Forbidden (22 page)

Of course she did.
 
The memory of her last escape had haunted Roseline for nearly a century.
 
She’d made it all the way to London before Vladimir tracked her down, cornering her in a boat bound for the new world.
 
Roseline shivered as she remembered how long it’d taken to get the blood out of her hair after
Vladimir
had finished his rampage.
 

There hadn’t been any survivors on the ship.
 
Lifeless eyes of slaughtered men, women and children had stared back, accusing her.

Glancing around the room, filled with innocent teenagers, Roseline sobbed.
 
“He can’t come here.”
 

“Then leave with me,” Fane pleaded, beginning to pull her away.
 

Roseline bristled, sensing the turmoil before she found him.
 
Gabriel was livid and heading straight for her.
 
His blue eyes pierced through the darkness.
 
“We need to go.”

Fane glanced up, noticing the direction of her gaze.
 
His face hardened.
 
“So he’s the one that’s got you all hot and bothered?”
 
He eyed up the tall boy, a deep rumble building in his chest as he noted how handsome and self assured he was.
 
Fane barred his teeth, furious at the thought of the striking mortal’s hands on Roseline.
 

“Stop it Fane,” Roseline growled, pulling him away.
 
“That’s none of your business.”
 
She watched as his mossy green eyes flamed to life, his jealousy burning the forest to the ground. He was the last person in the world that should meet Gabriel!

“Not my business?” Fane snarled, pulling Roseline close.
 
“Have you forgotten our time together?”
 
His gaze flitted down the curves of her body, the admiring gleam quickly replaced by something hungrier.
 
Fane reached for her, his fingers aching with the need to feel her silky skin once more.

“Of course I haven’t,” Roseline hissed, slapping his hand away.
 
“But that’s in the past Fane.
 
Let it go.”
 
She glanced back over her shoulder.
 
Gabriel was getting too close.
 
Fury rolled off of him in almost visible waves.
 
Roseline’s stomach cramped with fear.
 
She had no idea what Gabriel might do with his new found abilities.
 
“We can talk about this later.
 
Let’s go.”

Fane smirked, planting his feet firmly on the floor.
 
“Why?
 
Because you think I might hurt your little boyfriend?” he cooed, glaring icily at Gabriel as he carved a path straight through the crowd.

“No,” Roseline growled, locking her gaze on Fane so there would be no mistaking her intent.
 
“Because I don’t want to hurt you if you try.”

Fane flinched, incensed.
 
“You’d fight me over a human?”
 
Roseline nodded.
 
Fane’s anger unleashed as he yanked her to him, fingers digging painfully into her left arm.
 

“What have you been doing while you’ve been gone, Roseline Dragomir?”
 
His accent came out thick as he used her maiden name.
 
It was the highest insult he could use to remind her of the humanity that’d been taken from her.
 

Roseline’s hand blurred as she slapped him across the cheek.
 
“That’s for being rude.
 
Now let me go or I promise I will hurt you.”

Fane reared back, his teeth gnashed.
 
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” he snarled as he swept her up into his arms and ran for the door.
 
Fane didn’t stop when Gabriel howled with anger or when a foolish girl tried to wrench Roseline from his arms.
 
Fane easily shoved the stupid girl away, not even hesitating when the scent of her blood filtered into his nose.
 

He ran for the exit, not pausing when snooty hotel guests cried out in alarm as he raced past with Roseline in his arms.
 
Fane burst through the front doors and caught the keys that had just been tossed through the air.
 
In one fluid motion, Fane shoved Roseline into the passenger seat and leapt over the roof of the car, landing next to the open driver’s side door.

“What the…” the middle aged man in a pricey tux cried as Fane pushed him to the ground.
 
Muck and slush sprayed as the cars flew past, covering the man from head to foot.
 

“Fane!” Roseline cried.

Ignoring her harsh call, Fane shoved the Mercedes into gear and tore out into the street.
 
Car horns blared and tires screeched as he swerved dangerously out into traffic.
 

Roseline’s piercing scream echoed around the car as Fane yanked the wheel, barely missing the front bumper of an oncoming car.
 
“Are you insane?” she shrieked, gripping the door handle tightly.
 
The thin metal bent into the shape of her hand.

Fane threw back his head and laughed as he played chicken with a semi.
 
“Someone has spent too much time around the humans.
 
Did you forget you’re an Immortal Roseline?”

“Even if we can’t die from a car crash that doesn’t mean we won’t feel the pain your idiot!”

His smile faded as he threw the car up onto the sidewalk, sending pedestrians sprawling to the ground.
 
The tires squealed as he rounded the corner, finally exiting the one way street.
 
He melded into traffic and slowed to a more reasonable speed.

