Chapter 23 - Gift or Curse?

Frustrated, I took Gabby's hand and started to lead her through an overly interested crowd. They willingly parted for us, turning as we neared though I knew they couldn't hear us. Gabby was right. It was as if they sensed her, as if she sent out some kind of signal. She'd told me. I'd just never seen it get this bad.

When we reached the door, a man tried to sell me an empty cup for three dollars while offering Gabby one for free. Gabby politely said no. What was he thinking? Who wanted an empty cup? Even for free?

I glared at him and pulled her inside as he continued to look at her with interest. Immediately, my eardrums wanted to bleed. The bass echoed in my ribcage and made my teeth ache.

I pulled Gabby through the crowded entry, into a packed living room, then shouldered my way to the small couch. I glared at the two males sitting there. They uneasily stood and left, making room for the women to sit. Alcohol fumes permeated the air. Uneasy with the mood of the room, I stayed near Gabby, sitting on the arm of the couch. The men around us were drunk and unpredictable. I didn't like it.

One of the males across the room caught sight of Gabby and made his way over.

When the man stopped in front of her, he swayed slightly on his feet. Gabby wouldn't look at him. Good girl.

The music decreased in volume as a softer song came on. I would have sighed with relief, but the man used the opportunity to try to speak to Gabby. The alcohol he'd consumed had impaired his tongue, making him hard to understand.

"Hey... wash shore name?" he asked.

"Go away." Gabby's quick response almost made me smile.

"Wanna go up shtairs? They have a pool table."

Nicole coughed, an attempt to hide her amusement. I was not amused. I narrowed my eyes at him and curled my hands into fists to hide my nails, which were slowly changing color.

"No. Go away." Gabby turned to glare at the man.

From where I was sitting, just slightly behind her, I caught the man's attention and bared my teeth. The flare of white snagged his attention, and his eyes widened before he started to nod and smile.

"Oh, god it man. Sheesh yours."

I nodded in return, and he moved away from us. Both women looked up at me.

"What did you do?" Gabby said.

After a moment's hesitation, I bared my teeth, showing my elongated canines. As I anticipated, she didn't like it. Worry tinged her usual scent, which was hard to pick up with all the odors in the room.

"If you keep those in all night, you're going to have sore gums tomorrow," she said.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Those are so real looking. You have to tell me where you got them," Nicole said.

Ah. She wanted Nicole to believe my teeth were fake. Just so long as the other men eyeing Gabby thought they were real, I didn't care.

"He won't say," Gabby said to Nicole. "Warm enough? Are you going solo or do you want backup?"

Nicole's obvious nervousness hadn't left her. She wasn't ready to talk to whoever drew her here; yet, I didn't think staying much longer wise. The men across the room were starting to frown at Gabby. Was it the challenge I'd feared she'd face or her pull?

While I kept my narrowed gaze on them, Gabby reached out to pat Nicole's bare shoulder. They both yelped, drawing my attention.

"I'm so sorry, Nicole," Gabby said. "I was just going to tell you that we should say hi now, and I go and shock you, instead."

How had she shocked Nicole?

"No, I know what that was. It was a jump start." Nicole smiled at Gabby. "I'm going to go out there now. If I can't get his attention, we can go." Nicole stood and made her way to the door.

I turned my attention back to the men and found their stares no longer on Gabby. The men who had seconds ago frowned at Gabby now moved to follow Nicole. The sudden change, though welcome, had me puzzled. I glanced at Gabby and saw her studying the men as well.

She cast a worried glance in Nicole's direction and stood quickly. She almost fell, and I wrapped my hands around her waist to steady her, truly concerned. She didn't acknowledge me at all. Instead, she kept her focus on Nicole.

After a moment, Gabby slipped from my hold and started to follow. She seemed steady, but I stuck close and remained ready.

Where people had turned and moved for us on the way in, they completely ignored us now. I had to push people out of our way. Someone almost stepped on Gabby. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and turned him like a puppet.

Meanwhile, Nicole had no problem weaving through the crowd, and the distance she gained seemed to upset Gabby.

We made it to the porch as Nicole approached a man. I heard her say hello, and the man turned to Nicole with an eager smile. The attention he gave her reminded me of Scott.

Gabby didn't move to approach the pair. Instead, she worked her way to the railing to watch.

The men around Nicole all turned to stare at her. As I watched, I realized this was similar to how men paid attention to Gabby. A tad more intense, but I'd never seen Gabby in a dress like that around men. Just the thought made my hackles rise.

Gabby shifted from foot to foot, drawing my attention. A shiver shook her, but it didn't remove her focus from her friend. I watched the shivers increase and the group of men around Nicole grow. How long did we need to stay? The men were no longer a problem, it seemed, but the cold still was.

