“Dorian,” she said, her voice soft and muffled, way more sensual than he cared to acknowledge. “What the hell is going on? Why did you leave last night?”
Pain laced her words, and Dorian was immediately sorry, knowing he’d been the one to cause it.
But then the truth rushed back at him with a vengeance, and he shored up his heart, determined not to waver.
Not again.
Not ever.
“As I’m sure Gabriel explained,” he said coolly, “it’s too dangerous in the city right now, and I don’t have enough men to keep watch over you.”
“I understand, but you can’t just send your brother here to pick us up like we’re the forgotten dry cleaning.” She sighed into the phone, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Dorian, we almost died last night. When I woke up without you this morning, I thought… I thought something happened. I was worried.”
Even at a whisper, the concern in her voice was clear.
Now, in addition to the desire and repulsion duking it out in his chest, molten guilt flooded in, burning away everything else.
He resented all of it.
He resented her.
He didnothave time for this.
“Please don’t fight me, Charlotte,” he said, exasperation creeping into his voice. “Not on this.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Dorian nearly laughed. The answer could fill an entire library, and he could just as easily ask her the same question, filling a second.
Between the two of them, there were more unexplained mysteries than the ones lurking in the crypts—and most of them were almost certainly lies.
Not an ideal start to a relationship.
Which is why there willbeno relationship, you bloody fool. Nor any more carnal delights, no matter how quickly the sound of her fucking voice makes you hard as stone, even now…
“We’ll discuss everything later,” he said. “In person.”
When I can read the lines of your deceptions in those beautiful, devious eyes…
By the silence that followed, Dorian knew he’d won her over. Charlotte was nothing if not pragmatic; she’d seen a glimpse of what a vampire like Duchanes could do, and there was no way she’d risk another altercation—especially not where her sister was concerned.
“Fine,” she finally said, and Dorian tried not to sigh in relief. “We’ll be there in a few hours.”
“It shouldn’t take you more than two, even with traffic.”
“Sasha’s in the process of convincing Gabriel to take us to lunch.”
“Lunch? Did you not warn her he’s the most ruthless Redthorne of all? She’s got a better chance convincing the demon factions to attend afternoon tea at the Ritz-Carlton.”
“You haven’t met my sister. Her powers of persuasion are legendary.”
“I imagine she learned them from you.”
“Damn straight.”
Dorian didn’t know how the bloody hell he’d deal with the two of them in his home together.
The thought brought an uninvited smile to his lips anyway.
