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“What?” Gabriel asked, leaning closer.

Unable to stop herself, Roseline closed the gap between them, breathing deeply as she approached.
 
There was no denying it; Gabriel was the source of the teasing aroma.
 
Closing her eyes, Roseline nuzzled against his neck, embracing the warmth of his throat.
 
His pulse jumped madly against her cheek, making her smile.

Gabriel rolled his neck to the side, eyes closing as Roseline turned to press her lips against his artery.
 
The sensitive skin under her lips quivered, a contented sigh escaping his lips.
 
Roseline’s eyes popped open, reality crashed in as she threw herself against the opposite end of the couch.
 
She commanded her lungs to stop moving as she fought for control.

“Why’d you stop?” Gabriel groaned, his words slurring.

Roseline glanced hesitantly at him.
 
Her body began to tremble as she looked deeply into his eyes, terrified by the faint blue glow radiating out from them.
 
It wasn’t possible.
 
Humans couldn’t do that.
 

Maybe it was the moonlight streaming in from overhead, or a trick of light from the lamp glowing on the bookcase.
 
Or maybe Roseline’s mind had finally snapped, trying to convince herself that Gabriel was something more than a mortal.
 
But try as she might to convince herself of those possibilities, the truth continued to gnaw at her.
 

Gabriel’s heart drummed loudly in his chest.
 
Hormones leaked from his dampened skin, mingling with hers in the air.
 
The scent of their desire permeating the air was more than she could handle.
 
Roseline’s lips parted, allowing one final agonizing breath to enter her body.
 
She groaned, burying her face in her hands as she tasted Gabriel’s essence.

“That was amazing,” Gabriel cried, his mind slowly escaping the fog.
 
“It’s never been like that before.”

The reminder of his time spent with other girls snapped Roseline out of her trance.
 
“I barely touched you,” she murmured, trying to sort out what they’d just experienced.
 

“Really?” Gabriel frowned, blinking away the last of the haze.
 
“That’s not what it felt like.”

“Oh man,” Roseline groaned, turning away.
 
Warm tears slipped between her fingers.
 
“This isn’t possible.
 
Why is this happening?”

Roseline jumped when Gabriel’s hand landed on her bare arm.
 
Scorching fire licked against her skin…and suddenly she understood.
 
His blood called to her.
 
Not like blood normally did.
 
This wasn’t some sadistic hunger or a physical need for healing; this was lust in its rawest form.

“Are you ok Rose?” he whispered, his breathing tickling her ear.

“No,” she croaked, pulling free from his grasp.
 
“I want to leave.”

Gabriel’s disappointment hit her like a wrecking ball, but she refused to be swayed.
 
Roseline had to leave, to get some fresh air to clear her mind before she did something she’d really regret.
 
His scent still lingered in her nostrils, making her head spin.
 
“Please, let me go,” she begged.

She heard the creak of the floor as Gabriel moved away.
 
A strange cold lingered where his fingers had been only a moment before.
 
Roseline rubbed her arm, refusing to acknowledge the yearning in her soul.
 

Crouching by the hatch, finger hooked though the door, Gabriel paused.
 
“I’m sorry.
 
I never should have…I didn’t mean to…” he sighed, shaking his head.
 
“I’m sorry.”

Roseline bit her lip as his face drooped.
 
She didn’t want him to feel guilty.
 
The rebellious part of her that’d risked life and limb to escape from
Vladimir
wanted Gabriel to fight for her.
 
But she knew if he did she’d lose herself to him.
 
It took every ounce of strength she possessed not to pull Gabriel back to her as he opened the hatch, but she couldn’t trust herself.
 

Roseline knew he wasn’t in any real danger from her.
 
No matter how good he smelled she would never bite him.
 
Blood was the source of life, for humans and Immortals, but taking the lifeblood of another being came with a terrible curse.

Although Roseline and her family didn’t actually feed off of the blood of others, it did happen from time to time to help speed healing.
 
Like any prescription drug that can become addictive, so could too much human blood.
 
Personalities would begin to change, behaviors become more violent and the result was the creation of the vampire myth.
 
A myth that Roseline had fought hard to never live up to.

No.
 
The need she felt for Gabriel went beyond fleshly desires.
 
Even her lust for him faded against the bond she felt with him.
 
As if their souls had somehow entwined.
 
And that fact scared the heck out of her.
 
She couldn’t fall for a mortal.
 
It was forbidden.
 
And yet…

“What do you think you’re doing?” a shrill voice wrenched Roseline from her inner turmoil.

“Claire,” Gabriel gasped, teetering towards the opening.
 
Roseline’s hand shot out, gripping his shirt as she pulled him back from danger.
 
He gave Roseline a weak smile of thanks before rushing down the ladder.
 
“What are you doing here?”

Roseline dashed across the room and snatched her heels.
 
In a flash they were wound around her ankles and she was back at the attic hatch.
 
