“Let it go,” I said pulling uselessly at him. Jonathon looked at me and saw the fear in my eyes and sat back. I let out the breath I didn’t know I had been holding.
We hadn’t even been gone twenty-four hours and already there were problems. I knew Gabriel was powerful, thought persuasion was a hard power to control, or so Jonathon told me when I asked him about Gabriel a couple of days ago.
Gabriel was the first vampire with the power of thought persuasion. Gabriel was also apparently the first vampire created outside the elusive Originals. Jonathon said the power of thought persuasion was a hard one to control. The power of thought persuasion can backfire on the person using it. The power can get a mind of its own and take over the vampire’s mind. That might explain why Gabriel’s always so grouchy. Jonathon said it took a lot of Gabriel’s energy trying to keep the power in check. But that’s all he would say. I knew there was more he wasn’t telling me and probably would never tell me and I certainly wasn’t going to ask Gabriel himself about his power. But I just had a feeling there was more to Gabriel’s story than I knew.
I knew when we crossed the border into Switzerland because Jonathon let out a sigh of relief. Selena could still get us outside of Italy but I think it made him feel better to think she was a long ways away.
Danny pulled into a gas station that looked old and greasy. We all pulled off the road and in behind him.
There was only one gas pump so he filled up his Hummer and then pulled away so we could fill up the Infiniti, and then the rest did the same.
The place looked like something out of a horror movie. It was small and brown. Brown, because it was covered in layers and years of dirt. It looked like at one point it had been blue. Or maybe gray. The window were so covered in dirt that you could see the shape of someone’s hand where they had tried to wipe it away. Not only were the windows dirty but many of them were also broken and glass littered the ground.
We pulled away and stopped another ten minutes later at a tavern type place. Jonathon and I got out of the car with Joseph and Gabriel as our guards. Ugh, guards. I still thought Jonathon was going overboard but I do whatever it took to appease him. Even if it meant riding in a tank proof car with a cranky black-clad vampire.
The place was nearly empty, with only a creepy looking bartender working. He was old and dirty, with wispy white hair, and only a few teeth left. I couldn’t help but shudder. This place was full of horror movie type buildings a people. I figured we were taking the ‘off the beaten path route’ and not the ‘rainbows and sunshine’ route. Too bad.
Even though the place was empty Jonathon had to yell to get the man’s attention. He was too busy cleaning the same glass over and over again. When he finally did get the man’s attention he handed us a menu covered in layers of grease.
I scanned it quickly and ordered eggs and toast.
As soon as the meal came I ate it as quickly as possible so we could be on our way. I di
dn’t want to spend another minute in the place. Joseph led the way out with Jonathon and me in between him and Gabriel. They were taking this ‘guard’ thing further than I felt it needed to go in my opinion.
The others were waiting patiently. When they saw us their engines started. We got in to the massive vehicle that I thought was completely unnecessary. Joseph took the driver’s seat again, I guess when you’re a vampire driving doesn’t make you tired. Gabriel, broodingly, took his former seat. If he hated being here so much why did he come?
We traveled on. We stopped a couple more times for food and gas.
As the day passed, we went through Austria and Hungary. We were stopping for the night in Hungary. Tomorrow we were going to be in Romania. That’s where we were to meet the others.
“Romania!” I had laughed when Jonathon said it, “Romania, as in home of the vampire!” I couldn’t help but double over in laughter even Gabriel cracked a smile.
“The legends of vampires in Romania probably stems from the fact that Romania is where the Originals dwell,” he said stern faced.
“The Originals? Who are they?” I asked. I had heard him mention them before when describing Gabriel to me.
“They are the originals, and named so. In essence every vampire in the world was created from them. The humans they bit but did not kill turned into vampires, and those vampires made more vampires, and so on. But if it weren’t for the Originals none of us would be here,” he said.
Gabriel muttered something under his breath. I wasn’t good with foreign languages but it sounded vaguely Greek.
When the last of the light was gone, and most of the stars were in the sky, we finally pulled into a hotel. Of course it was beyond fancy. Only the best for the vampires and the lone human.
Danny, Mason, and Benji hopped out first and disappeared, I’m sure doing a scan and sniff to make sure Selena wasn’t anywhere near or had been, they came back in less than three seconds and gave some sort of signal. Jonathon disappeared from my side.
He was at my car door in ten seconds with mine and his duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a cooler. A cooler that I was sure was stocked with blood.
He, Joseph, and Gabriel huddled around me like a protective shield even though the coast seemed to be clear. But I guess there was no point taking chances. I was thankful that no one was outside ambling around the hotel because I was mortified. If people saw me surrounded by these big, beefy, no-nonsense, guys they’d probably think I was a princess from some far off land. I snorted and Jonathon shot me a look. I shrugged my shoulders in answer to his inquiring gaze. I had thought it was funny because that’s what Jonathon called me, his principessa.
Patrick, Amelia, Balthazar, Diana, Vivian, and Viola were already in the lobby. Danny, Mason, and Benji followed behind us.
I felt like were in some sort of parade the way were lined up. It’s like every move had been calculated.
Patrick had already procured the various room keys. A key for Patrick and Amelia, one for Diana, Vivian, and Viola, one for Danny, Mason, and Benji, another for Jonathon and me, and then the last went to Joseph, Balthazar, and Gabriel.
The ride up in the elevator with Jonathon was awkward. I was getting more ticked off by the second. I could tell from the stubborn set of his jaw and shoulders that he was stressed and hiding something from me. He had been tense all day ever since the topic of the Originals was brought up. Quite frankly, I was sick and tired of him always keeping stuff to himself. Could he not confide in me? Was I not good enough?
When we finally reached our room I stumbled to the bed in exhaustion. Today had been stressful, confusing, and very tiring. Jonathon laid down beside me, he didn’t jostle the bed, but I knew he was there because I could feel him breathing.