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Katherine runs over to me and takes my face in her hands. “Babe, if you did anything in retaliation, you would be dead right now. I understand and don’t think any less of you,” she says, stroking my cheek.
I shake my head, placing my hands over hers. “You’re my woman, my Fated; if anyone threatens you, I should be the one to defend you–!”
“Gabriel, I am not some fragile princess who needs protecting!” she exclaims, her eyes shifting to crimson. “I don’t see you as weak in front of all those Purebloods and know that you did not react because you were afraid of what they would do to you. So, please know that I understand!”
I sigh and close my eyes, inhaling her sweet caramel scent that always seems to calm me down. “I just hate not being in control and knowing they could have me killed while keeping you captive here. Even though they have accepted you as my Fated, I still do not trust any of them.”
She nods. “Especially Kazimir,”
“Especially fucking Kazimir. I know that he will not let this off easy and has something else planned. There’s no way he wouldn’t want to be the first to kill a Death’s Temple heir, seeing as your great grandfather killed his children.”
Oh, fuck. I wasn’t supposed to mention that.
Katherine’s eyes grow wide and her mouth goes slack. “What?! Why… Why didn’t you mention that before? Oh my fucking God, Gabriel!”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, mentally kicking myself for mentioning Kazimir’s hatred for her family. Fuck, I truly thought he would be the first to kill her because of that, but now he’s ended up being the one to vouch for her life. That doesn’t sit right with me, not one fucking bit.
“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have told you that,” I say, kissing her gently. “But I promise that if push comes to shove, I will defend you even if it costs me my life.”
She shakes her head wildly, tears slipping down her cheeks. “No, let’s not… let’s not talk about that, okay?” she says, grinning sadly. “I’m tired from the trip; maybe we should get some rest, hmm?”
I hate seeing her this emotional and riled up, knowing that whatever I say won’t make a difference. She’s a newborn and everything will feel heightened even if she used to have a calm demeanor as a human.
I draw her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “Yes, I think we should,” I say, since it was nearly dusk when we arrived. “I’m so fucking proud of you for standing your ground against the council. You’re a lot stronger than me that way, little lamb.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t feel strong, or brave,” she says, her voice muffled against my chest. “I just draw my strength from you.”
This makes me smile, knowing that I can be her rock and comfort like that. “Let's get you fed and off to sleep, my sweet girl. We have a lot to talk about once we leave here, more specifically the little tidbit Kazimir mentioned about you being with child.”
Yeah, I didn’t miss that at all. It slipped my mind that Pureblood conception can occur within an hour of sex, and the two of us haven’t been able to stop since we Entwined. So Katherine being pregnant is a definite; it just got eclipsed by this fucked up meeting.
She bites her bottom lip. “Yeah, we do need to talk about that, don’t we?” she murmurs, her eyes not meeting mine before turning away and walking to the bathroom.
Hm, we DEFINITELY need to talk about it if her awkward reaction is anything to go on. She knew what would happen, what the council requested; so what was with that? Ah, I suppose that it's a question for another day.
When she leaves the bathroom, we get in bed and she immediately falls into a vampiric slumber and I join her soon after. I just hope both of us make it out of here alive or at least with our sanity intact.
* * *
My eyes shoot open and my heart drops into my stomach when I see Kazimir looming above me with a predatory grin on his face. I’m still in bed with Gabriel, but he’s in a deep sleep and won’t readily wake up, even if I had to scream.
Not that I wanted to wake him up since Kazimir was holding a baobab stake in a thickly gloved hand, right above Gabriel’s heart.
“What do you want?” I whisper, gripping the covers in my hand when his grin grows wider.
He lifts his other hand and trails it over the swell of my breast, over my tank top. “Hmm, sweet Katherine, what is it that I want indeed?” he says, taking my nipple between his fingers and squeezing it hard.
I gasp; shock and disgust ripple through me simultaneously, but dread and fear leaves me paralyzed and unable to do a damn thing. If I scream, he’ll stake Gabriel. I know that, but I can’t exactly keep quiet while he… while…
“Don’t touch me,” I say and hear the tremble in my voice. “I’m not yours to touch.”
He chuckles, pressing the stake so hard against Gabriel’s chest that it draws blood. “Wait! Please, don’t hurt him!” I cry out before I can even think, and he squeezes my nipple again, eliciting another gasp from me.
Kazimir says nothing, knowing that Gabriel won’t be waking up any time soon and I’m left unable to defend myself. This vampire is older and a hell of a lot more powerful than Gabriel, so what the fuck am I going to do as a newborn?
“Please…” I beg while he continues to fondle me. “Please, tell me what you want!”
“I want you,” he says, crashing his mouth to mine and forcing his tongue in between my lips.
