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He wanted her, there was no doubt about it, but somehow he was able to keep his wits about him.
 
Gabriel shrugged and instead of moving closer to her, he actually backed off.
 
Leaning against the bleachers, he glanced away.
  

Roseline bit her lip to silence her cry of indignation.
 
No man, human or otherwise, had ever backed away from her once she decided she wanted him.
 
Gabriel, unknowingly, had just physically rejected her.

She’d seduced many humans before, every time to spite
Vladimir
, but never once had one of them had so much control around her.
 
Gabriel was not only holding his own, he was actually making Roseline beg for him!
 

“Oh there you are Rose,” Sadie gasped, holding the stitch in her side as she and William rounded the corner.
 
Her eyes opened wide, rain streaked mascara lining her cheeks, as she noted Gabriel’s presence.
 
William glared at the quarterback, not the least bit happy to find Mr. Popular moving in on Roseline.
 
His fingers dug into the Styrofoam cups, the rapidly cooling cocoa flowing over his fingers.
 

“Nicolae said you wandered off with some guy but I didn’t think it’d be him,” Sadie said, pointing at Gabriel.

“And what were you two doing in the dark, Gabriel?” William asked.

“What’s it to you?” Gabriel challenged.

“Hey now,” Roseline spoke up, inserting herself between the two guys.
 
“Gabriel and I were just talking.
 
That’s all.”

“So you do know my name,” Gabriel grinned, backing away.
 
“And you’re Rose, right?”

Roseline merely nodded, painfully aware of the tense situation she’d caused.
 
She glanced at her friends before turning towards Gabriel.
 
“So I guess that answers your question then.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel frowned, his gorgeous smile drooping in disappointment.
 
“I guess it does.
 
I’ll see you around.”
 

Nodding, Roseline turned her back on Gabriel, refusing to give in to the urge to watch him walk away.
 
Sadie pounced.
 
“What on earth are you doing back here with Gabriel Marston?
 
Didn’t I warn you about him?”

“Of course you did, but it wasn’t like we were doing anything bad,” Roseline countered, annoyed that she had to defend her actions.
 
“He just wanted to talk.”

“Sure, that’s all Gabriel ever wants to do with beautiful girls,” William scoffed.

Roseline eyed him up.
 
His possessive nature was beginning to grate on her nerves.
 
She knew she was thinking irrationally, but her brief meeting with Gabriel had thrown her for a loop.
 
And to add more fuel to the fire, Nicolae chose that moment to pop his head around the corner.

“Everything alright?”

Sadie groaned loudly, whirling around.
 
“I said wait by the car Nicolae.
 
Can you not understand basic English?”

He raised his hands in surrender and turned, but not before glaring icily at Roseline.
 
He’d made his presence known and it irked her.
 
Nicolae was checking on her…or more accurately, he was checking on Gabriel.

William chucked the nearly empty cups aside as they headed towards the parking lot “So are we gonna go party or not?
 
Sophie Reynolds is throwing a huge bash at her house tonight.
 
Wanna crash?”

“I’m game,” Sadie grinned, wiping the mascara smudges from her face.
 

Roseline shook her head.
 
“No.
 
I’m actually not feeling too well.
 
I think I might be coming down with something.”
 

“Want a ride?” William asked, spinning his keys around his finger.

“Nah.
 
I’m good.
 
I don’t want to ruin your plans.” Roseline waved them off.
 

“You sure?” Sadie asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
 
They’d reached the parking lot, and if she hadn’t just seen Gabriel head out with two of his cronies, she’d have thought Roseline was just trying to ditch them.
 

“Yeah,” Roseline nodded, swiping a narrow line of sweat beading along her brow.
 
She didn’t have to fake an illness.
 
With the way her stomach flip flopped at the thought of Gabriel’s reaction to her earlier, she knew it was gonna be a long night.

“Well…” Sadie trailed, glancing questioningly at Roseline.
 
“I guess we’ll see you at school on Monday.”

