A Guardian's Passion Read online

  Gabriella nodded meekly, too emotionally spent to fight Trinity on this.

  “I promise I'll never do it again,” she murmured softly. “Why is he here? Is he taking over from Mercredi?”

  “He is looking for me.”

  Gabriella lifted her head. Trinity loosed her grip slightly. “He's looking for you? Why?” Gabriella asked in a strangled voice.

  Trinity lifted her hand and pushed a strand of black hair from Gabriella's face.

  “I guess he will try to kill me. He failed to do so centuries ago.”

  This time Gabriella sat up straight and brushed over her hair with hands that were shaking badly. “Is he stronger than you? Will he be able to defeat you?”

  “I do not know. A Royal Clan vampire from the purest and most powerful clan has converted me. That might serve as an advantage for me when I fight him.”

  Gabriella was terrified now. She hadn't seen Trinity for over eighteen years, but having a dangerous renegade out there stalking her, wanting to kill her was too much for Gabriella to absorb. She turned to look at Trinity and found the green eyes looking back at her.

  “You shouldn't have told me about the renegade. Now I will constantly worry about you.”

  Trinity smiled and Gabriella stared at the transformation it brought about. Smiling like that she looked like the old Trinity, funny and playful.

  “You need not be worried about me. Tonight, just after you left, he arrived. Before he could bite me, I wounded him. He will be suffering from severe silver poisoning for a few days, giving me a few days to devise a plan on how to lure him into a trap.”

  Gabriella leaned closer and looked deep into the green eyes. “That's still not enough. I need something concrete. A promise of…of a powerful army that will come to your rescue.”

  Trinity reached out and gently stroked Gabriella's cheek. “You can have both.” Trinity’s green eyes were tender. “I promise to be more vigilant and not to let Tristan catch me unawares again. I also want you to know that I have an army of five Royal Clan master vampires at my disposal. Just one master vampire is powerful enough to defeat five Tristan's and I am training with them.”

  Gabriella came to her feet and swayed dangerously before Trinity reached out a hand to steady her.

  “Had I known you'd be surprising me in my kitchen, I would've taken it easy on the wine. There are so many things we need to talk about.” She looked down at the seated vampire. “Things like an apology I owe you for having said all those nasty things to you after Luisa's death.” She sunk to her knees and took Trinity's face in both her hands. “I apologize for what I've said to you. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

  Trinity nodded. “You are forgiven,” she said sincerely.

  Gabriella's eyes were moist as they studied the beautiful vampire before her. “Just like that? Then…then why were you so cold and distant towards me earlier tonight?”

  Trinity came to her feet. “Because you did not apologize earlier.” She walked to the door. “I have placed strong safeguards at your windows and doors to keep vampires out. Do not go out alone after dark and also do not open your door for strangers.”

  Gabriella looked at Trinity with acute disappointment. “I wish you would stay with me tonight.”

  Trinity shook her head. There was a strange burning light in her eyes when she answered. “It would not be a good idea.” She opened the door and was gone.

  †

  Jemima was sitting on a bench with Tahlia, enjoying Pierre and Jonas' energetic swordplay. Soon after Trinity joined the group and moved into the safe house, Genevieve requested permission to convert one of the large dining areas into a temporary training room for Trinity. The idea was welcomed unanimously and the training room quickly became the most frequented room in the safe house after the boardroom and the library.

  Pierre and Jonas, each armed with heavy broadswords moved with blinding speed around the room. For Jemima it was a thrilling experience to watch them. She recalled the first time she'd seen them fight, but then Tahlia grabbed her attention, robbing herself of the opportunity to see the two men fighting. Except for the sharp chipping sounds of the clashing swords, the room was quiet. Neither Tahlia nor Jemima wanted to break the concentration of the two fighters. The silence didn't last long though. The doors suddenly burst open and Inger and Paloma entered.

