Paris After Dark Read Online Free PDF Page B

long?” he asked. Gone was the flirting.
    Rachel sighed. “Since yesterday. Could be the shot, but it’s probably the bite working its way through my system. It’s not unheard of for people who suffer from a human bite to get sick afterwards. I’ve been through it before. I’ll live.”
    The waiter returned with the stew and their wine. He placed the steaming bowl in front of Rachel. “Smells delicious,” she said, looking at the beads of fat floating on top of the broth. Her stomach threatened to rebel as she lifted the spoon.
    “I think you need to tell me exactly what happened last night,” Gabriel said after the waiter retreated into the kitchen. “Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out, including the significance of the necklace.”
    “That’s personal.” Rachel put the spoon down. She couldn’t share the pain she’d been through with a stranger. Could she?
    “You have my word of honour I will not tell anyone,” Gabriel said.
    There was no denying he meant what he said. Rachel could see the sincerity in his eyes. If she were prone to fantasy, she’d say she could see his very soul. It glowed like a soft beacon inside of him, warming her.
    Once Rachel decided to open the floodgates, the words flowed out. She told Gabriel everything, starting with the domestic battery she and Paul had investigated. She explained what had occurred the days after he’d been shot. How Paul had lingered in a coma and had eventually been taken off life support. His family had given her the St Michael’s medal he’d been wearing the day of the shooting. The bullet had grazed the edge of the medal leaving a permanent gash behind. She’d put the necklace on at the funeral and hadn’t removed it since.
    Rachel described the man who’d attacked her. Talked about his teeth, the blood, and green glowing eyes. She gave a blow-by-blow account of how she’d struck him and broken his nose, then how something had spooked him.
    When she was done, Rachel felt as if she’d been put through an industrial tumble dryer. She hadn’t talked about Paul and the shooting since it had happened. She still couldn’t believe she’d told Gabriel everything, but there was no denying the relief coursing through her. An invisible weight had been lifted. And it was all thanks to the man sitting across from her. “Thank you for listening,” she said.
    “Anytime.” Gabriel reached for her hand, but drew back before he touched her. “How are you feeling now that you’ve had some food?”
    She shrugged. “The same.”
    Gabriel forced a grin as dread filled him. He’d listened to Rachel pour her heart out. She’d been carrying so much pain, so much guilt. It wasn’t fair. She didn’t deserve to have this forced upon her. No one did. If he’d had doubts about the symptoms before, they were gone now. Rachel had caused a blood exchange with the vamp that had attacked her when she’d broken his nose.
    She was infected. No longer human, Rachel was now a revenant that would soon be crawling back to the grave.
    Like most viruses, the sanguis virus would take a few days to fully incubate. Once it did, if Rachel didn’t receive more blood from her sire, she’d die.
    Anger engulfed him as he glanced at the vibrant, brave woman seated across from him. How dare a stray take the life of one so noble? It wouldn’t mean anything to her in the end, but Gabriel vowed to himself to avenge her. In the meantime, he’d make Rachel as comfortable as possible.
    “What he has taken from you is unforgivable, but you must move on. Enjoy your time. There is no getting your –” he paused “– life back.”
    “St Michael’s medal back,” Rachel said at the same time.
    For a moment their words hung in the air, a jumble of sentences not meant to be strewn together. Then her brows slowly drew down over her brown eyes.
    “What did you just say?” she asked. “Better yet, what do you mean?”
    Gabriel didn’t know what to say. He was