Chapter 15

((EDITED 5/19/2016. Minor dialogue changes, and I changed one scene a little bit))

((Dedicated to NatashaGrey for recommending the song that's on the side. It is an excellent fit with the story but I would advise listening to it either before or after (preferably after) the chapter because it has words and, consequently, can be a bit distracting. But it's a wonderful song and pay attention to the lyrics if you listen!))

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I couldn't help it; I was terrified. The thought of some unknown vampire creeping through my window, writing me a note to make sure I knew he was there, and then leaving Riley's bloodied organ just feet away from my sleeping form deeply unsettled me. I should have known better to open the box once I read the note, especially since my nose had been able to detect the smell of old blood. I had cracked the box open only slightly, which was enough to release the foul odor so that it permeated the air in the room, and that was enough to make me freak out and almost throw up on the spot. For the first time all evening, I had been glad to see Gabriel.

I still felt dazed as Gabriel and Eli ushered me out of my room, Gabriel instructing Eli to dispose of Riley's remains as soon as I was out of sight. I tried not to shudder in disgust. Gabriel stood quite close to me as he led me to the stairs but he made sure not to touch me. I wondered if it was because he didn't want to touch me or because of our argument earlier.

Thinking of Gabriel's earlier words caused pain to lance through my chest and I winced outwardly. Gabriel glanced at me and I was pretty sure I saw a flash of concern in his eyes before I strode ahead of him, hurrying down the stairs and into the main living area. All thoughts of the creepy intruder aside, I still felt wounded. I was glad Gabriel had come to my rescue but I still did not want to get too close to him. I had promised myself earlier that I would leave him and move on, taking the unbearable pain as it came, but the thought of doing so now was incredibly daunting. I could feel my Wolf's anger with Gabriel but I knew she would have a hard time recovering if I rejected our only Mate. She may never forgive me.

Gabriel indicated that I sit down on the couch and I did so, sinking down into the plush cushions with a sigh. There was a lamp lit next to the table in front of me, accompanied by several maps covered in marks. Gabriel turned the lamp off and made his way over to the majestic fireplace. I watched as he yanked a lever upwards and then rummaged around a bit before he grabbed a lighter, holding it out to the large pile of dry logs that sat within. I found myself staring into space yet again.

What was I supposed to do? Gabriel had mentioned that he was going to bring me to meet this Raziel person, whoever it was. Perhaps this could be my chance to find out more about my Mate and his many secrets; but did I even want to? Did I want to involve myself further, only for Gabriel to throw angry and harsh words in my direction whenever he saw fit?

It wasn't long before Eli returned and made his way to the kitchen, opening cabinets and grabbing mugs. As the fire in front of me began to blaze I heard the sound of brewing coffee. Gabriel had settled down in the armchair nearest mine. His muscles were still tense as he stared into the fire, the bright light reflecting in his unfathomable eyes.

I couldn't help but stare at him, the way the flickering fire accentuated his chiseled features with light and shadow. Some tiny part of me absently wished he weren't so good looking. Perhaps then I wouldn't stare at him like a pathetic idiot all of the time. Then again, he was my Mate. I'd likely be attracted to him even if he were ugly.

"Who is Raziel?" I blurted out after a few more minutes of silence. I had to say something before my mind went in circles for so long that I went crazy. The smell of fresh coffee permeated the air and invaded my nostrils, soothing me slightly. I was glad they weren't trying to get me to go back to sleep, as I knew the probability of that happening was slim. Then again, it would take quite a few cups of coffee before my body began to even register the caffeine, so drinking the small amount that Eli was probably making wouldn't actually serve to wake me up. It would just help me relax.

Gabriel looked at me then, his eyes appearing even blacker than normal due to the fire being the only source of light in the living room at the moment. To my irritation, he looked just as closed-off as usual, despite being borderline cruel to me earlier.

"He's someone who knows a lot about vampires," was his cool response.

"Why are you taking me with you?" I had my suspicions but I wanted Gabriel to confirm them out loud.

He looked surprised that I was even asking. "One of those..." he paused, clearly fighting down a surge of anger. "...things crept into your room while you're sleeping. If you think I'm letting you out of my sight after that, you're very much mistaken."

