Gabriel's Mate by Folsom, Tina (read this if .txt) 📕

was vampire speed? Just as well. She had to get away, from him and from this place. In the foyer she saw a set of keys on the sideboard. She knew there was a car in the garage. She knew Gabriel had taken it when he’d met up with Zane the night before.

She snatched the keys and ran down into the garage. With a click, the doors of the Audi R8 unlocked. She’d never driven a sports car before, but it would do. Maya jumped into the car, slammed the door shut and jammed the keys into the lock.

A second later, the engine roared to life. The garage door opener was where she expected it to be – on the visor. Valuable seconds passed by as the garage door rose. When it was halfway up, Maya hit the gas pedal and raced out.

Her new superior vampire senses helped her avoid a crash as she pulled into the street. From the corner of her eye, she saw Yvette stopping on the sidewalk, looking at her. Maya ignored her, pressed the gas pedal harder and raced down the street.

Her eyes burned and only now she realized she was crying.

Damn Gabriel!

She’d let him come too close, and all it had gotten her was a hell lot of pain. He was just the way Yvette had predicted. All he wanted was a human woman, not an infertile vampire. It hadn’t escaped her notice that the woman who’d had her head buried in Gabriel’s crotch was human. Her scent had definitely been human, if just a little off. But certainly she wasn’t a vampire. Maya sniffed. It hadn’t taken him long at all to replace her. After all the things he’d said when he’d been in her bed. The promises that he’d take care of her, that he’d always be there for her. Had he lied when he’d claimed that Maya feeding off him was heaven for him?

Maya wiped the tears off her cheek with the back of her hand. If it meant that men like Gabriel could treat her with such disrespect, such callousness, then she didn’t want to be a vampire.

She hit the brakes at a stoplight, letting the engine idle, and took a deep breath. Were vampires really all that different from humans? When she recalled the situation in Gabriel’s bedroom, she realized with disgust that even his “it’s not what it looks like” was decidedly human – any man would have said the same to get out of this mess. No, vampires weren’t really all that different when it came to that. What it boiled down to was that Gabriel was just another cheating bastard, no worse than any human man.

So she would just have to do what she would do with any other man: forget him. And bitch about him with her girlfriends. Yes, that’s exactly what she needed now.

Maya checked her watch. Paulette would be home and wouldn’t mind if she showed up unannounced. She’d break open a bottle of wine and commiserate with her. For a moment, Maya wondered how much to tell her, but then she decided that honesty was the best way to go. If she wanted to keep Paulette as her friend – and she desperately needed a friend on whose shoulder to cry – she had to tell her the truth. Slowly, and very gently.

Twenty

Gabriel almost collided with Yvette when he ran into the foyer. If he hadn’t been struggling to pull his pants up and gotten the witch’s hair caught in his zipper, he could have caught Maya before she’d managed to flee the house.

“Have you seen Maya?” he asked gruffly.

Yvette raised an eyebrow. “She left in Samson’s Audi.” Then she walked calmly past him as if it didn’t matter.

Anger churned in him. He spun around and grabbed Yvette by the shoulders. “And you didn’t stop her?”

She shook off his hold and snarled at him. “I don’t make it a habit of jumping in front of cars driven by pissed off females.”

He narrowed his eyes. He wouldn’t take any disrespect from his subordinates. “It’s your job to protect her.”

“I was off duty! Why didn’t you protect her? She must have had a reason to run out of here, so maybe you should look at yourself before you blame somebody else.” Yvette stemmed her fists at her hips and glared at him.

“You don’t like her.” It was all too clear to him.

“And why should I?” She let out a huff. “She gets attacked and turned, and everybody goes gaga over her, as if she’s someone special.

And where does that leave me?”

Gabriel took a step back as the realization sunk in once more. Yvette had had designs on him. “By everybody you mean me, don’t you?”

“Forget it!” she spat and turned.

A vice grip on her arm held her back. Yvette swallowed back the tears – she wouldn’t give Gabriel the satisfaction of admitting that he’d hurt her. All these years they’d worked together, she’d thought they’d gotten closer. Their relationship had evolved from a purely professional

p.

one to more of a friendship. She’d hoped that eventually Gabriel would let his guard down and come to her for more than just work and friendship. She’d given him enough signals to show her willingness to take things further.

She’d given him time to get used to the idea, and then Maya had shown up. And within days, Gabriel had turned into a horny, lusting man just like all the others. Only, he wasn’t lusting after her, he was lusting after Maya. What did Maya have that she didn’t?

“Take your hand off my arm or I’ll break it,” she warned him.

He must have heard the seriousness in her voice, because a moment later he let go. “I think a talk between you and me is long overdue.”

She turned to look at him. “There’s nothing to be said.” If he thought he could get her to confess her feelings, he’d be waiting till the devil strapped on ice