Free Forbidden (The Gabriel Lennox Series Book 1) by M.L. Desir Page B

And for what? Just to leave school without earning a degree? You killed your mother, you did! Broke her heart!” His red face screams in Colin’s. Colin backs away from his father’s angry face, and the big, strong hands clench into fists itching to strike him. Anything to drive him away. He looks to his siblings who avoid his pleading gaze. If he could look into their eyes, “Outsider. Black Sheep,” they would accuse.
    He is not wanted here.
    Colin does the next best thing. What he’s done for most of his life.
    He runs.
    From a distance, Colin watches his older brothers and sisters gather around their father, who kneels before the open coffin of the deceased. His mother. Colin remembers that he is her favorite. No, was her favorite, for she’s dead now, and only the desires of the living matter.
    The white rose slips from Colin’s hand. He stalks away and doesn’t look back.
    Gabriel opened his eyes and coughed up Colin’s blood, retching in dry heaves.
    He knew the mind was the home, the sanctuary that no outsider should have access to.
    Uninvited. The legends said that vampires must be invited into a home, but the legends were confused. It wasn’t the physical homes that vampires had to be invited into.
    Gabriel whispered into Colin’s ear that he should open his eyes.
    “Master Gabriel, you look very sick.”
    “I am not.”
    “You’re not offended, are you? It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I don’t trust that you won’t be ashamed of my past and all. I’ll tell you about my past sometime, someday, I will. I give you my word.”
    Gabriel forced a weak smile. “Never mind that.”
    “Do you have, you know, fangs?” Colin laughed, opened his mouth wide, and made a hissing sound.
    Gabriel smiled widely to show off his white, perfect teeth. “When I want to.”
    “But you don’t have them now. That’s because you don’t want to eat me, right?”
    “. . . Correct.”
    “May I see them?”
    Gabriel gave a pained sigh. He opened his mouth and drew out his fangs as easily as blinking. He grazed his tongue across the sharpness and smiled at the boy.
    Colin flinched. “No. It’s a trick!”
    Gabriel drew in his fangs.
    “Ugh. So, they’re retractable, like a cat’s claws, eh? Not at all like the legends. Hmm. How long can you live for? Hundreds of years? Thousands?”
    “I suppose only time will tell.” Gabriel suppressed a stab of anger, and his audible reply fared better than what he told himself: “I don’t know.” And not knowing if he was immortal kept him in bondage.
    “How long have you lived?”
    “I saw London burning in 1666.”
    Colin gave a small nod of his head. He counted out on his fingers, his eyes turned up to the ceiling. “That’s not the answer I wanted to hear, Master Gabriel, but that’s at least two hundred years. Wow! That’s fucking amazing.”
    Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “And I ask again, you’re not at all bothered by this?”
    The boy shook his head. “As long as you don’t want me to kill or maim anyone, I’m your man, Master Gabriel. You’re paying me; I can play along.” He stood up and patted his stomach. “I’m a bit hungry, though. Can I have something to eat?”
    “Nathaniel and I will be glad to treat you to dinner.”
    Colin’s face went mock serious. “But it’s still light outside. The sun won’t set for several hours, Master Gabriel. And you know, with your condition . . . a moment in the sun could be, uh, life-threatening . . .”
    Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I’m quite capable of withstanding the light of the sun, Colin. You know that.”
    “Oh. But of course. So then, what’s your goal, Mr. Vampire? Ravishing maidens?” he asked with a graceful wave of his hand. Deceiving the rich out of their wealth? Or something more? Why, if I were a vampire, I’d make all the beautiful women of the world members of my harem!” He hid an ear-to-ear grin uselessly with one hand and made a poorer attempt at