Although some part of me would have been flattered by his protectiveness another day, today it just irritated me.

"Earlier you seemed perfectly content with the thought of me not being with you." I couldn't keep the bitterness from infusing my tone.

Gabriel's hands gripped the sides of the armchair and a look of legitimate regret crossed his features. He looked down, not attempting to hide the expression this time.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said quietly. His voice, too, oozed regret. I was surprised by the depth of the emotion. I stared at him, unsure what to say. Dozens of thoughts whirled through my brain but I was unable to put them into words.

He looked up, slowly, gaze intense. "You wanted to know more about me. This is your chance." His bitter tone mirrored mine from earlier, which unsettled me.

Eli walked in with three steaming mugs of coffee, saving me from a response. He set them down and then returned with a pint of milk and bowl of sugar. My mouth quirked into a half-smile; he had correctly guessed that I put a ton of extra cream and sugar in my coffee before I deemed it drinkable.

I worked on getting it to the perfect level of sweetness as Eli sat down. My mind wandered off yet again. Did I want to go with Gabriel? After thinking, I realized I probably didn't have much choice. Gabriel would drag me along either way. Part of me dreaded the trip, knowing I'd probably be hurt sometime along the way, as my emotions always seemed to get damaged when I was around him. Plus, I'd already made up my mind to leave him.

But the other part of me wanted answers. If I walked away now, without ever knowing what Gabriel was hiding, I might always regret it. My Wolf definitely would regret it. She demanded an explanation for why our Mate was resisting us so much.

And, of course, there was the whole "creepy vampire sneaking into my room" thing. Despite the way Gabriel was treating me, I was still freaked out by the incident and wanted to stay closer to him for protection.

So you do want to go, then? Despite what he did earlier? I queried.

He owes us answers, was her firm response.

I furrowed my eyebrows in contemplation. I guess I'm just worried about getting hurt again.

But it will help us understand why he acts the way he does. I've never understood his actions...his Wolf wants us desperately, I can tell. He fights his Wolf.

The thought of Gabriel fighting himself because of me stung, and I sipped on the piping hot coffee to distract myself. Still, I knew she was right. My curiosity had always been insatiable, and I at least deserved something for my efforts.

"I'll go, then," I said out loud, interrupting Gabriel and Eli's murmured conversation. Gabriel's brows furrowed, as if he couldn't believe I had ever considered not going. He had the good grace to remain silent, though. Surely he knew I was still angry from earlier. I was not going to just act like nothing happened, and I was not going to forgive him easily. He'd better have some damn good explanations in store.

After finishing my coffee I stretched out on the couch, trying desperately not to let thoughts of a lurking vampire invade my mind. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to sleep in that room again.

"We're leaving at sunrise," Gabriel said, thankfully breaking into my disturbed thoughts. I nodded in response but didn't look at him. I would make sure to have minimal contact with him, at least until he explained his hurtful actions. My stubborn streak was winning out on this one. I wasn't going to let my jumble of feelings for Gabriel get in the way of retrieving the answers I wanted, so he definitely had a long trip ahead of him.

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I dozed off a couple of times, but never reached a full sleep due to the disturbing thoughts that still lurked in the corners of my consciousness. Only a few hours after the incident in my room, Gabriel and I were getting ready to hit the road. Eli volunteered to get the things I needed so I wouldn't have to go back up to my room; however, I was admittedly way too embarrassed that he would have to go through my underwear to do so, so I decided to suck it up. I would only have to be in that room for a few more minutes to pack. Besides, it was daylight, so the vampire was long gone.

"How long are we going to be gone?" I asked before heading upstairs. I'd thought it was a day trip initially, until Eli volunteered to pack my suitcase.

"Ideally we'll be back before night tomorrow, but if not we'll have to stay in a hotel for another night," Gabriel replied monotonously. Despite the coffee he looked a bit tired.

I blinked in surprise; we were staying somewhere overnight? A hotel? The thought of staying with Gabriel in a hotel room put me on edge, especially since we'd probably share a room.

I hurried upstairs, pushing the thought from my mind and packing as quickly as I could.

