Kiss of Midnight_ A Midnight Breed Novel - Lara Adrian [115]
Waiting in the corridor to see them off, Savannah and Eva went to their mates and took them in long embraces. Soft, private words were exchanged in low, loving voices. Tender kisses spoke of a woman’s fear and a man’s strong reassurances that he would return safely to her.
Gabrielle stood some distance away in the hall, feeling so much an outsider as she watched Lucan say something to Savannah. The Breedmate nodded and he put a small object in her hand, his gaze trailing past her shoulder to light on Gabrielle. He said nothing, made no move to approach her, but his eyes lingered, drinking her in across the wide space that separated them now.
And then he was gone.
Striding ahead of the others, Lucan turned a corner at the far end of the corridor and disappeared. The rest of his cadre followed, leaving nothing but the hard clip of boot heels and the metallic jangle of steel in their wake.
“You okay?” Savannah asked, coming up to Gabrielle and wrapping a gentle arm around her shoulders.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
“He wanted me to give you this.” She held out Gabrielle’s cell phone. “A peace offering of some sort?”
Gabrielle took it, nodding her head in agreement. “Things aren’t going well between us right now.”
“I’m sorry. Lucan said he trusts you’ll understand you can’t leave the compound, or tell your friends where you are. But if you need to call them…”
“Thank you.” She looked up at Gideon’s mate and managed a small smile.
“If you want some privacy, just make yourself at home anywhere you like.” Savannah hugged her briefly, then glanced to Eva as the other woman came over to join them.
“I don’t know about anyone else,” Eva said, her beautiful face drawn with worry, “but I could use a drink. Or three.”
“Maybe we all could use a little wine and company,” Savannah replied. “Gabrielle, you come join us when you’re ready. We’ll be in my place.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
The two women moved off together, speaking quietly, their arms linked as they walked up the snaking corridor toward Savannah’s and Gideon’s apartments. Gabrielle wandered in the other direction, not sure where she wanted to be.
That wasn’t actually true. She wanted to be with Lucan, in his arms, but she’d better get over that desperate wish, and quick. She wasn’t about to beg him to want her, and assuming he made it back from tonight’s raid in one piece, she had better prepare herself to put him out of her mind completely.
She strolled toward an open door down one quiet, dimly lit spoke of the hallway. A candle burned somewhere inside the empty chamber, the only light in the place. The solitude, and the smells of faded incense and old wood drew her in. It was the compound’s chapel; she remembered passing it on her tour with Savannah.
Gabrielle walked between two rows of bench seats, toward a raised pedestal at the front of the chamber. It was there that the candle burned, a thick red pillar of slow-melting wax, its flame nestled deep in the core radiating a soft crimson glow. She sat down on one of the front row benches and simply breathed for a while, letting the peace of the sanctuary wash over her.
She flipped open her cell phone. The message symbol was blinking. Gabrielle hit the voicemail button and listened to the first call. It was from Megan, time stamped two days ago, around the same time she’d been calling Gabrielle’s apartment following the Minion attack in the park.
“Gabby, it’s me again. I’ve left a bunch of messages for you at home, but you haven’t called me back. Where are you? I’m really getting worried! I don’t think you should be alone after what happened. Call me back as soon as you get this—and I mean the very second you get this, okay?”
Gabrielle erased it and moved on to the next message, left last night at 11 P.M. Kendra’s voice came on, sounding a little tired.
“Hey, there. You home? Pick up if you are. Shit, I guess it’s kinda late—sorry about that. You’re probably sleeping. So, I’ve been meaning to call you guys, try to hook up