Rose stepped back, alarm crossing her face. “Wait. Gabriel doesn't want me. And I'm not totally sure I want him, not in a bound-to-him way. That sounds, um, rather final."
Mephisto's heart clenched, a painful jolt as he remembered his own once-human life. "Oh, it is most definitely final. I advise you to go ahead and let yourself fall in love with him. It won't hurt you, as Gabriel is almost there himself. If a bound pair is separated before their time, the loss to them both is incalculable. I can’t believe that will happen to you."
Rose sniffed. "That's easy for you to say. You've never had your heart broken."
"You think not?" Mephisto rubbed his chest absently. "My heart was broken a thousand times before your great-grandfather walked the earth." He let the pain swim through him and managed to give her a smile. "We really must leave. They're getting worried about you."
"You haven’t told me whether or not you’ll help me kill the vampire,” she protested. “Or how I’m supposed to get my soul back.”
Mephisto gave her another half-hearted smile. “We’ll have to leave it to Fate,” he said. “She seems to be firmly in your corner, though, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Now it’s time to get you back where you belong. Gabriel worries about you. Come.
* * *
Mephisto took Rose's hand and pointed toward the hospital bed. It seemed to Rose that they just floated through the walls and down into the room. She settled back into her body and sighed in relief. No pain this time around. She felt nothing but a nice floaty sensation.
Rose's floating came to an abrupt end.
There you are. I've been looking for you.
She frowned as Satine's voice eased into her consciousness.
I don’t want to talk to you.
I know. But here we are. You will bring the Caine clan to me.
Satine's voice made Rose colder than ever. She shivered slightly. The scent of lilies wafted in the air, mingled with a faintly familiar antiseptic flavor.
The hell I will. Why would I do that?
Because I want you to. Because you want to please me. Because I will kill you, and them, if you don't. Reasons enough?
I suppose.
Warmth stole through her hand, and she recognized it as Gabriel. Gabriel held it, kissed it, and slowly the warmth pushed away the chill of Satine. Rose reached a careful tendril of thought toward Gabriel, pulled him in.
Good. Bring the Caines to me tonight. I owe them for killing Chazz.
I'm in the hospital, Satine. Not sure I'll even be walking by tonight. Chazz wasn't exactly a saint.
Rose opened her eyes, looked at Gabriel and tightened her hand in his as she waited for Satine's answer.
And now he's dead. You will pay for that. I'll contact you. Keep your mind open— or you will regret it. I'll make sure of it.
The contact broke off and Rose shuddered. She searched Gabriel's face. "Gabriel. I'm so cold." At the look on his face she let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not asking to have your baby. I'm just asking you to warm me up."
Relief filled her as he climbed up into the bed and held her close to his chest.
"How did you do that?"
"What?" She pressed herself closer to him.
"How did you bring me in to hear the conversation between the two of you? That's not supposed to happen. And it didn't hurt."
Rose shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought I should. Figured it would save some time."
"Damn Satine for using you."
"There’s more," she said, her teeth chattering. "Somehow, she stole my soul. That’s why I got into the drugs. The sex. It was almost inevitable."
His arms tightened around her briefly. “It wasn’t your fault. That must be comforting.”
“Yes. I’m coming to terms with it.” She breathed him in, snuggled deeper into his arms. “’With understanding comes forgiveness.’ Who said that?”
“I’m not sure. You know, if I had resisted her at the beginning, you wouldn't be in this position." Regret laced his voice.
She smiled against his chest, inhaled the spicy scent that was his. "She is a Soul Stealer and I am a Soul Chalice. Our story started long ago. We were bound to meet again, bound to try to neutralize each other.”
“I guess so. We’ll have to write the manual.”
“Ha ha. So when are you springing me from this place?"
“Soon. Oh, and I got you a present. A cell phone. To help you feel safe.”
“Thanks.” No one had ever cared about Rose’s safety before. The surprise brought a wave of emotion with it. “I’ve never had a cell phone.”
“Oh please, don’t cry,” Gabriel said. “Tissue. Where’s tissue?”
“On the tray I think.” Rose wiped at her cheeks and laughed at the mild panic on Gabriel’s face as he handed her a tissue. “It’s okay. Happy tears.”
He cleared his throat. “All our phone numbers are in there.”
"That’s good." She settled against him again and thrilled at the sound of his heartbeat, slow and steady beneath her ear. If they were truly bonded as Mephisto had said, that meant she had a future. What did being bonded mean, anyway? Was it a demon thing, or a Fae thing?
If they were bonded, could the two of them, wounded as they were, have a good life?
"Stop thinking. Start resting," he ordered.
"See if you can get me out of here, and I'll rest," she promised.
He sighed then, folded her against him and rocked her. "Just give me a moment, here. Just a moment."
Maybe she should take Mephisto's advice after all and just allow herself to fall in love with him. He cared, she knew that much. She could feel the care and concern pouring out of him, wrapping her as closely as his arms held her.
Gabriel's heart thudded against her cheek, a comforting sound. After a few minutes of silence, he sighed and shifted to look into her eyes. "When we leave here, I’ll be taking you to the old homestead like we planned."
