test his resistance. “What did you have in mind?” she asks, her voice low and sultry as she steps closer. She marks the increase in his pulse and still he resists.

He wants her, there is no doubt about it, but somehow he is able to keep his wits about him. Gabriel shrugs and, instead of moving closer to her, he actually backs off. Leaning against the bleachers, he glances away.

Roseline bites her lip to silence her cry of indignation. No man, human or otherwise, has ever backed away from her once she decides she wants him. Gabriel, unknowingly, has just physically rejected her.

She has seduced many humans over the years, each time to spite Vladimir, but never once has one of them had so much control around her. Gabriel is not only holding his own, he is actually making Roseline beg for
him
.

“Oh, there you are, Rose,” Sadie gasps, holding the stitch in her side as she rounds the corner with William right on her heels. Her eyes open wide—rain-streaked mascara lines her cheeks—as she notes Gabriel’s presence. William glares openly at the quarterback, obviously not the least bit happy to find Mr. Popular moving in on Roseline. His fingers dig into the Styrofoam cups; cocoa flows over his fingers.

“Nicolae said you wandered off with some guy, but I didn’t think it would be him,” Sadie says, jerking her head toward Gabriel.

“And what were you two doing back here in the dark, Gabe?” William asks.

“What’s it to you?” Gabriel challenges, turning to face off with William.

“Enough,” Roseline snaps, quickly inserting herself between them. “Gabriel and I were talking. That is all.”

“So, you do know my name,” Gabriel grins, backing away. “And you’re Rose, right?”

Roseline nods, painfully aware of the tense situation she has caused. She glances at her friends before turning toward Gabriel. “I guess that answers your question.”

“Yeah.” Gabriel frowns, his smile drooping with disappointment. “I guess it does. I’ll see you around.”

She turns her back on him, refusing to give in to the urge to watch him walk away. Sadie pounces before he rounds the corner. “What on earth are you doing back here with Gabriel Marston? Didn’t I warn you about him?”

“Of course you did, but it was completely innocent.”

Well, almost innocent
, she silently amends.

“Nothing happened,” she insists, annoyed that she has to defend her actions.

“Sure, that’s all Gabriel ever wants to do with beautiful girls,” William scoffs.

Roseline eyes him up. His possessive nature is beginning to grate on her nerves. Her brief meeting with Gabriel has really thrown her for a loop.

To add more fuel to the fire, Nicolae chooses this moment to pop his head around the corner. “Everything alright?”

Sadie groans loudly, whirling around. “I said wait by the car, Nicolae. Can you not understand basic English?”

He raises his hands in surrender and turns, but not before glaring icily at Roseline. He has made his presence known and that irks her. Nicolae is checking on her or, more accurately, he is checking on Gabriel.

William chucks the nearly empty cups aside as they head toward the parking lot. “So, are we gonna party or not? Sophie Reynolds is throwing a huge bash at her house tonight. Wanna crash?”

“I’m game,” Sadie grins, wiping the mascara smudges from her face. Instead of looking like a raccoon, she almost resembles a zombie on Halloween. Roseline is pretty sure that is not the look Sadie is going for.

Roseline shakes her head. “I think I would prefer to return home. I’m feeling a tad flushed at the moment and should probably retire for the evening.”

Sadie rolls her eyes. “There you go again. I thought you had that proper lady talk tucked into bed. What’s with you?”

Holding her forehead, Roseline winces. Her face feels warm, boiling actually. It isn’t possible for her to get sick, and yet there is an obvious fire burning deep within her. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel very well.”

William cuts off Sadie’s protests as Roseline wavers on her feet. He scoops her into his arms and carries her across the parking lot. Roseline’s head lolls to the side as a jacked-up Jeep guns past them. Gabriel’s eyes lock onto Roseline from the passenger seat.

Her stomach flips. She pulls out of William’s arms and drops to the curb. Dry heaves attack and acid burns her throat as she gives in to this mystery illness.

“Holy crap,” Sadie gasps as she wraps her arm around Roseline’s shoulders. “She’s burning up. Will, get the car.”

Her voice fades as Roseline passes out.

Stuttering brakes rouse Roseline. She groans and peels her cheek off William’s leather backseat. “Want me to carry you inside?” William offers.

“No. I can manage.” She slips from the car, unlocks her door without a goodbye wave, and crawls up to her bed.

Eight

“What’s with you, man?” Oliver asks, shoving his friend in the shoulder. Gabriel is zoned out, completely oblivious to the blaring music, the stench of vomit wafting from the overflowing toilet down the hall, and his wanna-be pole dancer girlfriend using his leg for an impromptu dance. “Claire is all over you.”

Gabriel pushes up off the couch, spilling a very drunk Claire onto the floor. He stumbles over her, not caring to stick around to hear her shrill ranting. He needs air. He pushes through the back door and falls onto a plastic lounge chair.

Staring up at the stars, all he can see is Rose. Her silky skin, long delicate bronze tresses, gorgeous eyes that see right through him, and the full lips that he knows will haunt his dreams. He doesn’t want to be at this party. He does not want Claire dry humping his leg like a dog in heat. He wants Rose—beautiful, mysterious Rose.

