Bloody Heretic (28 page)

    “
No, the last we met I slapped you and called you a rank bastard.”

    “
You called me a slimy, wretched bastard,”
he grinned.

    “
Why didn
’
t you come back Gabriel?”
She asked. His grin slid off his face
. He fell silent
for a long moment, just looking at her.

    “
I never stopped watching out for you.”

    “
I don
’
t care. It wasn
’
t enough. I needed you there and you weren
’
t there. I wondered, I feared, every day. Every damn day, for so long. I don
’
t even
know for how long.”

    “
Twelve years,”
he answered.

    “
What?”

    “
Twelve years. That
’
s how long you waited. Delphine I believe her name was.”
He looked down his nose at her.

    “
Don
’
t you dare judge me, Gabriel! There wouldn
’
t have been a Dephine, or
an Avril, or a Priscilla if you hadn
’
t left.”

    “
It least I know you didn
’
t replace me with another man. You gave me that much.”
He watched as her eyes flicked to the main entrance where Dom had left. He turned slowly to look, before turning back to her
. “
Ah, yes. I suppose even that isn
’
t true.”

    “
Again Gabe, you
’
re fault, not mine. On all accounts really. You made him.”

    “
I can unmake him,”
he taunted. She silently dared him.”
Oh, you know I wouldn
’
t.”

    “
I know. Not because you made him either
. Because you were just as loyal as I was, weren
’
t you?”

    “
Maybe I was loyal!”
He exclaimed, a bit to
o
zealous. She waited. “
You knew I was
created for Catherine! It was beyond my control.”

    “
I knew I shouldn
’
t have sent you out there to look for her
alone! I knew it!”
She broke the glass tumbler on the counter. A few quick breaths, a couple sets of counting to ten and she was calmer. “
Have you been with her the whole time?”

    “
No. Of that I can promise. When I went into hiding I hid from everyone.
I haven
’
t seen Catherine in three hundred years.”

    “
She
’
s living in Amsterdam at the moment.”
She would smack the bitch silly when she saw her next, if only for lying to her. “
Speaking of, where have you been this whole time?”

    “
Arizona,”
he answered easily.

    “
Seriously?”
She asked.

    “
Yeah, the desert is very peaceful at night.”

    “
This whole time though?”

    “
Oh no. Since the 1850
’
s at least. I was roaming around before I settled outside Sedona. I knew Michel would never come to
America personally, so I haven
’
t left since it was founded.”
She knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she didn
’
t want Gabriel back. It was a maybe leaning towards no before, if only for all of the history they had shared, but he wasn
’
t that man sh
e
had married. Not anymore.
In fact, compared to the bravery and backbone Dom had shown in his four hundred years, Gabriel
’
s nine hundred seemed tame. She walked across the bar to stand in front on him. He turned to follow her progress and took her by the h
ands when she stood to meet him. They stared at each other, both probably briefly reliving every sweet moment they had ever shared. But she couldn
’
t get past the fact that he had left a young man to rot in forced debauchery and that it was Dom and Jeanne
t
ogether that had stopped Michel. Not Gabriel
,
who had sworn once to do just that. She shook her head, looking away.

    “
You
’
re choosing him, aren
’
t you?”
He asked sadly.

    “
What happened to you, Gabriel? You used to be so brave. You were so driven and
sure of yourself.”
She searched for that man, just a hint. He smiled down at her.

    “
My stupid little girl,”
he curled his palm around her chin. “
I was never those things. I wanted to be, for you. I was those things, for you. I ran away because I could
n
’
t
compete with your energy anymore. Honestly, I didn
’
t set out looking for Catherine because I planned on leaving you for her. I wanted someone to help bear the burden of the responsibility for Michel. But then after searching and searching and after being
away for so long
, I just gave up. Without your energy to keep me focused I lost sight of what we were trying to do, and then when I found her I let her take me away from you. Because it was easier to say it was her choice, that way I didn
’
t have to come h
ome to you a dispassionate and empty excuse of a man. I could just disappear and you could move on. It was weak of me but now you know, that
’
s just who I am.”
She stared back at him. After that terrible speech she had truly made up her mind. She pulled hi
s
hand away, placed a gentle kiss on his palm before letting go.