"The place you grew up?" Rose brightened at the thought. "I am glad."
"My mother used to plant these wonderful gardens, or so I'm told. Gideon tried to keep them alive but only managed in the orchard, and what he called the secret garden. I'll show it to you," he added. "If you'll agree to rest while you’re there.”
"I’ll rest if you’re nearby." She stirred, brushing the hair out of his face. She placed her hand on his scarred cheek. "Thank you. For everything. I'm glad you're here."
She saw the pain in his eyes as he moved her hand from his face and kissed her palm. "I know," he said, and drew her close again. "I'm glad to be here. But Rose," and he hesitated.
She shook her head, not wanting to hear it. "Gabriel. Let's just enjoy, okay? We need the physical connection right now, and there’s a lot to do before we get to the future. So let's don't worry about it. I'm a big girl. Now, tell me what I looked like, when I was all demony."
He kissed the top of her head and cleared his throat. "You have wings."
"I do not." Delighted, she pushed away to look him in the eyes. "I can fly?"
"Nah. They're just little girly wings. And a couple of cute horns, too. And you've got sexy spots all over. Kind of like a leopard, only orangey and brownish."
Her eyes alight, she grinned. "Really? Do tell."
Gabriel spun a tale of her demon self that kept her laughing until her sides ached. She watched him with a smile in her heart. According to Mephisto, she and Gabriel made a good match. It remained to be seen if their match was strong enough to defeat Satine.
Rose watched with wide eyes as the gate opened silently. Hedges on both sides turned the long driveway into an escape from the neighborhood around them.
The car followed the curve until the hedges dropped away and revealed a two-story yellow and white ranch house. To Rose’s family-starved eyes, it looked like a home, with a wide front porch, windows open to the summer breeze, white curtains billowing. Two buildings winged out from the center of the house, giving it a sprawling, welcoming look. Elm trees planted nearby provided shade. Gabriel pulled up and parked next to a perfectly kept Mustang in a bright blue. Gabriel grunted.
“A ’68 Mustang. Must be Kellan’s.”
Gabriel had pulled away from her, gotten distant the minute they'd left the hospital. The drive out had been quiet and Rose hadn't known how to make things easy again between them. Now though, the house consumed her thoughts.
"Oh,
Gabriel
." Rose put her hand on his arm, squeezed. "It's beautiful."
Gabriel looked at the unraked leaves, the peeling paint. "It has been. Kellan is waiting for us. Come on." They got out and Rose was hit with the scent of orange blossom. She felt the grin take over her face.
"Orange trees?"
"There's a citrus grove out back, a part of the original parcel of land. The whole San Fernando Valley used to be citrus groves and farms, way back when. My mother redesigned parts of the land long before I was born." Gabriel shrugged. "I think we have photos of the place before she got her hands on it, but I'm not sure."
Rose approached the front door with curiosity. This, then, is where the Caine matriarch reigned over her tribe. This is where she gave birth to Gabriel, and where she died. What of Maria Therese still lingered in this house?
As she crossed the threshold, she felt a warmth, a welcome, as though a loving spirit inhabited the house. Not that she believed Maria Therese herself was here. Rather, it was a house that had seen much love and harbored the expectation of more love and laughter, to come.
She turned to Gabriel, slipped her hand in his. "Gorgeous. Hardwood floors, hand painted borders—how long has this house been in your family?"
"The original burned down. This house was built in the nineteen twenties on the bones of the first one, and expanded through the years." He squeezed her hand, let her go and shoved both his hands into his pockets. "Justin would know more details. Caines have owned the land for a couple hundred years, if not longer. It's the largest parcel still left in the west Valley."
"Hey guys. Come on out and give me a hand," called Kellan.
"It sounds like Kel’s in the back. After you," he said.
Rose found her way to the back door through the cheerful kitchen, fascinated with the painted vines and flowers that bordered the top of the wall. "Who did all the paint work? It's beautiful."
"I'm not sure. I'd forgotten about it," he added. “You know how you live with something and then just stop seeing it?” He shrugged. “It’s like that for me, all the hand paint work.” He opened the back door. “Come on.”
A brick patio spread out in front of them with a patch of straggly grass beyond it. Further back sat the citrus grove, easily fifty trees filling the space between the patio and what looked like guesthouses or barns at the back of the property. "This is gorgeous." Rose turned in a circle, caught her balance. "Absolutely gorgeous."
"It needs work. That part never seems to change." Kellan came toward them. Rose stifled a giggle. Straw hat, plaid shirt, battered jeans and work boots all turned him into a farm hand.
"You gonna plant the crops, Farmer Brown?" she said, letting loose her giggle.
Kellan grinned back. "Nope. And there aren't any cows to milk, either, but I do have livestock. Come see."
They followed him to one of the outbuildings. What had looked like a barn turned out to be a large, two-story storage shed crammed with boxes and furniture. Kellan led them to a corner where, burrowed into a covered couch, was a mama cat and her three scrawny babies.