The image tipped the scale and the woman sprawled on him stiffened and screamed into his mouth as she came.
Gabriel wrapped an arm around her as she found her way back to her body. She melted against him, making him reluctant to move. The warmth of her cuddled next to him opened long-closed parts of his heart, bringing with it a jolt of joy.
He held her gingerly, as if she were a priceless piece of art that would shatter at the flick of his careless fingers. His mating instincts were clamoring for him to lay his claim to her but fear froze him. He’d kill her if she got too close, and he wasn’t about to risk her.
As she pressed tiny kisses to his chest, Gabriel steeled himself to do what he knew must be done. He shifted, moved her to his side and put some distance between the two of them. He’d held her longer than he should have. His arms were empty now without her, and yet he had to pretend it didn’t matter.
But it did. Oh God, it mattered more than he’d thought possible.
"You caught me by surprise." He sat up and winced as more than just his head throbbed. "The bronze door, now that was a good touch." He could feel her gaze on his face and strove to keep it neutral.
“Glad you liked it.” Her voice was flat.
"Yes, well." He took a careful breath. "That door will keep your thoughts to yourself, help keep your mind impenetrable. After you get used to keeping it shut, it'll become second nature."
"What the hell are you playing at?”
Gabriel looked at her. "If you work daily on your barrier, you’ll be able to call it without thought. It'll be ever-present in your life, a psychic insurance policy, so to speak.
“You - that was mutual. You wanted me just as much as I wanted you,” she accused.
“Have I ever said differently?” He kept his voice bored. “Let’s work on your fire demon capabilities.”
"You can go to hell." Rose wrapped her arms around her knees.
Gabriel ignored her hostility. "For you, it seems to be an emotional tie. You need something badly, and the flame comes to you in response. Go ahead, try to summon it."
“Why are you shutting me out? Why don’t you want to talk about what just happened? Damn it, Gabriel. You’re not playing fair.”
"I'm not playing." Gabriel grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly. “The demons are real, not fueled by drugs and imagination. Sex is just a need, a distraction. I helped you with that need so you could focus on what’s next. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Gabriel felt his words slice into her, slashing at the tinker-toy structure of her self-image. It teetered and then - nothing. She’d slammed that door shut on her mind again. Approval raced through him, but he was careful to keep it from her. Anger in those blue eyes was easier to deal with than hurt. “Now come on. Bring the fire. You know how.” He let go of her and moved back. “Do it.”
* * *
Rose shut her eyes and drew the hurt deep inside, checking to make sure her mental door was firmly shut and locked. She’d been stupid, thinking even for a second that he'd want her. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
Now she focused on bringing the fire. She knew the warmth, could feel it running through her veins, but couldn’t bring it forth. Frustrated, she opened her eyes and scraped her hair back from her hot face. "I can’t do it on purpose. I got nothing." Resentfully, she looked at him sitting across from her. He was cool in the heat of the night despite the leather coat he still wore.
"Focus on your need. What do you need, so badly, that you can't live without? Take your time and think about it." His voice was a soothing rumble.
Rose closed her eyes but she didn't need any time. She needed him. She needed his trust. She just didn't want him to know all about her past. How awful she had been, how empty. Fate had brought her here. Surely Fate wouldn’t send her away?
Her hands grew hot. Carefully, Rose opened her eyes to see flame dancing along the back of her hands. She laughed a little, still not sure how to feel about this external sign of being a demon-carrier. Her gaze met Gabriel's. "Look! Isn't that amazing?"
"Remember, fire carries inside it both life and death. If you let yourself accept the fire's inherent contradictions, then it shouldn't be a problem - as long as you stay in control. But once it controls you, once the need for it outweighs your common sense, then it could kill you."
"It's not going to kill me." Rose could feel the source of the fire inside her. The demon was amused at her attempts to draw it out, but she didn't feel any ill will from it. She watched, fascinated, as fire danced along her fingers.
"You can't possibly know that," Gabriel said. "Put the fire out, and then call it again. See if you can do it faster this time."
Rose sent the fire away. It flickered out reluctantly. This time, she left her eyes open and focused on heat, flame, and Gabriel. Sensation stroked the air, made her shudder in distaste. "That didn't feel right. It felt like this morning, remember?"
The air changed, a displacement on a molecular level that was its own warning. Before she knew what was happening, Gabriel had scooped Rose up and tossed her toward the patio door, where she hit with a crash. She lay, huddled against the door, dazed. "Now, see, you've really got to stop doing that," she grumbled as she got to her feet, wincing at a few new bruises.
"Get inside! Now!" Gabriel barely had time to turn around before a streak in the air solidified. Rose watched the very deadly dance from the safety of the porch, both repulsed and fascinated.
A short creature with shiny brown fur and a mouth like an alien predator cat crouched before Gabriel, its three rows of vicious teeth gleaming in the night. The demon snarled slightly and jumped toward Gabriel. Rose's heart raced as she watched, praying that Gabriel would start punching or kicking soon.
But Gabriel slid out of the way and the demon didn't have time to correct. He landed where Gabriel had been, slightly off balance. Gabriel moved behind the demon with lightning speed and sent him flying with a foot against his back. The creature smashed against a palm tree with a grunt, bounced off it and turned around, its lips curled back in a snarl that filled the air, teeth snapping back and forth.