A few minutes later, with a couple more instructions to Eli, we were on our way. Gabriel took us towards a part of the pack village that I had never been to. The sun's first rays were just peeking over the horizon and the sky was a mottled blue-pink. I glanced around, inhaling the fresh morning air. I was just glad the vampires couldn't be lurking about at this time.

I itched to ask Gabriel a question, as the silence was growing awkward and it was making me uncomfortable, but then I remembered my resolve to avoid talking to him as much as possible.

He must have sensed my unease, though. "What is it?" He asked, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

I sighed, annoyed that I was so easy to read. "I'm surprised you're willing to leave the pack," I said, keeping my tone clipped and as neutral as possible.

The question was sincere, though, and I'd been wondering about the answer since he said we were leaving. I knew how devoted Gabriel was to his Alpha duties. Then again, he had left to come rescue me. The thought of such a gallant action was confusing as it starkly contrasted with some of his more recent behavior.

"Raziel will only communicate with me, I could not send another in my stead," he said curtly. I sighed at his attitude and didn't push further; I supposed I'd find out soon enough.

I was utterly surprised when we stopped at a long, flat building with numerous garage doors. I hadn't realized they had all these cars in the Black Mountains Pack village.

"We're driving?" I asked incredulously, although it made sense if we were going to a more urban area.

"Vampires can't smell as well as werewolves. It will be almost impossible for them to track us," was his reply. Gabriel pulled out a small key and unlocked the padlock holding the garage door closest to us, sliding it up with a swift jerk. The car closest to us was large, black, and relatively new. It looked like some sort of Jeep.

"I wasn't aware there were any roads around here."

"We keep them well hidden."

He indicated that I climb in the passenger's side. It felt almost surreal, the thought of riding in a car with him. Almost...normal. I threw my bag in the backseat as Gabriel climbed in the car and started it. He deftly pulled it out of the garage and around the side of the building, where I saw a rough, overgrown dirt road nearly hidden by brush. He began to drive down this road as I sat back in my seat, trying to ignore the jerks and bumps that came with driving on an unpaved road.

About half an hour passed in silence, in which I was trying not to acknowledge the sharp curves and steep drops on either side. The road was even more precarious than the one that led out of my own village. I tried to ignore the fact that one too-sharp turn from Gabriel would send us over the edge. I steadfastly kept my eyes ahead, with nothing to fill the silence.

After a while the road began to gently tilt downward. I remembered hearing there were sloping hills and then relatively flat land on the far side of the Black Mountains Pack's territory. As the mountains began to slowly transition into flatter, more rounded shapes, I realized this intel was correct. About an hour after we left, I could see pretty far into the distance. It looked like we were almost to paved roads.

Once again, the awkwardness between us was palpable. I had never been good with smoothing over uncomfortable moments. "What changed your mind?" I finally asked, when I felt like I couldn't take any more tense silence.

Gabriel glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, frowning slightly.

"I mean letting me learn more about you."

He shrugged. "I realized I could either let you in or shut you out. And after what you've been through, you at least deserve some answers." His voice was somewhat contemplative, as if he was just working through this in his own mind.

I was slightly taken aback by his honesty. "You seemed keen on shutting me out yesterday," I said after a moment, deciding to take a chance.

As expected, Gabriel's jaw clenched and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I told you I didn't mean it like that," he gritted out.

"Really? When you told me you wished you hadn't brought me with you, you didn't mean that negatively?" In my frustration I couldn't keep the sarcasm from coloring my words. I knew I was being argumentative, but I just didn't care.

"It wasn't a reflection on you."

"Hmm," I muttered noncommittally, glancing away so he wouldn't see my hurt expression, attempting to stifle my growing frustration. The more we argued, the more awkward it would be during this car ride, I knew. I tried to reign in my emotions.

Gabriel made an aggravated sound. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Just..." he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "You'll learn everything soon enough." Once again his tone implied that he was not looking forward to telling me.

I sighed, not liking his constantly vague answers. It was going to be a long car ride, I suspected.