  “I could see you were flattered by the attention she was giving you,” Inger snapped and walked over to where her parents sat, their eyebrows raised in alarm.

  Paloma stared at Inger for a few seconds before she turned, walked across the room to the wall and lifted another broadsword from the wall. She turned her silver gaze on Tahlia and with an acquiescent sigh; Tahlia placed a soft kiss on Jemima's lips.

  “Pray I return in one piece, my love,” she murmured, before unsheathing her sword and walking over to meet Paloma's challenge.

  “What happened, baby?” Jemima asked softly, but her eyes keenly followed the slow catlike tread of her mate as she crossed the room to where an obviously incensed Paloma was warming up, furiously stabbing empty air. Tahlia had scarcely joined her when Paloma launched an attack.

  Jemima flinched when the sharp blade narrowly missed Tahlia's face. Blushing, Inger turned to look at her mother.

  “I never thought I had a jealous bone in my body until I met Paloma.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Inger inhaled deeply. “I get so irritated when others…women…flirt with Paloma and she doesn't do anything about it. Like tonight she just stood there while this other woman was practically drooling over her. To add insult to injury the person we went to see almost completely ignored me, directing almost all the questions to Paloma.”

  Jemima nodded; a pensive look on her face.

  “What do you want her to do in such situations, my dear? She's a beautiful woman and on top of that a vampire. The appeal is nearly impossible for humans to resist and even some of our kind struggle to fight the attraction. She can't do anything about it. She'll always have that mysterious magnetism. That is who she is.” She waved her hand in Tahlia's direction. “Your mother and I had the same problem in the beginning, but once I realized that she wanted me and only me, I managed to work on my insecurities. She still turns heads wherever we go, but I always tell myself that she's going home with me.” Jemima's blue eyes burned as they sought out the tall dark figure of Tahlia. “She’s mine.”

  †

  Inger's small white teeth bit into her lower lip as she studied her mother under long lashes. Has her job made her paranoid? As a divorce lawyer she'd heard all the possible reasons why people came to a point in their lives where they couldn’t live together anymore. And among the items on the long list she'd so often noted was jealousy and insecurity. So many times she'd tried to talk some sense into her clients, citing petty jealousy and unfounded insecurity as the least of all reasons to break up.

  Her mother played that role today. What did it matter that Jessica had been staring at Paloma with open lust? Paloma came home with her. She recalled the angry words they had exchanged in the car. Oh, why was she acting like this? Paloma didn't deserve what she'd said to her. Paloma loved her and would never look at another woman, ever. She would make an effort to curb her insecurities. She loved Paloma too much.

  Jemima came to her feet and Inger saw Tahlia coming toward them, her black eyes glowing with amusement. Her gaze went to where Paloma was wildly swinging her sword, killing air.

  “I do not know what you did or said to Paloma, but I must say that in all the time I have known her, I have never seen her in this state.” She turned to Jemima. “She fought like an amateur.”

  “A little lover's tiff, my love. Let's give them some privacy.” She hooked her arm around Tahlia's waist and together they left the room.

  As if sensing the heavy emotional undercurrent, Jonas and Pierre quickly wrapped up their training match and escaped, leaving only the two of them in the quietness of the room. Paloma turned slow
ly and their eyes met. Using preternatural speed, Paloma appeared in front of her.

  The silver eyes burned into hers.

 

  Paloma reached out and pulled Inger into a tight embrace.

 

  Their eyes never left each other's as they silently communicated with each other.

  Inger smiled when she felt a tiny shiver course through the vampire. Yes, she would do anything and more just to erase that lingering sadness and fear she could still sense in her partner.

 

  Inger leaned forward and took Paloma's lips in a deep, heart stopping kiss.

 

  She saw a light go on in the silver gaze, making them almost appear transparent.

 

 

  Inger grinned when the silver eyes grew even lighter. Oh, she was going to have her hands full with Paloma tonight, she thought as excitement tingled down her spine. She slowly lifted her hand to the vampire's lips and smiled tenderly.