What is it about her that feels so right? He has dated several girls over the years, but none have ever gripped him so tightly. Nor have they felt electric to the touch.

Gabriel buries his head in his hands. He clamps his eyes shut as the world begins to spin. Drinking was a really bad idea, but he needed to take the edge off. Now all he’s managed to do is compound his problems.

He sinks to the ground, disappearing into the shadows as he crawls on hands and knees to the cool damp grass. It feels like slipping into a refreshing pool on a sweltering day. His skin is on fire, fueled by a bubbling volcano in the pit of his stomach.

Something is wrong. Very wrong. This isn’t because of drinking—something much worse is happening.

Pain radiates through Gabriel’s chest, squeezing his heart and wringing the air from his lungs. His fingers claws in the dirt, inching toward the floodlight illuminating the deck. He can see people dancing just beyond, their movements distorted in the strobe lights. Loud music rattles the windows, blocking out his cries for help.

He rolls onto his back as the pain spirals out from his heart, racing through his veins. His fingers fumble in his pocket for his cell phone. It falls onto the grass beside him. Gabriel grits his teeth against the pain as he tries to still the trembling in his fingers long enough to dial 911.

It’s a struggle to breathe as he writhes on the ground. His shirt and pants soak through but it does little to ease the flames under his skin.

He feels something shifting—as if his entire genetic code is adapting. The fires begin to smolder, retreating back to his core. It rounds his heart and shoots out through his eyes. The pain vanishes as a pure blue light explodes from between closed eyelids.

Energy floods through his body. His mind screams in ecstasy as his cells erupt with sensitivity, overwhelming his senses.

Gabriel passes out.

Nine

Roseline tosses and turns in her sleep, plagued by the same dream that has repeated every night since her encounter with Gabriel after the state qualifiers. Images of him bathed in a brilliant blue light burns into her retinas. The sensation of being cocooned in his arms brings tears to her eyes. Some part of her brain acknowledges that it is a dream, but it feels like something more—something tangible.

Blinking away sleep, Roseline groans as she sits up on the edge of her makeshift bed. She rubs her neck, feeling the familiar ache she has come to expect each morning from her lumpy mattress. She vows to go bed shopping before the week is out.

Her bedroom, if she could really call it that, is sparsely furnished. A long, solid wood slab runs the length of the far wall. A rickety stool stands under the makeshift table. On top of it lies a computer she purchased the day she arrived in Chicago. Standing in the sleazy pawnshop, Roseline had promised herself she would only use it to contact Fane in case of an emergency, but her self-control is beginning to wane.

There is only one reason why she would give in now—Gabriel. It has been a week since they spoke at the football game and she has done her best to avoid him since then. Sneaking around behind his back is beginning to wear thin, especially when a huge part of her wants nothing more than to snatch him into the janitor’s room and kiss him until he faints, but she cannot even think about letting that happen. A relationship with a human, especially this human, is far too risky.

But that risk, the thrill of “what if,” has brought her to this moment. Staring across the room, Roseline eyes the machine that can instantly connect her with the only person who truly understands her. Of course, Fane will think she is crazy. A growing obsession with a mortal? Ludicrous. Fane would listen and try to help her, but he would also try to track her down.

“Not today,” she mutters as she slips into her robe and steps out into the hall. Her fingers trail lightly over the aged wooden banister. The stairs creak underfoot, echoing loudly through the empty house.

Stepping nimbly over the cigarette burned carpet in the living room, Roseline heads for the fridge. The heavy metal door squeals as it swings open. “Drat,” she groans, remembering that she was supposed to have gone grocery shopping.

When was that? Yesterday? The day before? Roseline rubs her palm against her forehead. The days of the past week have passed in a blur. Gabriel consumes her thoughts far more than he should and she can’t figure out why.

With a heavy sigh, Roseline heads back through the living room, not even caring to glance at the sparse boxes stacked in the corner. They are not her stuff and, from the musty odor coming from the loose lid, there is certainly nothing of interest in there.

The dining room holds the most furniture in the entire house. A painted hutch sits in the corner, layered with an inch of dust. An old wooden farmhouse table fills the rest of the room, its long benches tucked underneath. Past that, a bathroom stands off from the main hall, its pink tiles glaring obnoxiously at anyone who dares to enter the time warp.

“I really should get out today,” Roseline mumbles as she gives up her aimless wandering and heads back upstairs. Rounding the banister, she heads into one of the spare rooms. She uses this one as her makeshift closet. Designer store bags stack high in one corner, empty of their purchases. Piles of clothes, laid out in perfect condition, litter the floor. New wardrobe: check.

Sighing, Roseline grabs an outfit from the top of a pile and heads to the bathroom. Her love for all things fashion refuses to allow her to don a baseball cap so, twenty minutes later, she settles with combing her hair straight around her face to help conceal her identity. Checking one last time to make sure her makeup has helped tone down her appearance, Roseline heads out.