Besides, he’d proven most of them wrong during the war. He’d hated standing against his father and brothers, but he made a name for himself on those fields. His side lost, but he’d become such a thorn in the Lord’s side that the twisted prick was still trying to hunt him down.
He took great pride in that.
Chapter Thirteen
“But you suredon’t like hearing about your friend, someone you trusted, screwing your daughter or that a dark fae is banging her,” Orin continued. “A dark fae with alotof previous sexual partners, as all dark fae have. I bet you saw Cole go through avastnumber of women during the war. And now our brother is going through your daughter, or should I say”—he made a circle with his left index finger and thumb before shoving his right index finger through it a few times—"intoher.”
“That’s enough,” Del snarled, and his fangs flashed in the dim light of the nearby torches.
Orin’s smile widened. “Does that bother you, vamp?”
“Orin,” Varo cautioned.
His little brother never had the stomach for this sort of thing, but mind games were where he excelled.
“He’s mated her too,” Orin continued. “The lycan part of him has claimed her. I’ve seen the bite, but then, those lycans always like to mark their territory.”
Orin studied the vampire’s face for the tiniest reaction.
“The Lord had our father killed because he wanted Cole to assume the throne, and he has,” Orin said. “Unfortunately, he had to return to the Gloaming to fight a rebellion there; your daughter went with him.”
Nothing.
“But not before the Lord had her brought to Dragonia.”
It was like talking to a wall as Del kept his face impassive while he stared at a spot over Orin’s shoulder.
“Now that he knows about her, the Lord intends to use her to keep Cole in line. After all, she’s his mate, and we all know a lycan will do anything for their mate. The Lord is going to keep a close eye on her. If Cole steps out of line, he’s going to let his men rape her.”
A small muscle twitched at the corner of Del’s eye.
“That’s if he doesn’t let his dragons eat her like he commanded one to do to our father. Not to mention, I’m sure the Lord will spend some time with her too. She is beautiful, and many men would be happy to take her to bed… willing or not. But, if there was some way to bring the Lord down, some secret only a few knew about, then we could all work together to keep her safe.”
Orin paused to let his words sink into the stubborn vamp’s head before continuing.
“I saw a silver marking on your daughter’s hand, Delano, so I stuck it in some fire.”
Del’s eyes burned a little hotter.
“Do you know what happened?” Orin inquired.
Andthereit was! The tiniest flicker in his eyes and a small shift in Del’s posture was a subtle enough change to let Orin know he held the vamp’s full attention. He’d also stopped breathing as he waited to hear Orin’s reply.
Del wouldn’t have this reaction if there weren’t something to react to, no matter how small it was.
“Do you know, Del?” Orin pressed.
Del didn’t respond.
“Well, I’ll tell you, it burned her,” Orin said.
“Of course it did,” Varo muttered.
“No,notof course,” Orin said as he stepped closer to the door. If the metal weren’t separating them, he would be standing toe to toe with Del. “Because she’s not what she claims, is she, Del?”
Del didn’t respond.
“If the Lord has his way, then she’s going to be around him and his dragons more often. He’s going to rape her eventually; there is no avoiding it, and we all know it, including her. Can you imagine how terrified she must be of that knowledge?”
