Andre’s nostrils flared as he scented the lie. I wasn’t fine. I’d been in hell for a day.
The sound of engines distracted us. A line of cars were approaching from the direction of Castletown. It didn’t take a genius to guess that the Politia had somehow caught wind of my presence in Douglas.
“We need to go,” Andre said.
He tugged at my arm, but I resisted.
“Just leave me,” I whispered. I was no good to him like this.
“You must’ve hit your head when you came back. I will never leave you, soulmate.”
That endearment killed me. He still considered me his.
He glanced away from me, and I followed his gaze. Only then did I realize we had an audience. Oliver, Leanne, and Andre’s driver all watched us.
Andre refocused his attention on me. “We need to get you and your friends to safety,” he said.
Leanne stepped up to us. “We do need to get going, Gabrielle, and yes, Andre—we’d love to.”
Andre nodded to them, even as I flashed him a strange look. He caught my gaze and gave me a small smile. “I was about to ask them if they wanted a place to stay.”
Ah.
Oliver squealed. “Sleepover at the vampire castle! Love!”
“You’ve both risked your lives and futures to help my mate,” Andre said to Leanne and Oliver. “You have my protection as long as you need it. Now, do you guys need a ride?”
Leanne shook her head. “We’ll be fine,” she said. “We have our own car.”
“Then we’ll meet you back at Bishopcourt.”
He took my hand and led me to his car.
I worried my lower lip. “How badly have I ruined their lives?”
Andre gave my hand a squeeze. “Your friends will be fine. Money and power talk, soulmate, and I have plenty of both. I will make sure Leanne and Oliver are taken care of.”
That, I believed without a doubt. As much as Andre punished those who’d wronged him—or me—he rewarded those who helped us. And right now, allies were in short supply.
Still, the possibility that my friends wouldn’t be able to go back to Peel Academy broke my heart. They’d given up so much to help me. If nothing else, I had to remedy the situation for them.
“Did I mention that I like the dress?” Andre said, lightening the mood. His eyes strayed to those holes between the spider silk where he caught peeks of my skin.
“Oh, it’s the dress you like?” I asked.
He tugged me a little closer so that his mouth pressed flush against my ear. “And everything beneath it.”
He pulled away, only to catch sight of my bare feet. “Why aren’t you wearing any shoes?”
Before I had a chance to respond, I was up in the air and then cradled in his arms. I let out a small squeal and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Never mind,” he said. “We will be remedying the situation soon enough. And this gives me an excuse to be close to you.”
“Andre, I’m fine. Put me down.”
Surprise, surprise, he didn’t.
Punk.
Even once we were situated inside his town car, he didn’t let me go. Instead, he clasped me closer and ordered his driver to turn up the heat.
I buried my head in Andre’s chest. How long would I get him before the fairytale was up?
Then I’d be back in the devil’s lair. The thought sent my pulse spiking.
“You have a heartbeat, soulmate.” Surprise coated Andre’s words. “And I can smell your fear. What are you frightened of?” Absently he rubbed my leg, trying to warm me up.
“So many things,” I said. “But losing you, most of all.”
“You will never lose me,” he said, his expression intense. “We’ll figure this out.” He was determined, just like all those other times he’d been sure he could save me.
I wanted desperately to believe him. But could things ever go back to the way they were? My hope had long since run out.
“Each day it’s going to get worse,” I whispered. “I’ll lose a bit more of my humanity each night, until you no longer recognize me. You won’t want to be with me then.”
He let my leg go to cup my jaw. “I will always want to be with you, Gabrielle. Always.”
“And I will always want to be with you,” I whispered. “But that doesn’t change things.” I swallowed, this next part hard to say. “I really am his soulmate.”
Andre’s eyes stormed, hurt and anguish rolling through them.
“I really am,” I repeated. “It’s impossible, but it’s true. And I can’t stay away from him. I don’t know how.”
Chapter 8
Gabrielle
I could sense Andre’s anger and his thirst for violence. In the cramped space of the car, I practically choked on it.
One guess where his thoughts were.
He stared out the window, his hand absently stroking the inner skin of my arm. I still sat on his lap, but we might as well have been worlds apart. From what I could see of his profile, a muscle in his jaw feathered.
I got the impression he had only the barest of holds on his normally tight control.