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My suspicions were correct. Gabriel informed me that it was nearly a ten hour drive. The hours seemed to drone on in the Jeep, time blurring together as we passed endless plains. The mountains had receded into the distance after a couple of hours and there was nothing to look at but green flatland. Gabriel, as usual, was curt and only gave one word answers to everything, the very few times I asked a question. Overall, I tried to speak as little as possible, and when I did my tone was nearly as clipped as his.

Once we were far enough away from the towering peaks I turned on the radio, scanning through the stations until I found one that played classical, figuring Gabriel wouldn't mind that sort of music.

We stopped twice during the day to relieve ourselves and I grabbed a handful of food from the gas station. The employee there stared at me as if he couldn't believe I would eat all of that in one sitting, but I ignored his incredulity before returning to the car. I had a werewolf's appetite and I knew we wouldn't be stopping at a drive-through. Gabriel definitely did not like to waste time.

I asked him once if he wanted me to switch off driving with him, but at his incredulous look I quickly shut up. Mercifully, sleep soon found me and I was able to rest for the last half of the trip.

Gabriel nudged me awake some time later and I opened my eyes begrudgingly, rubbing them as I stared at our surroundings. The car's clock read 5:13pm, and I understood why it was a two-day trip. It would be far too dangerous to carry on as sunset was fast approaching. I had quickly learned that vampires liked to pop up in unexpected places, although hopefully they hadn't tracked us. We were in a city now, and I was surprised all of the lights around us hadn't woken me up sooner. It appeared to be a pretty big human settlement judging by the size of the hotel we were parked at. "La Quinta Inn," I mentally read. The hotel had several floors and was well-maintained. Looked nice enough.

I stepped out of the car and stretched my stiff muscles, glad we had arrived. Gabriel grabbed his small bag and my backpack before leading the way towards the front entrance. A few groups of humans milled about in front, many of them looking hassled as they tried to yank their bags out of their cars. Internally, I smiled. Those bags would have been no problem with werewolf strength.

As we approached the front desk, the young woman looked up, eyes widening marginally when they landed on Gabriel. She subtly glanced him over appreciatively. I felt my Wolf growl in irritation and I tensed up instinctively, not liking the way this human looked at my Mate. I glared at her despite my better judgment, and as her eyes met mine she flinched slightly before glancing away.

'Get ahold of yourself!' I snapped mentally. I was acting like a jealous idiot over a Mate that barely cared about me. This painful thought calmed me down.

"Okay, so one king bed?" The lady asked, grinning a little too brightly at Gabriel.

"Two beds would be better," was his retort. The lady blinked in surprise and I looked away, trying to ignore the pain that flashed through me. Gabriel stiffened noticeably and a distant part of me wondered if he could sense my hurt. It stung, but I couldn't say it was unexpected. We didn't share a bed back at his house, so why would we here? Besides, the logical side of my brain knew that I was still trying to give him the cold shoulder until I got my answers. That would be much more difficult if we shared a bed; this was for the best.

As she worked on the reservation he pulled out a credit card. With mild interest I wondered how he got funds. In my pack, the generations before us had worked hard and made many wise investments and business decisions. Their money had compounded over the years so several families in the pack were just born into wealth, especially the Alpha. Others in my pack worked part or full-time at the human settlement nearby to earn extra money. Since the nearest human city to the Black Mountains Pack was so far away, I assumed some of Gabriel's money had come from his father.

Within twenty minutes we were up on the fourth floor and Gabriel was sliding the key card into the slot. Sure enough, there were two beds. The room was large enough with a flatscreen TV and a mini refrigerator but I didn't care about the niceties as I strode over to the far bed and dumped my things unceremoniously.

Gabriel obviously saw my agitation and knew exactly what it was about. "It's better this way," he said stiffly.

Feeling another surge of anger, I tried to fight the retort from rising to my lips. I knew he was probably right, but he had wounded my pride so much recently that it was difficult to recover. "I'm going to take a shower," I spit out instead. I just needed to get away from him for a few minutes before I said something I regretted. Hopefully a shower would help wash away the burning aggravation.

To avoid any further conversation I quickly hurried into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me. Just a moment later I was preparing to strip off my attire and step into the shower when I realized something.

I hadn't brought my clothes into the bathroom with me.

