Gabriel's Mate (29 page)

She frowned a little. “You could have let me look at it. I’ve never seen a real satyr before.”

“As much as I appreciate your help, the answer is no.” The only person who would get to see him like that from now on would be Maya. And he sure as hell hoped she liked what she saw.

“There’s something else you should know.”

“What is it?”

“Satyrs only take other Satyrs as lifemates. Maya must be a satyr too, given that you and she had sex and it resulted in your second penis developing. I think it’s proof enough. It would explain an awful lot.”

Gabriel remembered Maya’s medical file. “She has two extra pairs of chromosomes.”

“Just like you. And her going into heat could have been a reaction to you. While a satyr female goes into heat several times a year, she does so more intensely and more often when she’s around a satyr male. And then of course there’s the fact that she drinks your blood.”

He felt overwhelmed with the knowledge that Francine imparted on him. “What of it?”

“Well, normally satyrs don’t drink blood, but since you and Maya are also part vampire, that’s natural. But what I’m thinking is that because you gave her your blood to complete the turning, her latent Satyr genes awoke and they instantly honed in on you as a source to sustain her.”

“Does that mean she’s dependent on me and that’s why she won’t drink human blood?”

Francine shook her head. “She could easily drink human blood and be sustained on it, but her satyr genes are influencing her taste buds. That’s why she rejects it. Her satyr genes like your blood because you are similar to her. Does that bother you?”

“What bothers me is thinking that the only reason Maya wants me is because we are both satyrs and I fed her my blood.” He still wanted her more than any other woman in the world, but did
she
have any choice?

“Even satyrs have free will. Yes, they are more sexual than other creatures, and are driven more by their carnal needs, but their hearts still tell them who’s right for them. Don’t worry about it. If you love her, it’s not because you’re drawn to her because of her satyr genes, but because of who she is in her heart. And the same goes for her.”

Gabriel released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Now all he had to do was talk to Maya and tell her everything and hope she loved him the way he loved her.

He took Francine’s hand into his big palms and squeezed it. “Thank you so much.”

When he stepped back to turn, she stopped him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He stared at her. What was she talking about? She couldn’t possibly want a hug? When he stepped closer and moved in for a friendly embrace, she shook her head. “Your gift. You were going to let me use it.”

Gabriel jolted back and let out a nervous laugh. He’d completely forgotten about it. “Of course. Sure.” He paused and looked around. “Where do we find the person you want me to do this on?” He glanced at his watch. “I have less than three hours till sunrise.”

“
I
am that person.”

“You?”

“I misplaced something very valuable. I need you to go into my memory and find it for me.”

Gabriel relaxed, relieved that he didn’t have to breach some poor soul’s privacy without consent. “Not a problem. What are you looking for and how long ago did you lose it?” It was all the information he needed to scan her memories quickly.

“It’s a charm to ward off evil. I need to retrieve it.”

“As long as you’re not going to use it against me …” Gabriel mumbled to himself.

“I heard that—and no, you’re not the evil I feel.”

***

The knock at the door tore Maya away from her thoughts. She’d gotten dressed after her shower and was still wondering how to make Gabriel accept her the way she was, even if that meant he couldn’t have what, according to Yvette, all vampire males wanted.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Carl appeared, a stack of papers in his hand. She’d already sensed him. There was a homey scent to him despite the formal outer shell he portrayed.

“A fax arrived. It’s from Thomas—the phone records.” Carl handed her the papers.

“Thanks, Carl, that’s very nice of you to bring it.”

“If you need anything else, just call for me.”

Maya smiled as he left the room. She fanned through the pages. There were at least thirty or forty of them. Had she really made and received that many calls in six weeks? In the last few days she hadn’t made a single one. Which reminded her—she hadn’t even called her parents yet.

But she couldn’t do that now either. For starters, it was just past four in the morning, and besides, she still didn’t know what to tell them.

With a sigh she bent over her phone records. Each row had a telephone number and name together with a date of when the call took place. She started scanning the names and recognized many of her patients’ names, her colleagues’, and the clinic’s. Her parents’ number came up many times, as well as Paulette’s and Barbara’s cells. Then a few other assorted friends, the pizza place down the road when she’d called for takeout and the Indian around the corner. Her bank was on the list, and so was her dentist’s office.

