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Felix. Her mate, and the bane of her existence.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” Gabby shook her head and returned her attention to Nikolas.
Despite her time apart from Felix, her craving for him hadn’t diminished. It had to be why she heard his voice, even though she’d used up precious energy to construct the solid mental wall.
Three hours had passed since Nikolas had awakened her from her four centuries aground. She’d fed from two more humans. At the rate her body ate up the resources, she’d have to feed again within the hour.
Nikolas had brought her to the receiving rooms of her chambers in House Haven’s main complex. Her memories of the building included a two-story mansion, grand for its time when she’d gone aground, but the hallways she’d seen in passing minutes ago indicated an even larger and more opulent home.
Her room’s walls were a light beige like the villa of her childhood in Italy. The paintings on them depicted the cerulean waters of the Mediterranean, causing her chest to ache with longing.
“What’s your plan?” Nikolas asked before her thoughts wandered further. Clad in a black silk shirt and loose trousers, with shiny black shoes, the elegant clothing was a sharp contrast to the mighty warrior who had lived his mortal and immortal life in warfare.
He lounged in the leather chair with his legs crossed, his arm draped on its back. This was the most relaxed she’d ever seen him. Had anything else changed? Four hundred years was a long time, even for immortals.
“My plan?” Her gaze caught on the flickering lights of the small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Something seemed off about them. Her nostrils flared. She scented no fire or smoke. “Do we have witches in the House? I don’t sense any.”
His brows furrowed. “No, we don’t. Why?”
“The light.” Gabby rose and glided to the nearest light on the wall. “It’s not fire.”
“Stop.” Nikolas was beside her in a blink, gripping her delicate wrist. “Don’t touch it. It’s not magic.” He let her go and steered her back to her seat by the window. “A lot has changed while you were gone. We’ll get to the light later.”
Once they re-settled in their seats, he said, “I know it’s too soon, but how will you deal with Felix? The Council timed your rising on purpose. Four days isn’t enough for you to regain your full strength.”
The thought of facing Felix made her want to find the deepest, darkest hole and crawl into it, but she’d already done that once. It hadn’t solved her problem. No, the mating bond was still there. Frayed at the edges and unraveling in places, its light dim like the crescent moon behind clouds, yet holding Felix and her together out of sheer stubbornness.
Fate wouldn’t let her go without another fight.
A new presence in the hallway distracted her, and her mood brightened when she recognized it. The door burst open. A figure whirled inside. Gabby had a second to stand up before the small tornado hit her and locked her in a tight hug.
“You’re back!”
There was no stopping the smile and the burst of happiness inside her.
Gabby returned the hug with equal fervor. “I wish it were under better circumstances. How are you?”
Maria, her best friend and confidant, stepped back. She was all of five-two with a lean and compact body that could take down someone twice her size. Her dark hair, which Gabby used to braid, only reached to her shoulders with blond tips at the ends.
“What did you do to your hair?” Gabby couldn’t disguise her horror.
Maria brushed her fingers through her hair with a wide grin, her joy not dampened one bit. “God, there’s so much to show you.” Another hug. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
Her friend wore trousers that left no part of her curves to the imagination, not to mention the cropped white top that exposed the naked skin of her stomach.
It was too much. Everything was too much.
The light without fire.
The unfamiliar mansion.
The paintings reminding her of home.
Her heart lodged in her throat. She couldn’t breathe. As a vampire, she didn’t even need to breathe, though it was a habit she had never quite gotten rid of. Dizzying panic clawed at her.
Maria stopped smiling. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” She rubbed her hands up and down Gabby’s shoulder and arm, then tugged Gabby’s head down to her shoulder. “It’s okay. Take a deep breath. We’re here.”