Roseline nodded, waving.
 
“Have fun!”

***

“What’s with you man?” Oliver asked, shoving Gabriel in the shoulder.
 
He was zoned out, completely oblivious to the blaring music, the stench of vomit wafting from the overflowing toilet down the hall or his
wanna
-be pole dancer girlfriend using his leg for an impromptu dance.
 
“Claire is all over you.”

Gabriel pushed up off the couch, spilling a very drunk Claire onto the floor.
 
He stumbled over her, not caring to stick around to hear her shrill ranting.
 
Gabriel needed air.
 
He pushed through the back door and fell into a lounge chair.
 

Staring up at the stars, all he could see was Rose.
 
Her silky skin, long delicate bronze tresses, gorgeous eyes that saw right through him and the full lips that he knew would haunt his dreams.
 
He didn’t want to be at that party.
 
He didn’t want Claire dry humping his leg like a dog in heat.
 
He wanted Rose, beautiful mysterious Rose.

What was it about her that felt so right?
 
He’d dated tons of girls over the years, but none had ever gripped him so tightly.
 
And they’d certainly never felt electric to the touch.
 

Gabriel buried his head in his hands.
 
He clamped his eyes shut as the world began to spin.
 
Drinking had been a really bad idea, but he’d needed to take the edge off.
 
Now all he’d managed to do was compound his problems.
 

He sank to the ground, disappearing into the shadows as he crawled on hands and knees to the cool damp grass.
 
It felt like slipping into a refreshing pool on a sweltering day.
 
His skin was on fire, fueled by a bubbling volcano in the pit of his stomach.
 

Pain radiated through his body.
 
He wanted to cry out, to plead for help, but no one would have heard him over the music.
 
He lay, in agony, as liquid fire raced through his veins.
 
Gabriel could feel something shifting, like his entire genetic code was adapting.
 

The fire began to smolder, racing back towards his core.
 
It rounded his heart and shot out through his eyes.
 
The pain vanished as the purest blue glow exploded from his eyes.
 

Gabriel passed out.

Chapter 3

Roseline tossed and turned in her sleep, plagued by the same dream that’d repeated every night since her encounter with Gabriel after the state qualifiers.
 
Images of Gabriel bathed in a brilliant blue light.
 
The sensation of being cocooned in his arms brought tears to Roseline’s eyes.
 
Some part of her brain acknowledged that this was a dream, but it felt like something more…something tangible.
   

Blinking, Roseline groaned as she sat up on the edge of her make shift bed.
 
She rubbed her neck, feeling the familiar ache she’d come to expect each morning from her lumpy bed.
 
Why she didn’t just go buy a new one, she’d never know.
 
For whatever insane reason, she’d grown fond of the stained mattress that lay in the corner of her room.

Her bedroom, if you could really call it that, was sparsely furnished.
 
A long, solid wood slab ran the length of the far wall.
 
She’d set up a rickety stool under the table to use as a desk.
 
On top of it lay the computer she’d purchased the day she’d arrived.
 
Standing in the sleazy pawn shop, Roseline had promised herself she’d never use it, but her self control was beginning to wane.

There was only one reason why she’d give in now.
 
Gabriel.
 
It’d been a week since they’d talked at the football game and she’d done her best to avoid him.
 
Sneaking around behind his back was beginning to wear thin, especially when a huge part of her wanted nothing more than to go right up to him and kiss him till he fainted.
 
But she couldn’t even think about letting that happen.
 
Far too risky.

But that risk, the thrill of “what if” had brought her to this moment.
 
Staring across the room, Roseline eyed the cold machine that could instantly connect her with the only person who could truly understand her.
 
Of course Fane would think she was crazy.
 
A growing obsession with a mortal?
 
Ludicrous!
 
Fane would listen.
 
He’d at least try to help her.
 
But…he’d also try to track her down.

“Not today,” she muttered as she slipped into her robe and plodded past the computer and out into the hall.
 
