Defying Deanna and Roman’s advice to stay away from the club, Grace arrived at work, as planned. After circling the club’s lot a fourth time, Grace still couldn’t find an empty parking space. She didn’t want to park on the street, which was too far from the front door. Her only other option was the smaller lot that ran alongside the club—a lot she always avoided. It was isolated, dark, and consisted of a single row of parking spaces.
Already late for work, she had no choice. She sucked up courage and aimed her Sentra in the direction of the narrow lot. She saw it—an open spot two spaces from the front of the row and breathed a sigh of relief. Before anyone else discovered it, she raced toward the space.
She pulled up and parked between the white lines, next to a dark SUV. Grabbing her handbag from the passenger seat, she stepped into near total darkness. The only light came from fluorescent lamps behind windows of the club, six feet above ground.
Keeping her head down, she plunged forward. Losing her grip on the purse, it slipped from her hand. “Damn!” She stooped to retrieve it. When she rose, a man stood in her path—so close, she felt his breath on her face. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and she took a step back.
He inched forward.
To get around him, she moved to the left.
He shifted and blocked her.
She veered right.
He veered left. “Grace, I need to speak with you regarding a matter of great importance.” His voice was smooth and soothing, but its chilling tone promised this dance would not end well.
When he called her by name, her breathing grew ragged. “Who are you?”
“I doubt introductions are necessary,” he answered in a hoarse whisper. His clerical collar roused her suspicion, and the long, jagged scar running down the left side of his face, confirmed his identity. The priest.
“What do you want?”
“Your boyfriend.”
Roman and Deanna were right. It had been a mistake to come to the club tonight. She needed to make noise to call attention to herself, but when she opened her mouth to scream, no sound came out. Her body trembled. Her knees wobbled. Pulling strength from somewhere deep inside, she found her voice. “Get out of my way. I need to start my shift.”
“What I have to tell you is more significant than any job. I’m here to warn you about Roman. He’s a killer. An unholy beast.”
“Leave me alone.” She gulped and tried shoving him away.
He didn’t budge and blocked her exit.
Trapped by her boyfriend’s enemy, and now hers as well, she screamed, and shoved him harder.
He snarled and grabbed her arms. His upper lip curled. “Stop fighting me. I mean you no harm. It’s Roman I want, not you.”
No way would she lead him to the father of her unborn child. She kicked him in the shins.
But instead of letting go, his hold tightened, sending searing pain through her arms.
She bit his right wrist hard enough to produce a yelp.
Finally, he released her.
She clawed at his eyes, but missed. She scratched his cheeks, drawing blood. The front door of the club opened, spilling out loud music and laughter. But her situation was no laughing matter. Seeing this as a chance to escape, she bolted toward the main parking lot.
The priest grabbed her from behind and pulled her back into the alley. He clamped his hand over her mouth, stifling her piercing cry.
She bit his palm and he pulled his hand away.
“Help! Somebody help me!” she cried out, hoping someone would come to her aid.
No one showed up.
He yanked her closer.
Jerking her right hand free, she made a fist and swung at his face.
He cursed and released her. He grabbed his nose.
Adrenaline pumped through her. The powerful feeling gave her the courage to fight back. She got in one more blow to the side of his head—much harder than her first punch.
He veered back and raised his arm, poised to backhand her across the face. A hand reached into the fracas and pulled the man’s arm away. Bones cracked.
Grace pushed her hair away from her eyes. Gabriel, flanked by Alex and Seth, had the priest in a headlock.
From behind, strong arms enveloped her, and lifted her off the ground. She tried wriggling free, but failed. In a last ditch effort to break away, she jerked her neck back and smacked whoever held her with the back of her head.
“Stop it, Grace!”
“Roman?” Relief flooded over her and she burst into tears. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Deanna called.” Keeping her close to his chest, he slowly lowered her to the pavement.
For once she was glad Deanna hadn’t listened to her. She smoothed her tangled hair and straightened her vest, now twisted and hiked up to her breasts.
A few feet away, Gabriel had the man’s arms pinned behind his back. “Well, looky here, ladies. We caught ourselves a priest,” he said, staring into the cleric’s eyes. “Long time no see, Father Darius.”
“Gabriel,” the priest ground out through clenched teeth.
