Fear reached into Charley’s chest again, squeezing her heart as Rudy’s words echoed through her mind.
She’ll be well taken care of… As long as you cooperate… you’ll be reunited…
He’d promised to return Sasha to Charley after the heist, but she knew better than to believe him.
He was a fuckingdemon.
A shudder wracked her limbs.
I have to find my sister. Now.
She hopped up from the kitchen stool, but the sudden movement made her swoon.
“Easy,” Dorian said, steadying her.
She lowered herself back to the stool and closed her eyes.
“Sasha,” she whispered. “They took her.”
“I know, love.”
“Did you see them drive off?”
“No.” Dorian stroked her cheek. “We found you in a different alley altogether.”
He told her the story, but she suspected it wasn’t the first time she’d heard it. Her mind was so hazy. Her uncle, the demon eyes, the grays… All of it was blurring together.
“Silas,” she blurted out. “That was the vampire with Rudy. He tried to compel me.”
“I know.” Dorian pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for an eternity.
Charley grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t remember. Why don’t I remember?”
“Shock, most likely,” Dorian said. “But Isabelle and Colin have both assured me you’re going to be okay. Just a little banged up is all. We need to watch you for any symptoms of concussion.”
Concussion? It seemed so minor, so insignificant compared to what Sasha must be going through.
“But my sister—”
“We’ll get her back, Charlotte.” Dorian pressed his lips to her forehead again, his kiss as gentle as his voice. “You need to rest tonight. Can you do that for me? Let me work on this while you—”
“No. No way.” Charley tried to stand again, but Dorian put his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place. She looked up at him through watery eyes, every muscle screaming in protest. The pain didn’t matter, though. Charley felt like a mother bear, overcome with a fierce need to find her sister. “I have to go to Rudy’s place. I have to get to him and—”
“And do what?” Dorian asked. The gentleness evaporated from his voice, anger taking its place. “He’s a violent psychopath and a demon, for fuck’s sake. And right now, he’s holding all the cards. He’s using your sister as bait. He wants you out of the way, Charlotte, and if you think he won’t finish the job…”
Dorian’s voice broke at the end, and when Charley met his eyes again, she saw her own fear reflected right back at her.
She pressed her bandaged palms to her temples. “I have to try. I can’t just stay here and… and do nothing while she… and I’m… and the heist is… and…” Charley tasted blood in her mouth again, another cut that wasn’t deep enough for stitches but still stung like a bitch.
Fuck.
She was being ridiculous. She couldn’t even stand up, let alone face off with the demon who’d done this to her. She had no fight left—not tonight. She could barely breathe.
Charley felt like a child stuck in a nightmare, crying out for a mother who would never come.
“I thought I’d lost you,” Dorian whispered. He bent down and gathered her in his arms, pulling her to his chest in a suffocating embrace. “Nothing else matters but you and Sasha.”
“But—”
