It was impossible to maintain her aloof veneer. Dahlia felt herself go a little pink, and knew for fact that she had when a deep laugh rumbled out of Robert’s chest. “That’s cute as fuck. You got a sister or something, Dahlia? I’d love to find a girl who blushes like that.”
“No sisters, I’m afraid,” she muttered, trying to regain her composure. The closest she had was Cecilia, and while Robert was certainly her type — minus the criminal affiliations — Dahlia had no intention of introducing the two. Her friend was busy, after all.
Robert let out a dramatic sigh and took a step away from the table. “Damn. Well, I’ve got business to handle, so I’ll leave you to your rumor mill. Dahlia, let me know if any long lost cousins appear, all right?”
Felix tapped his claws on the cloth table top. “Stop trying to charm my bride.”
“Can’t help it. The charm comes natural to all Byrns,” Robert shot back, his grin wide and lethal. If she hadn’t spied the gun strapped to his side, she would’ve said he had the boy next door charm down to a deadly science.
Spinning on the heel of his boot, he gave them a casual wave over his shoulder before he made his way out of the bar.
They didn’t have to wait long before they were approached again. For the entire half hour they sat at the table, they entertained a steady trickle of United Washington’s most dangerous vampires. They couldn’t seem to help themselves. Everyone wanted to see if the rumors were true — not just about Felix snagging a blood bride, but about her.
They seemed far more interested in her side of the story than she could’ve anticipated.
Dahlia was used to being seen and not heard.Head down, tray up.That was the motto. Not being noticed was a survival strategy. But that wasn’t how it worked in the syndicate. To be someone, to have power in her own right, she had to be seenandheard by everyone in the room.
Nothing about it felt natural, but it began to come easier to her as person after person drifted their way. It still felt strange to say,“Yes, I’m Alastair’s daughter,”but seeing how seriously they took it, she stopped feeling outright silly every time the words left her mouth.
And when Felix tightened his arm around her shoulder and introduced her as his bride? That feltright.
Her half hour of allotted time flew by. Before she knew it, Felix was standing up and ushering her out of her seat, hardly sparing a glance for the young brother and sister — the Enamorado siblings — she’d been talking to.
Offering them a hasty goodbye, she let him guide her out of Old Blood with a mix of relief and disappointment. It was heady being taken seriously by so many powerful people, but it was exhausting, too. It felt a bit like she’d crammed an entire eight hour shift into her half hour of socializing. It was invigorating, but she also couldn’t wait to get home.
Watching the valet drive her car up to the curb, she asked in a low voice, “Do you think Mr. Bowan will get the message?”
“He’d have to be completely delusional not to,” Felix answered. Opening the passenger door, he nudged her in.
Dahlia frowned. “It’s my car. I want to drive.”
“And I want to live to eat out my bride, which means I’m not letting you drive again tonight. You’re worse than Luis.”
“Don’t be rude. I’m nothing like that speed demon. He told me the other day that he’s brokeneverytraffic law in the UTA.” Despite her huffing, she did slide into the passenger’s seat. Her brain felt too full to drive, anyway.
Felix closed her door with a snap, and after a quick adjustment of the driver’s seat to accommodate his long legs, they peeled away from the curb to head back to the Amauri mansion.
Laying his hand on her thigh, he confirmed, “That’s actually true. You wouldn’t believe how many traffic violations Milo has had to bribe Luis out of.”
“Why doesn’t Luis do it himself?”
“Because he doesn’t care. He thinks it’d be fun to go to jail for a little while. Pretty sure he believes he could break out.” Felix slowed to a stop at a red light. The streets near their exclusive neighborhood were understandably less busy than those closer to downtown. There was hardly anyone else on the road — just them and the black car driven by their security.
Dahlia began to tick off points on her fingers. “So Luis thinks it’d be fun to break out of jail. Marietta collects swords. Alvin has some weird blood fetish. And I’m pretty sure Nash has a secret shrine to Genevieve somewhere in the house. We need to get the Amauris some better hobbies, Felix. Seriously.”
Felix made an indignant sound. “You forgot Milo.”
“I thought Milo was normal.” As normal as a man as intimidating as him could be, at any rate.
They didn’t speak much, but that didn’t seem to be unusual. Milo was the strong and silent type. When he spoke, it was onlybecause he actually had something to say. Otherwise he was content to stand off to the side, his gaze ever-watchful and his scarred face impassive. He couldn’t have been more different from his brother or cousin Marietta, who both had personalities bigger and gaudier than the Amauri mansion.
Almost afraid to ask but way too curious not to, she said, “Tell me he doesn’t collect, like, severed heads or something.”
“Who do you think we are?” Felix gave her an offended look as he took a turn. “We don’t keep heads. We dispose of all body parts properly like the professionals we are.”
“Very reassuring.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