“Where are you taking me?” Roseline inquired, trying to sound bolder than she felt.
 
She was furious that he’d kidnapped her in front of the entire school, but her fear of being presented to
Vladimir
had wormed its way into her mind.

“Your home.
 
You need to pack.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Roseline sat in silent defiance.
 
Fane glanced over at her, confused by her actions.
 
Of course he knew how badly she feared going back to
Romania
…but to overreact over that boy?
 
It was mind blowing.
 
“Are you gonna tell me about him now?”

“He’s just a guy,” Roseline muttered, pressing her nose against the cold window.
 
Her warm breath fogged up the window.
 
“Just let it go Fane.
 
He doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Just a guy huh?
 
I’m not buying it Roseline.
 
You’ve never threatened me before,” Fane said, keeping watch over her from the corner of his eye as he wound through the heavy city traffic.

“You never gave me a reason to.”

Fane growled with frustration.
 
“You call me out of the blue, crying over this guy and now you won’t open up after you’ve just threatened me?
 
Roseline, I’ve been your best friend for three centuries.
 
And sometimes more than that…” he let his voice trail off, his throat clenching at the memory of the few brief moments they’d snatched over the years.

Roseline sighed.
 
“That’s why I can’t tell you about him Fane.
 
You’re too involved.”

“Yeah, because you got me involved.”

She turned, gazing out the window.
 
Roseline couldn’t bear to face Fane.
 
“He’s just a guy that I’ve grown to care about.”

“Care about?
 
Do you really think I’m that stupid Roseline?”
 
Fane growled, clenching the steering wheel tightly.
 
He released some of the pressure, not wanting to risk ripping the wheel right off the car.
 
“I saw how you were dancing.
 
You were trying to make him jealous, weren’t you?”

Roseline shook her head.
 
“I was trying to prove a point.”

“What?
 
That you’re a slut?”

Her hand flashed out, striking Fane’s cheek.
 
“How dare you speak to me like that!”

Fane sighed, flexing his fingers.
 
“I’m sorry.
 
I’m just…the way you were moving was sickening to watch.”

“You never complained before,” Roseline snapped, grinding her teeth together.

Fane nodded.
 
“I know but its different now.
 
We’re different.”

“Exactly.
 
We aren’t together anymore Fane.
 
You have to accept that.
 
Just like Gabriel has to accept that he has no place in my life.
 
It’s forbidden.”

“So you two never…” Fane trailed off, taking his eyes off the road to observe her reaction.

Roseline stuffed down the sob rising in her throat.
 
“No.
 
Never.”
 

“Good.”
 
Fane released his breath.
 
He winced at the fury blazing in Roseline’s eyes and added to his words.
 
“Cause if
Vladimir
smelled him on you he’d be a dead man.”

Roseline nodded, knowing full well the pain that
Vladimir
would happily inflict on Gabriel if he ever found him.
 
Maybe this was for the best.
 
If she left with Fane she’d be the only one punished.
 
“Fine.
 
Take me home.”

“I am.”

“No.
 
I mean to him.”

Fane snarled as he yanked the car to a stop.
 
His blazing eyes drilled a hole into the side of Roseline’s head, but she refused to look at him.
 

“You do love him,” he shouted.
 
If Fane had been free of the car, Roseline was sure he’d have yanked off a mail box and hurled it like a javelin.
 
Instead, he settled for clamping his fingers over his knee cap, his bones groaning in protest.

When she finally looked up at him, Fane was shocked by the depth of misery seeping from her dampened eyes.
 
“Does it really matter now?
 
I’m leaving and will never see him again.”
 

Roseline fought back the sob that ached to be released.
 
She dammed up the floodgates that threatened to spill over.
 
She couldn’t lose control in front of Fane, it would only jab the knife in deeper.

Her words loosened the clamp that’d taken his heart captive.
 
When he spoke, he barely recognized his own strangled voice.
 
“You’d choose a human over me?”

She’d never wanted this.
 
Hurting Fane was the last thing she wanted to do.
 
Oh why didn’t he stay in
Romania
where he belonged?
 
Roseline slid her hand across the gap, resting it gently on his forearm.
 
“I never had a choice Fane.
 
It just happened.”

Enraged, Fane slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
 
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
 

Roseline pulled back from his anger.
 
Why did he have to ask the one question she was terrified of answering?
 
Fane waited, unrelenting.
 
He wanted an answer.
 
Sighing, Roseline glanced out of the window, noticing for the first time that it’d begun to frost over.
 
“We’re bound together.”

That was the last thing Fane had expected.
 
The bond between Immortals was far stronger than any romantic feelings a human could experience.
 
For Roseline to be bound to the boy it would mean…Fane sucked in a breath.
 
“How?
 
You said you’ve never…”