“Get him out of here,” Roman shouted.
Father Darius’s eyes widened. “There will be others. It doesn’t end with me!”
“Go! Now!”
The team surrounded the struggling priest and dragged him behind the club and out of sight.
Roman held Grace close to his heart until she stopped trembling. He stroked her face tenderly and kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, babe.” His voice faltered. “What happened to you was entirely my fault.”
She choked back sobs and ran her hands over her stomach. “I’m scared. What if something happened to our baby?”
In the parking lot, tires squealed. A car raced toward her. Squinting into the bright headlights, she tried to make out the driver’s face. The car swerved to a stop and the door flew open.
Eyes blazing, Deanna charged in her direction. “What did you do to her?” she yelled at Roman.
He held up his hands. “Hold on. It’s not what it looks like.”
“Roman never laid a hand on me. It was the priest. He was here—waiting for me,” Grace explained, jumping to Roman’s defense.
Deanna’s eyes softened and her gaze darted to Grace. “We told you it was too dangerous to come here.” Tears pooled in her eyes as she embraced her lightly. “Are you okay? Maybe you should go to the ER.”
Grace shook her head. “Nothing’s broken and I’m not bleeding. Just a little sore, is all.” She glanced at Roman and gave him a weak smile.
“I’ll take it from here,” he said and slipped an arm around Grace’s shoulder.
With hands on hips, Deanna faced Roman. “No matter how much she protests, do not take her home. Bring her to my place. She has a key.”
“Will do. Thanks for everything,” he said.
Too tired and sore to argue, Grace nodded and leaned into Roman’s embrace.
“I’m going inside to cover your shift.” Deanna’s voice quaked. “I’ll tell Jerry you had a minor accident on your way here and ask if he’ll give you a few days off.”
How could she ever repay Deanna for her kindness and caring? She hugged her best friend and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”
Roman scooped Grace into his arms. “Come on, slugger. Let’s get you out of here.”
Gabriel
In the dark alley behind the club, Seth and Alex had Father Darius pinned face down on the hood of Seth's black Cadillac.
“Stand him up,” Gabriel said in a low voice, elated to be the one who would finally destroy the bastard who’d been hunting them far too long. “Turn him around. I want to look into his eyes.”
Each holding one of the priest’s arms, Seth and Alex lifted him from the hood and propped him against the back wall of the club. When Gabriel stood face to face with the clergyman, they released him.
“Look at me,” Gabriel demanded. Infuriated by the priest’s refusal to comply, he grabbed him by the shoulders. “I said, ‘Look at me.’” Considering how long the priest had chased the vampires, Gabriel wanted to see fear in Father Darius’ eyes as he faced his executioner.
The priest lifted his chin and opened his eyes slowly.
Unable to contain the excitement of his upcoming kill, Gabriel released the smile he’d kept harnessed until now. He took a long, deep, hungry breath. “It's been a long time, padre.”
“Gabriel. Dear God, in Heaven!”
The usual response. Most victims usually cried out for divine intervention. “No, my name isn't God, but even He can't help you now.” He grabbed Father Darius’ shoulders and shoved him against the wall. The priest struggled, trying to push away. While Gabriel held onto him, Alex and Seth anchored the priest’s arms, making it easier for Gabriel to keep a strong hold on the clergyman’s shoulders. “Any final words?”
The priest closed his eyes. “Hail Mary, full of grace…”
Before Father Darius had a chance to complete his petition, Gabriel placed his hand over the priest's mouth. “Mother always told me it was bad manners to play with my food. So prepare to meet your Maker.” After considering Crawford’s warning that drinking real blood might be fatal, he dismissed the well-intentioned advice. He killed the priest in the most delicious way he knew. Taking his time, he pushed the padre’s head to one side and pierced his neck with his fangs.
When his body went limp, Gabriel held him up and fed. The warm liquid tasted wonderful! He felt rejuvenated.
“What the hell are you doing, Gabe? You’re only supposed to kill.” Alex shouted, yanking Gabriel’s arm.
But Gabriel’s need to feed was too strong and Alex was no match for him.
“You can quit now,” Seth said. “He won’t be chasing us anymore.”
Unable to stop, Gabriel continued feasting.
