Evermore, an Arotas Novella (The Arotas Series) (4 page)

This
time she wants to be in control.

Roseline
grins at the high-pitch squeal and stomping of boots that greets her
and Gabriel as they walk hand in hand through the castle entrance the
next morning. Their clothes are damp and rumpled, their hair beyond
repair, but they are happy. They are together.

Sadie
slams into the middle of them just after they emerge from under the
arched stone entry, an arm slung around both of their shoulders as
she bounces on her toes. “I am so happy right now. You guys are
just so, so…” She squeals again and leaps back, beaming
from ear to ear.

Gabriel
grins as he rubs his neck where Sadie hung off him. “Nice to
know I have been missed.”

“Oh
my gosh.” Sadie gasps. “You have no freakin’ clue
how depressed Roseline has been. She didn’t eat, wouldn’t
speak to me, and she wore the same outfit for four days in a row!”

Roseline
laughs as Gabriel glances down at her clothes. “Not
these
clothes.”

“You
know, I thought I smelled something funny.” He squeezes her
hand and then looks back at Sadie. “So she was a wreck without
me?”

“We’re
talking a one hundred car train derail right in the middle of New
York City during rush hour kind of bad. Fires. Screaming. Oh, the
horror!” Sadie throws her arm dramatically over her face.

“I
wasn’t
that
bad.”
Roseline protests, but she knows no one believes her.

Gabriel
raises her hand to his lips. His gaze is tender as he smiles against
the back of her hand. “I love you too.”

A
warm flush races up from her hand and she blushes, feeling Sadie’s
rapt gaze.

“Gabriel.”
Nicolae nods in greeting as he approaches, not even bothering to hide
his own smile as he stops at Sadie’s side. His posture is
relaxed, without any hint of the tension that used to reside heavily
on his shoulders. Much has changed in the past couple of weeks.
Hunters have become not just her allies, but friends as well. “It’s
good to see you up and walking again. You sure gave us a scare for a
few days.”

Sadie
punches him on the shoulder. He winces, rubbing his wounded arm, but
she hardly notices. “He’s been claiming that he knew you
were coming back all along. Such a hypocrite!”

Gabriel
grins as he gives Sadie a once over. “I like the new look. Red
really suits you, Sadie.”

Her
pale cheeks darken as she casts a furtive glance at Nicolae, who in
turn winks back. “He’s got a thing for redheads
apparently. Can’t keep his hands off me.”

“I
did
not
need to hear that,” a voice calls from behind. Roseline looks
over Sadie’s shoulder to see William heading their way. She
stifles a laugh behind her hand. He walks with a bit of an awkward
swagger now, like he’s trying to appear confident but is
failing miserably. Maybe being around so many immortals hasn’t
fully helped him to come to terms with Sadie’s transformation
yet. “Hands off my sister, Nicolae. She’s still mine.”

Sadie
rolls her eyes and makes no move to part from Nicolae’s side.
Gabriel grins. “Learn to pick your battles, dude. That ship has
already sailed way out of your reach.”

William
tries to feign a grimace, but everyone knows he’s not really
upset. In fact, Roseline has a sneaking suspicion he has gained a
great amount of respect for Nicolae over the past couple of weeks,
despite the fact that Nicolae is fooling around with his sister. At
least William doesn’t have to listen to their giggles in the
middle of the night from across the castle. If there is one thing she
would love to change about immortality, it would be her ability to
hear through walls as if they were as thin as paper. Sometimes it’s
just better not to hear some things.

“So…”
Sadie draws out, a wicked grin on her face as she glances between her
friends. “Looks like you two had a good night.”

“Sadie!”
William pales at his sister’s statement. She giggles and loops
her arm through Nicolae’s. He shifts and slides his arm farther
around her waist, tucking his hand deep into her back pocket.

William
shakes his head. “I’m sorry for my sister. She was
repeatedly dropped on her head as a baby.”

Roseline
smiles. “It’s fine, William. It’s not like I’ve
never done this before.”

“Speak
for yourself.” Gabriel grins, wrapping his arm around her waist
and tugging her close. “Best night of my life, man.”

