Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Fifteen

The moment Gabriel and I step into his apartment, a sinking feeling settles in my stomach. The place has been turned upside down, the aftermath of a violent search evident in every corner. Drawers are pulled out, clothes are strewn across the floor, cushions from the sofa are ripped open, their insides spilling out like guts. Books are scattered, pages torn and crumpled, and the TV lies face down, its screen cracked and lifeless. It”s a chaotic scene, a physical representation of violation and intrusion.

I swallow back a lump of bile rising up my throat as I survey the damage, taking note of how they”ve left no room untouched. My eyes dart to each dark corner, waiting for someone to jump out at us with some new sinister act of violence. But nobody comes, and the only sounds are the ticking of the clock on the wall and our footsteps across the floors.

This is all my fault. Gabriel”s home has been destroyed because of me, because of Charles and his twisted need for revenge. For vengeance against a creature who should”ve been long dead by now—a monster who found a way to survive and continue his hunt despite all the efforts to destroy her.

I can feel Gabriel tense beside me, and I don”t know whether to step closer or give him space. ”Damn it,” he mutters under his breath. His eyes move around the room as if trying to piece together what might have been taken.

”Looks like they were searching for something specific,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite the rising panic. ”Or do you think it”s just to send a message?”

Gabriel nods. ”Yeah, they were definitely looking for something. But the question is, did they find it?”

I shudder at the thought, feeling a chill creep up my spine. ”Do you have any idea what they could have been after?”

He rubs his temples, deep in thought. ”There are a few things that come to mind, some notes and an old journal I found long before I met you, but nothing that explains why they”d tear the place apart like this.”

I kneel down to pick up a shattered photo frame from the floor. It”s a picture of Gabriel with a woman. They”re both smiling and look so carefree. I can”t believe I never noticed it before. ”Who”s this?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

He glances at the photo, his face hardening for a moment before softening again. ”That”s my sister, Delilah.” He runs his fingers through his hair as he tries to think, frowning when nothing comes to him. ”But she passed away nearly five years ago...” His voice trails off, and he lets out a long sigh.

”I”m sorry to hear that,” I say. There”s a lump in my throat as I set the photo frame back on the table, trying not to think about all the memories Gabriel has of her that might”ve been destroyed in this mess.

Gabriel shrugs like it doesn”t matter. But it matters to me—it matters a lot—that someone so important to him is gone and will never come back. To have all those memories, good or bad, just wiped out by an act of violence makes me sick to my stomach. And to think, it”s all because of me...

”It wasn”t your fault, Marina.” He cuts into my thoughts with his words, echoing exactly what I”m thinking.

My jaw drops open as I look at him. How can he know that? How can he possibly know me well enough to read my mind? Maybe I am becoming more comfortable with him than I thought.

He sighs and sits down on the sofa. His gaze travels around the room, taking in every little detail like it might hold some key to this mystery we are caught up in. Gabriel pulls out his phone, his fingers hovering over the screen as he prepares to dial 911. ”We need to report this,” he says.

I grab his arm gently, stopping him. ”Gabriel, think about it. What are you going to tell the police? That a group of vampire-hunters trashed your apartment because you”re helping a reformed vampire that they won”t just let go of? They”ll think we”re insane.”

He takes in my words and sits back against the sofa, his eyes roaming over the disaster again before finally conceding defeat. He doesn”t seem to know what to say so he remains silent, contemplating how things could be worse than this.

I look at him, the way his jaw clenches when he gets deep into thought and the intensity with which he tries to solve whatever problems come his way. His ability to keep moving despite setbacks amazes me. It is easy for me to get caught up in things, to feel overwhelmed by their consequences, but Gabriel just rolls with it. There must be some secret trick I haven”t discovered yet, a method that only people who are worthy manage to figure out.

”You”re right,” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. ”But we can”t just ignore this. We need help.”

”We do,” I agree, thinking quickly. ”But not from the police. We need to contact Emily. It sure seems like she”s dealt with these kinds of situations before, plus she has one of their inside guys. She”s our best bet right now, I think.”

Gabriel considers this for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. ”Emily... Yeah, you might be onto something. She”s resourceful and knows more about this world than anyone else I can think of. No offense, I just mean...”

”I know what you mean,” I assure him, patting his knee. ”We can trust her, Gabriel. She”ll help us figure this out.”

He takes a deep breath, visibly trying to shake off the tension that”s settled over him like a dark cloud. ”All right,” he says, grabbing his keys from the table. ”Let”s get out of here and find somewhere safe to call her.”

”We should probably pack a bag,” I suggest. ”Nothing major, just clothes and toiletries. That sort of thing. I don”t imagine we”ll be coming back for a while.”

He nods in agreement. ”You take the bedroom. Grab some clothes. I”ll grab some bathroom essentials and some snacks from the cabinet.”

I can hear him already rummaging through the kitchen as I walk down the hallway, opening the door to his room. The few clothes that I have that he bought me after my accident are folded on top of the dresser, so I grab them along with a few changes of clothes for Gabriel. I then toss some pajamas and undergarments into the suitcase and zip it up.