  “I love you with all my heart, Paloma, and I promise you that you will never have to worry about me acting like a fool again. You never gave me any reason to doubt you and it was very hurtful of me to have insinuated as much.”

  “There is not a woman alive who can compare to you, my love. I live only for you.” Paloma planted a soft kiss on Inger's lips. “I do not know how to react when things like that happen.”

  Inger gently licked the soft lips. “You don't have to do anything, Paloma. You are who you are and I accept that you will always attract attention wherever you go. I love you and trust you, because you are mine and mine alone. You will always come home with me.”

  She saw the slow smile lighting up Paloma's beautiful face and she pulled her lover into her arms and held her tightly against her thudding heart. They held onto each other, soaking up the warm waves of love washing over them. They only moved apart when the door opened and Trinity stepped in.

  “I have followed your scent from Dr. Talos' office earlier tonight.” Her green eyes rested coolly on them. “You two are the last people I would expect to find at a sex therapist's office.”

  Paloma held up her hands quickly and took a step away from Inger.

  “I will leave this one to you, baby. Find me in the bedroom.” The silver eyes were hot. “Do not take too long.”

 

  She heard the soft chuckle echoing down the corridors of her mind as Paloma rushed out of the room.

  †

  A few days later, Trinity was still fuming. How could they? Going behind her back to see Gabriella was inexcusable. She hated it when people invaded her privacy. Inger was very penitent about what she'd done and promised to stop her meddling. She really hoped that she meant it, because she would hate to confront her again and have Paloma get involved.

  She scanned the house. Tahlia and Jemima's presence were cloaked, but she knew they were somewhere in the house. Genevieve was in the lounge with Pierre and Jonas and Paloma and Juan were in the training room. Not feeling like company, she decided to go for a walk.

  Her brisk walk took her downtown and on impulse she decided to drop in on Inger. After their talk the other night they hadn’t seen much of each other again since Inger and Paloma had spent the last few nights at Paloma's house. The lights in the building were still on and a slightly bald security guard sat at the security desk in the foyer. She walked up to him.

  “Good evening, could you please call Ms. Marsden and tell her that Trinity would like to see her please?”

  The man's sharp eyes looked her over quickly before he nodded. He picked up the phone, punched in a few numbers and had a short conversation with someone on the other side of the line. He came to his feet.

  “Ms. Marsden is on her way down to the parking lot, but will stop here to see you, ma'am. You could have a seat in the meantime.”

  Trinity nodded her thanks and took a seat. A few minutes later a soft ping announced the arrival of the elevator and Inger stepped out of the lift. She looked very professional in a black pinstriped pantsuit—every inch the tough divorce lawyer. The blue eyes smiled at her as Inger came to stand next to her.

  “Is it a social call or do you want to scold me further?”

  Trinity stared at the beautiful woman and couldn't help smiling at her. It was impossible to stay angry at Inger, not when she batted those long black eyelashes and her blue eyes gleamed with merriment.

  “As a matter of fact, I did wake up still angry at you tonight, but seeing you again made me realize how futile it is to stay angry at you.”

  “Good, because I'm on my way to a fundraiser and with Paloma refusing to attend these functions with me, I’m dragging you along.”

