The pressure from the sun wasn’t strong enough to force Evonne into sleep, not that her body was any stronger, but that her restless thoughts prickled at the back of her mind. She needed to speak with Gabriel. She couldn’t help but feel as though he avoided her for another reason altogether.
     That’s it, Evonne thought as she left her bed. I have to talk to him.
     She gathered up her strength and pushed her tired body into action, then exited the room. The sun’s light shone more from the downstairs than it did on the second level. But away from the dark security of her room, she was at the mercy of any uncovered window. Even the light coming from downstairs tingled her skin.
     She knocked quietly at the door to the master bedroom. Gabriel answered.
     “Can I come in?” she asked, her head and voice low.
     Stepping to the side, he silently bid her to enter.
     Evonne waited until the door was closed to speak. “I wanted you to hear this from me, rather than anyone else.” She waited for him to acknowledge her, but instead, he crossed the room and went back to the bed, sitting on its edge.
     “The guy, David,” she continued, not sure how to explain it, “he came to me last night. He, uh, he offered his blood to me in exchange for something else. But I didn’t know of this deal until after he gave me his blood.”
     “If you’re looking for permission to--”
     “Stop right there,” she interrupted, her voice raising. “I already had this conversation with Demetrius earlier.”
     Gabriel remained complacent about the whole thing. “Then why come to me about this?”
     “Because I wanted to kill him. I came very close… I wanted to rip him to shreds, and nothing would’ve stopped me from doing it.”
     “But something did stop you.”
     She looked away. “A moment of clarity, I believe.”
     “Keep your distance from him,” Gabriel said, finally seeing the gravity of the situation. “I’ll inform Philip of his actions.”
     “Don’t. I mean, just make sure he stays downstairs.”
     “He’s not allowed upstairs to begin with,” he explained. “I’ll speak with Philip at sunset.”
     Evonne rocked on the balls of her feet, nervous to even ask her next question. “Can I stay in here for the day?”
     “You have your own room.”
     “I’ve had my own room for nineteen years. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
     Gabriel watched her for a moment then gave in. “You can stay.”
     Crossing the room, Evonne climbed onto the bed. She wanted to sleep. She tried to sleep. But more of the same thoughts that sent her from her room came boiling to the surface. Finally, rolling onto her other side, she stared at Gabriel’s back as he attempted to sleep.
     She whispered, “How did you meet Demetrius?”
     He answered without turning over to face her. “I had a feeling there was more to this visit than Philip’s grandson.”
     “I’m here in your home—”
     “It’s not my house,” he corrected as he rolled over.
     “Technically it’s not, but theoretically it is.”
     Studying her, he finally spoke. “There’s nothing you need to know about me. I am as you see.”
     “But the result of a long journey,” she reminded, sliding a hand under her pillow. “If you want me to understand you and to fully trust you, I need to know your past.”
     “I am as you see.”
     Sighing, Evonne chose a different angle of attack. “How long will you keep me around? Will you get bored with me like the rest?”
     “We’ve already had this conversation,” he replied, showing a brief hint of annoyance. “And I didn’t get bored with them. They left me. There’s a difference.”
     “Or you pushed them away,” she was quick to point out. “Demetrius told me who Laurel was, and I already knew about Keelan, but who’s Edward?”
     Gabriel seemed distant upon hearing the name. “Edward was the human who set me on my path.”
     “Was?”
     “He was killed.”
     “Did he leave you before it happened?”
     “No. I believe he would’ve been the one who stayed the longest.”
     It was strange but Evonne detected a fragment of sadness within him as he spoke. Sadness? Over a human?
     “What happened to him?” she asked.
     The sadness was gone as he continued to speak. “A young hunter’s mistake. He was from the Kenrick family.”
     “Kenrick?”
     He looked at her, baffled. “You mean to tell me that the daughter of Alexander Ingram doesn’t know about the House of Redthorn?”
     Evonne brushed off his belittling jab. “There’s apparently a lot I don’t know.”
     Gabriel let a smile slip. “The story goes that two humans—hunters—saved a necromancer from death. As a reward, he granted them the strength of their prey.”
     “Superhuman hunters?” she paraphrased with a skeptical tongue.
     “They keep to Europe. However, your father has attempted to contact them in the past. He was fool to even try. The two families—Kenrick and Mallin—view themselves as the only true force capable of fighting werewolves and vampires. In their eyes we shouldn’t exist. Just like your father, they blindly deliver their idea of justice. But they look down on him and his band of hunters. As well as humans, your father uses werewolves and vampires for his cause. Alex can argue that it’s SEVEN’s protocol and not his, but the rules are set in place by him.”
     “Why did Edward work with you?”
     “He was banished from his family, yet still carried an obligation to his heritage. I was young and struggling to find some meaning to my existence, and was ordered by Demetrius to help him.”
     Daring once more, Evonne finally asked, “Can you tell me about your human life?”
     “You’re not going to let this rest, are you?”
     “Why is it so difficult to tell me?”
     Growing quiet, Gabriel ran his fingers along the side of Evonne’s face, brushing back her hair as he debated on how to answer. She didn’t need to know these things. He didn’t want to tell her. His hand dropped back to the bed.
