Chapter 5 #2
“Not here,” Gabriel interrupted. “Whoever they are, they could still be hanging around. And remember, Dani, they can read your mind now.”
“What?” I screeched, my head whipping around to James. “You said vampires couldn’t read minds.”
“They can’t… technically,” James admitted sheepishly. “But do you remember when I told you that being turned by a vampire will bind you together for life? That’s part of it. You can’t read strangers’ minds, but you can read the thoughts of the person you’re bonded to.”
Gabriel interrupted my latest lesson of Vampires 101. “We should move her. Especially since it looks like we’re about to have two newborns on our hands.”
Puzzled, I redirected my gaze. He was staring at my neck, where James’s mark seemed to pulse beneath his attention. My hand snapped up to cover the bruise, and before I could open my mouth, James spoke for me. “It didn’t work.”
Now it was Gabriel’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean?”
Dani’s eyes bounced between the three of us. When they met mine, I looked to the floor. “It’s been two days,” James explained, and Gabriel rose to his feet. “He doesn’t feel any different, and I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary—other than that he seems to be resistant to the venom.”
Feeling all of their eyes on me, I lifted my gaze from my feet.
Gabriel studied me with a mix of uncertainty and…
fascination? “I’ve never heard of anything like it,” he muttered, though more to himself.
Coming to a stop in front of my seat, he seemed to tower over me, nearly twice as intimidating as he was before.
Despite trying to keep my cool, I swallowed hard.
He watched me, tilting his head and gesturing to where I covered the spot. “May I?”
My knee-jerk reaction was to look to James for reassurance. Every muscle in my body, every instinct I had wanted his comfort. I held strong, but barely.
“It’s all right, love,” he said, and I blamed that damn vampire bond. I couldn’t hide anything from him. Blanketing my hand with his, he laced our fingers together, tugging my grip free from my neck and dropping our entwined hands to my shoulder.
Gabriel made a curious sound and crouched in front of me.
He thumbed the mark, sending a shiver down my spine at his ice-cold touch.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and the pad of his thumb warmed almost instantly.
James’s mark throbbed under Gabriel’s ministrations, as if the venom wanted to spread but was just… stuck.
“I’ve never turned anyone before,” James said. “Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I didn’t sink in deep enough.”
“No, you did everything right. Human DNA is exceptionally weak compared to a vampire’s venom.
That’s why wearing your jewelry is so important when you’re feeding.
It wouldn’t take much for him to start turning.
” After thinking for a moment, Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Dani. “Would you show them your bite?”
Dani held up the empty blood pouch. “Got any more of these?”
Amused, Gabriel produced another one from his pocket.
“Trust me, there’s plenty more where that came from.
You’ll need it.” Just like before, he pierced the corner and handed it to her.
Once she had it in hand, Dani shuffled her long sleeve up her arm, revealing a small—much smaller than mine—bite mark on her left wrist. It pulsed blue, like mine did, though weaker.
“See how faint hers is? It’s likely that the vampire who turned her barely pierced her skin.
That’s all it takes to turn a human. Whereas yours…
” Gabriel returned his attention to my neck.
“I can see the large amount of venom present.”
“So can I,” I said.
His eyes snapped to mine. “What?”
“I can see it. It’s blue, and it seems to pulse every time my heart beats.”
Gabriel peered at James, who nodded. “That’s why I called you yesterday.”
“But somebody was too busy chasing tail,” Dani teased. At Gabriel’s glare, she shrugged, grinning around her drink. “I wasn’t totally unconscious.”
I snickered, earning a glare of my own. Gabriel shook his head, then straightened to his full height. I leaned back into my seat, closer to James. Something about being the only human in a room full of vampires made me uneasy, even if Dani was practically useless for the moment.
“I’m going to take her to my place,” Gabriel said. “Lucky for you two, she’s not the first newborn I’ll have trained. Are you coming with me?”
“No,” I answered before James could. “This has been… a lot. I just want to go home.”
“Fair,” Gabriel said. “I’m going to look into why you haven’t turned yet.” Then to James, “You’ll call me if there are any changes?”
“Of course.”
Gabriel strolled back to the couch, offering Dani a hand to help her to her feet.
Hesitantly, she took it and stood. She was wobbly but seemed much more stable than before.
Still, Gabriel supported her with an arm around her waist. One which, to my surprise, she welcomed.
As they left, Gabriel said, “Go home and get some rest—while you still can.”
Vampires. Even their goodbyes were ominous.