She was dressed by the time he reappeared in the doorway wearing jeans but no shirt. He moved squarely into the doorway. “Come here.”
“No.” She held up a hand. “You stay right there.”
“Okay. Why?”
LeAnne glanced at the sink and grabbed her toothbrush from the holder. It would work as a stabbing weapon in a pinch. She turned back to him slowly and let the words fall out of her mouth. “You bit me.”
Dorian laughed, but it sounded off. His eyebrows drew together in the center. For a moment, his face went otherwise blank and his body utterly still. Then, something flashed through his eyes like an idea. They narrowed. He stroked his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Explain why you think I bit you.”
She pointed to the mark on her neck.
“You told me you did that when you fell.”
She let the statement sink in but still could not remember falling. After searching her memory, she knew she hadn’t. As clumsy as she was, she was sure of it. “I haven’t fallen.”
He laughed again. This time it sounded more convincing. “I know that’s what you said. Maybe you hit your head, too. Come here. Let me look at—”
“No! I am not. Not until I know you are telling me the truth. And right now, I think you’re lying.”
He stared at her, into her the way he had at the club. “Come closer.”
LeAnne felt that same tingle crawl up and across her brain the way she had before. She scratched the back of her scalp, then shook off the crawly feeling. “No, I really don’t, and if you’re doing that, stop.”
He muttered something that sounded like, “Shit.” Before she could say anything else, he was looming over her, inside her personal bubble.
She gasped and took a step back.
His hands caught her arms.
“Get off me!” LeAnne jerked, trying to free her wrists, but he did not let go.
“Look at me.”
She did without thinking. “Get out of my apartment!”
“Just listen.”
Losing it was not going to get her out of the apartment. She had to be calm. Maybe he would leave if she backed out of the conversation, convinced him she didn’t suspect a thing. It wouldn’t do any good to argue. That just made him more defensive. It was her only shot. LeAnne had to try, so she nodded and took a deep breath to steady herself.
He grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes. Again, that creepy feeling rolled up her head. A pain even shot through her brain like someone jabbed it with a knife.
“Ow!” It stopped as soon as she broke his gaze.
Dorian pulled her eyes back to his by moving her chin. The pain started again. “I did not bite you.”
She blinked, trying hard not to argue with him, but she glanced away.
“Dammit!” He let go of her. “Why didn’t that work?”
Dorian started to run his hand through his hair. Watching him worry, she wondered what it looked like when it worked. Obviously, the victim did not look away. Just telling someone you didn’t do something was not enough to convince them, especially when they were there. Unless you brainwashed them with some sort of mind control, but only the movie monsters could do it that quickly.
That was when a word hit her like the first drop of rain: vampire.
A torrent was right behind it, a flood of images: Count Chocula, Dracula, Halloween vampires, Edward Cullen, fangs. Flashes of movies ran through her head as she tried to process exactly what this all—
LeAnne felt her mouth slowly fall open. “Oh—my—God. You’re a—”
“Don’t finish that sentence!”
Dorian let go of her and raked his hands through his hair. He let out a frustrated growl. The usual mind tricks didn’t work. In all his years, he had never met a human he couldn’t control. LeAnne was the one mind-numbingly annoying exception. Of all the damned women on Earth, it had to be her, the one he actually liked. The one that would get him killed once Michael found out he had revealed their nature to her.
“Oh, shit.” LeAnne leaned farther away. “Oh, crap I must be losing my mind. This is crazy.”
He walked into the bedroom while she was still mumbling in front of the bathroom sink, holding that toothbrush in her hand. He started to pace again while he tried not to panic. There was no reason he could see for it not working. Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have enough power.
Dorian paced the floor more as he let the thought settle in. If it was just a matter of power, Michael could fix it. The padrone was going to come unglued when he told him, and Jonas would not be much better. They had been clear that during the next two days, Dorian was free to move around the city and feed. However, they had pointed out that he was to obey every damned law to the letter. This blew that right out of the—
“Hey. Can you come over?” LeAnne said in a hurried voice behind him.
Dorian whirled around to look at her, panic streaking through him. The phone was at her ear. She was calling one of them. “Who is that?”
LeAnne’s eyes went wide. “Tori.”
“Give it to me,” he said, striding toward her with his hand out.
“Hang on, Tor.” She held out the phone, her hand shaking.
Dorian grabbed it and started pacing, rubbing his hair with one hand as he spoke. “I’ve got a problem. Are you sober enough to drive?”
“Yeah,” Tori said in a hoarse, sleepy voice. “Wait. Maybe. I’m not sure. What’s going on?”
“Shit.” He sighed. “You know about me, right?” He paused. “Well, I came up to LeAnne’s apartment.”
“Did you fucking hurt her?” Tori was seething.
“No. She’s fine, but…” He couldn’t think of how to say it, to make her understand without alarming anyone. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly Michael’s voice was in the background. Dorian muttered a string of curses as he listened to Tori telling him what had been said so far. Tori said louder, “Michael wants to know if you bit her.”