     “I was born in the mid 13th century. I was the son of a well known smith. It was a craft passed down in my family for generations. I had four brothers and three sisters. Two of my brothers never made it to adulthood.” He stopped speaking as if recalling all twenty-seven years in one moment. “I was the oldest, and therefore sent to France to settle one of my father’s debts. I was seventeen at the time and was ordered to work for this man for ten years. My ‘employer’ was a wealthy landowner and had his own large family. One of this daughters… We kept our affair secret. It was like a game to her. Over time she had attracted another. The night I met this man was the night I found her dead in his arms. Then he came after me. I fought him with all I had, but a human’s strength was no match for his. And that was my last night as a human.” He looked away as he continued. “For the next forty years he kept me at his side, feeding me animals and the occasional human, as well as his own blood. He used this to keep me under his command. I was nothing more than a ghoul, a pathetic vampire whose only existence is serve his master. Each night he took what he wanted from me. I had no strength to fight him. I was beyond broken. I didn’t even consider myself a part of this world. Demetrius labeled me as Jovan’s pet and not his child. And he was right.
     “Jovan was Saros’ first child. She named him after Jupiter, the highest Roman god. It was a common practice in those days to rename humans who were turned.
     “After many years with Jovan, thirteen of which he kept me locked away in an unmarked grave, he grew tired of his games and planned to kill me. But this he made into a game, as well. He took me to a homestead and told me about the humans living there, and that they were under the protection of an old vampire. If I were to kill them then their protector would seek to punish me. A ‘sure death,’ Jovan called it. So I did as he said, making sure to do more than just kill them. I wanted my death to be quick. I waited for hours among the mess I made. When their protector finally arrived, his rage was more than I expected. He nearly killed me with his first attack. But Jovan’s pride was too great. He attempted to intervene, more of less showing his fake respect to this vampire. But as Jovan spoke and I begged for death, the vampire saw the truth in our words.”
     “Demetrius?” assumed Evonne.
     “He banished Jovan from his lands, and from that night on, I became Demetrius’ child. He tried hard to undo the damage caused by Jovan. He was very patient with me.”
     “You trust him completely?”
     His eyes returned to her. “I have no doubts concerning him.”
     “Today,” she began with a short pause, “he was giving me advice on how I should kill myself.”
     “What did you say before that?”
     She gave a little shrug. “We were talking about you.”
     “Anything else?”
     “Nothing that I said.”
     He let out a sigh. “I told you to stop thinking like that.”
     Evonne looked away. “He also offered other things.” She actually heard Gabriel laugh upon hearing this.
     “He’s only testing you. Answer him truthfully. Don’t hide your thoughts from him. He finds it rude.”
     “They’re my thoughts,” she almost fumed. “Not his.”
     “Then by all means, tell him that. But I’d advise against it. He has other ways of seeing your thoughts.”
     Her eyes narrowed at him. “And you’d allow it?”
     “That’s between you and Demetrius.”
     “So you’re basically placing me in harm’s way?”
     “He won’t hurt you.” His eyes studied a moment longer as he decided to change the subject. “How is your project going?”
     “The study?” she asked, a little startled at the sudden change in direction. “I’ll probably finish it tonight. You don’t mind me in there, do you?”
     “I don’t mind. I was meaning to organize that room anyway. There’s some books I need give to Philip to sell for me.”
     “Why sell them? Why not keep them?”
     “They’re first editions and will bring a lot of money.”
     “That’s another question I’ve been wanting to ask you. How much money do you have?”
     He laughed. “I’m not sure. Enough to never worry about it. The money I make from the books usually goes to Philip. ‘Pocket change,’ he likes to call it.”
     “How much do you make when you’re hired to kill?” Evonne didn’t know why she continued to spout out these questions. She didn’t want to bother him, but the fact that he was actually opening up to her—she didn’t want this to stop.
     “I have no set rate, if that’s what you mean. It depends on the client. With me getting paid, it never started out like that. It’s more of a way to make a contract official.” He remembered something interesting. “I was once given a skull of a two headed cow as payment.”
     Evonne’s eyes widened. “Really? Do you still have it?”
     “It’s here somewhere. Probably in the attic.”
     “Can I—”
     “Yes, you can go up there.”
     Gaining a brief rush of excitement, she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. There was another question she wanted to ask. “How long have you had this place?” she said. This was one of the few times she heard him take in a deep breath as he stopped to remember the exact date.
     “I had it built in 1659. It was renovated in 1889 and again in 1979.”
     “How many times do you return here?”
     “At least once a year. I was here this past March.”
     She rolled back onto her side to face him. “Do they, the werewolves, know you’re here now?”
     “The Alpha actually informed Philip that he wishes to speak with me.”
     Evonne grew concerned. “About what?”
     “They probably have a job for me. That’s usually the case when I visit.”
     “Does this mean we’ll be leaving?”
     “If they require me, then I’ll be leaving alone.”
     That wasn’t the answer Evonne hoped for. “I guess I’ll have the attic to keep me company.”
     “It’s a mess up there,” he said, the lightheartedness returning.
     “Thanks for the warning,” she replied with a sarcastic tone. She rolled onto her other side, her back facing him. “I’m very curious about this two-headed skull.”
     Evonne felt Gabriel move beside her, his arms wrapping around her, his body against hers.
     He spoke again, as though he were about to spill some great secret. “If you find a box of old Christmas decorations up there, those belong to Philip, not me.”
     Almost bursting into laughter, Evonne replied, “I just had a mental image of you hanging garland in this place.”
     “I’m never here during the winter months. So whatever Philip does, I have no part in it.”
     Turning her head to glance at him, Evonne tried to remain serious. “Are there cute, red velvet bows, too?” Unable to stop herself, she began to laugh as she gained more mental images.
     “All tasteful, I believe. No plastic Santas or reindeer,” he said.
     “Let’s see. It’s October now, and since we don’t know how long we’re staying here… I might actually see Philip asking you to help him decorate.”
     “If that’s the case,” he said, amused at the thought, as well, “then I promise you we’ll be out of here before then.”
     Evonne settled back into his embrace and smiled. “That’s fine with me.”