And just then, Maya’s stomach growled. Damn, she was starving, and Gabriel’s taste on her lips reminded her all too much of what his blood tasted like. She pushed the hunger away. Somebody else was more important than herself. “I need to find Barbara.”

The silence that followed her statement was eerie. Maya looked at the assembled vampires: Thomas, Zane, Ricky, Yvette, and another one she hadn’t met before. He was as broad and as big as a football player, and his hair was raven black and reached to his shoulders. Her perusal of him was cut short when Gabriel put his hand on her arm. She tossed him an annoyed glare, but he ignored it.

“Barbara is dead. I’m sorry,” Gabriel said.

Had he not reached for her and wrapped his strong arms around her instantly, Maya would have fallen when her knees buckled at the horrific news. Dead?

“Oh, God, no!” Her voice broke.

“I’m taking her home,” Gabriel informed his colleagues as he lifted Maya into his arms. “Zane, Amaury, you get access to the security tapes and see if the murder was captured on camera.” They nodded.

Maya felt far away while Gabriel issued his orders. All she could think about was her two friends: dead. And all because of her.

“Yvette, Ricky, stay together and see what you can find on the seventh floor. Thomas, get Eddie here. I want you to work in pairs only. Nobody stays on their own. Is that understood?”

“Eddie’s already on his way,” Thomas confirmed. “Don’t you want one of us to come to the house with you?”

Gabriel snarled. “Existing evidence to the contrary, I’m more than capable of protecting Maya myself. Now go, all of you. You know what to do. Let’s get this bastard.”

Twenty-four

Gabriel parked Samson’s Audi in the garage and killed the engine. He glanced toward the passenger seat and cringed. Maya hadn’t said a single word since they’d left the hospital. When she opened the door and stepped out of the car, her movements were robotic, as if she was sleepwalking.

Gabriel followed her upstairs. In the hallway, he took her hand and led her into the living room. Carl appeared instantly. “Can I get you anything?” His voice was quiet as if he sensed Maya wasn’t well.

Gabriel shook his head. “Thanks, Carl. Just make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

Carl nodded and closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with Maya, who had turned away from him and stared into the fire.

“It’s all my fault.”

Gabriel crossed the distance between them and stopped behind her. “No. It’s the rogue’s fault. Don’t ever think it’s yours.”

“How can I not? Because of me, my two friends are dead.” A sob tore from her chest.

“Your two friends?” A terrible sense of unease rolled over Gabriel.

Maya turned, her eyes wet with tears. “Paulette is dead. I found her—it was him. He killed her.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her. “I’m so sorry, baby. I wish I could undo it.”

She pushed against him, freeing herself from his embrace. “He wrote it in her blood. ‘It’s your fault, Maya.’ ”

Gabriel shivered at the thought of Maya seeing her friend’s dead body, her blood.

“I should have warned Barbara,” she continued blaming herself. “I knew Paulette was dead when I spoke to Barbara.”

He took her chin and made her look at him. “You spoke to her. What did she tell you?”

“I didn’t get a chance to ask her about him. She was called to a Code Blue. I should have never let her go. I should have insisted.”

“It’s not your fault. He killed her because she knew what he looked like. It’s my fault. We should have brought your friends in immediately. I should have known it wasn’t safe for them.” Gabriel cursed himself for his bad planning. Two lives could have been saved if he’d only thought things through. But when it came to Maya, he never thought things through properly. He was too distracted when it came to her.

“She’s still in her house. He hung her on a hook on her bedroom door, like she was a slab of beef. And I didn’t even have the guts to take her down and give her some dignity. I just ran.”

Gabriel stroked softly over her hair and pulled her back into his arms. She buried her head in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. “I’ll send someone to Paulette’s house.”

Without releasing Maya, he pulled out his cell and speed dialed Yvette’s number. She answered immediately.

“Yvette, I need you to take care of something for me. I want you and Ricky to go to Paulette’s house. She’s Maya’s other friend. She’s dead too.”