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Zane just laughs and wraps an arm around my middle, pulling me down against him. Jack follows so we’re just an exhausted but happy pile of bodies.
Chapter Nineteen
Two Years Later
Watching the thin trail of blood running down the side of Zane’s neck, I sigh with pleasure and lap it up with my tongue. His arms tighten around me at the sensation, and he nuzzles my neck, inhaling deeply.
“Are either of you going to get anything done today, or just stay curled up on the sofa?” Jack calls from the kitchen where he’s currently making coffee for the three of us.
I pull away from Zane and climb off his lap reluctantly. Stretching my arms above my head, I pad over to the coffee bar that separates the two rooms from each other. I perch on one of the stools and kick my feet idly as I watch my mate as he moves around the kitchen.
Despite the fact that it’s been over two years since we mated, I still can’t get enough of them, my feelings just as intense as they were the day our connections locked in place. If anything, we’re even closer than we were before.
The three of us live in a large apartment a few doors down from where I used to live with Tina. We lived in my old flat for two weeks until we realised we were going to have to move out. I was sad to leave Tina behind, but with us living so close, we still see each other every day. Apparently she finds that living alone is better than living with a “smirking Dracula” and “big cat who sheds everywhere.” Honestly, I think it was the fact that she kept walking in on us having sex one too many times.
Our life together is bliss, and I’ve been learning the perks of being a vampire and blending in with humans. Living in the city has its advantages. Many places are open all night, which makes it easy for us. Tracey, my ogre friend, was released about six months after me, and we’ve met up several times since. I’ve discovered a whole new part of the city that I had no idea existed, and I have been introduced to her family, which was an experience.
The only thing that could make things better in my new life would be having Gabriel here with us. He might not have bonded with me, but I still feel the ache in my chest like a hole in my heart. I’m able to survive without him, but I know I’m missing something. When I spoke to Zane and Jack about it, they acknowledged that they would do everything to help me find him, but that was easier said than done.
Once Gabriel was moved to the main prison system, he seemed to disappear. We had no way of contacting him. Hell, we didn’t even know which facility they sent him to. Jack was able to access his records to see that he had a court date and was guilty, but the sentence and location of where they were sending him was missing. I was all set to go and visit every supernatural prison in the country, but Jack informed me that they move prisoners around all the time, so I could be looking forever.
I think about him daily, and I worry about what’s happening to him. Will he even want to find me when he’s released? Whenever that is.
Neither Jack nor Zane have ever tried to make me feel guilty about me thinking of another male, but I know it makes them uncomfortable, so I eventually stopped talking about it. Some might say that I’m over it, but I’m not, I’ve just learned to disguise it well. Sometimes, though, it’s impossible for me to hide, and when I look off into the distance and lose myself in my thoughts, they know I’m thinking about Gabriel.
A cup of coffee suddenly appears in front of me on the coffee bar, and I smile gratefully up at Jack, wrapping my hands around the porcelain and pulling it closer. He’s right, I’ve spent the last couple of days lounging around the apartment and getting up late. This morning I spent most of my time curled up in Zane’s lap.
It’s the longest I’ve ever been so unproductive, and I’m itching to get started on something new. I just wish I knew what. Stirring my coffee, I stare into the swirling liquid as though it’s a crystal ball and going to give me the answers I need. I put the spoon down and go back to cradling the mug.
“Now that I’ve finished my classes, I really need to get a job,” I announce to no one in particular. “I’m going stir crazy doing nothing.”
One of the terms of my release was that I had to attend the centre for meetings with my parole officer, therapy, and group classes. This has kept me occupied over the last two years, but four days ago, Dorine finally signed off on my paperwork, and I was fully discharged from their service. I’m a free agent, and I can now do whatever I want.
Zane plops down onto the stool beside me, taking the mug Jack offers him. The two of them have learned to get along over the last two years, and it makes me so happy when they help each other out, even if it’s something as simple as making a cup of coffee.
“You used to work as a florist. Could you do that again?” Jack asks as he pushes the sugar caddy towards the vampire.
Sighing, I let my head hang between my shoulders. I miss working with flowers. While I was able to transfer my flowers over from my old apartment, there is only so many I can keep with the space we have. Being surrounded by flowers at work made me so happy.
“Flowers and plants need sunlight.” There’s a heavy weight to my words as I realise the finality of what I just said. I’ll never work as a traditional florist again, not when walking out in the sun weakens me. My dreams are filled with bright blooms, and I wake up and reach out to touch them, only to discover they are not really there.
“I’m sure you could figure something out. There has to be a market for night flowers,” Zane mumbles between sips of coffee, displaying just how little he actually knows about flowers.
A knock on the door stops me from replying, and I swing around on the stool and hop down. Something tells me that whoever is here is important, so I don’t delay. I’ve been working on listening to my instincts, and most of the time, I’ve been right.
Swinging open the door, I freeze when I see who’s waiting for me on the other side. I swear my heart stops, only for a tug in my chest to pull so hard that I physically stumble forward.
He catches me, his arms out to stop my fall. Glancing up through my lashes, I murmur, “Gabriel.”
My voice is a scratchy whisper, but Jack and Zane must hear me, because the noises of hastily pushed back chairs and cups being put down sound from behind me, their bodies soon warming my back. They say nothing and don’t try to stop me, simply watching as I stare up at the winged male in the doorway.
“Hello, little one,” Gabriel says with a smile, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.
I leap forward and wrap my arms around his waist, needing to touch him and make sure this is real. He lets out a quiet, “Oomph,” at the force, but his low chuckle warms my heart as his arms wrap around me.
This is what I was missing. He might have a criminal past, and he might be dangerous, but not to me. Never to me. He sacrificed his freedom to give me mine, and now he’s here. My dreams are frequently filled with him, with me in his arms as we fly over the city. Closing my eyes, I focus on how he feels against me, his large, steady build and his masculine, woodsy scent.
“I was worried I’d never see you again,” I mutter into his chest, clinging onto his shirt and burying my face in it.
