Chapter 24
Dorian
I run my tongue over my fangs, silently commanding them to retreat as I draw in slow, deliberate breaths. Being back in the sanctuary of my home offers me a fragile sense of control now I’ve put distance between myself and Edie.
“What the fuck happened?” Logan asks, flicking a look at Viktor. “Where were you?”
I take another sip of the blood from our private reserve, letting it seep through me and help to mend the scorched flesh on my hands and face from the brief dash to my car.
Slowly, my skin returns to its normal colour, the tattoos resurfacing, dark and defiant.
I feel them form, the pain a powerful reminder of the first time they appeared beneath my skin when Basilia cursed me.
“I drank Edie’s blood,” I say, draining another bitter mouthful.
“Is she alive?” Logan asks, straight to the point, as usual.
“Yes.”
“I’m assuming you didn’t turn her.”
“No.”
“For fuck’s sake. She’s an Aegis.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Damn it, Dorian, you didn’t just risk your own life. You endangered all of us by exposing yourself, and for what, some pussy?” Logan snaps.
Fury surges through me, and I’m up in an instant, my hand crushing his throat as I drive him into the wall. “Do not speak about Edie like that,” I warn, my fangs dropping as I squeeze his throat.
“Dorian, easy,” Viktor says, stepping into my periphery, his hand on my shoulder. “Logan’s concerned for you, for all of us. What you did was reckless. You broke your own rules. You always said if you ever did, we should remind you of the consequences, no matter the cost.”
My jaw tightens. I don’t need another lecture about my failures. Still, I release Logan with a shove. “Insult Edie again, and next time I won’t hold back.”
Logan nods, straightening his collar. “I apologise.” He clears his throat, a muscle feathering in his jaw as he glares at me. “But you said you had this handled. I know you, Dorian. This isn’t just a passing fling, is it? She means something to you.”
“I don’t know what this is,” I lie, refusing to acknowledge the truth.
I can’t fathom why caring for Edie hurts so much, or how to even start explaining it to Logan and Viktor. My hand trembles as I rake it through my hair, stung by my own weakness.
“She’s different.”
“She’s an Aegis. Of course, she’s different,” Viktor says. “Just like her sister and Henrietta.”
“No, Henrietta isn’t the same,” I reply. “She can shield against Logan’s compulsion, but not mine, and not Sybil’s. I’d hazard a guess she’d be the same with you, too.”
Logan folds his arms across his chest and scoffs. “Trust her to be an entirely different species altogether. She’s fucking infuriating.”
“I like her. She’s—”
Before I can intervene, Logan lunges at Viktor, his fingers locking around Viktor’s throat with the same violent intent I’d shown him moments earlier. “Stay the fuck away from her.”
“Whoa. Easy now, I have no interest in Henrietta. None at all,” Viktor reassures him.
“Is Elizabeth more your type?” Logan throws back knowingly as he releases him.
Viktor schools his features, but we both catch the twitch of his brow, a telltale sign that beneath his carefully placed mask, he’s ruffled. “Stop projecting. This isn’t about me. This is about how hung up on Henrietta you are.”
“I don’t get hung up on anyone.”
“Tell me that again the next time you try to rip my throat out when I compliment her,” Viktor cuts back.
“Don’t fucking test me,” he warns.
“You like her, Logan. Just admit it,” Viktor persists. “Maybe, after all this time, you’re starting to feel.”
“Fuck that. This is just a passing annoyance. I’ll get over it.”
“Maybe you’re evolving. It’s not a bad thing.
You don’t need to hide your human side,” Viktor says.
He looks at me. “Dorian, you asked how I stop myself from feeding on humans, and I told you that I remind myself of my humanity every day. You can do that too. You care for Edie, and from what I’ve witnessed, she seems to care for you. There may be another option.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Logan mutters. “You really think she’ll keep this secret? This will end badly.”
“Not if Dorian lets his human side show. You can fight her blood’s draw. You’re powerful, Dorian. Talk to her, explain. Maybe she’ll keep our secret.”
I flinch. “I can’t do that.”
“You can.”
“I fed from her, Viktor. Her blood… Fuck, I want more. I want to drain her.”
My voice cracks as need wars with guilt, which brings up more human emotions towards Edie, tightening the vines that are trying to fucking destroy me. Just like earlier, I savagely cut those feelings off.
“Yes, you fed from Edie,” Viktor acknowledges, “But you didn’t drain her completely. You didn’t change her either. You’re capable of more than you give yourself credit for. You clearly care for her, so allow those human emotions back in. It will help.”
