Ravenous (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

Gabriel’s heart contracted at the scene; she had been abducted, perhaps her story of the duke had been in truth, and now she was gone, and because he could not read her thoughts, he could not track her. George finally made his way outside.

“George, she was taken; I cannot sense her nor hear her,” he stated.

“What shall we do, my lord?”

* * * *

The napper’s carriage

Emma was in a dream in which she did not want to awaken from. Gabriel was holding her in his arms. He was making love to her, speaking words of vows and sentiment. He loved her and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. He was there with her, keeping her close holding her safe. She reveled in him. She loved him and forgave him. No matter the fact that he was sterile, they would make a family with Rose and James.

* * * *

The earl’s castle

Whoever had taken Emma was shrewd and left no clues behind of who they were. He cursed his inability to feel her presence. He was angry that he had not listened to her before she was abducted. She tried to tell him she fled her father’s home because she was in fear of her life, that the duke’s first wife was dead for mysterious reasons. Perhaps the person who had taken her was working for the duke. She was sick, her headaches becoming worse. Gabriel felt panic and pain all the way down to his bones.

She stated she was the daughter of a baron, and her accent was clean and cultured. He cursed when he felt the sun rising. His body screamed for the sleep of his kind.

He looked to George and said, “She said she was the daughter of a baron, intended for a duke. I believe she is from London. Go there now as fast as you can, this evening. I will follow you. We have to find her.”

With that said he fled to the bottom of the house.

* * * *

The napper’s carriage

Emma awoke with a jolt. She opened her eyes and cursed at the pain she felt there. She tried to move her hands to cover her eyes. However, they were bound behind her back. She carefully opened her eyes and made contact with two men with covered faces in a small carriage. She moaned when the jostling continued. She felt she was very near losing her stomach contents.

“Who are you and why have you taken me?”

The men stared on, not answering either of her questions.

“I see. You must be in the employ of the duke,” she stated.

Her body quivered at the thought of being taken back to him. She knew their reunion would not be one of joy. He had warned her that she knew what would happen if she did not keep her place. She thought of Gabriel and could have wept. She would never see him again. He was angry with her, and he would probably at no time want to try to find her. He may believe she left, because she was a normal woman of the
ton.
Her heart turned over in her chest. He would never know she loved him eternally, and would always hold him in her heart.

Oh, Gabriel.

Gabriel heard Emma’s whisper to him in his sleep. He tried to claw back to wakefulness. He was finally feeling her presence.

Emma! Emma!

Emma felt as if Gabriel was by her side comforting her, but she was in a moving carriage and being fanciful.

“I will not submit to your employer. I will defy him at every turn. I would rather die than be married to a murderer,” she said with a voice that was surprisingly strong.

“You may die for your words, my lady.” And with that said he knocked her once again unconscious.

Gabriel heard a scream and then felt nothing but darkness. He was aware that sunset was to be in a few hours. He just hoped Emma would survive until he found her.

* * * *

The earl’s castle

Gabriel felt himself wake to the setting sun. He moved quickly out of his place of rest and felt for George.

George! George!

I am here, my lord! I have been riding on horseback since this morning, and have yet to locate your mistress. I am sorry, sir. I owe you so much…

Gabriel followed the sound of George’s voice and materialized as mist by his side within a few minutes.

Gabriel found George riding horseback, hell-bent for London.

Gabriel grabbed George’s shoulder and was able to transport himself and the beast to the heart of London. George was bent over sick in the corner between two buildings. The transport of a mortal by way of vampire was sickening to humans.

“Are you well, George?” Gabriel was intensely alert trying to feel for Emma.

“I will be, my lord,” George stated.

After a moment, he righted himself, and they began to walk.

“I don’t think they have made it this far, my lord. We should inquire as to whom Emma’s father is. He may have an idea of where our lady is,” George suggested.

“Indeed, George. Thank you for helping me in this endeavor,” he replied.

“Pleasantries aside, my lord, I owe you a life debt, for without you, I would have died on that battlefield. May I speak freely, sir?”

“You need not ask me, George, and you do not owe me a damn thing. I saved your life. It was the right thing to do. I was fighting exactly alongside you,” he replied gruffly.

“You saved many men that night, my lord. That is why you gained the title of earl. The Queen was indeed pleased,” George answered.

“That infernal title, all the wealth in the world and still everyone is concerned with titles. I hope to live a few more decades and then pass the title onto James.”

They walked briskly to a gambling hell on Fleet Street. The men here were drunk and bigger gossipers than their wives.

* * * *

The Duke of Greensburg’s estate

Emma felt her body being moved from the carriage and flung over a bulky shoulder. She moaned in protest, but could not open her eyes. She was beyond any pain she had ever felt in her life. Images of the children and Gabriel flashed through her mind. She prayed that whoever took her left the family alone. She felt tears slide down her face at the thought of never seeing them again. She loved them so dearly that she thanked God she met them at all. Whatever trials that awaited her, she would remember that she had once glimpsed Heaven.

She felt her body being lowered into a chair, and then bound. She was too weak to speak, so she let the exhaustion overtake her.

Fleet Street

Gabriel sat down in a chair and felt around the room for random thoughts and feelings. The room was very loud with verbal chatter as well as mental. George brought them both a glass of wine, that he held in his hand, and Gabriel ignored. The room was very loud, and the stench of alcohol and tobacco was overpowering. It had been a very long time since Gabriel had been in an establishment such as this. His prenatural powers were being flooded with too many thoughts and too many smells.

