Page 53 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

Henrietta snaps her attention to Logan. “I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I’d like to get to know your friend, Sybil, a little more.”

“Absolultey-fucking-not,” he shoots back.

Elizabeth lets out an exasperated breath, tugging on Henrietta’s arm. “Hettie, we’re leaving.”

“She wants to stay, don’t you, Henrietta?” Sybil persists, her finger slowly trailing down the stem of her glass.

“Enough, Sybil,” Logan snaps before I can.

Sybil rests her glass on the table. “This is dinner, is it not?”

“We’ve already eaten,” he bites out.

This time, Elizabeth yanks Henrietta up by her arm, and Edie, who has been quietly watching this all unfold, rushes to them, helping to manoeuvre her out of the room. With one last glance at me, Edie urges them both through the door. It slams shut behind them, and I push to my feet, rounding on Sybil.

“Did I say something wrong?” she asks, her fangs slowly dropping.

“Enough of the games, Sybil. I’m warning you.”

“What, darling? Isn’t that precisely what we do, play with our food?”

“Not with these women.”

“You do realise what they are? Or at least what two of them are, that pretty little blonde⁠—”

“Is none of your fucking concern,” Logan interjects.

“Oh, but she is. She’s immune to your compulsion, and yet not mine. I find that rather curious.”

“They’re off limits. Understood?” I warn before striding after them, Sybil’s laughter following me out.

“What the hell was that all about?” Elizabeth asks, jabbing the button to call the lift as I step out into the entrance hall moments later. “That woman was… predatory.”

“You mean Sybil? I thought she was rather alluring,” Henrietta says, her eyes glazed as she sways on her feet. Fuck. I’m not sure what’s worse, that Henrietta has been so affected by Sybil or that Edie and Elizabeth haven’t. Either way, they’re all in danger of Sybil’s attention now.

“Christ, Henrietta. How much did you have to drink? Did you not see how she was looking at us? It was weird,” Elizabeth replies.

“It was,” Edie agrees. “Let’s just go.”

She’s rattled, and I suspect some long-repressed instinct warns her just how real the danger is. I loathe that Sybil did this to her.

“I apologise for Sybil’s behaviour just now,” I say, making my presence known.

Edie stiffens, my voice pulling her up sharp as the doors to the lift slide open. Elizabeth and Henrietta step inside as she hovers on the threshold.

“Edie, get in the lift. We need to leave. I don’t trust that woman. I don’t trust any of them,” Elizabeth adds, glaring at me.

The doors start to slide shut, but I stride forward, holding them open, angling my body so that instead of blocking Edie, I give her room to pass. “Edie, despite what Sybil implied, you’re not a prisoner here. You’re free to leave.”

“So what was she implying, exactly?” Edie asks, that fire I’ve come to admire, lighting her up in exquisite anger. “Because I got the distinct impression she was trying to intimidate us.”

“Intimidate us? That woman was trying to scare us,” Elizabeth says.

“I won’t make any excuses for her behaviour. What I will say is that she is as protective of me as Elizabeth is of you.”

“More like territorial,” Elizabeth observes. “If she had the opportunity to piss on you, I’m sure she would’ve.”

I grind my teeth, but don’t respond.