I mentally swore, realizing in my haste that I had forgotten to grab night attire. I strode back towards the door of the bathroom, prepared to walk right back out and fetch clothes before coming back in here and undressing, when a sudden thought stopped me.

You shouldn't go get clothes. You should just go out in a towel after you shower, my Wolf said, and I detected a mischievous lilt in her tone. I blinked, the idea causing a blush to rise on my cheeks.

Go out there in only a towel? That's hardly decent!

You think he will have such an easy time resisting you in that?

What, you mean...seduce him? The thought was almost appalling, not because of Gabriel, but because I just knew I'd be an awful seductress.

No, just show him what he's missing. Our Mate should want us, my Wolf said firmly. I could tell her pride had been insulted by the two-bed thing and this was her way of getting Gabriel back.

I chewed on my lip, contemplating. It may not be wise to behave like that when Gabriel was so volatile. On the other hand, he may not even notice. Did I want to find out how he would react? Would he be tempted?

He deserves to be tempted after how he spoke to us and how he's been treating us, my Wolf continued. I admittedly agreed with that. I wasn't sure how he would behave if I walked out there, glistening from my shower and clad only in a towel, but a large part of me wanted to find out. He was our Mate but he was acting like he wasn't even attracted to us. I deserved to find out if he at least felt something beyond overprotectiveness.

I had made up my mind. I would deliberately not go get clothes.

Besides, I had just made a big show about storming off to take a shower, as childish as it was. I really didn't want to walk right back out there and deal with Gabriel again, at least not before I relaxed a bit with the warm water running over me.

I stepped into the shower, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath as I finally let some of the hurt wash over me.

I just didn't understand. I was so ridiculously attracted to every part of Gabriel, from his dark and brooding features to his muscular physique, yet he seemed to feel nothing close to the same. Or, at least, he was able to brush it off much easier than I was. Granted, I wasn't as beautiful as some other she-wolves, but I was still his Mate.

On top of that he could be so short with me, often bordering on cruel. I had seen true flashes of emotion in him but he seemed to be trying harder than ever to turn his feelings off. He was succeeding, because I had been just about to leave him when he took me on this trip. If I didn't get the answers I wanted I wasn't sure what I'd do.

With these perturbed thoughts I soaked for a few more minutes, washing and conditioning my curls with the shampoo and the conditioner provided by the hotel, as mine were still out in the room in my bag. My hair would be exceptionally difficult to deal with later, but I pushed the thought aside. I quickly scrubbed my body down with a bar of soap before turning the water off and grabbing one of the thin towels, wrapping it around my small frame. Stepping out, I saw I had completely fogged the mirror up with the curls of steam rising from the hot water.

I rubbed the humidity away, observing my appearance. My face was slightly flushed with the heat of the shower but I still looked pale; the terrible lighting did nothing for my complexion. My eyes stood out in my white face, giving me an almost haunted appearance.

It was time to leave the bathroom and face the consequences of my deliberate decision not to bring clothes in with me.

I wasn't good at this sort of thing, but I convinced myself that all I had to do was walk out there and act normal, as if I wasn't even aware that I was in a thin towel.

Taking a deep breath I pushed the door open and stepped out, the cool air of the room raising goosebumps on my bare skin. Averting my gaze from Gabriel as if he weren't even there I walked across the room, ignoring my pounding heart. I made my way over to my bed as if I were going to look for clothes. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it but I could've sworn I felt two dark eyes fixated on me from the bed were Gabriel was going to sleep.

Almost nervously I held onto my towel with one hand while I grabbed my wayward hair with the other, pulling it away from my face and tucking it behind me so I could see. I deliberately pulled the towel up another inch or two to expose more of my legs, wondering if I was doing any of this right.

There was a blur of movement and a rush of air, and suddenly I found myself slammed against the wall nearest my bed.

My breath left me in a gasp of air and I barely held onto my towel as I looked up in surprise to see Gabriel towering over me, one of his hands on each of my bare shoulders as he pressed me into the wall. His eyes were intimidatingly dark and there was a hunger in them that I had never seen before. Heat seared from his hands' contact with my bare skin, sizzling throughout my body.

