Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Five

Ihaven”t had human taste buds in over a decade, so I have no idea what I prefer. To accommodate, Gabriel has ordered in from several different restaurants and has set up a buffet for me to rediscover and try everything. Gabriel’s spread of takeout is a smorgasbord of hits and misses—pizza is delightful, but sushi? That’s a raw deal I’m not buying. A heavenly spice of curry or the ungodly betrayal of wasabi? Spoiler: the curry wins by a landslide. As I navigate the minefield of human cuisine, I find that chocolate still reigns supreme, while olives are the devil’s marbles—some things never change, even when you do.

Gabriel sits across from me at the table with a few books on the occult open around him, but his attention is focused entirely on me as he watches my every move. He looks cute sitting there—all scholarly like he”s posing for an ad in some sort of university catalog. The way he tilts his head and scratches his chin as I make my way through one dish after another is almost comical, considering his face is blank except for the intensity burning behind those brown eyes. Every now and then he scribbles something down in one of his many notebooks, muttering to himself all the while. It”s funny watching him try so hard not to make it obvious that he”s watching me.

He notices me staring at him. ”What? What did I do?”

I giggle, shaking my head. ”You just look very serious right now.”

”Oh,” he says, lowering his gaze to the floor. ”Right. Of course. Um...” He glances up at me with a strange expression on his face, as if trying to decide what to say. ”Well, I think you”ll be interested to know that vampires have existed since the early Roman Empire. They were often thought of as gods at first, but then eventually they started to be feared—sort of like witches or ghouls.”

”Yes, I know,” I reply. ”I was one, remember? Vampires are pretty proud of their history.”

Gabriel raises his eyebrows. ”So, do you have a family tree or anything? I mean, is there anyone else like you who can help answer questions?”

”I was the first person in my family to be turned. First generation vampire, if you will.”

”Oh, so Hollywood does have it right. You can be turned into one. How long ago were you... changed?”

”Almost eleven years ago now. My father and I were visiting Rome when we were ambushed by a small clan. They killed my father, but they had other plans for me. I was trapped with them for about a year before Drake, the leader of my current clan and newly crowned king, killed my master. He brought me back to the states with him, and I”ve been here ever since.”

”Drake,” Gabriel repeats slowly. ”So, is that what you want? To go back home with him?”

I take a bite of a chicken wing, and the spicy buffalo sauce makes me roll my eyes back. A new favorite, I decide. ”Well, yeah. That”s my family. I was just vacationing in Italy when whatever happened to me took place. I wonder if Emily knows him? Drake, I mean. Of course she knows him since he”s king, but I wonder if she knows him personally. She could get us in touch.”

He scribbles something down in one of his notebooks before saying, ”Okay, I”ll keep digging. There has to be something in here about how to turn a vampire back to human. Once we figure out how it happened, maybe we can find a way to change you back. Wait, couldn”t another vampire just change you back?”

”Maybe,” I admit. ”It could be just that simple, but if it were me, I”d never bite a vampire who has undergone a transition like that. Who knows? Maybe it”s a virus or something that”s meant to wipe out vampire kind. One bite could infect others. I wouldn”t take that risk.”

He taps his temple with his index finger as he turns the page, and I can”t help but smile at him. This guy has gone above and beyond to help a complete stranger. Even after I lost control and bit him, he followed me down a dark alley. What kind of man would do that for a woman he barely knows? He”s done more than any person ever should have, considering how strange this all is.

”Look, Marina...” He sets his pencil aside and leans back in his chair with a heavy sigh. ”This isn”t exactly my area of expertise, you understand. But if there”s anything I can do to help, I”m going to find it.”

I nod. ”Thank you, Gabriel. I really mean that.”

His expression softens, and he smiles. ”Don”t mention it.”

”Now, if you”ll excuse me, I”d love to take a shower, if that”s all right.”

He swallows hard. ”Oh! Sure, of course. Go ahead.” Then he gestures toward the bathroom door. ”Bathroom is back there, first door on your left.”

As I stand up to clear my dishes, Gabriel stands too, stacking his books neatly. He looks a bit awkward, caught in the act of trying to be subtle about watching me. The man”s not exactly the epitome of stealth when he”s fixated.