Neither Gabriel nor Claire had noticed her movements.

“Looking for you, duh,” Claire snapped, swaying slightly on her feet.
 
Her blood red lipstick was smeared; her breath reeked of alcohol and something else.
 
Roseline leaned through the opening and sniffed the air, her nose scrunching with disgust when she recognized the scent.
 

“How dare you cheat on me Gabriel Marston,” Claire shrieked, slapping him across the face.
 
Roseline bared her teeth and hissed but her reaction went unnoticed as Gabriel rubbed his reddening jaw.
 
“You’re father is going to hear about this!”

Claire turned and stomped towards the stairs, wavering precariously on her silver stiletto heels.
 
Her hands waved wildly just before she tumbled end over end, landing in a heap on the landing.
 
Groaning, Claire righted herself and scooted down the remaining steps.
 

Roseline hurried down the ladder, peeking to make sure no one would see her descent.
 
Gabriel shook his head, deeply embarrassed by his girlfriend’s state.
 
“Sorry about that.
 
She probably won’t even remember this tomorrow morning.”

“I sure hope she doesn’t remember what else she’s been up to,” Roseline muttered under her breath as she smoothed out her dress.
 

Gabriel’s eye brow rose.
 
“Oh yeah?”

Roseline chuckled, shocked that he’d overhead her.
 
“Well by the looks of it, your girlfriend hooked up with Oliver.”

Gabriel grimaced.
 
“Yeah, that sounds like them.”
 
Roseline glanced away.
 
No matter what she might or might not feel for Gabriel, she didn’t like the idea of him being in such a terrible relationship.
 
“I’m gonna have to do something about her.”

Roseline stepped towards the stairs.
 
That was her cue to leave.
 
No way could she handle a talk about his crumbling relationship with Claire.
 
“I should probably get going,” she muttered. “Thanks for the tour.”
 
She turned to head down the hall but Gabriel caught her arm.
 

“I meant what I said earlier.
 
I really want to get to know you Rose.”

Roseline struggled to pull her gaze away from him.
 
She could already feel the gravitational pull building between them.
 
Roseline cleared her throat, annoyed by how flustered he made her feel.
 
No guy had managed to do that in over three hundred years.
 
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.

“Me either,” he admitted.
 
“But I don’t care.”

She hated how easily those four words changed her life.
 
Roseline knew it was wrong, for so many reasons, but at that moment she refused to care.
 
She nodded and slipped down the stairs.

“Where have you been?” Sadie moaned as soon as Roseline arrived on the ground floor.
 
Sadie was relying heavily on the wall to remain upright.
 
“I’ve been looking all over for you.
 
I think I’ve had too much to drink.”
 
She belched loudly and swiped her arm across her mouth.
 
Her hair was matted with crushed chips and gooey chocolate from the fountain that’d been set up in the kitchen.
 
She must have gone in head first.

“You think?” Roseline laughed as she pulled Sadie towards her.
 
“I think you’ve had a bit too much fun for one night.
 
Let’s get you home.”

The only answer she got was a gentle snore as Sadie passed out in her arms.
 
Roseline lifted her legs and carried her out of the house.
 
Judging by the moon overhead it was well past two in the morning.
 
The house was dark as she approached but Roseline could hear Sadie’s parent complaining about the noise from their bedroom on the back side of the house.
 

Glancing around to make sure she wouldn’t be seen, Roseline clutched Sadie tightly in her arms and scaled the tree.
 
She slipped in through the cracked window, gently tucking her snoring friend under the covers.
 
Roseline hesitated, smiling down at Sadie.
 
It was amazing how sleep could tame the wild beast.

“Goodnight,” she whispered from the window before leaping to the ground.
 

Deciding it’d be best not to go back through the door she’d exited only a couple minutes before, Roseline slipped down between the two houses.
 
An eight foot fence stood between her and Gabriel’s back yard.
 
Roseline stepped back then jumped straight over the top, landing silently on the other side.

“How could you embarrass me like that with Oliver?” an angry voice called out through the night.
 
Roseline ducked behind a tree, wincing at her bad luck.
 
She’d just landed in the last place she wanted to be…right in the middle of Gabriel and Claire’s confrontation.
 
Fate was obviously having a laugh at her expense.
 
Roseline peeked out, unable to stop her curiosity.

“Oh that was nothing,” Claire replied, slumped on a lounger.
 
“Why do you even care?
 
You were fooling around with that slutty new girl.”

“Take it back,” Gabriel growled, yanking Claire to her feet.
 
His face contorted with anger.

Claire’s high pitch laugh grated on Roseline’s nerves.
 
“Are you serious?
 
You’re actually defending her honor?
 
Oh that is too good!”

“I said, take it back.”

Claire’s laugh cut off.
 
“What’s gotten into you Gabe?
 
You fall for some new girl and now you’re ready to give up everything for her?
 
Have you even seen who she hangs with?
 
Sadie
Freakshow
Hughes!”