I exit the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind me. When I turn around, Gabriel is there waiting for me, wearing a backpack over his shoulders. He”s holding several bags of chips and cookies in one hand, and he reaches out and takes my free hand with his other.

As always, he”s as calm as can be when faced with adversity. ”Let”s get out of here,” he says.

I nod and let him lead us out to the car, loading our stuff into the trunk and settling in the passenger seat. I glance at the clock on the dashboard and see that it”s past three o”clock in the morning—just a few hours until dawn. But despite the exhaustion weighing on both of us, neither of us has slept yet tonight.

”Where are we headed?” I ask as Gabriel pulls out of the parking lot. My eyes scan the dark streets flashing by outside the car window, vigilant for any sign of danger.

”There”s a diner right around the corner,” he suggests. ”Somewhere public where we can sit down and call Emily, like you said.” He yawns wide enough to make his jaw pop before he adds, ”And maybe some food wouldn”t hurt either. I”m starving. Those little samples they were passing out at the party didn”t do much for my appetite.”

I nod my agreement and check myself in the mirror. We”re both still wearing our formal attire, and we probably look ridiculous with our hair messed up from the night”s adventures. But there”s nothing we can do about that now. At least it will be easier to slip into a booth without causing too much commotion. We”ll stick out like sore thumbs in a diner, but it”s better than having no place to go right now.

It isn”t long before Gabriel pulls into the parking lot of a well-lit diner. The neon sign out front blinks ”OPEN 24 HOURS”. He parks the car and we both get out, grabbing our bags from the trunk just in case. We walk hand in hand across the parking lot, which is nearly empty aside from another car or two. When we reach the door, I tug on it gently until it opens, leading us into a warm and cozy space filled with the aroma of coffee, bacon, eggs, pancakes—a savory breakfast blend that makes my stomach growl.

The diner”s interior is a cozy mishmash of retro decor, with vinyl booths, checkered floors, and old-fashioned jukeboxes on each table. It”s the kind of place that seems frozen in time, immune to the chaos of the outside world.

We find a booth near the back and slide into the red vinyl seats. A tired-looking waitress with a nametag that reads ”Judy” hands us a couple of menus and pours us each a cup of steaming coffee without saying a word.

Gabriel takes a sip of his coffee, wincing when he scalds his tongue. ”Fuck me,” he mutters under his breath.

I grin at the look on his face as I take my first sip and grimace myself. It”s damn hot, but I have no doubt it”ll wake us up. He doesn”t even bother looking at his menu before ordering a bacon cheeseburger and fries when Judy returns to the table.

”Ready to call Emily?” I ask as soon as Judy leaves the table.

”Ready as I”ll ever be,” Gabriel grumbles as he pulls his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

He navigates through his phone, finding Emily”s contact and hitting the call button. With each ring, my fingers twist around each other, gripping tightly as if they could wring out the stress and fear pooling inside me. Gabriel looks around the restaurant before putting the call on speaker just before the other line picks up.

”Hello?” Emily”s voice crackles through the phone.

”Emily, it”s Gabriel,” he starts. ”We”ve got a situation here. The party tonight—it was a shit show. Marina and I managed to get away, but it turns out Marina”s ex-fiancé is leading the Shadow Extractors.”

”Well, shit. Is everyone all right?”

”We made it out of there, barely, but by the time we got home, they”d trashed my apartment. Which means they know who I am and how to get to Marina.” He takes a breath and continues. ”I don”t know how much longer this can keep going on before they get their hands on her.”

”Where are you now?” she asks.

”The diner across from the apartment building. There weren”t many other options.”

”Listen to me, both of you. You need to get out of there. Now. Come to our clan”s den. We can offer you some protection until we figure out what to do. We”ll sort this out.”

He glances over at me before nodding his agreement with Emily”s plan. ”All right, we”re on our way.”

”I”ll send you the location. Head straight here. See you soon,” Emily says before hanging up.

Gabriel puts the phone back into his jacket pocket and takes a deep breath as if preparing himself for a fight. His eyes flicker around the room briefly, taking in the other patrons, who are all looking down at their plates while studiously ignoring each other. I get the feeling he isn”t keen on the idea of going to hang out with a house full of vampires, but there is nowhere else for us to turn.

”Who would”ve figured that between the two, vampires would be the safer option over humans?” he quips as he slides out of the booth and stands up. I follow suit and gather our things from the table. After throwing some cash on the table, he slips his wallet back into his inside coat pocket before walking toward the exit. ”After you,” he says, opening the door for me.

We step back into the cool night air, and Gabriel turns his gaze upwards toward the starry sky. I find myself doing the same, feeling small in a way I never did when I was a vampire. A part of me longs to spread my arms wide, soar into the clouds like a bird on a current, feel the wind rushing against my face. I miss being immortal. I miss the power and freedom it brought. But I”m not sure I”ll ever have those things again. I don”t know what I am anymore, and now in addition to trying to figure that out, I”m on the run from my ex-fiancé and his group of extremist vampire-hunters. What a strange turn my life has taken.