Gabriel lowered his head to the side until his face was but a couple inches away from my neck. It was a position oddly similar to the one on the first night we'd met and I shivered at the memory and his proximity. Slowly, Gabriel took a deep breath of my scent and I heard him growl softly, intensely. His expression appeared entranced, as if he weren't in full control of himself. I wondered how close his Wolf was to taking over.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, his voice much deeper and huskier than normal. The sound of it set my insides on fire and I squirmed.

"I-I don't-" I began to stammer, my voice coming out breathlessly. I cut off, unsure what I was going to say anything, too distracted by my raging hormones. Gabriel's chest was a half foot away and I just wanted to reach out and run my hands down his torso, the outline of his muscles visible even through his shirt.

Gabriel lowered his head further, hesitating a bit, extremely tense. There was a scant inch between his lips and the side of my neck now. I wondered if he was having a mental battle with his Wolf. Slowly he released one of my shoulders and moved his hand up into my wet hair, gripping the back of my head in a firm grip.

I wanted his mouth to make contact with my skin so desperately that I was nearly panting for it. At this moment I was so blinded by my lust and want for him that I forgot all about his curt behavior earlier, the cruel words he had said to me the night before. All I knew was that in this moment he wanted me, and he was having a hard time denying his attraction to me. It was the first time I felt like Gabriel was as attracted to me as I was to him.

I knew that later, I would regret this moment of weakness when I was supposed to be giving him the cold shoulder. But right now, my sense of logic was not in control.

"Gabriel..." I managed to whisper, my voice so contorted by lust that it was barely recognizable.

The sound of his name escaping my lips seemed to put him even more on edge, for another hungry growl emitted from his chest. In an abrupt movement, as if he was doing it before he could think it through, Gabriel closed the distance and began to kiss the side of my neck. His mouth skimmed from the area underneath my jawline, trailing down along my neck until his lips brushed my collarbone. I felt a trail of fire from where his lips touched, my skin hot and feverish. I gasped despite myself at the sensation and felt warmth pooling in my belly. I stood on my tiptoes to press my skin even more firmly against his mouth, craving more as my Wolf yipped feverishly in the back of my mind.

Gabriel's mouth obliged, kissing hungrily on the side of my neck before sliding down onto my exposed shoulder. He pressed his hard body against mine until I was even more firmly pinned against the wall. I reached one hand up and tangled it in his dark hair, reveling at the softness of the strands. Every muscle in my body was on fire and I was nearly incapable of coherent thought at that point.

Gabriel's mouth grew firmer on my skin as it moved across my collarbone. His kisses were deeper, more lingering, as if he were savoring the taste of me. I let out a strangled noise as I felt the brush of his tongue along the crook of my neck, leaving another trail of heat. He let out a husky sound of approval, and it was then that I felt the sharp prick of canines on the side of my neck.

I tensed despite myself, a small gasp escaping my lips. Was he going to Claim me, here and now? My thoughts began a frantic whirlwind as my body craved Gabriel's bite but my mind was trying to process everything that was happening. I wasn't ready.

As if my body's reaction had brought Gabriel to his senses, he suddenly froze, every muscle going rigid. His mouth abruptly moved away from my neck and he quickly took a step back, releasing me. His dark eyes were churning with a multitude of emotions, but there was one predominant among them: horror. This horror was quickly replaced by anger, although I wasn't sure who it was directed at, and Gabriel spun away, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

"GODDAMMIT!" He swore furiously. I felt a tremor of worry, quickly replaced by pain. Did he really regret it already? Pain shot through me at the notion, even though I knew it was partially my fault for tempting him in the first place. On the other hand, it wasn't like I forced him to press me up against the wall and kiss me.

Still, I should've have done it. I should have expected him to react like this. I mentally swore at my own impulsiveness.

Gabriel swore again, looking like he was going to punch something as he ran a hand through his already disheveled hair in agitation.

He spun around, eyes locking with mine. There was a fire burning in them.

"Goddammit Skylar! Why did you have to do that?" He demanded, fury evident in every line of his body. His accusatory tone stung, but at the moment I was too stunned by the intensity of his anger that I couldn't even feel defensive.

I recoiled, pressing myself against the wall, stomach fluttering with fear. "I didn't-" I began feebly, but he cut me off.