    “
And now I know. Thank you.”
She turned and walked away.

    “
You
’
re welcome,”
he called
out.

    “
For making Dom for me,”
she couldn
’
t help taunting.

    “
I
’
m drinking the rest of this A P
os!”

    “
Knock yourself out!”
She opened the door to the muggy June night air. A quick scan of the square, not two blocks from her club, and she spotted Dom. He had his face pressed up against the closed fence. At first she
thought the poor sod had lost his mind but upon closer inspection it seemed he was trying to get one of the notorious Jackson Square cats to come to him.

    “
They
’
re all finicky whores,”
she said behind him. He whirled around.

    “
Well, why doesn
’
t som
ebody pay to get them fixed?”
He asked. She laughed.

    “
No, they
’
re believed to be the souls of old prostitutes who used to litter the square.
”

    “
Oh, I remember the prostitutes. They were much friendlier. I don
’
t think these are them.”
He motioned beh
ind him. She laughed again. He seemed to enjoy seeing her happy.

    “
Dom?”

    “
Hmm?”

    “
If I asked you to stay here, with me, would you throw a bunch of reasons why it would never work in my face? How you
’
re not worthy and how you can
’
t see someone li
ke me being with someone like you?”

    “
Think kinda highly of yourself, don
’
t you?”
He smirked.

    “
Don
’
t act like you wouldn
’
t have done that.”

    “
Yeah, you
’
re right. I was thinking of doing just that. But you
’
ve effectively
called me on my shit.”

  
“
I did.”

    “
So, now I have nothing. No excuse.”

    “
Nope, none.”

    “
What about the fact that you
’
re a married woman?”

    “
I
’
m sure as soon as Gabe discovers Ivana upstairs he won
’
t want me anymore.”
She pouted prettily. Dom grinned like she knew he
would. “
Besides, y
ou didn
’
t seem to care before tonight,”
she answered, voice low. He gave a nod.

    “
You
’
re right, I really didn
’
t.”
He looked around. “
I
’
ve got nothing.”

    “
Wrong,”
she said, walking to meet him. She couldn
’
t keep her hands to herself anymore. “
You
’
ve got me.”

    “
I do. How the hell did that happen?”
They walked arm in arm down the alleyway.

    “
Sometime between Germany and you tearing a guys arm off, I think.”

    “
Don
’
t get used to that. I only tear limb
s off when I
’
m sexually frustrated. I get the feeling I
’
m going to be okay from now on.”

   
“
Vraiment?”
She smiled coquettishly up at him.

    “
Really.”
 

Epilogue

    “
That was beautiful,”
Alex said and wiped a tear away. “
Just so damn beautiful.”
Th
ey all waited in the ballroom of the Orleans Mansion for the reception to begun.

    “
Quite,”
Ethan agreed. “
Not as
special
as ours, but there
’
s nothing wrong with going traditional.”
Alex smacked him in the shoulder. He grinned down at her.

    “
Ours was
as unique as we are, don
’
t bash it.”
She huffed at him. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and leaned in for a kiss. She smiled before allowing him to get one.

    “
Gross,”
Elliot murmured. Ethan leaned back up to smirk at the pup.

    “
Don
’
t
knock it till you
’
ve tried it,”
he said.

    “
What, Alex? You
’
d let me?”
He quipped. Ethan narrowed his gaze.

    “
I meant love, young Elliot. Love.”
He spied the Were Ali that Elliot had been speaking to throughout the wedding.
“
Allison, isn
’
t it?
”
He st
opped her.
“
Elliot here was just asking about what sort of jewelry you buy for a girl you
’
re interested in. Perhaps you
’
d be able to give him some advice?”

    “
Oh, shit,”
Elliot muttered before Ethan shoved him at her. S
he reacted as Ethan knew she would. With screams of excitement.
Elliot looked back at him with promises of revenge.
Alex snorted behind her hand.

    “
That was mean,”
she told him.

    “
But so worth it,”
he said.

Across the room,
Vic and Adam were
discuss
ing whether or not they could sneak off without being noticed by the time the bride and groom arrived.