A
hint of heat stains William’s cheeks and Roseline instantly
feels sorry for him. Although things may be somewhat cozy between him
and Claudia since their return from Canada, she has yet to hear any
giggling come from either of their rooms in the middle of the night.

She
bumps Gabriel with her hip and his smile falters. He clears his
throat and turns to Nicolae. “Is there anything to eat? I’m
famished!”

William
is the first to answer. “Dude, you have missed everything!
Turns out Claudia is like the master chef of the house. Just wait
until you try her chocolate chip and maple pancakes. They are to die
for!”

“The
trick is getting to them
before
Will.” Sadie snickers. She reaches out and flicks her brother
on the nose.

“Ow!”
He grumbles, rubbing his nose.

“Oh,
stop being such a baby.” She rolls her eyes and pulls Nicolae
along with her as they head back toward the castle. “I didn’t
leave a mark.”

“This
time,” Roseline hears him mutter under his breath as he shrugs
his shoulders and turns to follow.

Lowering
his hand from her waist, Gabriel grasps her hand in his and leads her
into the castle courtyard behind her friends. She watches Sadie and
Nicolae walk in step together, heads lowered in conversation.
William’s mood improves considerably as he lifts his nose to
sniff the scent of bacon on the grill. Grinning from ear to ear, he
happily begins to rattle off a full spread buffet menu that Claudia
is preparing for the fifty or so men currently staying in the castle.

“And
her cinnamon rolls are beyond addicting,” he calls over his
shoulder. “I’m serious. I could die a happy man if that
was the last thing I ate.”

“An
obese man, but still happy.” Sadie snickers from up ahead. She
lets Nicolae tug her into a darkened passageway and Roseline can hear
her laughter echoing off the walls.

“I
really don’t know how we are related.” William shakes his
head, pausing for a moment, and then follows his nose to the kitchen.

Gabriel
makes as if to follow, but Roseline pulls him back. “Is
everything okay?”

“Yeah.”
She smiles, jerking her head toward a different door. “There’s
someone I think you should see first.”

Without
waiting for him to question further, Roseline pulls him toward a
closed door near the far end of the courtyard. Its frame still boasts
splatters of blood from the battle against Vladimir. The wood is
deeply scored from sharp sword blades and partially charred from the
front gate explosion but is still somehow miraculously intact. Was it
really only such a short time ago? In many ways it feels as if a
lifetime has passed.

“Where
are you taking me?”

She
can hear his burning curiosity but doesn’t relent. Instead, she
pushes open the door and steps aside. “After you.”

He
gives her an odd look and then crosses the threshold. She closes her
eyes at his sharp intake of breath and then slowly releases it as she
hears his cry. “Katia!”

Roseline
reaches out and slowly closes the door behind him, allowing Gabriel
to have a private moment to catch up with his sister.

She’s
still not really sure how she feels about this new development.
Having a flesh and blood sister must be a great feeling for Gabriel,
especially one that can know his secret and embrace this new life,
but on the other hand, it makes him vulnerable. He proved that on the
battlefield in Canada.

She
doesn’t blame him for going after Katia. In fact, she would
have been furious if he hadn’t. Being a human, albeit only
partially human, meant that she was still fragile, vulnerable in ways
that would make Gabriel risk everything to protect her.

Roseline
leans back against the wall, lifting a leg to press against the stone
as she tries to focus on the blunt cut of her nails instead of the
voices within. She is happy for Gabriel, truly, but terrified at the
same time.

Katia
was used as bait for him once. What’s to say she won’t be
used again?

In
the long, lonely nights after Gabriel’s funeral, Roseline heard
Katia speaking with her friends in hushed tones about her own
transition. She does not possess the same abilities that Gabriel
developed not long after Roseline first met him. No glowing cross
tattoo on her wrists, super strength, or hearing. Her mother’s
genes must have been more dominant than Lucien’s.

Still,
she wants to be turned. Roseline isn’t sure if this was for
personal gain or in attempt to honor Gabriel’s memory. Either
way, Nicolae decided that Roseline would ultimately decide the girl’s
fate. Thankfully, she is off the hook. Now, that decision will rest
firmly in Gabriel’s hands.