Rose grew hot, knew the fire inside her was close. All she had to do was call it, and it would be there. The fight was so tempting. She wanted to hear the demon's heart stop. She wanted to
cause
the demon's heart to stop. Bloodlust rose in her eyes and she blinked. Her body shook briefly as that emotion took over.
Gabriel and the demon circled each other. Rose heard Gabriel cursing under his breath. Then it lunged at him and took a swipe. Gabriel jumped back but not far enough. The claws grazed his stomach. "Shit."
“No!” Outrage pulsed through Rose and she sped past Gabriel, jumping to land on the demon's back. "Not him," she growled. Flexing her flaming hands with sharp claws, she dug them both into the demon's neck. The demon howled – and so did Rose, in victory, until pain flared down her arm. She vaulted off the demon's back and whirled around, ready to attack again. Wanting to kill the demon she recognized as "enemy".
Gabriel moved in front of her before she could engage the demon again and kicked it hard in the face. The creature roared, shook its head, and sprang at him. Rose stepped back as Gabriel jumped straight up. He landed with one foot on the demon's neck and the other on its lower back. Gabriel rode it down to the grass.
Rose watched in horror as the weight of Gabriel audibly cracked the creature's spine. The heat and the anger that had propelled her into such bloodlust had left her. Now she leaned against the palm tree, shaken. Neither the pain in her belly or the pain in her arm could cover the fear she felt inside as the demon in front of her let out a loud wail.
Cursing again, Gabriel leaned over and snapped its neck, putting the creature out of its misery. Rose watched Gabriel as he let the body drop and shuddered hard, cold in the heat. What did he feel? Did he love the kill?
* * *
Silence shivered through the yard. Gabriel looked to Rose, huddled against a palm tree. She'd shifted back and looked pale. He grimaced. Not exactly the way he'd wanted her training to go, but at least they'd confirmed her ability to use all the fire demon's powers. When she'd launched herself at the demon, when he'd seen that sexy body covered in a pale orange fur, he'd almost had a heart attack. He never remembered Marianne actually
becoming
the demon she carried.
Gabriel looked to the sky, opened that thoughtway he'd worked so hard to block earlier.
Satine. Come and get your pet while he's still fresh. Dinner time.
You bastard,
she hissed
. How dare you!
Your stink is all over him. Pick up your trash.
He closed the link, took a deep breath. His head throbbed with the brief contact. He knew death shadowed him. What made him think he could protect Rose?
A sound came out of Rose then, a half-whimper. "It hurts. Gabriel, it hurts."
"What hurts?" He turned to her, shocked to see three claw marks deep on her left shoulder, ripping her tee shirt and reaching to her elbow. Blood dripped from her arm down into the grass. "Damn it. Let's get inside, I'll fix you up.”
"What? Oh, my shoulder." She winced. "Yeah. But that's not what hurts." Rose put her right hand just above her hipbone. "There. It hurts there."
Frowning, Gabriel knelt in front of her and gently lifted her hand away. He tugged at her damp black tee shirt, bared the pale skin of her flat belly. A spiral of runes rippled and moved there, a mesmerizing magical dance. Made of colored ink, and yet not ink...a tattoo, but no human hands had a part in its creation. Gabriel narrowed his eyes. If he looked closely, he could see flickers of flame and a familiar pair of eyes sliding through the runes, not quite daring to meet his gaze.
A shudder of recognition went through him as his fear came true.
The demon scent, the fire, the runes.
Mephisto
.
The last time all three had been in front of him, he'd killed Marianne, the girl he'd loved, while trying to kill the demon Mephisto. Ten long years ago.
Now here he was, full circle, back home with as much bad hanging around him as the last time. Mephisto was back, loaning Rose his powers. Satine was somewhere near, coming to kick his ass. And Rose, the sexy little redhead in front of him, not only carried Mephisto, but she also held part of his soul.
Gabriel had always suspected Los Angeles would be the death of him. He just hadn't expected it to be quite so soon.
Gabriel looked up at Rose, regret in his eyes. "It's a demon spiral. The fire demon is living there, providing you with power when you need it."
"Wow. Even though I saw it, felt the fire, I didn’t really believe." Rose swallowed hard as she leaned against the palm tree, ignoring the prick of the trunk against her back. That was nothing compared to the acid of the claws in her arm or the burn of the demon mark on her belly. The heat of the flame, the life and death of it, the sheer
power
still raged through her blood and held her.
Gabriel put his hand on her belly, the coolness of it soothing the burn. Her hands came up to cover his. She pushed both hands against his to keep him there. "Are you okay?"
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "No. Yes. I was terrified that it was going to kill you. I needed to do something rather than just be a bystander, and then...” Rose shook her head. "Then I grew so angry. I wanted its death. That's not like me, honestly."
The fire burned hotter on her belly, like acid seeping through her pores. Gabriel still knelt before her, his hand cooling the burn, his eyes grave. "I had it under control. You should have had more faith in me."
She shook her head. "You don't understand. I wanted its death. I wanted it, so desperately." Rose didn't recognize the voice that came out of her. She put a hand up to her throat and kept her eyes fixed on Gabriel. "A part of me thrilled to hear the crack of the neck breaking. Kind of a dark glee, you know? And that totally shocked me."