Emma slowly opened her eyes to a room that was filled with darkness. She moaned as she felt the pain radiating from her head. She tried to move her feet, but she was tied to a chair. She tried to look around the room, but her vision was terrible.

“I see you are awake, Emma?”

She knew that awful, scratchy voice. It was attached to the most hideous man God had ever created. She looked to where the voice seemed to be coming from. She saw a spark light the air with fire, and cigar smoke started swirling around a very pudgy and grotesque face. Emma had nightmares of that face. This man was His Grace the Duke of Greensburg, her jilted intended. She moaned in recognition and saw him smiling as he smoked his fat cigar.

Trying to keep her sickness at bay, she said, “I see you have found me, Your Grace.”

“I have indeed, Emma, and now I will teach you what it means to be my wife and your place within our marriage.”

He stood and walked slowly over to where she was tied down. Emma jolted in her seat when his knees bumped against her chair.

“I see the men I hired already beat you into submission. No matter, I will enjoy seeing you bruise in places only I can see.”

Emma felt her spine stiffen as he raised his hand. She felt the sting across her face as if he slashed her with a knife.

Her lips began to trickle blood onto her chin, but she held her screams at bay. She knew that he derived pleasure from seeing her weak and hearing her beg.

The duke firmed his lips and tipped her chair over onto the floor, hitting the side of her head upon the hard wood. He kicked her side, and she felt pain come from her lungs and a sickening crunch. She was barely able to breathe, but yet again she kept silent. The pain was intense. She felt as if she may faint once more. She closed her eyes as she felt pulsing shards roll through her head.

He beat her relentlessly, to the point of which the chair was broken into pieces, and she was near death. She began to moan, and the duke proceeded to chuckle. He had finally gotten the reaction he sought.

“You are just as your maid, Lily. She, too, eventually screamed!”

Before she fainted her mind shrieked,
Gabriel!

* * * *

Gabriel heard Emma cry out his name. Without hesitation, he followed the scream into the night, with George at his side. They disappeared from the gambling hell without a care for who saw them. He materialized in front of a grand home that was devoid of any light. He stalked the outside of the residence, realizing he could not enter without being invited. George, knowing the problem, stalked up the stairs and banged upon the door.

When it was flung open by another butler, George announced, “I know you have her in there! I know you have her in there!”

He was shouting to the Heavens, and the man grabbed George by the lapels and forced him inside.

You may enter, my lord.

Gabriel smiled at the old man. He was brilliant. He was able to materialize into the home and dispatch the butler.

“I can no longer hear her.” Gabriel stayed for a moment to sense another heartbeat. When it came he heard distinctly two. One was shuddered, the other was wild and out of rhythm. He left George to set the door to rights. As he moved to the room, he heard laughing and moaning. When he was in the room, rage took him over as he saw the scene of a man beating his Emma.

He had the man by the shoulders before he could lay another hand upon her already-still body. He threw the obese man across the room and felt a stab of pleasure as he heard him grunt. Gabriel kneeled at Emma’s side and could feel a fluttering pulse. She was unconscious and bleeding profusely, and for the first time in his life, he could smell the blood, but did not feel hunger, his emotions at her state were much worse.

The man he threw grunted as he sat up. Blind with fury, Gabriel walked over to the man and said with fangs elongated, “Are you the duke?”

When the man stared at Gabriel in terror, unable to answer, he shook him until his front teeth clacked together in affirmation.

“Hear me now, duke, if you ever come near Emma again, I will kill you slowly and painfully,” he stated.

“Gabriel, Gabriel,” Emma whispered.

Gabriel threw the man to the floor and ran over to his Emma.

“I am here, sweet, talk to me,” Gabriel insisted.

George entered the room right behind him, detaining the duke with a booted foot.

“Gabriel, you’re here. I dreamed you would come for me, perhaps I am dreaming now,” she whispered with her lips trembling and bleeding.

Gabriel kept the tears at bay and answered her, “I came for you, never doubt that I would
.
I am taking you away from here. Back home where you belong. I must first take care of His Grace.”

“Gabriel, please…do not harm him. They will come after you. They may hang you for killing a nobleman. Flee this place and leave. I do not want to see you find your end by a rope or a gun,” she pleaded.

Such bravery, such beauty from this woman, how could he have ever doubted her? She was worried for him and his family, even though killing this man would end her nightmare.

“I will not leave you here, do you understand me?” he bellowed.

Gabriel stood and stated, “You are lucky, duke. Hear me now. If you ever seek Emma out, I will bring you a slow death.”

Emma sighed and closed her eyes. Gabriel picked Emma up into his arms and transported the three back to the castle. It took but a few moments, but he sent his thoughts forward. The candles were burning brightly, just as was the metal tub full of warm water.

Gabriel stripped Emma’s sodden clothing from her and vowed she would be protected and taken care of until the end of her time on this earth. When she was naked, he placed her into the tub to wash the blood from her bruised body. He looked at her pulse point and noted it was still weak. Her mouth and face and neck were so swollen he doubted she would be able to drink from him.

George knocked upon the door and brought in her night clothes. Gabriel dressed her and placed her upon the bed.