The Angelus Brothers Chronicles - The Golden Hind

CHAPTER TWENTY

Kaia broke off mid-sentence and watched Gabriel and two women walk up the drive towards his family home. It had been almost a week since they had had cake in the kitchen and she still didn't know why he'd suddenly stood up and left or why he wouldn't now speak to her. He was staying as far away from her as he could, anytime she tried to approach him he would turn and walk the other way as quickly as he could. Seeing him now with two other women made her feel a stab of jealousy, unlike anything she had ever felt before. 

"Kaia?" Cassiel put his hand on her arm making her jump. She had completely forgotten they were talking. 

"Sorry. What was I saying?" He smiled at her gently. 

"It's not important. Is he still not talking to you?" She shook her head and looked down at her hands trying to push down the feelings of envy, hurt and anger that was currently bubbling up in her. If it wasn't for Marie and Cassiel she would have left by now and gone to find this Hidden Isle where she might be welcomed. But they wouldn't let her go. Cassiel was adamant that Gabriel wanted her, that he'd seen him watching her when she wasn't looking. He'd told her how their mother rejected their father but he had been driven mad and refused it. How he'd stolen her tree and taken her against her will and brought her to the very house they were in the gardens of now. She knew he believed Gabriel was doing what he thought was best but Kaia felt nothing but hurt. She felt so many strange emotions when she saw, or even just thought of the vampire but now seeing him with two other women had her enraged.

Standing up she beelined for the front door the vampire and his companions had just disappeared into. Cassiel leapt up from the picnic blanket they had been sitting on and hurried after her. 

"Kaia? What are you doing?" He had a delighted smile on his face as she stormed across the lawn.

"Claiming what's mine. I'm done. My sisters were taken from me. My bow was taken from me. My home was taken from me. My life was taken from me for thousands of years. Either he accepts me or I'm going to leave and find something no one can take from me." She ground out between clenched teeth as she climbed the front steps with all the speed and grace of her species.

"This I have to see." Laughed the hybrid, quickening his pace to keep up with the hind. She didn't break stride as she thrust open the door and made her way up the grand staircase towards Gabriel's office. He seemed to spend every minute of every day in it with his damned papers and wax-sealed notes. Cassiel jogged beside her to keep up. 

"Kaia?" She glanced sideways at him but kept on as she made it to the landing and turned a sharp left away from the family bedrooms and towards Gabriel's sanctum. Cassiel was laughing, he loved the directness and impulsiveness of the hind. She looked like a woman but had the spirit of a wild animal and that endeared her to the errant hybrid who was almost as impulsive. 

Barely noticing the two women sat in chairs in front of the vampire's huge polished wood desk she leapt up onto it scattering papers as her dress swept them away. 

"Kai....?" Gabriel couldn't even finish saying her name before her lips crushed his in a hard, desperate kiss. He was frozen in place for a moment as her arms snaked around his neck and her tongue sought entry into his mouth. His demon howled in pleasure as his body came alive and his arms locked around her and pulled her thin frame into his lap sending the rest of the contents of his desk to the floor. Their tongues danced as she rubbed against him and whimpered into his mouth, he answered her with a low growl. This wasn't like when Heracles kissed her, this was amazing and all she wanted was more as their tongues battled and danced. 

Finally, Gabriel pulled back and looked up at the hind in his lap, a look of wonder and desire on his face.

"Kaia?" She lent forward and nipped at his lip.