Evermore, an Arotas Novella (The Arotas Series) (3 page)

Most
of the crushed stone dust has been washed away from his face, leaving
behind a vision of pure beauty in its wake. Gabriel has never looked
more stunning than he does now. His jaw is firm, his shoulders broad,
and his waist tapered perfectly to hold her. It is almost as if they
were designed for each other.

As
Roseline takes a step forward, she knows they were. There is little
doubt that she was always meant to end up with Gabriel, here in this
moment. He is her destiny.

Raising
her hands slowly, Roseline grabs the hem of her shirt, realizing only
now that she is wearing his shirt. It is faded and rumpled, a plain
navy T-shirt that she grabbed from his traveling bag that he brought
with him to Romania when he first came to rescue her. It smells of
him. That was all that mattered after he was gone.

Now,
with Gabriel watching her every move, she feels insecure. Should she
have worn something nicer? Made sure to make their first moments
together special?

As
he lifts his gaze to meet hers, seeing the need in his eyes, she
knows it doesn’t matter what she is wearing, only that they are
here, together. She lifts the shirt over her head, clawing at it as
it clings to her like a second skin. The cold air nips at her skin as
she tosses the shirt aside. Her hair falls in a wet plait down her
back, trailing nearly to her waist.

She
bends low and pushes down her pants, terrified of being completely
bare to his gaze yet enthralled by it at the same time. She kicks her
clothes into a pile and rises slowly. Gabriel’s gaze holds hers
for a minute. She can’t tell if he is working up his courage or
if he is simply waiting for her permission. She bites on her lower
lip as he slowly lowers his gaze, his eyes roaming over her bare
neck, along the line of her shoulders, and dips below.

He
notices every detail, lingering long enough to make her blush before
his gaze flits away. She can feel each inhale and exhale he takes,
smell his mounting desire mingling with her own.

He
doesn’t say a word as he pulls off his suit coat and chucks it
aside. His gaze rises to meet hers as he fumbles with the remaining
buttons on his shirt. She smirks as he frowns, then grunts. Growing
impatient, he tears at his shirt and buttons pop off.

Tugging
his sleeves over his hand, Gabriel is finally free. Roseline closes
the gap between them. She places her hands upon his chest, slowing
trailing her fingers down to his abdomen. She can hear his heart
thundering in his chest and smiles as his hands tighten against her
waist, his fingers digging into her flesh.

“I
love you,” she whispers, rising onto her toes to place a kiss
beside his mouth. Close enough to make his lips tremble, but not
enough to give him the satisfaction. His hands rise along her back,
kneading deep into her muscles as he presses his body against hers.

His
bare chest feels like fire against her, searing and tantalizing. His
scent wraps around her, beckoning to her.

Gabriel’s
words are breathy as he presses his lips against her ear. “No
more than I love you.”

She
allows him to slowly ease her to the ground, closing her eyes as he
hovers over her, trailing a blazing line down to her abdomen. Her
skin quivers beneath his touch as he slowly explores the curve of her
hip, the crook of her knee, the hollow of her neck, and everything in
between.

As
the rains continue to patter all around, Roseline hears the flapping
of wings in the distance and knows Elias has left Bran Castle once
again, but she doesn’t have time to care as she arches up into
Gabriel’s touch and lets the outside world slip away.

Roseline
counts each of Gabriel’s breaths, marveling at how peaceful he
looks when he sleeps. His hand wraps around her waist, holding her
close, as if unwilling to part from her even now. The rains have
passed and the woods are still as the moon trails across the sky
above scattered, wispy clouds. The air smells fresh, crisp, after the
rains.

Sometime
after twilight, Roseline began to grow suspicious over the
availability of privacy that has been provided them. Someone should
have come looking for her after her mad dash from the castle, but no
one has set a foot in the woods tonight. She realizes this must be a
precious gift from Elias before he departed, remembering hearing the
rustling of his wings echoing within the courtyard walls as he took
flight.

Roseline
smiles, touched by the angel’s thoughtfulness.
Thank
you
,
she whispers silently as Gabriel begins to stir. His lips stretch
into a smile, still touched by sleep. “You still here?”