Dorian groaned. “Yes.”
“And she’s okay?”
“Sort of.”
She relayed the answers to Michael, who said something. Tori came back to the phone. “She is physically healthy?”
“Yes. But she is fine. The problem is that she’s….well…”
“She figured you out?”
“Precisely.”
“Can’t you just do that memory thing?”
“Apparently not.” He paced more and fought the urge to crush the phone in frustration.
“What the hell? Don’t you know how?” Tori’s voice trailed off. Michael’s came on the phone. “LeAnne knows what you are. Is there a problem fixing that?”
“Yes. And I’m not sure why.”
“All right. I will be right over, but I am not happy with you.”
“I know. I apologize.” He could hear Tori cursing in the background. “There isn’t much time left. Tell Tori she can chew my ass off later.” Dorian took a breath. “See you in a few.” He pressed the screen on the little phone. It did nothing so he handed it off to LeAnne. “Here. I can’t turn the damned thing off.”
She took the phone. As soon as his back was turned, she asked, “If you’re a vampire, why don’t you just say so? I think it’s cool.”
He whipped around at her. “Are you crazy? Or do you just have a death wish?” His hands went through his hair again. The woman was crazy. That was all there could be to it. “Just don’t say anything else. We’re not having this discussion.”
“Why not?” She sat the phone down and folded her arms in front of her. “I can keep a secret.”
“Shush.”
“Don’t shush me!” LeAnne started bouncing her foot. “I’m not a child.”
“I know. Sorry. But we can’t talk about this.”
She was silent for a m
inute, but then opened her mouth again. “Zip it.” He let out a growl and paced. Anger flared up inside him, and Dorian gritted his teeth to hold it inside himself. The less they spoke about this, the better chance they could wipe her memory, and she really needed her memory wiped. If they couldn’t fix this, she would have to be bound to him—or someone else. Considering how Michael had no reason to trust him and every reason to kill him, there was no way he would allow Dorian to bond her. It was anyone’s guess who would bind LeAnne. The thought of someone else doing it made his blood boil.
Chapter Nine
Someone knocked on the apartment door. LeAnne headed for it before Dorian could turn around. He let her go because Michael would never let her out of the apartment with her new knowledge, but he walked just behind her toward the foyer. He turned the corner just in time to see her turn the knob.
LeAnne swung the door wide, revealing a stone-faced Michael and irate Tori. “Thanks for coming,” she said, as if they’d arrived for a dinner party.
“Are you okay?” Michael walked in with Tori in tow.
“Yeah.” She let out a nervous laugh and shut the door behind them.
“You.” Michael looked him dead in the eye and stopped just in front of him. His shook his head but didn’t say anything else.
Dorian didn’t respond. There wasn’t much to say at this point. He’d fucked up royally.
Michael glanced at LeAnne. “May I speak to Dorian in private for a moment?”
“Yeah. We’ll go in the bedroom. The living room is that way.” LeAnne grabbed Tori’s hand and headed toward the bedroom.
As she started to drag Tori away, Michael said, “No details. I want to try first.”
Tori nodded, and the two disappeared into the room. Dorian turned and was almost to the living room by the time the door shut. He leaned against the bar that divided the kitchen from the other room.
Michael stood in front of him but left a few feet of distance between them. His eyes narrowed. “Weren’t you only to give her a ride home?”
“Yes. I didn’t intend this.” Dorian ruffled his hair, trying to recall exactly how he let himself get into this mess. “I walked her up. She kissed me.”
“And you couldn’t walk away?”
He sighed. “I should have, but I just couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“She makes me crazy. She’s different.” Dorian probably should have chosen a better explanation, but there really wasn’t one.
Michael nodded and glanced down the hallway. He didn’t excuse it, but he had the look of a man who’d failed to walk away before. Since Tori was human too, Dorian was guessing she was the one Michael was thinking of. Then to Dorian’s complete surprise, he chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“I didn’t intend any of this.”
“I know.” The padrone nodded, then sighed. “Still, we have a problem.”
Dorian nodded this time.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
He decided to skip the parts that might embarrass LeAnne. “After I bit her, she passed out and woke up scared. She hid in the bathroom and remembers that I fed.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I think she remembers it all. I’ve tried to take the memory three times, and it doesn’t work. Neither did the other trucchi I’ve tried.”
“Hmm.” Michael scratched his temple. “Did anything strange happen?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m not sure this will work, but I am going to try. I don’t like the alternatives, Dorian. It’s one hell of a situation you’ve put her in.”
His gut twisted with the words. Nausea tickled the bottom of Dorian’s throat.
“We’ll save discussion of your punishment until we know what happens.” Michael walked to the bedroom door and knocked with one knuckle. “Ladies, we would like you to join us.”
Dorian listened hard and heard LeAnne say, “I don’t wanna go in there. He freakin’ bit me, Tori.”
“I know,” Tori said back quietly. “But trust me. You’re going to be okay. Michael won’t let him hurt you.”
“I don’t know why you’re helping them.” LeAnne sounded scared, and it made his heart ache for her.
