Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Thirteen

The room feels like it”s closing in on me, and Gabriel”s gaze feels heavy on my face. His eyes search mine, confusion and hurt mingling in those deep pools of brown. I see his lips move, forming words I should answer, but I can”t. Not yet.

My heart has shattered into a million pieces right in front of him. Charles, the man I once loved, the man I was supposed to marry, has been hunting me. Trying to kill me. I knew he was afraid of me when I revealed myself to him all those years ago, but to take things this far? To join a group of people who are hell-bent on exterminating what I am─what I was─and to be so committed that he managed to work his way up the ranks until he was in charge of the whole operation? That”s next level hatred. The betrayal cuts deep, sharper than any blade wielded by his Extractors.

But there”s another emotion filling my veins at the moment as well—fear. Fear for Gabriel and for what will happen to him if Charles ever finds out about him. So many times, I thought about telling him, but every time, I chickened out. Now he knows, and I don”t know what to do. Since they”d never met, it didn”t seem important, but now that they”ve had a chance to interact, the danger is even more real.

Gabriel”s hand reaches out, his fingers gently touching my arm, pulling me back from the brink of my thoughts. ”Marina, talk to me,” he pleads, his voice tinged with a desperation I”ve never heard before.

I want to tell him, to share the agony that”s tearing me apart from the inside out. But the words stick in my throat, lodged there like a lump of ice. How can I explain something so complex, so painful?

His eyes search mine, looking for answers I”m not ready to give. ”Why didn”t you tell me?” he asks, his voice cracking with emotion.

I open my mouth, attempting to form the words, but all that escapes is a choked sob. My hands come up to cover my face, the reality of it all crashing down on me. Gabriel”s arms wrap around me, pulling me close, offering me a refuge from the storm raging inside me.

”I”ve got you, Marina,” he murmurs against my hair, his words a soothing balm to my shattered heart. And just like every other time he”s uttered that phrase, I believe him. If there”s anything I can trust in this moment, it”s that. I press my face into his chest as I attempt to get a grip on the emotions tearing me apart inside. ”Just take deep breaths and let it all out.”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, the dam breaks, and my body trembles as the tears begin to fall. The fear, the sorrow, and the anguish overwhelm me as they spill onto Gabriel”s shirt. He holds me tightly, never loosening his grip on me as he guides us over to one of the armchairs. We sit there, entangled in each other, allowing ourselves a small moment to decompress after everything we”ve been through.

I don”t know how much time passes before my breathing finally steadies, and the last of my tears have dried up. With a fresh tissue in hand, I wipe my face with it, removing any trace of my sadness. It feels like it should be too early for a smile, but when I look at Gabriel, I somehow want to.

His presence, his unwavering support, gives me the strength to finally break the silence that”s been holding me captive. But the words that spill from my lips are not the ones he expects.

”I”m so sorry, Gabriel,” I whisper, my voice barely above a whisper. ”I never wanted any of this to touch you.”

”Just explain it to me. Please.” The sincerity in his gaze is nearly overwhelming, and I have no choice but to oblige. I don”t know what else to do at this point.

And so I begin with a simple statement: ”I was engaged to be married to Charles over ten years ago. Back when I was human.” I pause briefly, giving him time to absorb the new information before continuing. ”It was more of an arranged marriage, my family still follows some of the old-fashioned ways, though I did love him. Or maybe I thought I did...” I trail off, feeling suddenly lightheaded.

A wave of nausea rolls through me as I recall everything that led up to my transformation. I let myself drown in those memories for far too long, and it was never a good idea. There are things that even now, after all these years, can leave me shaking like a leaf in the wind.

”He broke it off, you see? When he learned that I”d been turned into a vampire,” I continue slowly, struggling to keep my voice from breaking again. ”My father had just been killed, and I”d just gone through this traumatic transformation, so I ran to the one person I thought would understand me. The one person who used to know me as well as anyone.” My bottom lip begins to tremble as the pain rushes back to me, leaving me breathless.

