Dorian does. Despite my aversion to most things involving organized crime, I feel no repulsion at the thought of Dorian killing a scumbag like Clyde. I almost lost a leg because of that man.
“Would you like that?” Dorian questions, rubbing a hand up and down my arm.
I nod slowly. “I think so.”
He smiles. “Good. I’d do it anyway, but it’ll be nice not to have to hide it from you.”
I frown. “If we’re going to be… whatever we are, you can’t hide anything from me. I need to know that when I ask questions, you’ll give me honest answers.”
Dorian’s lips thin. “That requires a great deal of trust and certain concessions from you, Mira. I can only be open with you if you give yourself to me fully, if I know for sure that you’d never repeat anything you heard. Open yourself to me, and I’ll give you the same courtesy. Otherwise, I have to protect myself through silence, because lives depend on my ability to keep my mouth shut.”
I swallow. “Like Connor and Seamus’s?”
Dorian nods. “They’re my legion. I’ll protect them to the end.”
I feel a faint smile pull on my lips. “Your legion? I thought legions require more than three men.”
“In ancient times, sure, the concept of legions were large military units with several subdivisions. Legions prized courage, respect, loyalty, competence, obedience, and hard work. All of those things apply to the self-made legion whose members live in this house. We might just be a trio, but we work hard to exhibit those traits, and we work very well together.”
“I don’t know that I like your fellow legionaries very much,” I murmur, frowning. “Seamus is fine, but Connor’s a fucking fiend. I’m pretty sure he still wants to kill me.”
“Connor is difficult,” Dorian allows, nodding. “He sees things in black and white, and you’re a grey spot to him. A complication. He prefers to kill complications before they can harm him. He’s calmer now that I’ve claimed you and made clear that you’remycomplication, one I’ll take care of. That removes his responsibility and liability. He’ll ease up in time.”
“Maybe, but I don’t like this house, minus the cats.” My lips twitch. “The cats are cute. I want to keep them. How is the little one with the respiratory infection doing?” I frown, realizing that I’ve forgotten to check on the litter during the chaos of the last days.
“She’s fine; the antibiotics Seamus got her are working, and she seems to be doing better,” Dorian says with a smile. “If you want the cats, I’ll share custody with you.” His expression sobers. “I’ll do some research to see about finding us a different place today and talk to my boys about it. They should understand, even though there might be some complaints.”
I should feel uncomfortable at the idea of moving in with Dorian, but at this point, I’m starting to understand that him keeping me close is aboutbothof our safety. Even if I don’t see long term potential between us, I’d like to explore what there can be in the short term. Get inside his brain and pick it apart like the puzzle it is. There’s definitelysomethingbetween us, and while his lifestyle means I won’t stick around for long, I can try to enjoy the perks of being with him fornow.
“I’ll agree to an apartment for this school year,” I say. “Beyond that, we’ll see.”
Dorian watches me for a few moments, then nods. “End of the year,” he concurs. “After that, we’ll decide on next steps.”
I smile. “Wonderful. Just to give you a taste of what’s coming, how would you feel about me inviting Cara and Valerie over for a girl’snight later?” The idea is impromptu, but I miss living with my former roommates, and I don’t want to become estranged from them.
Dorian thinks for a few beats. “We don’t have anything incriminating out in the open, and we’ll seal up what we have in random drawers or cupboards. As long as your girls don’t snoop or act suspicious, I’m fine with it. I’ll talk to Connor and Seamus. Connor’s planning on being out of the house tonight anyways.” He winces. “Seamus might try to fuck your friends.”
I snort. “Cara would be all for it.”
Dorian kisses my lips. “Let’s finish up, and I’ll see what I can do about having your friends over.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Somehow, Dorian manages to get his roommates to agree to me having a girl’s night. Connor has to leave for some overnight assignment—one I suspect has nothing to do with school—while Seamus seems weirdly excited and spends the afternoon asking me about my roommates. I’m learning to roll with his weirdness, so I don’t give him shit.
Dorian and I spend the day doing oddly domestic activities together. In the morning and for some of the afternoon, we do homework. Later on, he agrees to take me grocery shopping so I can bake some goodies for tonight and make a few batches of treats for my wolf pack. I hope to visit my wolves tomorrow.
When Valerie and Cara arrive at eight p.m., I rush to the door to let them in. I’m eager to see them again. I miss living with my girls, and while Cara can be annoying, I also miss her endless rambling about topics that range from the weather, to why religion is bullshit, to the latest fashion trends, to the world of BDSM.
“Hey, bitch,” Cara says when I open the door, hefting up a bag of Chinese food. “Hope you’re hungry, I brought reinforcements.” She’s decked out in all pink—a hot-pink blazer over a light-pink shirt and matching skinny jeans.
I smile. “I hope you guys are in the mood for cookies, brownies,andcupcakes. I spent the last two hours baking; I just need to frost the cupcakes.”
Valerie, wearing all black, lifts up a brown paper bag that clinks with glass bottles. “I brought the booze, and a bullet-pointed proposal on why we should watch a horror movie tonight.”
Cara huffs. “I thought we agreed to a rom-com.”
“Horror movies are fucking hilarious,” Val deadpans, giving Cara a look of vague disgust. “Sometimes they’re romantic, too.”