“You don’t understand, Vik. I can’t feel anything for her,” I shout, pushing to my feet as I drag my hand over my face.
“Then you don’t have any other option,” Logan persists, pushing off the wall and striding towards the door. “Turn her or drain her.”
Viktor shakes his head. “Dorian, no.”
I lock eyes with him, his disappointment twisting like a knife in my chest. Then I turn to Logan. “I’ll fix this. I know what needs to be done.” I push myself upright. “As soon as night falls, I’ll make this right.”
When I reach Edie’s house, darkness swallows every window, and the silence tells me she isn’t home.
Still, I slip inside the same way I did the night before, searching every room until I find myself back in her bedroom.
My eyes settle on the chaos of her unmade bed and I lean in, the scent of our passion conjuring memories of our night together.
They slam into me with such intense ferocity that I have to force myself upright instead of freeing my dick, pumping it until it’s dry and spreading my cum all over her sheets like I want to do.
“Get a grip,” I snap.
Pressing my eyes shut, I stand in the middle of Edie’s bedroom fighting every single base, feral need to claim and drain Edie, to fuck and devour her. Her essence still throbs inside my veins, the taste of her blood still lingering on my tongue.
So rich. So flavourful. So fucking addictive.
My eyes fly open as my gaze focuses on a bloom of crimson on her pillow.
I pick it up, burying my nose against it.
“Fuck,” I exclaim, my fangs dropping.
From inside my jacket pocket, my phone vibrates, and I pull it out, thumbing the screen. It’s Viktor.
“She’s not with Elizabeth,” he says, bypassing pleasantries as I chuck the pillow back onto her bed.
“Good. Keep an eye on her.”
“Are you aware that Elizabeth has a child?”
“Yes. Admittedly, it’s a complication. Just keep guard. If you suspect she’s going to leave the house to assist Edie, I need you to intervene.”
“I won’t hurt either of them.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Then how do you propose I keep Elizabeth away? She cannot be glamoured, Dorian.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
I don’t bother with goodbye as I end the call and dial Logan immediately.
“She’s here,” he says as soon as he picks up the call.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Stay there until I arrive. If they leave the house, follow them.”
Ending the call, I pocket my phone and climb out of her window. A few minutes later, I’m pulling up at the end of Henrietta’s street. Logan steps out of the shadows and greets me with a nod.
“Keep the engine running. I won’t be long,” I say.
His gaze flicks to Henrietta’s house. “Do you need assistance?”
“No. I’ll deal with this.”
“You’re going to glamour her memories, aren’t you?
” he asks, schooling his features, but I know him, he’s conflicted.
He’s drawn to Henrietta, just like I’m drawn to Edie.
He’s fought the attraction valiantly, and unlike me, he’s kept his distance.
But he knows I have the power to erase him from her memory, and that has to sting.
“It’s the only way to get Edie away from her. You know that.”
He nods once before slipping back into the car.
Striding towards Henrietta’s home, I brace myself for what’s to come. Edie will put up a fight, but I have no choice but to do what I must. I’m not here to drain Edie, and I’m not here to change her either, despite what Logan thinks.
I’m here to kidnap her. Do I have a plan after that? No, not at all. I’ll figure the rest out later.
Rapping my knuckles against Henrietta’s door, I wait. Seconds pass, and I see the curtain shift in her window. I can’t enter Henrietta’s house without her permission, but I can glamour her so she invites me in willingly.
Crouching, I open the flap to her letter box. “Henrietta, open the door.”
Footsteps sound moments later, followed by Edie’s voice rising in panic. “Don’t you dare, Henrietta,” she screeches. “Have you gone insane?”
There’s a scuffle, and I wince, knowing I’ve pitted them against each other.
The door swings open, and Henrietta looks up at me. Behind her, Edie stares at me wide-eyed, trembling. Yet despite her fear, her cheeks are flush, no doubt from my saliva still coursing through her veins.
“Edie, how are you feeling?” I find myself asking, and with that question, her body seems to sag ever so slightly, as though she’s been holding her breath until now.
Has she been worried about me, even after everything I’ve done?
I swallow the knot in my throat and force that thought away, concentrating on Henrietta.
“What are you doing here, you bloodsucking vampire?” she spits. My compulsion might have forced her to open the door, but it hasn’t quietened her anger just yet.
“I’ve come for Edie.”
“No. Edie isn’t going anywhere with you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m sorry to do this to you, Henrietta, but I have no choice. You’re not afraid. You’re not angry. Invite me in.”
“Henrietta, don’t,” Edie cries, trying and failing to smother Henrietta’s mouth with her hand.