Page 27 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 1

“Gabriel De Montclair,” I said. “The, uh, the heir of the De Montclair vampire clan.”

Marcus stared at me again, scratching Pothos’s grass-green cheek. “Very interesting,” he murmured. “The two of you have struck up a partnership?”

“Just for finding the ascendancy array. He thinks it might have something to do with some recent disappearances. Low-ranking vamps going missing.”

“And you trust him?” Marcus asked.

The question blindsided me. I blinked a few times. “I mean, I… Yeah. With this, anyway. He cares about his people. Solving this is important to him.”

Marcus nodded. “Very interesting indeed. Excuse me, my friend.” That last bit was directed at the cat, who he gently shifted to a different part of his lap so he could get access to one of the many pockets on his awful cargo pants. They were the kind that zipped off into shorts, I noticed with a faint pang of horror.

Marcus pulled out a bag made of blue plastic tarp. It had blue and yellow strapping for handles. It was also clearly an Ikea tote bag, although it was smaller than the usual ones, and it had a bright yellow zipper closing off the top.

“There are a few odds and ends still in there, but I don’t believe there’s anything in it that should cause problems. Who knows, they could wind up being useful,” Marcus said, handing over the bottomless tote. “Do be careful with this, won’t you? I’ll need it next weekend. I’m planning on going antiquing.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

“Wonderful,” Marcus said, gently depositing Pothos on the floor. He stood, stretching his back out with a loud pop as the cat twisted around his ankles. “Do have fun on the hike,” he added. “Those woods are beautiful this time of year.”

I packed more supplies than I would probably need, but it never hurt to be prepared. I was the sort of person who brought six pairs of underwear on a weekend trip just in case there was some sort of horrific panty catastrophe. It had been a while since I’d had the chance to go camping, but my tent was in decent shape, and my sleeping bag smelled more like long-faded wood smoke than dust, so I was counting that as a victory.

Food was next. I had a smaller bag, enchanted to stay cold for up to a week, and I loaded some basic ingredients into it before putting it in the bottomless tote. The dumplings Marcus had left in the fridge for me were delicious, just like everything else from the place downstairs, even if he’d taken all the seaweed kimchi for himself.

I spent most of the day packing, then wound up in that weird, twitchy headspace I always went into when I was about to take a trip but I’d already done all the prep work. I cleaned the kitchen, just for something to do, until it was eventually a reasonable hour to go to bed.

I didn’t bother with pajamas, just stripped off and collapsed dramatically into bed like I was doing a bellyflop. I got through a chapter and a half of the book I was reading—a novel about a werewolf naturalist trying to save native plants and animals while keeping her pack alive during the apocalypse—before I finally drifted off, nestled into my cool pillow.

There was a tap at my window. Then another. It was late, although my internal clock was too muddled to tell me anything aside from ‘time to be asleep’. I pulled on a robe and slid the curtain aside just in time to see a pebble hit the window.

I slid the window open and stuck my head out. Below, lit by a streetlight, was Gabriel. His eyes were wild, his hair windswept.

“Gabriel?”

“Evangeline,” he replied. He said my name like it was something sacred. “I’m sorry, I know it’s late. I needed to see you.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Can I come in?” Gabriel asked. There was a note of desperation in his voice I hadn’t heard before, and it made something in my chest twinge.

“Of course, let me—” I turned to head to the door to let him in, but before I could even cross the room, he was already climbing in through the window. A gust of cold wind made the curtains billow into the room, and I was suddenly very aware of how thin my robe was.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Gabriel said. “Ever since the day when we first met, you’ve drawn me in. You’re incredible, Evangeline. I am… I have been trying so hard to restrain myself and keep my distance, but it’s a constant struggle.”

My breath caught in my throat. “What are you saying?” I asked, stepping closer. He looked almost frantic.

“You’re intoxicating,” he told me. “I can’t bring myself to want anyone but you, and I want you so desperately, I feel like I’m going to go mad with it. I’m tired of pretending.”

I looked up at him. Even worked into a state like this, he was impossibly handsome, like a marble carving of a Byronic hero. His hands trembled very slightly.

“Fuck it,” I said, then surged forward, fisting a hand into the soft fabric of Gabriel’s shirt to pull him down into a kiss. He froze for a moment, and then he was kissing me back desperately, his cool hands cupping my face.

It was a fantastic kiss, urgent and overwhelming. Gabriel’s body was solid and tempting against mine, and I didn’t see any reason not to give in to temptation. He let out a soft, sad noise when I pulled away, but I started scrabbling for his waistband, and he perked right back up. Between the two of us, we got his shirt off. Neither of us paid attention to where it landed. Gabriel was broad-shouldered but lean, and I was surprised to see the edges of tattoos curling around his shoulders. There was a lot of pale brown skin on display. I didn’t have time to ogle, though—there were more important things on my mind. This kiss was even hungrier, and I couldn’t hold back a moan as he licked into my mouth. I was pretty sure I felt him smirk against my lips at that, and I nipped at his lower lip in retaliation.

Gabriel pulled back and looked down at me with hooded eyes, panting for breath I was pretty sure he didn’t need. Between the cold air and the… well, everything else, my thin robe was doing absolutely nothing to hide how hard my nipples were. Gabriel brushed a thumb over one of the firm nubs through the fabric, and I gasped. Heat throbbed through my core, pooling between my legs.

“I need…” I managed. “Gabriel, please.”

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