When Seth joined Alex to pull Gabriel away, Father Darius’ body dropped to the pavement with a dull thud.
Not quite sated, Gabriel seized the body and drank some more.
Finally, Alex pulled Gabriel to his feet. “Damn you. I know what you’re doing.”
“I couldn't help it. He was ‘AB Negative’ and you know that's my favorite flavor.” He ran his tongue over his lips and licked off the blood. He wiped away any trace of blood with the back of his hand. “Oh man, that was awesome! I should have done that a long time ago.”
Alex opened the Cadillac's trunk. “Come on. We need to get out of here and get rid of him…now.” With Seth's help, he picked up the body and dropped it in the trunk.
While Seth and Alex worked to clear away every trace of the kill, Gabriel leaned against the wall and came to a decision about his participation in the program. “I’m done,” he announced.
“With what?” Alex asked.
“The program. The lab. Everything. I'll never set foot in that damned place again.”
Seth’s eyes grew wide. “But you have to. Crawford said it’s too late to turn back.”
Still high from his fresh kill and with arms outstretched, Gabriel swaggered toward them. "Does this look like it’s too late to you? If I can turn, so can you. How about it, Seth? Alex?”
As he was getting ready to try talk them into turning back with him, Alex's cell phone rang.
“It's Rome,” Alex said and answered the call.
As Gabriel watched, he wondered if there was news about Grace.
After the brief conversation, Alex hung up.
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah. Grace is safe and on her way to Deanna’s apartment. She asked if I’d let Deanna know—in case she's worried.” Alex ran his index finger over the cell’s screen. “I'll go tell her. Don't leave without me, okay?”
“Not a chance.”
“Thanks. Be right back.” Alex pocketed his phone and left to deliver the message to Deanna.
Seth sauntered to where Gabriel watched Alex disappear around the corner of the club. “What's up?”
“Rome called to let us know Grace is okay, and Alex is on his way to tell Deanna what’s going on.”
As much as Alex and Seth irritated him at times, they were his support group and he didn't want to be the only one turning back into a vampire. Not to be overlooked was the “safety in numbers” factor. He needed someone. Someone like Seth, who’d be easy to turn. He preferred Alex, but he was too close to Roman.
A pleasant surprise greeted Gabriel when he peeked inside the trunk. “Whoa. Seth, come over here. I want you to check something out.”
Seth sauntered over.
Gabriel pointed into the open trunk. “He’s still alive, Seth. Feed,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
Backing away from the car, Seth shook his head. “No way, Gabe. I don't wanna turn.”
But Gabriel persisted. “Come closer. Have a taste. Don't think of it as feeding. Think of it as a super market sample.” He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Lean in. Smell the sweet fragrance,”
He didn’t budge.
Knowing once Seth caught a whiff of the powerful scent of fresh blood, he’d be unable to resist, Gabriel draped an arm around his shoulder and slowly led his fellow-warrior back to the open trunk. Come on. Do it.
Seth refused to look in the trunk.
“Breathe in the scent, Seth.”
Seth shuddered. When he finally glanced inside, he leaned over the priest's body and growled.
Gabriel watched as his best friend succumbed to temptation. He smiled and licked his lips while Seth drank.
A few minutes later, after feeding, Seth sat on the ground and leaned against the nightclub wall. He hid his face in his hands and wept.
Gabriel checked the priest for a pulse. After verifying Father Darius was dead, he slammed the trunk shut. He knew he should feel sorry for Seth, but he was thrilled to have his best friend join him in immortality.
“Why'd you make me do it, Gabe? I didn't want to turn.”
“Seth,” he said in a gentle voice. “Deep down, you knew this was your only option. We're a team again. Like in the old days…before we hooked up with Rome and Alex. Don't I always know what's best for you? I'll take care of you forever. I promise.”
Fearing he may have lost Seth's trust and loyalty, Gabriel feigned compassion and crouched in front of him.
“I was almost human.” Seth closed his eyes. “How could I be so stupid to let you talk me into turning?”
Gabriel rested his hands gently on his friend's shoulders. “Look at me, Seth.”
Seth met his gaze.
“You’re not stupid because you were smart enough to realize the program wasn't worth shit. Trust me. You did the right thing.”