Now he was alone with Maya’s sobs and his own pain. He could only too well imagine what she was going through, but this was more than empathy. He’d never felt another person’s pain so intensely. Only kindred spirits felt each other’s pain like this. So why did his heart ache for her when he barely knew her?

Determined to help her, he walked into the bathroom. Like a little bundle, she crouched against the bathtub, her arms hugging her legs, her head buried between her knees. With two long strides, he was at her side and picked her up in his arms.

She gave no resistance. All the fight had gone out of her. The woman, who had so bravely faced them thinking they were God-knows-what-kind-of-criminals, had crumbled.

Gabriel cradled her against his chest and carried her back into the bedroom, where he lowered himself into the armchair in front of the fireplace. He kept her in his lap and stroked his hand over her back in long and gentle motions.

“You’re not alone. We’ll take care of you.” He would take care of her. He alone wanted that responsibility. He would make sure she would never have to cry again. He’d made the decision to keep her alive, so the responsibility fell to him. But this was more than a responsibility to him. He wanted to take care of her.

With every breath she took, new sobs left her chest. Her tears soaked his white shirt as she clung to him like a drowning woman.

Gabriel had no experience with women’s tears, but he didn’t shy away from hers. She had every right to cry. Her whole life had been uprooted. Nothing would be the same again. Choices had been taken away from her, and she didn’t even know the half of it yet. Not only would she have to drink human blood and stay out of daylight, her life as a woman had changed irrevocably with that one fatal bite. The least he could do was comfort her and give her whatever she needed.

“Why?” she sobbed, taking a big gulp of air into her lungs.

Gabriel stroked his hand over her silky-soft hair and brushed a light kiss on top of her head. “I don’t know, baby. But I promise you, we’ll punish whoever did this to you.”

He wasn’t sure that she’d heard him since her sobbing continued uninterrupted. But he hoped his voice would soothe her, so he continued to talk to her, whisper meaningless words to her, if only to reassure her that he was here, that somebody cared. Word after word spilled from his mouth, soft words full of emotion. He didn’t understand where they came from. He’d never been a man of many words, and he’d never had the occasion to utter sweet things to a woman.

His hands roamed freely over her back, her hair, even her legs, and she didn’t push him away. All he did was soothe her, show tenderness and caring, because he knew she needed it at this moment when her whole world had shattered into a thousand pieces. He wouldn’t let her bear the pain on her shoulders by herself. He would carry the burden with her as much as she allowed him to.

“I won’t rest until justice is done,” Gabriel promised, not just to her, but to himself. A rogue vampire had hurt her, and he would have to pay for it. No one should be allowed to hurt a woman like Maya, a creature so perfect, he shouldn’t dare desire her.

But he did.

Holding her in his arms, feeling her sweet behind in his lap and her head buried against his chest was the most divine feeling he’d ever experienced. She felt small against his body, so vulnerable, even though now, as a vampire, she was physically stronger than she’d ever been as a human. There was little that could hurt her physically now: her heart was another matter.

“What am I gonna do?” she suddenly wailed.

He rubbed her back softly, trying to reassure her that everything would turn out all right. “We’ll figure it out together. I’ll be with you all the way.”

Gabriel wanted her to trust him. Him, the stranger she’d stared at with horror when she’d awoken. Her look hadn’t escaped him. Her eyes had widened with fear and shock when she’d seen his scar. She’d been unable to tear herself away from the sight, and he’d seen that look before many times. But to be scrutinized by her in that fashion had hurt somewhere deep down. Had he really expected she would look at him differently? Had he really thought she would be able to look past the physical disfiguration and see the man underneath?

Gabriel knew it was dangerous to dream. If he allowed himself to hope, he risked an injury more severe than any knife could inflict. It was better to forget about the feelings this woman stirred up in him, the desire she invoked, the lust she unleashed. He would help her get through this—no matter what. Whether she would see more in him than just a mentor was doubtful, and it shouldn’t matter. She needed him, and he wanted to be there for her—in whatever capacity she desired.