Closing the bathroom door behind me, I lean against it for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady myself. My reflection in the mirror shows a woman caught between two worlds—human and vampire. It”s a reality I”m still struggling to accept. This isn”t my body anymore. It feels strange to take off my clothes and step under the stream of hot water. A sharp sting from the scalding temperature catches me off guard, and I have to turn the knob to cool down the water. Just days ago, this same thing wouldn”t have affected me at all. But now, everything is different.

This human body is fragile, breakable. If I do something as mundane as get a paper cut, there are no regenerative powers to mend me. It”s terrifying in every way, this new vulnerability, and it mocks me, reminding me that this form is a false one. Still, as much as I don”t like it, I can”t deny that it”s mine—mine to protect. So, while I take my time washing up, I try my hardest to embrace it.

I never wanted any of this, but I suppose life isn”t always fair. Sometimes it hits you upside the head and sends you flying into someone else”s world whether you want it or not. In that sense, maybe this was meant to happen. I”m certain there”s a lesson in here somewhere. I”ll find it eventually, but for now, I just need to focus on figuring out what”s going on with me and why this has happened.

After the shower, I towel off and start getting dressed. As I pull on my shirt, my fingers brush against a raised area of skin on my abdomen. Curious, I remove the fabric again to take a look. There”s a cryptic symbol carved into my skin. It looks like it was done by a sharp knife that had been dragged over my flesh. The letters are thin and wobbly, each one spaced evenly apart. At the center of the strange mark is a small star, with an arrow extending from the point outward toward the outside edges of the star”s outer ring. I can only assume someone carved it there when they turned me into... well, whatever I am now.

With all those books Gabriel has, I”m sure this symbol is in there somewhere. I wrap the towel around myself again and step out of the bathroom. Gabriel looks up from his books, his eyes widening as they land on where my hands clutch the covering.

”Everything okay?” he asks with a squeaky voice. He quickly lowers his gaze back down to his notes. ”I mean, aside from your current situation, that is.”

”Yeah,” I reply, running a finger over the mark over the rough fabric. ”Would you mind coming to take a look at something for me? It”s... well, I found something, and it seems strange, so...”

He rises from his seat, setting his papers aside and nods. ”Sure, I can look at it for you. What did you find?”

”Um, when I was in the shower, I noticed something strange. Something had been done to my skin.” I remove the towel again, revealing the odd symbol that”s been branded into my flesh. Sure, there are more modest ways I could”ve shown him. I could”ve gotten dressed and just lifted my shirt enough for him to see, but vampires are a bit more free with their bodies than humans are. It isn”t until Gabriel”s face turns bright red and he stands frozen in place that I realize that I”m naked in front of a very human man.

His eyes flicker over my exposed skin and then back up again. His breathing becomes heavier, his chest rising up and down as he inhales and exhales deeply. Then, he meets my gaze, looking like he”s trying to formulate an excuse for why this happened. He finally takes a step forward and asks, ”May I?”

I nod, taking a step toward him. ”Please.”

He moves close enough for me to smell the scent of his skin. When his fingers graze the mark, they leave goosebumps behind wherever they touch my flesh. A warm feeling rises inside my body as his hand glides over the spot where it”s raised from my skin. He follows its shape and lets out a gasp when he sees the star in the middle. ”Whoa,” he mutters before running his fingers lightly over the other marks surrounding it.

”What does it mean?” I ask. ”Do you recognize it?”

His gaze is fixated on my abdomen. There”s something burning behind those dark brown eyes that makes me nervous. What does this mean to him?

He nods slowly, but he doesn”t look away from my skin. ”Would you mind turning around? I suspect there”s a mirror image on your back.”

I do as he asks without thinking too much about it, suddenly self-conscious now that we are alone in the room together. He steps closer again and his warm breath washes over my shoulders like the touch of a lover”s hand. The feeling causes an involuntary shiver to run down my spine. He doesn”t move to touch me this time, and I”m almost disappointed by that.

”Yep,” he confirms. ”It”s there. This isn”t good, Marina.”