Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(79)

"I thought you were going to Holly's?" he said.

"Gabe—"

"Don't Gabe me," he said. "I saw you! I saw you with him! Devereux." His eyes were twin discs of ice. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No. Not my boyfriend," she said, conscious of being cornered near the narrow doorway. She had never seen Gabriel this upset and a hollow feeling started to spread in her stomach in response to his ominous tone.

"So what is he then that you can kiss him so ... passionately?" Gabriel said. "Or do you kiss everyone like that?"

"No, he is ... was a friend ..." she said her voice shaking then trailing off at the vicious glare he sent her way. "Gabriel, I don't know what you want me to say."

"Devereux?" he hissed. "Is that why you got so weird earlier?" Victoria flushed and stared at the ground, and the silent admission of guilt seemed to make Gabriel even more incensed. "I changed everything for you. And you're with him? And you lie about it to my face!"

He was right in front of her, his face dark and menacing and for the first time since she had known him, Victoria felt afraid, as if he could really hurt her without thinking twice about it. The corrosive hatred that she usually saw directed toward Angie was now directed toward her in unbridled measure.

"Gabe, please," she said. "I'm not with anyone. I have always told you—"

"Told me what? That you're just 'not in a dating mode right now?'" His laugh was bitter. "Obviously you are, just not with me, right?"

"Come on, Gabriel, you're my friend, you know that."

"Friend? Is Devereux just your friend or is he a friend with benefits? Or does he just take what he wants? Is that what you like, Tori?" he said, as he ran his fingers down the side of her face. Victoria flinched, her heart in her throat. She didn't want to have to hurt Gabriel, after all he had just seen her kissing someone else, but if he threatened her, she would have no choice. His hands slid down her jaw and closed around her neck slowly. His eyes were full of malice and every muscle in his body was coiled as tight as a spring. He wanted to punish her; she could see it in his eyes.

"Gabriel, you're hurting me." Her hands clawed against the fingers holding her neck in an unyielding grip. "Stop it, please."

Gabriel's hand seemed to tighten of its own volition as his face darkened in response to her pleading, daring her to take matters into her own hands. Just as she was drawing upon the energy to free herself, his grip slackened, and she ripped his hand off her neck, shoving his chest with both hands. He staggered back a few feet, but what scared her most wasn't the expression on his face after she had pushed him, it was the way he looked at her, as if she were nothing, as if she no longer existed.

Gabriel backed away slowly watching her with open loathing before he abruptly turned toward his car. Without a backward glance he jumped in and sped away, the tires screeching in protest against the asphalt and leaving black tracks in their wake.

Victoria slid down the side of the wall, her body shaking from the shock of the confrontation. That was something she had never expected, not from Gabriel of all people. His cold, almost inhuman rage had scared her. The virulent look in his eyes had chilled her to the bone, leaving her with little reservation about how he felt about her. She shivered remembering the look on his face as he had walked away. Hate barely did it justice.

He despised her.





VICTORIA DIDN'T GET out of bed even though the sun was streaming through the windows and she knew it was mid-morning. She buried her head under the covers, giving in to the only sanctuary she had left.

She opened bleary eyes several hours later as Tony left a desperate-sounding message on her answering machine, checking to see if she could work an emergency shift that night. She squinted at her watch, it was three in the afternoon, and as much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't stay in bed forever.

At least at the Black Dog she'd be able to distract herself and not focus on what had happened with Gabriel or with Christian. She showered and dressed, missing Leto terribly. His gift for comfort would have been useful, but they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms since he'd found out about Christian. She'd been the one to suggest that they take a break and he stay at Holly's. She concentrated on healing, taking slow long breaths as she dressed, wishing fervently that she could just go back to bed instead.

Tony gave her a grateful smile when she arrived. The Dog was short-staffed again, but it wasn't too crowded, she noticed thankfully, as she hopped behind the bar. Her stomach sank as she registered who was in the far right corner. Seriously, if she had noticed his car out front, she wouldn't have thought twice about calling Tony from the parking lot and canceling. But she knew that she couldn't leave him stranded now that she was already here. Victoria bit her lip and put her head down. She had a job to do.

She tried to pass the time joking with the other people in the bar as best as she could, but she couldn't shake the sour, sick feeling that rested in her stomach. Every time she heard the loud laughter from that corner, she had to force herself to not look in that direction. Even Tony noticed that she wasn't her usual jovial self and came over to ask her if she was all right.

"I'm fine, just a little stomach bug I think," she said. "Don't worry. I'll still be able to help you out."