Apparently having the same thoughts, Gabby reached back, wrapped her petite hand around my wrist, and tugged my arm up. I didn't need any more of an invitation. I widened my stance and pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her. She leaned back into my chest, and I set my chin on her head, trying to touch her as much as possible. I told myself it was only to share my warmth.

"I don't feel good," she said. Her teeth clacked together as she spoke.

I lifted my hand to her forehead. She didn't feel feverish.

"Do I feel warm?" She twisted her neck to look at me, and I shook my head.

She didn't turn back around. Instead, she continued to gaze at me. A small smile lifted the corners of her lips, and her gaze softened. My heart stuttered at the change in her expression. Everyone around us ceased to matter. I knew what Gabby was thinking when her gaze dropped to my lips. I'd never wanted anything so badly than for her to follow through with her thoughts.

She seemed to shake herself from the moment.

"I think I'm ready to go, but I don't want to leave Nicole here. What are my chances of getting her away from him, you think?"

With a heavy heart, I turned my gaze from Gabby to glance at Nicole. The woman didn't appear to like all of the attention anymore. She seemed nervous again.

"I think now's a good time to s-see," Gabby said.

I loosened my hold but kept a hand on the small of Gabby's back as she moved forward. She shook with cold, and her plodding steps made slow progress. The people around us didn't seem to notice and would have easily pushed her aside in their pursuit of a good time... if not for me. I pushed back. People who didn't move were moved. A few grumbled, but I bared my teeth and dared them to take offense. Each one stumbled away.

When we finally reached the group, the men turned to glare at me as if I were interested in stealing Nicole from them. I was. But only so I could take Gabby home. She was worrying me. In all the time since we'd met, she'd never once been sick. Why now? And why were the men, who normally fawned over her, suddenly treating her like she didn't matter?

"Hi, guys," Gabby said to the group. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to pull Nicole away for just a minute."

Nicole's smile widened as she glanced at Gabby then back at the men.

"I'll be back in just a bit," Nicole said to them. "Can someone get me a soda?"

She took Gabby by the arm and turned her around so fast I barely had time to move out of the way. I scowled at her. Couldn't she see Gabby was sick? You can't tug around a sick person like that.

Sticking with the pair, I followed them from the porch and across the yard, in the direction of Gabby's car.

"Thank you for that," Nicole said. "It was really weird the way they were acting tonight. I guess mermaid sends off the wrong vibe. I hope he remembers talking to me, though. I liked it until his friends showed up."

Impatience ate at me as I watched their slow progress. I wanted to pick Gabby up and carry her to the car. My concern hadn't yet outweighed my fear of her reaction though.

"Yeah," Gabby said. "He s-seemed okay. D-don't trust his friends."

"Are you okay?" Nicole asked, looking closely at Gabby.

Finally, she notices, I thought.

"I think I'm getting sick or s-s-something. Clay felt my head, but s-said I didn't feel warm."

"Is Rachel going to be home tonight? You said she's going to school for nursing, right? She'll probably know if there's something going around on campus. The nursing students doing clinicals always seem to know."

"Good idea."

Halfway to the car, Gabby noticeably flinched and started shaking more. She needed to warm up. I ran ahead and started the car. Then, I got back out and waited for them by the door. As soon as they were close, I opened the door for Gabby. She was too pale with dark circles under her eyes.

Nicole kept an arm around Gabby as she helped her into the front seat.

"Do I look as b-bad as I f-feel?" Gabby asked with a weak smile as Nicole buckled her in.

Nicole glanced at me, but I couldn't tear my gaze from Gabby as I circled the hood to get in. What had happened? She'd been fine all day. There hadn't been any signs of illness. Not a single sneeze or sniffle like humans tended to display.

"Well, you do look like you're coming down with something. I'm so sorry I begged you to come out tonight."

"Don't w-worry about it. It w-was r-really interesting."

Nicole closed Gabby's door and got in back.

I sped home because, despite the heat pouring from the vents, Gabby's shivering had gotten worse. Her teeth chattered nonstop.

The dark house was a welcome sight when I pulled into the driveway.

"I hope you feel better," Nicole said. "I'll see you on Tuesday."

Gabby only nodded as I parked by the porch. I immediately got out and walked around the front of the car as Nicole left. Gabby blinked slowly, miserably, as she watched me.

I opened the door and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Keeping a firm hold on her, I helped her from the car and across the porch. As soon as I had the door open, she slipped from my hold, stepped inside, and started to tug off the flannel. I followed closely, ready to help in whatever way I could.

"Clay, c-can you get my towel?" she asked, pausing outside the bathroom to drop the shirt on the carpet.

A shower? I nodded. It would help warm her faster.