Black Blood by Melissa Pearl Read Free Book Online Page B

towards him and
pressed the button himself. He cut her protest short by lifting the
receiver to her ear then leaned in so he could hear as well.
    “You kept me
waiting a while,” the man’s voice held a hint of amusement.
    “Yeah, hi. Um…
so I’m ready to meet.”
    “There’s a
little café just off the main road, near your house. Faban’s… you
know it?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I’ll see you
there in half an hour.”
    “Wait! I’m
bringing someone with me.”
    “Your
boyfriend, Harrison?”
    Their mouths
dropped open as they looked at each other.
    “Y-yeah.”
    “I was
expecting as much. I’ll see you guys there.”
    The phone went
dead. Gemma slowly lowered it and slapped it shut.
    “So… he knows
about me then.” Harrison filled the eerie silence.
    Gemma nodded,
still looking a little dazed. He squeezed her fingers.
    “It’s going to
be fine.”
    He wasn’t sure
if either of them believed it, but that’s what he’d keep saying
anyway.
     
    Faban’s was a
quirky little café that looked out of place in the upper class
streets of Ponte Vedra Beach. The wooden walls were decorated with
pieces of local art that ranged from serene landscapes to retro
images that Harrison guessed held more meaning than he could
appreciate. The floors were dented and the tables were a mishmash
of varying sizes. The owner, a tall woman with dreadlocks, had an
easy smile. Coffees were served in huge bowls, the fries came
chunky and the sandwiches were thick slabs of bread stuffed with
every filling imaginable.
    Gemma held
Harrison’s hand with a vice like grip as they wove their way
towards a back corner that housed a couple of beat up sofa chairs
around a low coffee table. They plonked themselves down in front of
the weathered man. Harrison could feel the tension oozing out of
his girlfriend. The man before them was the complete opposite. He
was leaning back in his chair, his ripped jeans exposing a sun
tanned knee and his whole posture giving away a calm assuredness
that Harrison immediately liked.
    Clearing his
throat, he leaned over the table with an outstretched hand.
    “Harrison
Granger.”
    The man’s large
white teeth appeared as he responded in kind. “Gabriel Hunter, but
you can just call me Gabe.” He leaned back in his seat and moved
his gaze to study Gemma.
    She twitched
under his perusal. Her leg began to bob erratically. Harrison
placed a gentle hand on it.
    “ Okay, so
let’s get this over with. What do you want? Why are you following
me? How do you know about Harrison? Are you stalking his family
too? Because if you hurt them…”
    She leaned
forward with her threat, but it trailed to nothing as the man
raised his hands in surrender.
    “ I know
about Harrison and his family because you spend so much time with
them, but I’m not stalking them…
or you. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
    “What?
Why?”
    His eyes swam
with emotion as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his
knees. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, he took his time
to begin.
    “I’ve been
watching you for a few years now. I know what you are and I know
about your family. I don’t want to hurt you, but there’s some
things you need to know…”
    “Look you’re
wrong about the pure one thing, okay.” Gemma’s shoulders twitched.
“I’m not Decimus. I’m not going to betray my family, so you can
just forget about telling me to break up with Harrison.”
    Her chin jutted
out in defiance. She grabbed Harrison’s hand and stared at Gabe.
His eyes narrowed with mild confusion, but his voice remained
calm.
    “What are you
talking about?”
    Harrison
watched her rebellion deflate with the question.
    “I…”
    “Harrison is
the first person in the last four years that’s really made you
happy. I don’t want you to break up with him. I’m just here to
caution you.”
    Harrison’s head
bobbed. Gabe was a good man. He could sense it. He looked to Gemma
and gave her a reassuring smile, but she didn’t