Gabriel's Mate (9 page)

Gabriel swept a long look over her form. He could clearly sense her aura, and if that wasn’t enough to prove to him what she was, he remembered the moment she’d bitten him. He’d felt her fangs graze him. No, she was a vampire. “Something is wrong.”

***

Maya swallowed hard at Gabriel’s words. Wrong? There were a hell lot of things that were wrong. For starters, she was a vampire—even if she couldn’t yet accept this fact—when she should right now be at the hospital diagnosing and healing patients. In addition, she was pretty much locked up in a strange house with four strangers—no, make that five with the butler—when she should be at her own little apartment. She wore the clothes of a woman she’d never met. Wasn’t that enough?

Apparently not. So she hadn’t turned into a normal vampire then—that was just her hard luck. Instead of craving human blood, like they told her every newly turned vampire did, she found it disgusting and gagged on it.

But what they didn’t know and what she wouldn’t—couldn’t—tell them was that what she really wanted was to take a bite out of Gabriel. Literally. The moment he’d stepped into the kitchen to rescue her from his obnoxious friends, she’d fought against her urge to sink her fangs into his arm and feed from him. Yes, feed. That’s what they called it.

When he’d held her to his chest, she’d inhaled his scent deeply. Her senses were so sharp that she could virtually smell the warm blood underneath his skin, so close for the taking. If only his friends would leave the room, maybe she could somehow overwhelm him and take what she needed. And what she needed wasn’t only his blood. She wanted his arms around her and his naked body on top of her or underneath her—whichever way she could get him.

Maya shook the thought from her mind. She wasn’t an animal that attacked without regard for its victim, but by God, she wanted Gabriel’s blood. And she wanted his body just as much. What had she become? A creature driven by her needs alone? Had she lost all her humanity?

She didn’t want to believe it. Her sense of right and wrong was still in place. Her fears still the same as ever, her passion unbridled and ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting man who’d done nothing but help and comfort her.

She looked up at Gabriel. Strange; only hours ago she’d been scared out of her wits at the sight of him. The ugly scar had looked menacing. But all the things he’d said and done since had started overriding his outside appearance. When she looked at him now, there was no ugliness, only a man who was trying to protect her.

And how did she want to repay him for his kindness? By biting him.

She couldn’t allow herself to do that. She had to get out of this place. Without a word, she turned on her heels and rushed out of the kitchen.

“Where’re you going?” she heard Gabriel’s voice behind her. “Maya!”

But she didn’t want to listen to him.

In the corridor, she turned toward the stairs. She needed her handbag with her keys so she could go home. Before she could set even one foot on the first step, Gabriel was already behind her and turned her around to face him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his face a mask of concern and confusion.

She tried to find the right words, but nothing came out. How could she tell him what she really wanted? To sink her fangs into his neck while she explored his naked body with her hands, when all he wanted was to protect her.

“I promise they won’t hurt you anymore. They fear me too much. I’m their boss. Nobody will touch you or force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” he promised.

Maya shook her head. She believed him, but it wasn’t enough. “I don’t belong here. I’m going home.”

Gabriel’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t go home. That rogue is still out there. It’s too dangerous.”

“I need to go home. I can’t stay here with you. This is not my life. This is not me.” Tears started welling up in her eyes again, but she pushed them back. “I have a job, a life. My parents—what will I tell my parents? And my friends? Paulette and Barbara will be so worried if I don’t tell them where I am.”

“We’ll help you figure things out. I will help you,” Gabriel insisted.

 “And what, make up lies to hide what I am? Or will I be dead to everybody else?”

His hand stroked over her arm in a gesture so comforting, she wanted to lean into him.

“We all have to make up new lives for ourselves. We stay young while everyone around us ages and dies. I’ll help you figure out what to do about your parents and your friends. But for now, you can’t tell anybody, not while we’re trying to take out the rogue.”

“And then what? What will I do with my life? I can’t be a doctor anymore. That’s all I know how to do—and now, I’m a freak, don’t you understand? I’m not normal. And I won’t drink human blood. I just won’t.”

“You’ll die if you don’t,” a voice came from the entrance door before it slammed shut.

