She turned to look at Gabriel with tears in her eyes. She could feel the violence locked in the tiny apartment. A child’s terror. The brutality a man could impose. She saw flashes of Skyler’s life, the father, a huge man, swinging a belt at her in the bathroom. Skyler huddled in a corner while a man approached her with an evil smile.
Gabriel grasped Francesca and shook her gently. “Leave this evil place. You are too sensitive for such as this.”
“Skyler was, too. That beautiful child was subjected to this depravity. They drove her to the edge of madness, Gabriel.”
The tears in her voice were almost more than he could bear. “She is safe with us, Francesca. We will not allow harm to come her way again.”
“She is a human psychic, a rare treasure to our males. She would have been invaluable to our race, but after such atrocities, I cannot imagine her being able to love one so dominant and wild as any of our males. What are we to do?” There was despair in her voice.
“That dilemma is a long way off, honey, not something we have to solve at this moment. In any case, we do not know if she is the lifemate to one of our species. Our first duty is to her now. She is our daughter and deserves our protection. Go, I will find her mother’s locket,” Gabriel assured her.
She linked her fingers with his, needing the comfort of his closeness. She didn’t question why his touch felt so right to her. She only knew she wanted to be held in his arms and feel his enormous strength when all around them was the evil of mankind. Gabriel fitted her beneath his shoulder, instinctively knowing she would rather be with him in this wicked place than outside alone in the clean air. The realization made him humble. He brought her hand to the warmth of his mouth, breathed a kiss onto her skin, his mouth telling her without words that she was the magic in his life.
They found Skyler’s locket and he secured it around his neck as they made their way to the shops. Francesca was in her element there. She knew the city, knew the vendors. She often bought thousands of dollars’ worth of clothes to donate to the poor. Gabriel twined his fingers with hers as they entered one of the stores. This was not Gabriel’s forte, but he was more than willing to share the excitement with her. He watched Francesca blossom, her beauty almost ethereal. She lit up the shop and he couldn’t help thinking of their night alone in her friend’s boutique. When he flashed her a grin, she blushed and quickly looked away from him, sharing his thoughts of their wild encounter together.
Closing hour came and went, but all of the merchants Francesca called cheerfully opened their shops for her. Gabriel found he enjoyed watching her move through the stores, examining clothes and furniture, selecting youthful styles appropriate for the newest member of their family.
“Are you planning on getting her an entire wardrobe?” he teased when she showed him pair of faded blue denim pants. “What is this fascination modern women have with these men’s pants?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. “Must our daughter wear such things? Dresses and skirts would be much more appropriate.”
Francesca’s eyebrow shot up, and her mouth curled in a small smile. “Perhaps you’re right; perhaps we need to look at more feminine clothes for her.”
It was her voice that warned him all might not be as he would like. He followed her with some apprehension into a different area of the store. Francesca took a navy blue sheath from a hanger and held it up. “This is darling, Gabriel. Don’t you love it? You’re right, I think we need to concentrate on much more feminine articles of clothing.”
He reached around her and fingered the soft material. “Where is the rest of it?” He was very serious, his dark eyes searching her face for signs she was teasing.
“This is the entire dress. Girls wear them quite short these days. Haven’t you noticed?” Francesca couldn’t believe he had never noticed the women in the city and the clothes that often revealed a generous portion of leg.
“You do not wear such clothes.” He made it a statement.
“Of course I do. Short and long dresses. Anything goes in this age.”
“You wear things like that dress in front of men?” There was a curious churning in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t quite understand why he suddenly wanted to rip the doctor’s head off. Had the man seen her in such garments? The thought of it brought an unfamiliar volcanic feeling to his gut.
Francesca laughed at him. Straight out laughed at him. Her dark eyes were shining with merriment. “You sound just a tiny bit on the jealous side.”
His hand reached out, almost of its own accord, his fingers circling her throat. “I know you are not making fun of me, are you, Francesca?”
Francesca tried to keep a straight face. “I’m sure I wouldn’t do that,” she said sweetly. “But I do look like dynamite when I dress up.”
“My heart cannot bear the image,” he said, “at least not if you are dressing up for another male. Do not tell me anything more.”
“Your age is showing.” She laughed, the sound carefree, piercing his heart like an arrow. “Get over it and help me find her some dresses she’ll love.”
“I will find her dresses she will be allowed to wear in public,” he countered gruffly, looking for the first time at the little frocks on the mannequins. “Where are the ankle-length garments?”
“Are you going to be one of those guardians who insists on bodyguards and strict curfews?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Absolutely. You can count on it.” He made no attempt to pretend otherwise.
Francesca’s smile washed over him, making it clear she was not in the least impressed by his stony features and grim mouth. She found the underwear section and spent time choosing lace and satin while he simply shook his head in wonder. She arranged for her purchases to be delivered the next evening and followed him out into the night.
Skyler would have a room designed especially for her, the items chosen as much as possible from her memories of things she had seen and liked. The rest they chose for her, wanting her happiness and comfort. The pattern for her quilt and sheets was a design fashioned by Francesca to aid healing and promote soothing comfort and a feeling of well-being. The room they had decided to give her was a round turret where the intricate stained glass contained a powerful spell to protect the occupant from outside harm and nightmares.
Francesca smiled up at Gabriel as they settled onto the balcony of her home, once more taking their own shapes. “I had a wonderful night, Gabriel. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It is much more fun experiencing life with another.”
“You are growing used to me, despite your intentions not to,” he ventured as he led her down the stairs to the kitchen.
“We have to remember to stock the house with food that will appeal to a teenager,” Francesca said, determined not to be drawn into a conversation about their relationship. She wasn’t ready to think too much on the subject.
“Skyler should eat what is the most nutritious for her. She is skin and bones. And you must do something with her hair. She wears it in her face because she thinks the scars make her ugly.”
Francesca followed him to the chamber beneath the earth. “I know she does, although I think it is more what they represent, the memories that are so ugly. I can’t wait to bring her home. This house will be so different. Music, noise, a housekeeper, probably guards—our lives will be very different, Gabriel.”
He circled her shoulders with his arm, grateful she didn’t pull away from him. He was making progress without her being aware of it. “Change is good, Francesca. My existence was bleak and barren for two thousand years. I welcome change.” His hand slipped down her arm, crept around her stomach so that his palm lay over their growing child. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of her, of their unborn child.