Dark Promises(130)

Andre nodded thoughtfully. “Is it necessary to have your lab here, Gabrielle? Could you work out of the United States?”

Gabrielle’s heart jumped. She rubbed at her wrist, her fingers tracing the flames on the links of her bracelet absently as she considered Andre’s inquiry. She hadn’t been home in a very long while, but then her mother and father lived in the States. She stayed a distance from them because her mother still had the power to hurt her. She wasn’t afraid of her anymore, but she still despised the tantrums, and age hadn’t mellowed her mother’s fiery nature.

This is something you would be interested in doing? Living in the United States close to Teagan and Trixie?

She liked Trixie. The woman wasn’t just wise, she truly cared about people. Trixie might think she was as tough as nails, but she had a gentle heart, a gentle soul. If the three of them lived close they could support one another when needed.

I hadn’t thought of living there, Gabrielle admitted, and I know my research is important, so I wouldn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize it. Still, I kind of like the idea now that it might be a possibility. What do you think?

I think I will be happy anywhere that you are, Gabrielle. If we live there, you can have your dream house as long as the soil beneath it is rich in minerals.

Again her heart jerked hard. He had seen her long-ago dream and cared enough to remember. She didn’t need it anymore, but still, she was very happy that it mattered to him. She slipped her hand into his. Reality is far better than any dream, Aleksei. If we get the chance to move to the United States near Trixie and Teagan, I will love that, but I will love it just as much wherever we settle.

“Gabrielle?” Andre prompted. “Can you take your work out of the Carpathian Mountains? Teagan and Trixie have family in the United States. They cannot leave. We could set up a state-of-the-art laboratory for you. No one can live as long as we have without accumulating wealth. We can get you anything you need.”

Trixie nodded. “It would be nice to have you close, Gabrielle.”

She loved the genuine character Trixie had. Clearly she was a woman who called things the way she saw them. She was still eyeing Aleksei with a distinct wariness.

“I don’t honestly know. All the samples are here that I’ve been working on. The soil and the . . .” She trailed off. She’d been studying the biological makeup of the women who had suffered multiple miscarriages, looking for a common anomaly that might explain why they couldn’t carry and couldn’t breastfeed properly with the necessary nutrients. “Babies used to be able to go to ground with their mothers; now, they can’t, not the first few months. In a couple of cases, not for several years. Many of the women can’t properly feed their babies without supplements. There is a reason. It could be environmental, like the parasite that was a contributing factor but . . .” She trailed off again, realizing they probably weren’t that interested in what she did. They just wanted to know if she could do it anywhere.

She ducked her head. “I’d be willing to go to the States if Shea agreed to provide me with anything I needed from those living here.”

Aleksei’s fingers threaded through her hair. “If you would prefer to live in the United States, Gabrielle, I will have a word with the prince and we will make it work. What you are doing, the work you are doing, is too important to have you uncomfortable or unhappy. We will find a way.”

Gabrielle looked at Trixie and Teagan. They could help other ancients, but only if the three of them were together. Word would get out, as it did, on the common path of the Carpathian people, and the ancients would seek them out, especially if any of the seven ancients found their lifemate.

“I definitely would prefer to live in the United States near Trixie and Teagan if I can have a laboratory. We could help other ancients and . . .”

Maybe even Gary.

The thought was there before she could stop it. She glanced nervously up at Aleksei, meeting the brilliant green of his eyes. She lifted her chin. “I want to help Gary find his lifemate.” She said it firmly. Meaning it. Wanting Aleksei to see she meant it.

Aleksei nodded, his eyes warm and soft with an emotion that sent her heart skittering in her chest. “Of course you would want to help him, kislány, I would expect nothing less of you.”

His gaze continued to move over her face, and that slow drift of green held possession and something more. The more made her heart go from a fast flutter to a slow melt. Love. Pure and simple.

“You need to feed.” The words were intimate. His tone mesmerizing.

Gabrielle stared up at him, feeling as if she was falling, tumbling straight into those deep green twin pools. So cool. So beautiful and compelling. She didn’t notice that Andre had taken Teagan to the far corner of the courtyard, or that Fane was wrapped protectively around Trixie, clearly giving her blood. She had eyes only for Aleksei.