Crave 02 - Sacrifice Read Free

whispered.
    “The human woman,” Ernst said coldly. “The one he betrayed us for.”
    “Yes.” Cold fear seeped into Gabriel’s belly. They were getting too close to Shay’s mother, and he had promised Shay that he wouldn’t let them hurt her mother. Shay had trusted him, but all his promisesseemed empty right now. “The woman had known the details.” He wouldn’t say her name. He wouldn’t tell Ernst anything about Emma McGuire. He’d find a way around that truth.
    “We should have taken care of this years ago.” Ernst shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I don’t know.” He
didn’t
know. Usually, he told Ernst everything, but when he’d seen Sam’s name in print, read descriptions of Sam’s wiry dark hair, his olive skin, his donkeylike laugh . . . it had felt private. Like getting a glimpse of his friend—his brother—again. And he missed Sam. It was a constant ache in his soul. Ernst wouldn’t have understood that.
    “What happened then?” Ernst went on, all business. “You didn’t tell this woman anything about us, did you?”
    “Of course not,” Gabriel said. “It wasn’t the woman, anyway. It was a man, a doctor. They were married, but . . . something happened to her. I’m not sure.”
    Can he tell I’m lying?
Gabriel wondered. It wasn’t possible to lie to his family, not when things were normal. Not when their communion was in place. Family members felt one another’s emotions like their own. But his own communion with his family had been severed when he was captured by Shay’s mother and stepfather.
    Ernst was frowning, as if he didn’t quite buy the story. Gabriel rushed on before his father could think through it any further.
    “Dr. Martin Kuffner, he’s the one who took me. He’s famous. He studies leukemia, or he did. Then he met Shay.” Gabriel’s voice wavered when he said her name, he couldn’t help it. Shay, who he’d held in his arms only yesterday. Shay, who had changed every opinion he held about humans. Shay, who he loved.
    “The girl?” Millie asked.
    Ernst made a sound in his throat. Disgust. Revulsion.
    “Yes. She was sick and no one knew why. Martin married her mother, and he began researching a cure for her blood disease, but of course it wasn’t really a disease. She’s Sam’s daughter. She’s half vampire, half human. It made her weak. Actually, it almost killed her.”
    “It should have died at birth,” Ernst spat. “If I’d had any idea that
thing
could live, I would’ve hunted down the woman myself.”
    “Modern medicine,” Gabriel replied. It was what Sam had said to him, back when he first found out about Emma’s pregnancy. Modern medicine would keep the baby from dying the way half bloods always died. And it had—it had kept her alive, but always on the brink of death. “Anyway, Martin knew the truth about Shay’s father.”
    “Because the woman couldn’t keep her mouth shut,” Ernst said. “No surprise there.”
    “She only told him—a doctor she thought could save her daughter. She never even told Shay,” Gabriel protested. “The mother was gone by the time I met Shay, and Shay still didn’t know who her dad was. Think about it. This girl just found out what she truly is a few days ago. She needs a place . . .”
    Ernst’s expression had clouded over, and Millie’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. Gabriel let his words trail off. He shouldn’t be defending Shay. They weren’t ready to hear it yet. He couldn’t let them see how attached he was to her, not any more than he already had. He had to stay calm, act rational . . . and keep them from suspecting that he planned to rescue her if he couldn’t find a way to convince them to let her stay.
    I’ve got to get to Shay.
He planned to take her out of here if hisfamily wouldn’t accept her. He was willing to leave his home, to anger and betray his father. Just like Sam had done when he’d fallen in love with a human. The realization stunned