Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(80)

Distracted by his parting comment about his special cure for stomach bugs involving Jagermeister, a loud peal of laughter drew her attention and her eyes flicked over automatically. They locked with a pair of cold black ones and her heart froze in her chest at the hatred she saw reflected there. She couldn't pull away from Gabriel's stare, and in slow motion she watched him pull a willing Charla onto his lap and kiss her, all while staring at Victoria.

It was ugly, sordid. She felt sick, her breath coming in short silent gasps—she could feel his lips on hers, the violence of them grinding into hers, bruising and punishing. He smiled.

Victoria dragged her eyes away with considerable difficulty, grasping the top of the bar for support, as she felt curiously weak and almost drained from the effort it had taken to pull away. Black spots danced in her head. She sank to the floor, assuming that it was stress from the shock of yesterday's confrontation with him. Without warning, a wave of nausea overcame her. She started retching as she ran for the employee's bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and heard the door open as she wiped her face with some paper towel.

"I'm fine, Tony, just need five minutes," she said, not bothering to look up.

"Really? I wouldn't quite say that you're fine."

Victoria's head snapped up warily. She didn't know how much more she could take before she cracked. She gritted her teeth and swallowed, her throat dry.

"This is the employee's bathroom," she said in a flat, emotionless voice. Gabriel nodded smiling. It was an ugly smile, much the same as the one he'd worn earlier.

"I know, so it's not like we'll be disturbed," he said, stepping closer. "So was that good for you?"

"If you're talking about the grotesque thing with the kiss that you did, then no," she said, swallowing the bile stinging her throat. His eyes narrowed.

"Grotesque, was it? Does Devereux do it better then?" He stepped closer and Victoria braced herself for attack, not taking her eyes off him. "Shall we have a demonstration and compare?" Gabriel suggested with a hideous grin, stepping forward at the same time and grabbing her upper arms with brute force before she could move away.

"I wouldn't get any closer if I were you," said a silky voice at the door. Both Victoria and Gabriel automatically turned in the direction of the menacing voice.

"And what are you going to do about it, Devereux?" Gabriel said. Victoria's eyes were wide as she silently pleaded with Christian to not lose control.

Please Christian, not here. He's not worth it. Please ...

Every inch of his frame was tense with barely restrained fury. She knew he could kill Gabriel without even breaking a sweat. Salvation came from an unexpected source as Tony's rounded bulk filled the doorway, shouldering past Christian and wielding a baseball bat nonchalantly.

"He's not going to do anything, but I am," he said coolly, tapping the bat in his left hand. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Gabriel's eyes narrowed and a muscle clenched in his jaw. Tony noticed and smiled. "You can make my day, kid. The cops are on their way. Your call."

Gabriel raised his hands in the air and grinned, the smile nowhere near his eyes.

"Sorry, it's just a little misunderstanding. I'll leave," he said.

Tony didn't look convinced but Victoria nodded to him to let Gabriel leave without a scene and Tony allowed Gabriel to walk by.

As Gabriel walked past Christian, Gabriel glared at him from head to toe. The threat in his body language was unmistakable. What Christian had on Gabriel in height, Gabriel made up for in sheer bulk, and the mutual dislike that flared between them was intense. Christian didn't bat an eyelash and Victoria remained frozen until Gabriel sauntered out into the bar. By the time they came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Gabriel and his entourage had already left.

"What made you come?" she asked Christian.

"Just a feeling that you needed me," he said, and then silently, did something happen last night?

Gabriel saw us ... kissing. Her gaze fluttered from his lips to the floor. He was ... angry.

I sensed something after I left but I thought it was because of me. When I felt it again just before, I knew that something wasn't right. So I came to find you.

"Tori, you okay?" Tony asked, interrupting their silent exchange. She nodded, managing a weak smile. She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness overcame her and she sagged against Christian.

Tony met Christian's eyes above her head.

"Can you take her home?" he asked.

"No problem," Christian said.

Christian pulled up to her apartment, and neither of them made any move to get out, sitting silently in the car. She leaned toward him, her heart in her eyes.

"Thank you, Christian. I'm glad you came and ... I'm glad you're here now," she said softly. "I need to tell you something."

He turned to face her, his voice quiet but compassionate.

"Victoria, this doesn't change anything. What you did was the right thing. We can't be together. We shouldn't. That kiss was—"

"Don't even say it," she said. "Don't you understand now? I don't want anyone else! I've been lying to myself all along. Christian, how could I be with anyone else other than you?"

"You should be with someone like you, young—"