“Of
course.” She grins and places a kiss upon his chest, amazed at
how she instantly longs to be reunited with him again, but she
resists. They have eternity to enjoy each other now.

Using
his free hand, he wipes sleep from his eyes. He laughs when he sees
her watching him and lifts a clump of drying hair from her shoulder,
rubbing the soft strands between his fingers idly as he stares at
her. “I like you like this.”

“Naked?”

Gabriel
grins. “That and more natural. Your hair is all messed up. You
look… softer. I like that.”

Roseline
smiles against his chest, placing her hand over his heart, sure that
feeling its steady pulse beneath her palm will never get old. “You’re
not so bad yourself, you know?”

His
arms tighten around her. She rests her leg over his and snuggles in.
Tilting her face up to be able to see him, she traces her finger
slowly along the contours of his face, marveling at the contrast
between the smooth skin of his cheek and the stubble that spreads
along the line of his jaw. Her fingers glide over the ridge of his
chin and then brush lightly over his lower lip. His mouth puckers to
kiss her fingertips, but she moves on.

She
traces the line of his nose up to his brow, rubbing out the hint of
creases that have formed since she first met him. So many terrible
things have happened to him because of her coming into his life. A
car crash that should have killed him. A bloodletting in Sorin’s
cave, the likes of which no human should ever be forced to endure. A
kidnapping by monks. Forced to live out a prophecy that neither of
them truly understood. And then killed by his own father.

She
slowly rises to a seated position, drawing her legs up into her
chest. She leans into his side as he pushes up onto his elbows to
look at her. “You look sad,” he whispers, raising a hand
to cup her cheek. His thumb idly caresses over her skin, making it
hard to concentrate.

She
nods in the dark. The forest grows restless around them. Animals
scurry about in the trees above, leaping from branch to branch. The
clouds have begun to shift and break apart, letting a hint of
moonlight spill over the rolling castle grounds.

She
spent a night much like this not far from here a lifetime ago, in
someone else’s arms. Roseline pushes her thoughts away from
Fane. This place holds too many memories for her. She should have
asked Gabriel to choose somewhere else.

It
feels like a betrayal to think of Fane while she is here with
Gabriel, yet he is just as much a part of her as Gabriel is.

“I
was just thinking,” she replies softly.

“About
what?” His hand slips away from her cheek and trails down to
her shoulder. Her skin pimples beneath his touch and she bites on her
lower lip as her desire begins to swell once more. She realizes that
even if they spent a thousand nights just like this one, she will
never truly feel satisfied.

Looking
out over the grounds, Roseline can just make out the rippling of the
pond in the valley below through the blowing willow boughs before
her. She stares at the water, feeling as unsettled as the windblown
surface. “I can’t help but wonder if it’s really
over.”

She
turns to look at him, able to make out every detail of his handsome
face in the dim light. “From the first moment I met you, I knew
your life would be in danger, and I was right. First Vladimir and
then Lucien. Who will come for us next?”

Gabriel
lowers his gaze. His hands trail down her arms to twine his fingers
through hers. She instinctively leans in, drawing strength from being
near him. “I don’t know and honestly, I don’t
care.”

She
rears back, her mouth agape. “How can you say that? You’ve
died twice since I met you.”

He
nods and, with a loving smile, brushes stray hairs back from her
eyes. His touch is gentle and filled with tenderness as his hand
shifts around to cup the back of her neck. He seems to need to touch
her, to remain in constant contact with her as he stares deep into
her eyes. “And I survived twice, because of you. We are
stronger together. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

“I
know, but…” She trails off, shaking her head. Tears
threaten to fall as the feelings of utter loneliness and loss wash
over her once more. When she looks up, his face is a blur before her.
“I can’t lose you again.”

His
grip on her neck tightens just enough to breach the gap separating
them. His kiss is soft and achingly sweet. Tears dampen their lips as
he encircles her with arms strong enough to protect her no matter
what foe might come their way.

