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Dorian’s eyes flash with an intense and sudden anger as he screams into the phone, “I've never had to force myself on a woman. Women fall at my feet.”
“I know you still smell the virginity in her blood,” Stephan continues. “Why do you think that is? It’s because I would never force her, but you, on the other hand...You had to steal her from my castle. You knew that was the only way you could get her to go with you. Just like you know the only way you'll ever win her affection is by mating her.”
My eyes snap up with curiosity. What does he mean by that?
My unasked question is answered whenever Dorian snaps back, “I don't need to make her my thrall to make her fall in love with me. I can do that all on my own. In fact, she and I were just talking about how it would be great if we got to know one another first.Heridea,” he adds smugly.
I know he's intentionally trying to goad Stephan. Hopefully, Stephan will see through his ruse and realize that I don’t want to be here with Dorian.
Stephan is silent for a long moment before he says evenly, “If she chooses you, then so be it.”
Dorian’s eyes light up at the challenge.
“Let me hear her voice, so I know she's unharmed.”
Dorian raises an eyebrow at me, clearly giving me permission to speak.
“I'm okay Stephan,” I say, trying to keep my voice even.
“Remember everything I told you," Stephan says before Dorian quickly flips him off speakerphone.
“Ah, ah, ah. We'll have none of that. No passing along secret codes to my woman, and make no mistake, brother. Shewillbe mine. Don’t even think of being noble and trying some foolish effort to rescue her. We're in a location where you'll never find her, I assure you."
Dorian's eyes flick over to me as he continues talking to Stephan, "I promise you she will remain unharmed. She'll be my very special guest."
"Oh," he adds by way of afterthought, “in case you were wondering how I found your secret location...You really should hire more discreet help. All it took was a couple of blood cocktails laced with my little witch’s truth serum, and Jerry was singing like a canary.”
Truth serum. My mind goes back to that night I first met Dorian. How answers to his questions seemed to pour out of me unbidden. I remember the way he stroked his thumb over my lip and how it felt wet.
The slimy bastard...
I suddenly know he used his precious serum on me too.
Dorian pauses before his lips twist into another wicked grin. “On second thought, though, maybe he was just tired of your pretentious ass and was more than willing to betray you after you fired him for such a trivial matter. You’ve always been unreasonable that way, you know.”
I can't hear what Stephan says on the other end of the line, but Dorian’s eyes are glittering darkly when he chuckles. “Yes, may the best brother win,brother.”
Dorian ends the call and begins striding over to me with new purpose.
I swallow audibly, praying to any deity out there that can hear me that Dorian is indeed a man—or vampire—of his word.
Otherwise, I guess I'm fixing to die and join the ranks of the immortal.
Twenty-Eight
Stephan
“Fuck!”
My scream reverberates throughout my empty bedroom as I throw my phone against the wall and smash it into pieces. The crack doesn't give me any sense of satisfaction, though. My chest is heaving up and down as I breathe in and out like an angry bull. I try to take in deep, calming breaths as I remind myself that Dorian seemed to take the bait when I challenged him that he couldn't get Elena by any means other than force.
For once, I’m grateful that my brother has never been one to back down from a challenge. However, his word isn't worth much. I don't trust it as far as I can throw it, and I can only hope that he actually sticks by it for once—at least long enough for me to locate where he's taken my sweet little angel so I can get her back.
This is my fault. All my fault. I should have never left her alone. Even for a second. My brother was right about one thing. I've been trying to be too noble, giving Elena space when I thought she might want it. I should have kept myself barnacled onto her side at all times to prevent something like this from happening.
Because I know how wily my brother is. I knew he wasn't going to let it go once he saw how much she means to me. He set his sights on her, and Dorian is relentless when he wants something.
My chest squeezes at the thought of Elena alone with my depraved brother.
