Page 172 of Vampire so Virtuous
A single tear slipped down her cheek, and then another, faster, unbidden. Gabe’s kindness hadn’t made It better. She wouldn’t be crying if she didn’t feel safe, which was one of the strangest thoughts of all.
Gabe wouldn’t appreciate the weakness of a chattel.
Cally’s throat tightened. She pulled another towel from the stack beside her, pressing it to her face to muffle her sobs. Her shoulders shook, and she didn’t hear him when he walked back in.
Forty – Cally
“I take it as a compliment, you know.”
Gabe’s voice startled her, pulling her out of her sobbing. She froze, still on the edge, and wiped her face with the towel, swallowing hard as she looked up at him.
The robe was gone, replaced by a smart pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt—also silk, like he favored it. He looked good, the clothes tailored to his physique.
He was holding a stone basin of water as if it weighed nothing, soap in the other hand, a cloth draped over his arm. His eyes, surprisingly gentle, never left her.
“Take what as a compliment?” She sniffed, embarrassed at how shaky her voice was.
He set the basin down on the coffee table, and rolled up his sleeves, then picked up the cloth. Wetting it, he dabbed at the dried blood around her shoulder. She tensed at the sting.
“Most people would’ve either cried in fear when they arrived, or hidden it until they left.”
“Sorry.” She clenched her jaw.Is he judging me?
“Not at all,” he said softly. “If you’re letting it out now, it means you trust me. So, like I said—I take it as a compliment.”
Trust him?But she did. She was vulnerable before him—physicallyandemotionally. He was cleaning her wound, for God’s sake.
That’s three vampires you trust, Cally.
Did that make her a fool?
Well… two-and-a-half. She trusted Belle only to act entirely according to her own interests.
“Why are you being so nice? How can vampires be nice?” she asked, her voice quieter than she meant.
He paused mid-wipe. “By not being assholes, I guess.”
“But you prey on humans.”
“Yeah? And you eat animals. What’s the difference?”
“Still vegetarian.”
His lips twitched. “You prey on vegetables. What’s the difference?” He cocked his head. “Actually, that doesn’t work so well, does it?”
It didn’t, but she got his point.
“Do you kill when you feed?” she asked, then quickly shook her head. “No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“Not if I can help it.” He answered anyway. “Bodies are a hassle.”
She made a face as if to sayfigures. He cared more for convenience than human lives. But then, he was a vampire. Maybe she’d understand better if she ate meat. Or maybe not.
Either way, she found herself no longer judging him. How had Antoine put it?“I choose, rightly or wrongly, to survive.”She couldn’t fault them for that. No different from a shark in the water—no other choice.
“Your brow furrows when you have deep thoughts.”
“Are you going to warn me that I’ll get lines?”
