In a slightly gentler voice, Luis continued, “They look normal enough to me. They probably have goals. They have lives. I don’t see any reason you can’t be the same.”
He was right, to some degree, but that didn’t change several key facts.
Dahlia shook her head. “That’s the difference, though. They’renormal.They’re not whatever freak shit I am.”
“I’ll grant you that your circumstances aren’t exactly typical.” He gave her a sympathetic look, but she wasn’t naive enough to trust it. Luis had the kind of charm that oozed out of his pores. She was pretty sure he could get whatever he wanted from anyone without having to lift a finger. Especially not withthoselashes.
“I’m not gonna say that what you’re going through is fair or something you should suck up and deal with. It’s not and you should be mad. But what Iamsaying is that there’s a flipside to everything.”
He lifted his left hand. “On this scale, you’ve got all the bullshit that comes with being a Bowan and also my cousin’s bride — so sorry about that, by the way.” He lifted his right, putting them about equal in the air for a moment before he began edging it a little higher. “On the other side, you’ve become an heir to one of the most powerful syndicate families on the continentandan Amauri overnight. So yeah, your goals might look different. But have you considered that they might bebetter?”
“How is that possible?”
“Listen, Felix is a vampire. It’s hardwired in all of us to provide for our anchor’s needs — blood bride or not. Their happiness, their safety, their health… it’s all wrapped up in our DNA. So what I’m saying is that if you told Felix what you need to be happy, there’s a good chance he’d skin himself alive to make it happen.”
Dahlia stared at him for what felt like a long time. The tinny announcement of the final boarding call for her train eventually snapped her out of her surprise.
Shaking her head, she muttered, “You can’t be this well adjusted and reasonable. You’re secretly the biggest freak of all, aren’t you?”
A toe-curling laugh rumbled out of him. Standing up from the bench, he said, “Look at that! You’re catching on already. You’re going to fit in great, sugar.” Shoving his hand under her nose, he wiggled his fingers. “Now come on. We’ve got to get you home before sunrise — and before your man blows another gasket.”
Dahlia eyed his hand with growing resignation. “I’m surprised he didn’t come down here himself.”
“I was closer.” His fingers wiggled again, more insistently this time.
Letting out a breath, she asked, “Do you really think Felix would listen to me?”
When she put her hand in his, his grip was firm but gentle as he levered her up from the bench. He made no comment on her torn pants or what she suspected were several leaves in her hair.
All he said was, “I think he’d give anything in this world to make you happy, sugar. If it were me, I’d do the same.”
Luis
got ur girl. No injuries that I can see but she might be limping idk
headed home now
or not. Might fuck around and keep her since you seem to be having some trouble
I really hope Milo enjoys being an only child
TWENTY-ONE
It wasthe longest three hours of his life. He made damn sure it was the longest three hours of his mens’ lives, too.
They’d been celebrating the end of the war for too long. That was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with for how Dahlia managed to waltz out of the house completely unchallenged. His girl was a lot of things, but trained in stealth techniques and exfiltration she wasnot.For her to have so easily escaped spoke of a dire lack of discipline among his men.
His wrath rippled outward through the ranks, promising retribution against everyone who failed one of the most basic and important jobs in their organization. IfDahliacould walk right out, there was every chance someone could walk rightin,and they had way too much to lose to allow a breach like that.
Tracking her down was easy enough. She had no cash on her, so all they had to do was wait her out before her payment ID pinged somewhere in the city.
He couldn’t sit still, though, so he’d gone out with the search parties, hitting all the nearest transit hubs in the hope that someone would find her as soon as possible. Every man knew exactly how important it was for their health that she be returned unharmed.
Of course, it was Luis who got to her first.
Felix and Milo got to the house a few moments before his cousin did. He swaggered into the foyer like he expected trumpets and a herald to announce his victory. Dahlia walked stiffly beside him, looking considerably worse for wear.
The relief of seeing her whole and healthy, if disheveled and a little dirty, was a punch to the gut.