Her fingers trailed lightly over the aged wooden banister.
 
The stairs creaked underfoot, echoing loudly through the empty house.

 
Stepping nimbly over the cigarette burned carpet in the living room, Roseline headed for the fridge.
 
The heavy metal door squealed as it swung open.
 
“Drat,” she groaned, remembering too late that she was supposed to have gone grocery shopping.
 

With a deep sigh, Roseline headed back through the living room, not even caring to glance at the sparse boxes stacked in the corner.
 
It wasn’t her stuff, and by the musty odor emitting from the loose lid, there certainly wasn’t anything of interest in there.
 

The dining room held the most furniture in the entire house.
 
A painted hutch sat in the corner, layered with an inch of dust.
 
The old wooden farm house table filled the rest of the room, its long benches tucked underneath.
 
Past that a bathroom ran off the main hall, its pink tiles glaring obnoxiously at anyone who dared to enter the time warp.

“I really should get out today,” Roseline muttered as she gave up her aimless wandering and headed back upstairs.
 
Rounding the banister she headed into one of the spare rooms.
 
This room she used as her makeshift closet.
 
Designer store bags stacked high in one corner, empty of their purchases.
 
Piles of clothes, laid out in perfect condition, littered the floor.
 
She never wore the same thing twice, not because she was a snob, but because she simply couldn’t abide ironing.

Sighing, Roseline grabbed an outfit from the top of a pile and headed to the bathroom.
 
Twenty minutes later, with hair wound into a stunning up-do with ringlets spiraling around her face, Roseline headed out.
 
She wasn’t sure where she was heading until she looked up and saw that her feet had taken her right to Sadie’s door step.
 

“Well hello Rose.
 
It’s so nice to see you,” Mrs. Hughes smiled as she opened the glass paneled door.
 
Her sapphire blue robe was tucked tightly around her slender figure.
 
“Please, come in.”

Roseline stepped over the threshold and dipped low to slip off her heels.
 
“Sadie!
 
Rose is here.”

Thundering foot steps raced down the stairs.
 
Roseline smiled as she heard the grunted abuse being slung in the other room.
 
“Back off, she’s my friend!”

“How do you know she came here to see you?”

Sadie snickered as she rounded the corner.
 
“You are so desperate!”

“Hi guys,” Roseline grinned, amused by their state of dress.
 
William stood in the doorway, wearing only pajama bottoms.
 
His hair was heavily tousled, sticking up in the back like a peacock.
 
Roseline tried not to admire William’s bare chest.
 
It was smooth and toned, far more appealing than she would have guessed under the ratty t-shirts he loved to wear.

But what amazed Roseline the most was Sadie’s transformation.
 
Without her dark eye shadow, rocker shirts and cut off jeans, she actually looked lovely.
 
“Wow Sadie.”

Sadie rolled her eyes.
 
“I know.
 
I look terrible without makeup.”

“No,” Roseline shook her head.
 
“You look amazing.”

“See, told you so.
 
No one likes your Goth look,” Mrs. Hughes grinned as she poked her head into the room.
   

“Mom,” Sadie hissed, shooing her mother away.
 
She took the hint and left, but not before she planted a kiss on Sadie’s forehead.
 
“She’s so embarrassing!”

Roseline smiled, wishing more than anything that she’d had that kind of relationship with her mother.
 
“I guess I came over kinda early.
 
Sorry about that.”

William threw himself onto the leather couch.
 
Reaching for the remote he switched on the massive flat screen over the fireplace.
 
He flipped through the channels, finally settling on an episode of Phineas and Ferb.
 
Roseline raised an eyebrow but Sadie just waved it off.
 
“He’s still into cartoons.
 
Loser.”

“I heard that,” he called from the other side of the couch.
 
He’d sunk so low Roseline couldn’t see anything more than his leg slung over the end.
 

Sadie headed back towards the stairs.
 
“Come on up.
 
I gotta get ready anyways.”