Within seconds, the bedroom door opened. Dorian looked down the hall and saw Tori leading LeAnne out. She hooked her arm in LeAnne’s as soon as they cleared the doorway. “I’m not leaving her.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Michael said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He turned to LeAnne. “Look at me for just a moment. I want to examine your injury.”
Dorian watched from the bar as Michael took her chin, lifted it, and went to work. He glanced down, fighting the jealousy rising within him.
Michael’s power radiated through the room in forceful waves. The part of Michael’s blood inside him answered. His knees wanted to bend, to bow under the weight of the power. He grabbed the bar and managed to stay on his feet. Tori took a step toward him and placed a hand on his arm. There was no doubt the human was bound to him, but even one who wasn’t would feel something.
When he looked at LeAnne, he saw her head twitch a fraction. Then she grabbed it. “Ow. Quit doing that.”
Michael’s power flowed back toward him, pulling him and Tori forward. Again, LeAnne looked unaffected. When the power was completely gone, Michael said, “Come into the living room.” He walked ahead of them and stopped beside Dorian. He whispered low. “This cannot go unchecked.”
“I know.”
“You haven’t proven yourself worthy of my trust.” He glanced at the girls, who sat on the small brown couch, then back. “I will have to mark her.”
Despite the fact that he knew the padrone was doing all he could to protect his human friend, anger boiled up inside him. Images of killing the other two and fleeing with LeAnne flicked through his mind. He quickly stuffed them away and took a deep breath. Jealousy was attempting to make a fool of him. Although he wouldn’t say he was in love, Dorian couldn’t deny he had feelings for the human. It was the worst possible time for that kind of thing.
“Calm yourself,” Michael whispered. “We won’t do it tonight. I need time to prepare. You won’t be the only one who is angry. ”
Dorian nodded and glanced in the direction of the most important other one who would be angry. He didn’t know Tori well, but she didn’t seem the type to share her men. Actually, she didn’t seem the type to share much of anything. Having her best friend bonded to her lover was going to rock her world. Plus, he knew that Michael would have to have permission to bring LeAnne into their world.
Michael looked at the girls. “Tori, I need you to stay here with LeAnne. We will meet tomorrow night at the club to sort this out. Keep your phones on. I will text you with a time.” Tori looked confused, but Michael left no room for discussion. “Walk with me, darling.” He held his hand out to Tori, who crossed the room and took it. “Goodnight, LeAnne.”
“Goodnight.”
Together, they walked out the front door.
Dorian pushed off the bar and walked toward LeAnne. He watched for signs of fear, but she never looked up at him. He knelt in front of her and slowly took her hand. “I can never do enough to apologize for this.”
“I’m not angry.”
Dorian kissed the top of her head. “You should be.”
“I’m not.” She leaned back and looked at him. “I’m a little confused.”
He looked down and leaned back on his knees. Of all the cold-blooded, despicable things he’d done in his lifetime, dragging her into this world when he only had a few days left was the most unforgivable. He’d corrupted her in the worst way, showing her the darkest of the world. If Michael was kind, she would be bound to him and serve him with blood in exchange for his protection. At worst, she’d become a blood mystress for one of the foot soldiers of the cosca. The thought made him nauseous.
“I’ve put you in the worst danger.” Dorian raised his face to her. “I will do all I can to protect you.”
“They won’t hurt me.” She let out a small laugh. “Especially if you could turn me.”
He leaned back, pulling his hand away from her. “Don’t say that.”
Her eyebrow went up. “I can find someone else who will.”
“Promise me that you’ll never do that.”
The door opened behind them. Michael’s voice echoed through the apartment. “Almost sun-up, Dorian.”
He sighed. “Goodnight, sweet LeAnne.” He took her hand, raised it to his mouth, and placed a kiss on it the way he’d done other ladies’s for so long. Then, he stood, turned on his heel, and walked away.
* * * *
LeAnne listened as Tori said goodbye to the guys at the door. Then she heard the door shut and lock, and watched her friend walk into the main room, detouring to the fridge.
No sooner than Dorian was out of the room, LeAnne realized how cold she was. She was trembling, even inside, and the longer it went on, the more uncontrollable it became. She pulled her feet up, then grabbed a camel-colored throw from the back of the couch and snuggled under it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tori shut the door with a can of Diet Mountain Dew in hand.
“Well…” LeAnne let out a stressed laugh. “What exactly is okay after that?” Her mind was racing, but her body was exhausted. There would be no sleep again today, but at least she would have company in her insomnia. Her friend didn’t have the same problems sleeping, but Tori had many questions to answer.
“Good point.” Tori headed for the couch, downing a swig of soda. She sat and kicked off her shoes. “I’m not even sure where to start.”
“How about starting with what the hell they are and how you’re involved?” LeAnne sat up straighter and felt the first flickers of anger tickling her core. She didn’t try to hide her anger. One of her best friends for all but five years of her life had kept a major secret from her that, in the end, put her life in danger.
Dorian Page 9