  †

  The function was at a five-star hotel nearby and the moment they entered the conference hall, someone pulled Inger aside, leaving Trinity to wander aimlessly through the throng of women. No wonder Paloma hated these events, she thought. It was too crowded and the incessant hum of multiple heartbeats was disconcerting. She went to the bar and ordered a glass of red wine. This was definitely going to be a long, boring night.

  ~~~~

  Chapter Seven

  When Valery picked her up from the office, Gabriella was relieved that she didn't have to go home just yet. For the past week, she'd shifted all her after hour sessions, so she could rush home just in case Trinity was waiting there for her. But after two days, she'd made peace with the fact that Trinity wasn’t going to show up anytime soon.

  She had a guest last night, though not the one she'd wished to encounter. When she'd arrived home last night, Jessica had been waiting for her. After a heated argument about her sexual escapades while on assignments, Jessica handed her the key and stormed out of the apartment. She'd felt drained afterwards and had waited in her room, hoping that Trinity might drop in. It was past midnight when she'd undressed and got into bed. Another hour or two had passed before she finally fell asleep only to wake up this morning feeling more drained and extremely depressed.

  When Val called to invite her to the fundraiser, she'd said yes immediately, knowing that if she were to go home, Trinity would highjack her thoughts for the rest of the evening. She was becoming sick of sitting around and waiting for someone who clearly didn't want to see her.

  A slight bump against her and a muttered apology brought Gabriella back to the present. She swept her eyes over the room looking to find Valery. She found Valery standing a few feet away, deep in conversation with a leggy blonde. From the way her friend was looking at the girl, Gabriella was sure Val was working hard to cajole the girl to go home with her later. She wandered off, mentally holding thumbs up for her friend and decided to get herself a drink before circling the room as inconspicuously as she could. The last time she'd been to this all-women fundraiser, the women swamped her. It had taken her almost two hours to work her way to the exit and to make a quick getaway so she could be home before Jessica arrived from an assignment.

  She sighed with relief when she managed to reach the bar without any hold ups. The bartender immediately came to take her order and while she waited for her drink, she scanned the room. She remembered a few faces from last year's event, but there were also a lot of new faces. Many of New York’s most powerful women were in attendance. The proceeds of the evening always went towards scholarships for gifted girls in impoverished countries.

  Last year Gabriella was lucky to meet one of the scholarship beneficiaries from Malawi who was studying medicine at UCLA. The encounter had strengthened her resolve to always make a sizeable contribution to the cause. No matter how seemingly small their eff
orts were, Gabriella firmly believed that one day all the small drops these fundraisers created would eventually grow into a small pond. It was a challenge she relished.

  “Excuse me, ma'am, your drink,” the bartender said next to her and she accepted her lime and soda with a smile.

  As she took a drink from her glass, Gabriella felt eyes on her and scanning the room, caught a brilliant blue gaze. She saw Inger excuse herself from the group of women she’d been talking with and came over to her. Gabriella couldn't help admiring the woman. Not only did Inger look extremely sexy in the pinstriped suit she was wearing, but she also presented the focused bearing of a confident, successful woman.

  “Dr. Talos, what a pleasure to see you again,” Inger said with a dazzling smile. “I never got around to thanking you for your advice. Paloma and I have made definite improvements.” She wiggled her eyebrows at her and Gabriella couldn't help chuckling. The woman was full of contrasts. Here she was dressed like a no-nonsense divorce attorney, walked like one and even talked like one, but then she had this playful quality about her that was very endearing. “Did you come alone?”

  Gabriella shook her head. “I'm here with a friend. I don't see Paloma around either.”

  Inger laughed softly. “She doesn't mind making generous donations, but she won't be caught dead at a function like this. She’s not fond of crowds. I also came with a friend. Let me see where she is.” Inger scanned the room and must've spotted her friend for she gestured for the person to come over. “She'll be here in a sec. Let me just order a drink.”

  †

  They saw each other at the same time. The slight narrowing of Trinity's eyes was the only outwards expression upon seeing Gabriella, but inside her stomach flipped and she had to concentrate hard to keep her legs moving as she approached the gorgeous woman. Gabriella looked unbelievable beautiful tonight dressed in a sleek white pantsuit that accentuated her dark sultry looks. The amber eyes stared at her with shock. When they finally stood facing each other, Inger turned away from the bar with a glass of red wine in her hand. She smiled innocently at Trinity and the vampire groaned inwardly. This meeting stank like a setup. She gave Inger a hard glare which the other woman simply ignored.