After
nearly a quarter of an hour, the door cracks open and Gabriel emerges
alone. Roseline looks beyond him to see Katia perched on the edge of
her bed, her head buried in her hands. Her sobs are loud, riddled
with relief.

“She
didn’t know?” Roseline asks, taken aback.

He
shakes his head. “Elias thought it might be too hard for her to
see him after…” He lets his words fall away, but she
knows he is thinking of his fallen guardian angel, Seneh. Katia and
Seneh held a special bond. Elias no doubt didn’t want to open
wounds that have barely had time to begin to heal over.

“Why
didn’t the others tell her?” she asks as the door latch
locks into place.

He
takes her hand in his and brings it swiftly up to his lips. She
smiles, knowing this is a habit she could easily get used to.

“They
felt it would be best to see the truth for herself. She thought I was
a ghost at first. A walker of the woods. I guess there are myths of
ghosts from where she lived. I sure gave her a start.” His
chuckle spreads warmth in her abdomen as she twines her fingers
through his.

Their
shoulders bump against each other as they walk. Their footsteps echo
off the wall beside them. Roseline breathes deep and feels a familiar
rumbling in her stomach. She can’t remember the last time she
actually ate a full meal.

Gabriel
pulls her back just before they reach the corridor that leads
directly into the kitchens. He dips his head in greeting as two
black-clad hunters mutter their apologies and slip past them, making
a beeline straight for breakfast.

“What’s
wrong?” she asks.

His
lips soften into a smile as he reaches up with his free hand to cup
her face, his thumb brushing along her cheekbone. “I’ve
made a decision.”

“About?”
Her eyebrow arches. Although his tone doesn’t suggest anything
worrisome or terrifying, her stomach clenches as a kneejerk reaction.

He
leans in close and whispers in her ear. “No more fighting. No
more bloodshed and stupid prophecies. I want to spend time together,
just you and me. We’ve spent far too much time fighting just to
get back to each other, and I refuse to let anything come between us
ever again.”

She
inhales, rocked by the depth of his statement. Not just the words,
but the emotion behind them. It is true. From the moment they first
met they have been torn apart over and over again. Fate has never
been kind to them, but maybe, just maybe things are starting to come
together.

Roseline
looks around her at the extensive evidence of an early morning
training session left abandoned. Swords line tables along the walls.
Feathered arrows, shot from high-powered crossbows, protrude from
makeshift targets. She can see leather gauntlets, vests, and the like
scattered about near the newly assigned armory, housing an array of
old-school and modern-day weapons. “We can’t just walk
away from all of this.” She protests, pulling her gaze away to
look at him. “They need us.”

He
squeezes her hands and smiles. “I’m not saying walk away
completely. I’m saying we need to take a break for a while.
Then we can come back here and help out. You know, take up a
leadership role. Train the new recruits.”

Roseline
bites on her lower lip, thinking of the new teams that have recently
been sent out into the field to establish more bases like the Senthe
base in Canada. Lucien’s army fled to the corners of the globe
and she is not about to let them get away.

“Where
should we go?” she asks, knowing a break would be nice, but she
could never allow it to be permanent. Her responsibilities lie here.
This is her home.

A
small smile stretches along her lips as she realizes for the first
time, amidst the mass chaos and influx of hunters and immortals
arriving daily, Bran castle finally feels like home to her. It is
more than a brick-and-mortar building. It is a gathering place of
friends and family.

Maybe
one day she and Gabriel can move out of the castle, build a small
home of their own where they can have some privacy. The castle
grounds certainly have enough room for them to use, or perhaps they
could tear down the old lakeside shack and make their own cottage.

Gabriel
tilts his head to the side, contemplating. “I think I’d
like to go to Chicago first.”

“To
see your family?”

“To
say good-bye to my past.” His hand drifts down to her waist and
pulls her to him. Her body molds against his as he presses her
against the wall. His gaze is intense as he stares down at her. “You
are all the family I will ever need.”

As
she lifts up onto her tiptoes to kiss him, Roseline realizes that for
the first time in a very long time, she feels happy. Truly,
unabashedly happy.