Chapter 9
Cosette remained in the library the rest of the afternoon. She knew that Davien would remain true to his word and wouldn’t reappear until that evening, so she took off her cloak and hung it over the back of the chair. She went over and pulled Calmet’s book off the shelf where it had originally been and brought it over to the table. If she couldn’t cure her blackouts, the least she could do was try and find a way to break his curse. Surely there was something he was missing.
She just had to find out what.
But after nearly four hours of thorough research, she was still at a dead end. Either she was looking in the wrong place, or there truly was no help for his current . . . affliction. Cosette hated to think that was the case. No matter how ill-tempered Blackburn could be, no one deserved to suffer for their misdeeds until the point they wished for death.
Cosette rubbed her eyes as the clock struck eight. She didn’t think there was any point in changing her dress for dinner if she was going to have to wear something different to scrounge around London in a few hours. However, the moment she walked into the dining room, she reconsidered the state of her wrinkled gown.
Davien looked absolutely resplendent.
He was standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back, looking out at the evening sky beyond, like a true dark prince observing the riches of his estate. He was dressed entirely in black, wearing only a shirt, trousers, and boots. The muscles beneath his snug fitting trousers rippled with his every movement, while his open shirt exposed a clear triangle of his upper body. She imagined that she could see the crisp, dark hairs that curled across his chest, and smell his woodsy cologne water, even from across the room.
The picture he presented quite literally took her breath away.
“. . . to eat?”
Cosette opened her eyes to look at Davien, who stood right in front of her. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. “Pardon?”
His mouth quirked up at the corner. “You seem distracted. Is there any particular reason that might be?”
“Not at all,” she answered quickly. Too quickly if his growing smile was any indication. She gestured to the trays of food that were waiting on the table. “Shall we?”
She didn’t wait for a reply, but merely seated herself. He simply appeared at her side, to take his place at the head of the table. She shook her head. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to that part of his nature.
“I’m famished. Aren’t you?” she asked pleasantly, taking a bite out of one of the boiled potatoes on her plate. “Mmm. These are quite exemplary, don’t you agree?”
Cosette knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t seem to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. When he was in the role of Davien, and not just playing the part of the dark and perverse Duke of Blackburn, he was rather . . . pleasant. But he also radiated a raw sexuality similar to a panther that liked to toy with his prey. With either persona, he could be rather intimidating.
“Cosette.”
She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. She glanced at him before slowly lowering it. “Yes?” she managed.
“Do you really want to go out tonight?” His voice thrummed around her, through her, in her. “Or would you care to stay in?”
Cosette tightened her grip on her dinnerware. “I think you know the answer to that.”
His nostrils flared, his eyes glimmering, as he drawled, “It was an honest observation.”
She glared at him. “You can keep any furtherobservationsto yourself, Blackburn.” She felt a temporary thrill of satisfaction when his eyes darkened, became hooded. She hadn’t called him ‘Your Grace,’ which seemed to be rather taboo where she was concerned. But at the same time, he hadn’t said she couldn’t use his actual title either.
To her surprise, instead of reprimanding her, he chuckled. It was a deep melodic sound that shot straight to her mid-section. “I find I’m too amused with your antics, dear Cosette, to get upset by your defiance. Just remember that two can play this game, and you would do well to recall that I have infinitely more experience.”
“Perhaps,” she lifted another bite to her mouth and slowly chewed, before she turned to him with a coy expression. “But who is to say I play by the rules?”
~ ~ ~
The beast inside Davien was content. The banter between him and Cosette made him roll over and purr like a simple house cat. While she tested his patience most of the time, she was a breath of fresh air in his dark existence. She had brought sunshine and warmth into his cold, hollow soul. It was the reason he had relented that afternoon. He was starting to find that he could deny her nothing, even the smallest request.
If she ever found out how much power she truly held over him . . .
It would be his downfall.
Once the meal was over, he considered leaving her on some sort of pretense until it was time to depart for the city, but instead, he did the one thing he detested above all else. He made polite conversation.
He leaned back in his chair and watched her as she drank from her wine. “How was your afternoon?”
She glanced at him curiously, and it was obvious he’d surprised her by his general query. In truth, it rather shocked him as well. “I went to the library.” A pause. “To read more of Calmet’s book. I was hoping I might find something to . . . help you.”