Maya’s gaze snapped to the man who now stood in the foyer. Tall and skinny, he looked at her.

“That’s Dr. Drake, and as much as I’d like to disagree with him, he’s right,” Gabriel added.

“Looks like I came just in time.” Drake stepped further into the house and stretched out his hand toward Maya. “We’ve met before, but I’m afraid at our last encounter you were unconscious.” Then he turned to Gabriel and looked him up and down. “I see your visit wasn’t welcome.”

Maya had no idea what the doctor was referring to, but apparently Gabriel did, because his next word sounded more like a warning than a greeting. “Doc.”

 With a smile Drake perused her. “The turning completed well, thanks to Gabriel.”

Maya looked at the doctor. What did Gabriel have to do with her turning? They’d told her a rogue had attacked her and turned her. When she gave Gabriel a questioning look, he dropped his lids slightly as if he wanted to hide from her scrutiny.

“What do you mean?” she asked the doctor, staring right into his blue eyes.

“Well, surely, they told you what happened.”

Maya’s hackles went up. They were keeping something from her. They hadn’t told her the truth. “No. Why don’t you?”

Drake looked from her to Gabriel and then back. He appeared flustered.

“You were in pretty bad shape when they found you. The turning had started, but it didn’t take. We only had two choices: let you die or turn you fully.”

Memories of the previous night flashed in Maya’s mind. “You didn’t let me die.” She remembered the pain and the cold. And the strange dream she’d had.

“No, Gabriel turned you fully. He gave you enough of his blood for the turning to take. For all intents and purposes, he’s your sire.”

Maya’s mouth gaped open as she looked back at Gabriel, who stood a mere three feet away from her. Now it all made sense. Her dream hadn’t been a dream at all. That night she’d fed from Gabriel’s wrist, she’d felt his body warm her, comfort her. Now it was no surprise that he was so protective of her. To him, she must feel like his daughter. No wonder he’d been so reluctant to kiss her and had looked so ashamed and guilt-ridden when the kiss had ended.

Was it regret she saw in his eyes now?

“There was no time to waste. I had to act,” Gabriel said, and it sounded like an apology.

Had he acted rash and made a decision he now regretted? She didn’t want to know, couldn’t ask him, but his eyes said it all: so much regret, so much pain. He’d taken on a responsibility she wasn’t sure he wanted. That’s what she was to him: somebody he had to take care of because he’d turned her. He’d made her into what she was.

“You owe me nothing. You saved my life, and I thank you for it,” she pressed out, trying not to cry. But she wouldn’t take anything else from him. Not even his offer of protection which clearly came from a misplaced sense of responsibility of knowing that it was his blood that had eventually turned her into a vampire. His blood that ran through her veins. Was that why she lusted after his blood? And was that the reason she felt this attraction for him?

“Dr. Drake, I’d like you to examine me.”

“Certainly. Let’s use Samson’s study,” he answered and pointed toward a door at the end of the corridor.

When Gabriel made a move to follow them, she added, “In private.”

Maya caught his look from the corner of her eye. What she saw stunned her. He was hurt? Shouldn’t he be relieved that she had released him from his obligation to take care of her? Yet he looked anything but.

Maya shut the door of the study behind her and let herself fall against it. The room was wood-paneled with dark wood and a collection of overstuffed bookcases. The large antique desk held two computer screens and other assorted gadgets. It appeared the owner of the house—Samson, she assumed—liked his electronic toys.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.

She gave an impatient wave with her hand. “Let’s cut to the chase and talk doctor to doctor.”

He nodded. “Fine.”

“Even though I hear you’re a psychiatrist, I guess you’re the closest they have to a real doctor in San Francisco.”

Drake frowned. “Psychiatry is a
real
medical discipline.”

“Whatever you say. Let’s just hope you can clear up a few things for me—at this point I wouldn’t care if you were a veterinarian.”

“What is it I can help you with?” The doctor didn’t seem to mind the reference she’d made, and silently she thanked him for his good-natured behavior. She needed his cooperation.

“You said that Gabriel sired me. Does this make me his daughter?” God help her if she was lusting after her father’s blood—and body.