She scanned page after page. By the time she was halfway through the stack and still hadn’t seen any unfamiliar names, she heard the entrance door being opened. Maya glanced at the clock over the mantle. Finally. Gabriel would probably be upset if he found out how long it had taken Yvette to get here. Well, she wasn’t going to tell on her.

As she continued reading down the list of names she heard Carl’s voice. “I wasn’t expecting you, Ricky.”

Ricky? She was sure Gabriel had ordered Yvette to the house. Maya strained her ears to hear the conversation, her sensitive hearing picking up most of the sounds.

“You know how it is with women. Yvette isn’t getting on with Maya, so she asked me to take over for her,” came Ricky’s reply.

Maya sat up, uneasiness spreading inside her. She and Yvette were getting on just fine, particularly since Yvette had protected her at the hospital. Why would she suddenly claim that they weren’t getting on?

She shook her head in disbelief and looked back at the fax. Clearly, she’d misjudged the other vampire female, just when she’d thought she’d found a friend who she could trust.

Her eyes moved down the rows of names. As if on autopilot she read them: Bill Shaw—a patient; Martha Myers—another patient, Richard O’Leary—

Ricky—

With a small gasp, the papers slid off her lap and onto the floor.

Twenty-eight

Ricky gave Carl an easy grin as the lie rolled off his lips like fresh blood. The butler nodded slowly. “I understand. I’ll call Gabriel to let him know about the change of plans.”

“I wouldn’t bother him. I’m sure he’s got enough on his plate right now.” Ricky tried to sound casual so he wouldn’t make Carl suspicious. He didn’t need Gabriel showing up here when he was so close to his goal.

“He gave strict instructions.” Carl reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his cell phone. “It’ll be just a minute.”

Ricky never let his easy smile waver, not even when he slid his hand into his jacket pocket and reached for the wooden stake he kept there for emergencies. And this was an emergency. “Oh, before I forget,” he interrupted Carl before he could punch in Gabriel’s number.

The butler gave him an expectant look. “Yes?”

With one swift movement, Ricky pulled out the stake and plunged it into Carl’s heart. “Did I mention that I hate it when people don’t listen to me?”

Before his eyes, Carl’s body disintegrated into dust. The cell phone and a few coins of change fell onto the wooden floor making a clanging sound. As the fine ash-like substance settled onto the wood floor, Ricky placed the stake back in his pocket and stepped back, not wanting the dust to dirty his clothes.

Getting rid of Carl had been even easier than anticipated. Gabriel had done the right thing by calling for somebody to protect Maya—that somebody was here right now. He would take care of Maya from now on, like it was always supposed to be.

Ricky inhaled deeply. Her intoxicating scent drifted into his nostrils. He looked up toward the stairs. She was up there on the second floor, most likely in the guestroom. How long he’d waited for this moment. Finally, he’d get his reward.

***

The video surveillance room was a windowless room in the basement of the hospital. Amaury glanced at the security officer who sat propped up against the wall, staring into the void. Zane had used mind control on him to put him into this catatonic state, in which he neither saw nor heard anything.

He and Zane had already gone through several tapes to see who had attacked and killed the doctor. So far, nothing had shown up on the tapes. It was almost as if the rogue knew what camera angles to avoid. Amaury sighed. “This is frustrating.”

“Frustrating, yet revealing,” Zane answered.

“How so?”

“That was quite a display of emotion on Gabriel’s part.”

Amaury gave his old friend a sideways grin. “Looks like it’s hit him pretty hard.”

“She’s got quite some fire in her.”

“Seems so, even though I’m sure Nina’s got more.” His own mate was hell on wheels, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“With how you put up with her, I’d say you’re a saint. Only I know better.”

“She’s just what I need.”

“Still in the honeymoon phase, huh?”

“I’m planning for it never to end. Now, let’s make sure Gabriel gets his own honeymoon.” Amaury pointed back at the screen and sped up the tape.

