Page 7 of A Vampire's Pain
She looked back at me and then at the group before pointing to the one holding the bottle.
“Of course,” I mumbled lowly before moving further into the shadows, sighing defeated.
Valeri kept her eyes on her brother and the group he was with. Out of all the women in the world, then why her?! Why was she Damon’s sister?! Wait … Damon’s sister … Shit. I looked at Valeri again. I knew what had happened to her, and she was the reason for Damon and Dominic being so close today, but I never heard what happened to her afterwards. Where she went or who she was with. Why was she here tonight, but hiding from her brother? Something told me, Damon had definitely not brought her here.
“Valeri,” I called softly.
She looked back at me, before walking closer, away from the group.
“You’re Damon’s sister?”
She nodded.
“Then why are you hiding?” I asked.
She looked at the ground, looking so guilty suddenly, but I didn’t understand why.
“He … doesn’t know I am here.”
“Why?” I asked.
She looked to the side, almost as if she was looking for someone to come to her rescue and answer for her, but it was just her and I, and I wanted an answer.
“Valeri?”
Chapter 4
-Valeri-
Why was he pronouncing my name like that? Almost like he was breathing it. He made it sound better than it had ever sounded before, and it confused me a lot. It didn’t help, whenever we were close, that he made my heart beat like crazy, and his scent was damn mouthwatering. I just wanted to bury my nose in his neck and inhale. I knew it would make my heart beat even faster, and I would probably feel a little dizzy, but in a good way. Why was this hybrid affecting me so much?
“Answer me,” he said.
I crossed my arms and looked at him annoyed.
“I don’t have to answer you,” I said.
He moved closer to me and crossed his arms.
“You’re hiding from your brother. Why?”
His voice sounded dark and threatening almost, and his energy had changed. I almost wanted to bow in submission, even though I wasn’t a werewolf. It was hard to explain what was going on. I didn’t even quite get it myself, but suddenly he seemed much bigger and really dangerous.
“Valeri!”
“It’s not your problem!” I said and tried walking away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him, holding me there. “Let me go!”
He shook his head, and his dark eyes somehow seemed darker.
“Not until you answer me,” he said.
“Why do you need me to?”
“Is he hurting you?”
I stared at Gabriel, shocked, and stopped struggling against him. I realized then why he was reacting like this. He thought Damon was hurting me, and that was why I was hiding from him. I sighed and shook my head. He had it all wrong, and I needed to make it right.
“Of course not,” I said softly.
