Gabriel's Mate by Tina Folsom Page B

wrong—the tooth was intact. Did she really have fangs? Maybe the tooth had always been that way and she’d never really noticed.
    She touched her finger to the teeth on the other side of her mouth, and the same structure greeted her there. But the sharp edge wasn’t enough to qualify as a fang. She remembered that she’d seen no fangs on either Gabriel or his friends. Could it be that fangs didn’t always show, that they only came out when you needed them?
    Maya closed her eyes and thought of her hunger, visualizing Gabriel’s blood again. To her surprise, she sensed a tensing in her jaw. Something was happening. Slowly, the two incisors lengthened and drew into sharp tips. Her eyes flew open. This couldn’t be happening! No, there had to be another explanation.
    Was she really a vampire?
    She had fangs, fangs to bite people, fangs she’d already used to bite Gabriel. Wasn’t that proof enough? She’d bitten him, tasted his blood and liked it—no, loved it. What kind of creature would do such a thing if not a vampire?
    Maya tried not to think about what had led to the bite, but it was hard not to remember the kiss they’d shared. Well, maybe shared wasn’t the right word—she’d basically thrown herself at him like some starved-for-attention teenager.
    She’d always been aggressive when it came to dating and sex, but the way she’d acted with Gabriel had been purely wanton. His arms had been gentle enough to comfort and soothe a child, yet she’d reacted with lust and passion. She remembered how hesitant his kiss had been, how reluctantly he’d given into her advances. But the more he’d held back, the more she’d gone after him, pressing herself against his muscled body like a bitch in heat.
    The tears she’d shed in his arms had taught her one thing: she was not dead. Whatever she was now—vampire or not—her heart hurt as much as a human’s, and her emotions were as deep as always, if not deeper.
    What her new life would bring, she didn’t know, didn’t even want to guess at this point. What would she tell her family? She thought of her parents. She was an only child. How long would she be able to hide from them what had happened to her? She wondered whether she would be a danger to them, if she would attack them when she was hungry like she’d practically attacked Gabriel.
    Would she have to stay away from her parents to keep them safe? Never see them again? She couldn’t do that. She loved her parents. They’d given her every opportunity in life, supported all her endeavors. She couldn’t divorce herself from them. The thought hurt too much.
    And her work? If she was truly a vampire, she could kiss her job goodbye—she couldn’t remain a doctor if the sight of blood made her hungry and think of dinner. Just remembering the few drops of blood on Gabriel’s lips made her salivate. She’d never smelled anything so delicious. Her stomach growled at the thought. Oh God, how she wanted blood. This was more severe than any of her chocolate cravings had ever been.
    Besides, who wanted a doctor who could only work when it was dark? She wouldn’t be able to serve her patients when they needed her. She would have to hide what she was. For sure, nobody would want to come close to her once they knew she was a vampire. Hell, she herself wouldn’t want to get close. She couldn’t really blame anybody else.
    They would see her as a monster that hurt people. And wasn’t that what she would have to do? Instead of helping people, she would have to hunt them and feed off them. An ice-cold shiver went down her spine at the disturbing thought. It was probably what Gabriel had meant
    when he’d whispered to her that he’d take care of her and teach her everything she needed to know. Teach her to bite humans?
    Frustrated, Maya slammed her fist into the tile wall. It instantly cracked. Stunned, she pulled her fist back. With horror, she stared at the tile, then back at her fist. She felt no pain when