”I thought that Charles loved me enough to accept what had happened to me, but I was wrong. He tried to kill me,” I choke out. Gabriel”s fingers reach for mine, intertwining with them tightly. I take a deep breath and release it slowly before I continue. ”So I left Europe, and I changed my name. I never meant for him to find me. I never even imagined he”d try. He was so scared, so disgusted at what I”d become. I thought he”d be content just to never lay eyes on me again. It wasn”t until we showed up here tonight that I found out I was wrong.”

Gabriel lets out an audible sigh, his shoulders slumping as if a weight has been lifted off him. His voice is quiet and measured when he speaks, and it takes me a moment to register what he says. ”But if it weren”t for him tracking you down, we might not have met,” he points out. ”How”s that for a silver lining?”

His words strike like lightning in my chest, causing the breath in my lungs to seize up. I blink furiously against the tears threatening to spill again as I look up at him. When our eyes meet, he gives me a soft smile. ”I, for one, am grateful he”s a stubborn bastard.”

I manage a weak laugh before wiping away another tear from my cheek. Gabriel pulls me into a tight hug, his embrace so strong it makes my bones ache, but I lean into it. The relief in my body is almost euphoric as I hold him close, knowing there will be no more hiding from this part of my life anymore. It”s all out in the open now, and I can move on. And more than that, I”ve found someone who accepts me for who I am. Someone who doesn”t turn away from my ugly nature and hide from it.

As we pull apart, I tangle my fingers in his hair and press my lips to his, desperate to convey how grateful I am to him for everything he”s done for me. He kisses me back with equal passion, and it sparks something in me. All of the adrenaline, all of the excitement and energy that had been coursing through me all night has suddenly come to a boil. Every nerve is raw and aching, begging to be scratched. I need Gabriel, right here and right now.

I feel myself climbing up onto his lap as our kiss grows more passionate. My hands slip into his open collar and roam across his skin, trailing across his chest, feeling every contour of him under my fingertips. His breath hitches as my fingers run across his nipple, and he lets out a low moan. The sound causes me to smirk. The knowledge that I can elicit this reaction from him excites me more than anything ever has.

My tongue traces the curve of his lower lip before slipping inside his mouth. It”s warm, hot, and tastes like champagne. As I slide my hands down his body, I can feel the heat radiating off his skin beneath his clothes. I want to rip these garments off him, but instead, I pull away slightly, making sure he”s watching me as I make slow work of each button.

The more clothing I remove, the harder his cock becomes underneath me. Each movement draws a little gasp or moan from Gabriel”s lips, which only spurs me on. When there are no buttons left to unfasten, I open his shirt slowly to reveal his taut abs and the soft patch of hair between them. I dip my head and place a kiss there before I slide off him and drop my knees. My tongue trains across his abs and down toward his hip bones as I descend, kissing every inch of exposed skin until finally reaching his crotch. His bulge is prominent through his slacks, and when I run my fingers over it, a low rumble starts in his chest.

I take his zipper and pull it down one tooth at a time until it”s completely open. Then I wrap my hand around his shaft through the fabric of his boxers. Even through two layers of clothing, he feels hot in my palm, and I feel myself getting wet at the thought of having all of him inside me. I want to see how hard I can make him before he comes deep inside my pussy.

I press my palm against the outline of his dick, teasingly rubbing up and down the length of it while I remove my dress from my shoulders. When it slides off me, Gabriel’s eyes go dark with desire, and they roam over me as he watches me undress for him.

When my dress falls to the ground beside us, Gabriel”s lips curl into a smirk. ”I never took you for such a tease,” he murmurs. His hand reaches out to caress the side of my face before his fingers tangle themselves in my hair and pull my lips back toward his. As we kiss, I slip my hand past the waistband of his boxers to stroke his cock. My fingertips graze the swollen head as it slowly emerges from beneath its fleshy hood. He lifts his hips as I pull his boxers down his legs and crumble them at his ankles with his pants.

