Page 21 of The Vampire's Redemption

It was impossible to tell who moved first. The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers. The burning need within her blossomed into a full-blown bonfire. He tasted of the ocean, of strength and wildness and power. Of fulfillment. He lifted her and pushed her back against a tree before ravishing her mouth like there was no tomorrow.

Gabby couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think under his onslaught.

Present Day

“Stop.” Felix’s harsh breathing filled her ears. Gabby blinked, her surroundings and senses returning. They were still on the dance floor, in a place far beyond her memories. “Do you want me to take you back to our rooms?”

His words almost threw her back into the past, but no. There was no returning to a time when recklessness had destroyed her life and the lives of her family.

“No.”

The song ended, and she whirled away from Felix, stalking off the dance floor. Felix didn’t follow her, which was a reprieve she desperately needed. Vampire eyes, greedy and calculating, followed her every moment. She didn’t care if others thought them weak.

“Blood, please,” Gabby ordered at the bar, ignoring the eyes on her.

“Are you okay?” Nikolas materialized beside her, silent as a ghost.

“Yes.”

She had to be. She only had to make it a few days before going back to California and the safety of Haven.

“Where have you been?”

Nikolas was confidence incarnate in the navy tuxedo tailored to his powerful form. He could never be anything but proud and self-assured, though she preferred him in less formal clothing.

Nikolas’ smile was humorless. “Checking out the competition.”

Gabby looked in the same direction and met the cold, unflinching gazes of the Chinese vampires. The leader, Jiaren, grinned and inclined his head.

So, you think I’m easy prey, just risen, weak after four centuries aground. If I was a power-hungry vampire, I would hunt me too.She hid her scowl behind a smile, allowing her vampire to rise to the surface for a second. She was spoiling for a fight. Jiaren was giving her every opportunity to work out her frustrations.

Not here,Nikolas said.

I know.

Though Gabby wondered if the humans wouldn’t enjoy some vampire-on-vampire violence. In her day, one didn’t become the leader of a state by keeping one’s hands clean of bloodshed.

Doubtful if that had changed in the four centuries she was gone.

Gabby imagined wiping the smirk off of Jiaren’s face when she staked him to the ground. It made her feel slightly better.

I forgot how bloodthirsty you are.

I’m a vampire.Gabby drained the glass of blood and straightened, surveying the room.Now tell me which humans I need to talk to.

Might as well get something useful out of this evening.

Chapter Eight

Twohourslater,Gabbytrudged back to her room with fatigue dragging her feet. She’d met with several human diplomats and attempted to decipher their expectations from her hiding behind the warm smiles and honeyed words. Everyone had an ulterior motive, and several humans quite coveted her vote from Haven.

Nikolas had sent the documents containing the Gathering’s agenda, but she had been too exhausted to read them.

Tomorrow was the official first day of the Gathering. Tomorrow she’d figure out how politics worked.

Before then, she had to survive sleeping in the same quarters as Felix, who had disappeared sometime soon after their dance, not that she was tracking him or anything. There had been some sort of incident. Felix had gone with a few others to help. Gabby would’ve preferred to do the same, except a few of them had to stay behind to maintain the sense of normalcy for the humans, who hadn’t been informed of the incident.

Felix was on his way back, his presence a bright star inside her head. He was hurt. This close, she couldn’t block him out completely. She fought against the compulsion to run to him. He was fine, the logical brain part of her, the part she clung to, argued. If he could walk, he was fine.