Beauty & The Beast (Book 1)

93. A man's weakness

Gabe makes Cat drive two hours out of the city to an estate. The mansion looks like a castle from the outside. Maybe if she wasn't being kidnapped, she'd be able to appreciate it.
There are men stationed around the place and she clocks one at the door and one inside the parlor when Gabe makes her walk. He lets go once they are inside.

Cat frowns at the interior. It feels like she's seen it somewhere. "I've been here before," she says, looking around and recognizing more things about the place.

"As a child," Gabe confirms her thoughts. "Your mom brought you one day to play when she came to check on me." Gabe looks at her. "I was wondering if you'd remember."
He smiles and then walks ahead.

Being confused and knowing she won't get away anyway, Cat walks after him. "Is this really how you wanna repay her for rescuing you from those labs? Vincent was willing to give you his blood."

"Sadly that's not enough and Vincent figured it out," Cat stares at him in horror as he walks, "I didn't realize  until yesterday just how comprehensive the procedure would be."

Cat stops for a second. Comprehensive? Not enough? They're gonna kill him and he knows it...
"You're gonna kill him." She walks into what looks like a drawing room after Gabe. "He's not a beast anymore, he took your pills, they had a different effect on him than you." Gabe stops and turns to her. "He doesn't need to take another one."

Gabe stared at her and then smirks. "I know what you're trying to do Catherine, but you won't stop me from moving forward because Vincent looks normal. Everything they've done to him is still in his system. He's still in transition."
Gabe points for her to walk with the gun and follows her into another backroom. "I imagine the sacrifice hasn't been easy for him, now has it?"

"What? Being back to normal?"

"Tyler used to say that, normal," Gabe scoffs. "But she only reminded me how much I'm not," he stops at the large windows and turns to her. "We all want the same thing Catherine. To fit in. To find love. And as incredible as it feels to taste that power...
strength to do things men can only dream of doing...Anyone would sacrifice that for a chance at simple human happiness."

This man is insane. He is crazy. Cat looks at Gabe's desperate, sunken eyes, dark rings around them, seeing the withdrawal from his medication for the first time clearly. The wild look in his eyes doesn't help.
"He won't come," she says, lifting her face a little to look like she believes it.

"You know he will," Gabe smirks. Cat swallows. "He loves you." Cat stays quiet. "He would give up his life to save you." Gabe turns to a desk beside the window and pushes down on a coaster. A door pops open to her right and Cat jumps. When she looks at Gabe again, he is pointing from her to the door.
Cat walks in front, her heart beating outside her chest. Vincent can't come here. He's not a beast. Gabe is. He'll get himself killed.
Cat's thoughts are all over the place, but she keeps aware of her surroundings going up the flight of stairs leading to older looking hallways that have not been redone.
Around one of the corners, Gabe pushes her down another corner and they walk right into a makeshift lab.

"Where is he?" A doctor, by the looks of it, asks Gabe.

"He'll be here soon."

"Soon was an hour ago. The longer you progress, the harder it's going to be to manage your sedation levels."

Cat frowns. "Just have everything ready," Gabe says and she looks at him too. Was he forcing the doctor? Or was the doctor here willingly?

"We're running out of time Lowan."

Cat stares Gabe down when he looks at her expectantly. "I won't call him," she sneers and glares at him.

"Yeah you will," he shrugs, "I have your phone." He takes out her cellphone and starts to scroll down the call list.