"I told you it was better for us, for YOU, if we stay apart!" His voice was still incredibly loud and I was worried the people next door would hear. I winced at his words, my Wolf whining at the thought of staying away from the Mate that had made her feel so blissfully happy a moment before. Gabriel turned around and roughly shoved a chair out of his way as he stormed to the bathroom. It toppled to the ground with a loud thud and I flinched.

"But I-" I tried again.

"Put some fucking clothes on!" He snapped in fury over his shoulder, making his way into the bathroom and slamming the door loudly behind him. The whole frame shuddered from the impact and I was worried he had broken something.

I heard the shower turn on but I could only just stand there, standing numbly after him. The sensations of Gabriel kissing the side of my neck kept replaying over and over again, the way he'd filled me with a fire I'd never felt before. The husky growl of approval...

But then the fury in his expression was like nothing I'd ever seen. It'd been mixed with horror, regret and, worst of all, worry. He truly thought it was a mistake. Whatever his reasons, he still thought that kissing me was a mistake.

Trying to fight back tears, I slowly changed into my pajamas and then slid into bed, not bothering to turn off the small lamp beside my bed. I wriggled under the covers, trying to fight away the rising pain. The one time Gabriel and I had any sort of intimate contact he had ended up almost losing it. He had been horrified with himself. I vainly tried to see it from his side, as Gabriel had said he had his reasons, but I kept coming back to the fact that it was not natural for my own Mate to have that kind of reaction to kissing me. And he hadn't even been kissing me on the lips!

I turned on my side, away from the bathroom, resting my head on my hands. I wanted to leave now. I wasn't even sure I could bear seeing him again after that. He'd made me feel so complete and perfect before throwing the whole thing away like it didn't matter. How could we ever truly Mate if he lost it over the first hint of physical contact?

I wasn't sure how I would handle seeing him tomorrow. I felt my Wolf's misery; she didn't understand how he could go from wanting us to nearly hating us in such a short time span. It seemed that any possible progress I could ever have made with Gabriel was now completely erased. Normally the way he yelled at me would have infuriated me, but I was too hurt and befuddled at the moment to feel any sort of anger. That would probably come tomorrow as soon as I regained some semblance of control.

Despite my attempts to hold the sadness in, I felt one rebellious tear trickle down my cheek. I angrily wiped it away.

How pathetic am I? I demanded, not really expecting my Wolf to answer that. She attempted to soothe me but her level of agitation was evident.

I should never have tried that, I continued morosely, although the physical side of me didn't regret it one bit.

I knew I was being self-pitying. The logical part of my brain reprimanded me for acting so weak, but I pushed it aside. For once I wanted to wallow in pity before I had to make the most heart-wrenching decision of my life.

The shower was still going in the bathroom. I really did not want to see Gabriel again after what had happened, but what else could I do? He'd said the vampires couldn't track us here but after what had happened in my room, there was no way in hell I was sleeping anywhere alone. I found myself wishing that my parents, Maria, or even Will were here. Somebody I could talk to about this whole situation, ease the pain a little bit. My poor Wolf was trying not to be broken down by Gabriel's constant rejections, at it went against everything in werewolf nature, but I knew she was growing tired.

I squeezed my eyes shut, deciding to fake being asleep in preparation for Gabriel exiting the bathroom. I was not going to deal with him right now. Tomorrow, there would be no more attempts at a conversation with him no matter how awkward the silence was, and I certainly wouldn't try to tempt him again.

I could only hope that whatever I learned tomorrow would bring some clarity to the situation...if it wasn't too late.

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A/N: Recently my attention has been drawn to a couple minor errors in previous chapters. If something I unintentionally say, i.e. a typo, makes part of a chapter confusing please let me know. I do not have an editor and I'm doing this all by myself; it can be quite difficult to edit your own work so I'm sorry. I try to catch as many errors as I can. I'm a grammar freak but there's only so much I can do.

Anyways, so you all will either love or hate me for this chapter, I bet. I'm such a tease, I know. The next one will be quite revealing so it'll be a doozy...might take me a bit longer than normal to write. We'll see.

MULTIMEDIA:

"Demons" by Imagine Dragons. Great song and very fitting :)