“If you didn’t suck people’s blood, you wouldn’t be lonely. Ever thought of that?”

“I don’t bite people.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Ah, you’re one of those who think of themselves as more civilized because you drink it from a bottle. Doesn’t make a hell lot of difference to me. It’s still human blood.”

“It’s donated. Nobody gets hurt.”

“Somebody always gets hurt,” the witch claimed.

Gabriel shook his head. “We pay for what we take. It’s not any different than you purchasing crow’s feet for your potions.”

She shrugged. “Unless you have something valuable to trade, I’m not interested in helping you.”

“Don’t you even want to know what it is I need help with?”

“Couldn’t care less, vampire. Whatever ails you, I bet you deserve it.”

“That’s harsh, even coming from a witch,” Gabriel responded, not yet giving up.

“Isn’t the sun coming up soon? Maybe you should leave?”

“I always get what I want.” He gave her an intense look. He’d never tried mind control on a witch, but it was worth a try. If she didn’t want to play ball, maybe he could manipulate her. The ultimate goal was worth it.

“Stay out of my head, vampire. I’m stronger than you. Go back to your own kind. There’s nothing here for you.”

Knowing that tempting her with money wouldn’t work, he tried to appeal to her humanity. “Have you never felt so lonely you thought the whole world had shut you out?”

There was a short pause. Had he gotten through to her? “You chose this life, vampire.”

Gabriel had, but he was an exception: he’d chosen vampirism. The majority of the older vampires like himself were turned, many against their will. These days, their society punished those who turned humans against their will—back in the old days, nobody had stood up for the innocents and their rights.

Only a handful of his kind were born into this life, and those were the hybrids, the lucky ones who could live in both worlds, the human and the vampire one, walk both in the light and the shadows. “Nobody really chooses this. We all get thrown in one way or another. Did you choose to be a witch?” he countered.

“None of your fucking business, vampire.” She waved the crossbow. “Now go back to your own kind, and leave me be. I don’t need any trouble. Not the kind you’ll bring with you anyway. People like you are bad for business.”

Gabriel squared his stance. He wasn’t leaving. “I need your help.” And he wasn’t beyond begging either.

“Can’t take no for an answer. Fine. Then try this.”

He heard the release of the crossbow’s string a split-second before the wooden stake whizzed through the air. Pure reflex made him jump. He landed in the murky water up to his waist, mud and silt working themselves into his boots and pants.

“Don’t come back, vampire.”

Gabriel watched her stomp off the balcony into the houseboat, slamming the door behind her. It appeared he had to come up with another way to convince the witch to help him.

Eight

“No!”

Gabriel heard the high-pitched scream the moment he stepped out of the car he’d just parked outside of Samson’s house.

Maya! Somebody was hurting her.

He sprinted to the entrance, jammed his key into the lock and pushed the door open a split-second before he charged into the house without even bothering to close the door behind him. His muddy boots left a mess on the pristine floor, and his clothes were still damp from his unexpected bath. Carl would probably stake him if he saw the mess he was leaving in his wake.

Another scream came from the kitchen. “Let go of me!”

A moment later, Gabriel burst into the room. The scene he met with wasn’t at all what he’d expected. Instead of an unknown intruder, his own colleagues Thomas and Zane were holding the struggling Maya against the wall, while Yvette was trying to pour a bottle of blood down her throat. Maya kicked viciously, her face furious, her lips pressed together now, refusing the bottle Yvette held against her lips.

“What the fuck is going on?” Gabriel shouted and rushed to jerk Yvette away from Maya. “Let go of her, now. All of you.”

Neither Thomas nor Zane complied.

“She won’t drink,” Yvette explained as she let her gaze run over his form, a question mark clearly written on her face as she saw his muddy pants and boots.

“I said, let go of her, now.” Maybe it was the fury in his voice or the fact that his fangs had pushed through and were showing, but Thomas and Zane instantly dropped their hold on Maya. She immediately moved toward him. Gabriel cupped her shoulders with his hands.