Roseline followed Sadie up to her room, glancing towards William’s partially open door.
 
Inside she saw Nicolae, his back turned towards the door.
 
He heard their footsteps and rushed to pull his shirt down over his head, but not before Roseline caught a glimpse of the mass of scars on his back.
 
Frowning she shut the door behind Sadie.

“What’s with Nicolae?” she asked, watching Sadie as she flopped down on her bed.
 
Roseline settled in on an oversized neon pink bean bag by the window.

“What do you mean?” Sadie asked, instantly bored with the topic.

“The scars.
 
Haven’t you noticed them before?”

Sadie sat up, frowning.
 
“What scars?”

“On his back,” Roseline answered.
 
She began to question what she’d seen when Sadie’s brow knit together.
 
“You’ve never seen them?”

“Nope.
 
But I’m not exactly trying to either.”
 
Sadie shuddered at the thought.
 
“That guy gives me the creeps.”

Roseline nodded in agreement.
 
“Me too.”
 
But she knew her reasons were much different than her friend’s.
 
“So is he still stalking you?”

Sadie nodded solemnly.
 
“Night and day.
 
The guy won’t leave me alone for a second.
 
He’s always watching me.
 
It’s really starting to freak me out.”

“Maybe I should talk to him,” Roseline offered, rising from her seat.

Sadie laughed, rolling out of bed.
 
She grabbed a towel slung over her computer chair.
 
“What could you possibly do to scare him off?”

Roseline grinned.
 
“You never know.”
 
She slipped out the door as soon as Sadie disappeared into her bathroom.
 

She turned and bumped straight into Nicolae.
 
“Excuse me,” he muttered and tried to head for the door.
 
Roseline’s hand lashed out, clamping tightly around his arm. Nicolae flinched at her warm touch but said nothing.

“I thought I made myself clear the other night.”

“Ah, there you are Nicolae.
 
I was beginning to wonder if you were up as well.”
 
Roseline instantly released Nicolae’s arm.
 
“Morning Rose.
 
It seems I have you to thank for my family’s early rising” Mr. Hughes yawned, plodding past them in his stripped pj’s and slippers. He descended a couple of steps before turning back.
 

“I’d forgotten that you two were from the same country.
 
Small world eh?”

“Yeah, small world,” Roseline growled under her breath as Mr. Hughes disappeared down the stairs.
 
She turned her attention back to Nicolae.
 
He met her icy glare head on.
 
No backing down.
 
No shying away.
 
Roseline’s eyes narrowed at the change.
 
Nicolae was obviously more than he appeared.
 
Her guard instantly went up.
 
“Leave Sadie alone.”
  

“Or what?” Nicolae challenged.
 
“You’ll kill me?”

Roseline’s aqua eyes flamed with anger.
 
“Don’t tempt me,” she snarled, curling her lip.
 

A flicker of fear crossed Nicolae’s face before he wiped it clean.
 
“You don’t scare me.”

“No?” Roseline smirked, positioning herself an inch from Nicolae’s nose.
 
“Trust me; you don’t want to mess with me.”

Nicolae stood his ground.
 
“I won’t let you hurt Sadie.”

Roseline blinked.
 
That was the last thing she’d expected him to say.
 
“You think I’d actually hurt my friend?”
 
He nodded.
 
Roseline sighed, backing up against the wall.
 
So that’s what his shadow act was all about.
 
“I know you’re not going to believe me, and judging by how much you think you know about me, I wouldn’t blame you…but I promise I would never harm Sadie.”

“You’re right,” Nicolae spat out.
 
“I don’t believe you.
 
And I will be watching every move you make.”

Roseline shrugged.
 
“Fair enough.”

With that mutual understanding firmly in place, Roseline slipped back down the stairs. Nicolae didn’t follow.
 
Noticing William was still slouched in front of the TV, Roseline decided to join him.
 
“Budge up.”
 
He straightened, allowing her some room.
 
“Whatcha watching?”