When
he pulls back from the hug, he places a kiss on the end of her nose.
“How many guys do you know that can say they’ve died and
come back to life twice? I’m like uber zombie man, only without
the whole disgusting brain-eating fetish.”

Roseline
laughs despite herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Do
you feel any different now?”

He
tilts his head to the side, contemplating. “No. Not really. I
mean, this death hurt a lot less than the last one did, that’s
for sure.” She stiffens, but he doesn’t let her pull
away. “Sorry, probably shouldn’t have said that, huh?”

“No.”
She attempts a smile and fails miserably, settling for placing her
head upon his shoulder instead. “I just can’t bear to
remember all of that.”

“Then
don’t.” He gently tugs the ends of her tangled strands
that drape down her back. “We have a lifetime to forget.”

Roseline
chuckles, shaking her head in amusement. “A lifetime? Oh, you
have no idea how much time you have spread out before you. You’ve
been an immortal for what? A month? Try living three hundred years
and then you can come talk to me about it.”

Gabriel’s
mouth falls slack and his gaze shifts away. His hand at her back
falls away, landing just behind her. Concerned by his reaction she
sits forward. Her hair spills over her shoulders, tickling her chest
as she reaches out for him. “What’s wrong?”

He
looks dazed as he blinks and lifts his gaze to focus on her. “You
know, with everything that’s happened, I haven’t really
stopped to think about that. About what the world will be like in
fifty years. A hundred. A thousand. We’ll still be alive and
the world will just pass us by.”

She
nods. “It does get easier after the first hundred years.”

“Why?”

“Because
everyone you’ve ever loved will be dead.”

She
expected some sort of a reaction to her blunt statement, but he
doesn’t even blink this time. It’s never easy to truly
convey the scale and breadth of all that immortality has to offer,
but it is a fact that both Gabriel and Sadie will be faced with soon
enough.

It
took nearly fifty years for her to stop mourning the loss of her
family, and they were all killed the night she was turned. There was
no chance for her to lurk outside their bedroom and watch as they
slept. To perch in a windowsill at birthdays and Christmas as
siblings grew old and their grandchildren soon toddled about, a new
generation that would never know who she was.

Her
entire family line was wiped out in a single night, but Gabriel still
has a home and a family living in America. They will have to go back
at some point to see his parents, but it will be his choice if he
wants them to know he is still alive. The burden of wondering if he
still lives is one she does not wish upon his mother and stepfather,
but the burden of knowing the truth about his transformation would
certainly not be any easier to accept.

“Not
everyone will be dead,” he whispers. His lips are warm and
inviting as he leans in to kiss her. They tremble slightly as she
sinks into his embrace, needing his touch more than the breath that
fills her lungs. He shifts so she is beneath him, hovering just over
her.

“You
are so beautiful,” he finally whispers, his voice cracking with
emotion. His gaze flits over her face, his eyes wide with awe, as if
terrified that she might slip away and be left only with a memory. “I
wish we could stay like this forever.”

Roseline
smiles before turning to look toward the castle. A few lights still
flicker in the windows, but most have long since been snuffed out.
“I’m pretty sure Sadie would eventually come looking for
us and that might be a tad awkward.”

“For
you,” he scoffs and shifts to lean onto his elbow, propped on
his side. “I look totally hot and I’m not ashamed of it.”

Roseline
chuckles and shoves him back down. She throws her leg over him and
pins him to the soft bed of grass growing around the roots of the
willow tree. The air is moist and cool, soothing against the rising
flush along her bare skin. “I don’t share,” she
says as she leans in and nips at his neck.

A
rumbling growl rises in his throat as he tries to wrap his arms
around her and flip her onto her back, placing himself in a position
of control. She smirks and unwinds his arms, placing his hands on her
waist. His grip tightens, digging into her hips as she sinks down.

He
draws her hair back over her shoulder, exposing her fully to the cool
night air. His gaze feels as loving as his earlier caresses, but
there is more urgency to his touch now. She leans down and seizes his
lip between her teeth, savoring the rumble in his chest as he arches
his back.