The monitor showed the main entrance to the hospital. “There’s Ricky entering.” Zane nodded. Several minutes passed, but the tape showed no one exiting or entering. Then a woman walked in with a small child. She stopped at the information desk. Another few minutes passed.

“There, Samson’s R8 is just pulling up,” Zane noted. A moment later Maya ran into the hospital and down one corridor, out of the reach of the camera.

Amaury sped through the tape again, until finally Gabriel and Yvette entered. Shortly after, Zane entered on his own. Nothing else happened. Amaury stopped the tape.

“I didn’t see you or Thomas go in,” Zane noted.

“I took the side entrance where I parked the car. Thomas probably did the same. He knows the area well and probably went in from the back—it’s a shortcut from his house.”

“So everybody is there, first Ricky, then Maya, then—”

Amaury put his hand on Zane’s arm. “Wait a minute. Fuck! First Ricky? Why would Ricky be there before Maya?”

His friend stared back at him. “Let’s roll back the tape.”

They found the exact spot when Ricky entered the hospital and paused it. At the bottom of the screen, it showed the time:  12:49 A.M.

“This had better not mean what I think it means,” Zane cursed. “I had my suspicions about Ricky but then thought I was just being my usual asshole self, considering I don’t particularly like Ricky’s cheerful attitude.  His talent.  He must have used it against us.  I think he fooled us all.”

“One way to find out.” Amaury picked up the phone on the desk and punched in a few numbers.

***

Gabriel pulled his focus back from the witch and opened his eyes. “I’ve restored your memory of where you put the charm. Do you recall now?”

She nodded. “Thank you. Do I have your word that you won’t go there yourself to obtain it?”

“I have no interest in charms, no matter how powerful. All I want is—” The ringing of his cell phone interrupted him. “Excuse me.”

He looked at the San Francisco number, but didn’t recognize it. “Yes?”

“It’s Amaury.”

Finally, he was returning his call. Tension immediately crept into his bones. “Any news?”

“I’m afraid so. Tell me, when did you call Ricky to meet you at the hospital?”

“When I realized that Maya wasn’t at her apartment.”

“No, I mean at what time? Check your cell phone log.” Something in Amaury’s voice compelled him to comply with the request without questioning.

“Hold on,” he told his friend and pulled the phone from his ear, pressed the menu button and navigated to the call-log screen. Next to Ricky’s name was the time. “I called him at 1:03 A.M, why?”

“What did he tell you when you called? About where he was?”

“He didn’t say. He only said he’d get there. What is this about?”

He heard Amaury exhale sharply. “Ricky was already at the hospital when you called him. He arrived before Maya.”

Gabriel’s heartbeat kicked up. “Shit. Ricky’s still on the list of vampires who don’t have an alibi for the night Maya was attacked.”

“I know. Zane just told me—and he also told me he now remembers that he had doubts about Ricky, but they somehow vanished.”

“Ricky’s gift!”

Amaury grunted. “He’s tricked us. You’d better not let Maya out of your sight right now.”

Gabriel’s body coiled with fear for his woman. “Amaury, I’m not with Maya. She’s at the house with Carl. I sent Yvette to protect her. We need to warn them about Ricky. I’ll call Maya and Carl, you call Yvette, then send every available bodyguard to the house. Send out a search for Ricky. Start at Paulette’s house in Midtown Terrace—if we’re lucky, he’s still there.”

He raced out of the lab without even glancing back at the witch and dialed Samson’s home phone. A recording answered. “
You have reached a number that is out of service …
”

Twenty-nine

Maya reached for the cordless phone next to the bed and punched the call button to get a line. Silence greeted her. She pulled the phone to her ear to verify, but her suspicion was right: the phone was dead. Ricky had disabled the line to the house.

She threw the useless receiver onto the bed and swiveled. Her eyes scanned the room in record speed—the vampire speed she was grateful for now. Her gaze zeroed in on her handbag. Two large strides and she was there, pulling her cell phone out of it with the next move. She held down the
on
button for a few seconds, her heart beating into her throat as she heard steps on the stairs.

He was coming for her.