Page 151 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

“I thought I was imagining it,” Lily said, staring at him with worried blue eyes. “First, when I saw him at the night market, and then…”

“When?” he snapped. Lily flinched. They stood in the bathroom, the mirror reflecting their images beside the double sinks. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, little flower. Forgive me. My temper is on a short fuse. When?” The words came out calmer this time.

“At the opening ball. I caught a flash of his eyes in the crowd. Then again, at some of our other events. I swear I keep seeing glimpses of him, but they’re so brief. I thought…after that first time, you said he was dead. I thought I was imagining it, or wrong. I don’t know.” She placed her hand against her forehead.

“I saw him die,” he mused, trying to understand. But if Lio was alive, and clearly he was, then his touching Lily had been blatant. A message specifically intended for him. “Fuck,” he hissed, the realization sinking in deep. “He could have had your wrist in his mouth, your blood on his lips, in the blink of an eye.”

Lily’s eyes widened. She knew the temptation an amplifier posed to a vampire. All it took was a single taste. “But…you wouldn’t have let that happen. You stopped Henrietta.”

“I stopped Henrietta, yes. I will do the same for any who touch you. But it shouldn’t have come to that. Most vampires know better than to touch what’s mine.” Lily’s pupils blew wide at those words. She liked being his—didn’t need to say it aloud for him to know. “I would have killed him, Lily. My own son, in front of tonight’s crowd, had he put his fangs in your neck.”

“But…he’s supposed to already be dead.”

He ground his teeth. “Yes. That’s what concerns me. I need to speak with Marco.” He dropped her wrist, stepping away.

“Oh.” Confusion turned to disappointment. Lily’s expression shuttered. “Right. Of course.”

“Fuck,” he groaned as his control teetered on the edge. Things between them had been tenuous, at best. Tonight was supposed to be a chance for them to reestablish their relationship. Running off like this in the middle of the night…

“It’s all right,” she assured him, trying to hide what he plainly saw in her expression. Disappointment. The thought of disappointing her sickened him, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“It will only take a few minutes. Can you give me that?”

“Sure.” She shrugged, then glanced down at her dress, her beautiful dress. He’d imagined himself taking it off her, unwrapping her like the gift that she was. “I’ll just…go get ready for bed.”

“No.” The command fell from his lips. Her head snapped up. “I’d like to undress you tonight. Wait for me, please?”

Her expression softened. “Okay,” she whispered.

He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth before he left the room.

Marco was in the drawing room, a drink in hand, smirking. “Trouble in the bedroom?”

“Fuck off, Marco. Now is not the time.” Seeing his sire’s expression, Marco turned serious, sitting forward. “Lio was at the garden party tonight. He touched Lily.”

“Lio.” Marco repeated the name, expression unchanging.

“Yes. Lio.”

Marco’s lips parted in surprise, confusion. “But…you saw him die. And I saw his body afterward.”

“He’s very much alive. Lily has seen him here in Genia at several events. I know what I smelled on her wrist, Marco.”

“But…how?”

“I too would like to know,” he growled, fighting for control of his emotions. “But the how isn’t important right now. I want to know why. Why he’s not dead. Why he’s here. Alive. Leaving his scent on someone that very much belongs to me.”

Their gazes held.

“You think he’s the one who ordered Lily’s abduction,” Marco realized. “And…the blood ruby? Our family? Could it be his doing?”

Laurent cursed under his breath, then sagged onto the sofa across from Marco. “All this time, I worried about a traitor in our house. I went so far as to suspect Kian. I never liked the way he looked at Lily, especially after what happened with Henrietta.”

Emotions stirred within his chest. He’d been fond of Lio. He couldn’t deny the hurt he’d felt over his death. But this? This betrayal? It was far worse. Almost too much.

Marco knocked back his drink. “What do you need me to do?” His expression was grim—he understood the implications as well as Laurent did.

“What you do best. Find him. Tonight.”