Still on my knees, I press one soft kiss against the sensitive spot on the inside of his thighs before taking his shaft into my mouth. A shudder runs through his body, followed by a deep groan of pleasure that starts in the back of his throat. His taste is salty, sweet, and intoxicating. It”s like an elixir made just for me, one that makes me hungry for more.

My tongue circles around the tip, savoring the sensation of him slipping across my taste buds as I lap up the tiny bead of pre-cum that has already emerged. The sound Gabriel makes as my tongue traces over his glans tells me everything I need to know; he likes it. I look up to see his head thrown back, and his fingers grip the arm of his chair. I start bobbing my head, taking more of him with each pass as he grows harder in my mouth. A wave of power rushes over me at the knowledge that I can reduce him to putty this way.

Gabriel lifts his hips, grinding against my face as he starts pumping into my throat. His cock twitches slightly with each vibration, and then he grips the sides of my face gently.

”Stop,” he whispers through gritted teeth. ”If you don”t want me coming down your throat, then stop.” He releases me before running his hand along my cheekbone. It”s such a gentle gesture, but it speaks volumes about his desire to make this good for both of us.

When I pull my head away from his groin, I can”t get on his lap fast enough. My thighs feel sticky with wetness as I straddle him, feeling every inch of him pressing into me. I grind my clit against the shaft of his dick, and Gabriel wraps one arm around my waist and pulls me forward so that I fall against him. His lips are hot against mine as our tongues tangle together in an eager dance, and I lift myself above him and start to lower myself down onto his cock.

The moment his thick member slides inside me, a small cry escapes my mouth, followed by a moan as I adjust to his size. He fills me up completely, and when he slips out again, I feel myself aching for more. Gabriel”s fingers dig into my hips as he holds me steady while I lower myself onto his dick a second time. He keeps pulling me forward and holding me there, letting me build up my own momentum until I take control of the pace. My pussy tightens around him with each thrust.

I”m not expecting it when he pushes me back onto the desk so that I”m lying across it. The papers we”d been reading earlier are still spread out across the surface, and there”s something satisfying about knowing Gabriel is fucking me on top of my former fiancé’s files. A smile spreads across my face as he moves between my legs, aligning himself at my entrance once again. Gabriel braces himself over me, planting one hand beside my shoulder to hold himself up while the other roams my body freely. His hands move over every curve like he wants to memorize them, like his life depends on it.

As soon as he starts pumping in and out of me, a rush of electricity shoots through my veins, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my core. The sound of our bodies coming together echoes throughout the room, filling it with its vulgar symphony, which only urges me to take him even deeper inside me. I lift my legs, hooking them around his hips to give him a better angle.

My toes curl, and I feel myself climbing up higher and higher toward the edge of the cliff. He thrusts harder and harder into me, each time slamming against a spot deep within that causes my muscles to spasm. Each motion sends me closer and closer to the pinnacle of my orgasm until I break, coming apart beneath him with a cry of ecstasy. My body shudders as wave after wave washes over me, pulling Gabriel with me in its wake. He releases inside me, grunting softly as he pulses warm and wet against my inner walls.

After we”ve both come down from our high, I let myself relax into the desk for a moment, feeling exhausted but completely sated. When I open my eyes again, Gabriel is still watching me. The look on his face has changed. It”s no longer filled with desire and lust, but instead, there”s a new emotion I can”t quite identify. But something tells me I know what it means.

”What is it?” I ask when he remains silent.

”I just never thought...” He trails off, letting his words linger in the air between us. ”You are so different than anyone I”ve ever known.” His lips pull up at the corners into a gentle smile, making my heart skip a beat. ”And I couldn”t be happier about it,” he finishes.

His words have a profound effect on me. They echo in my mind like a chorus of angels singing their song, filling every empty crevice until my entire body feels warm with love and appreciation for this man who has become so important to me in such a short amount of time.

He takes my hands in his and helps me off the table, then gathers all of the scattered documents back into neat piles and stuffs them into a nearby drawer. After we have both gotten dressed, he extends his hand to me. ”Well, what do you say, shall we get out of here before Charles finds us?”