“Not at all. Of course, there’s always a certain affinity between a sire and the vampire he creates, but mostly it is because when a vampire is created, he generally sticks with the sire and his family. Take Carl, for example. Samson sired him when he found him dying after a vicious attack. It was entirely natural that Carl would stay with Samson, since he was the only vampire he knew and could teach him all he needed to know. So, while friendships often develop, it isn’t a matter of whose blood you carry. There have been plenty of incidents where a vampire killed his sire.”

While Maya was relieved to hear that she wasn’t considered Gabriel’s daughter it didn’t explain why she would want to drink his blood.

“Have you ever heard of a vampire who wouldn’t drink human blood?”

Drake pursed his lips. “Well, it’s very unusual. I admit I’ve heard rumors of vampires drinking synthetic blood somewhere on the East Coast, and even of some vampires who drink animal blood because they don’t like the idea of hurting humans. But I’ve never actually heard of one who won’t drink it at all. Tell me why it is that you don’t want to drink it,” he prompted.

“It tastes disgusting. I gag as soon as it touches my taste buds.”

“Fascinating.”

Maya gave him an exasperated look.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “But you must admit that from a medical standpoint, this is quite intriguing.”

She had to agree with him. Whether she wanted to or not. During her research while a fellow, she would have loved to be presented with a case like hers—something to really sink her teeth into. But now that she
was
the case
,
the fascination wasn’t quite as huge.

“How are your research skills?” she asked Drake.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Reasonable, why?”

“Listen, I need you to do something for me. I need you to research what could cause this aversion to human blood. Anything you can find. Allergies, genes, preexisting conditions.”

She would research it herself, but she knew nothing about vampires—where would she even start? No, Drake had a better chance of connecting the dots, and besides, she needed all her energy just to fight her desire for Gabriel’s blood. Maya grabbed a pen and piece of paper from the desk and scribbled on it. “Here, this is my logon and password to my medical files. It will give you anything I’ve ever suffered from. I want you to find out what’s wrong with me.”

He took the paper from her. “You want me to hack into the Medical Center’s electronic medical records?”

“It’s not hacking when you have the password. You do know how to read a medical file, don’t you?” She paused only long enough to acknowledge his frown. “How long do I have until my body starves?” When she spoke the words, a chill went down her spine. She pushed it away. If she wanted to succeed, she had to think logically. She couldn’t let her emotions interfere.

“I’m not entirely sure, but the thirst will grow and it will become painful. Your body will be able to sustain itself for a few days, but you’ll slowly start to go crazy from the thirst. Are you sure you can’t drink it?” He gave her a pitying look.

She nodded. “I’m sure.”

Drake turned toward the door, but she stopped him before he opened it.

“Another question. Have there ever been cases where a vampire thirsted for the blood of his sire?”

Drake’s eyes went wide. “Once the turning was complete?”

Maya nodded.

“Dr. Johnson, if that’s what your body needs, you have to tell him.”

And be even more indebted to Gabriel, who clearly only saw her as an obligation? No—it wasn’t an option. She shook her head. “Good night, Dr. Drake.”

Nine

“What do you mean by ‘nothing’?” Gabriel asked and stood.

“Exactly what I said. I don’t remember a single thing about the attack.” Maya looked past him at the other three vampires—Thomas, Zane and Yvette—who sat and stood around the living room listening to their boss.

After Drake had left the house, Gabriel had changed into clean clothes and had assembled everybody. One hundred percent professional, he’d informed everybody that it was time to find the rogue. Maya’s sharp sense of hearing had picked up the short conversation he’d had with Drake. True to his professional oath, the doctor hadn’t revealed Maya’s confession, other than telling Gabriel that he was looking into the problem of her not drinking any human blood and would come back with a solution soon.

If Gabriel was still concerned about Maya, he didn’t show it. His face was a stony mask, showing no emotions. His scar seemed menacing again. Maya wondered whether she had imagined the handsomeness she’d seen in him only hours earlier. Maybe even the kiss she’d stolen from him had been imagined, because the hard man who looked at her now couldn’t possibly have been so gentle and whispered all those sweet encouragements to her.