Dark Deception (Vampire Royals of New York #1) - Sarah Piper Page 0,101
associates. The clientele was mostly vampires, but more and more lately, Dorian had been hearing rumors of human guests—most likely blood slaves. The presence of demons was disconcerting to say the least—the monsters weren’t supposed to set foot in Manhattan at all.
“How certain was she?” Dorian asked.
“Positive. They spotted them on three different occasions.”
“Chernikov’s?”
“They didn’t know.”
Dorian dropped into the leather chair across from Aiden, his mind turning over the intel. If they were Chernikov demons, he’d have another problem on his hands. He thought he’d made himself clear at his meeting with the Russian about keeping his demons on a leash.
Dorian really hoped Chernikov wasn’t baiting him.
“Any sightings of the elusive Renault Duchanes?” he asked.
“No, and according to Kate, no one’s talking about him either. She tried to get cozy with one of his newer sirelings, but the man was a vault.” Aiden shook his head. “This isn’t just about an attack on Charlotte. There are larger forces at play.”
Dorian agreed. The attack at Ravenswood, Renault’s convenient appearance during the Central Park demon attack, the bid for Armitage Holdings, and now, unidentified demons hanging out at Bloodbath… something told Dorian it was all connected.
He just couldn’t figure out how.
“I want him eliminated,” he said.
“We have to locate him first. Have you thought of asking Marlys to reach out to Jacinda?”
The idea had crossed his mind, but he’d dismissed it. Jacinda was Renault’s witch, so even if she did know something, she wouldn’t be eager to share it. And Marlys was a free agent, working for the highest bidder and doing her best to stay out of vampire politics. Asking her to take sides in the brewing Duchanes-Redthorne war was neither fair nor prudent.
“We’ll find another way,” Dorian said. “In the meantime, I’m going to ask Gabriel to keep an eye on Charlotte.”
Aiden’s eyebrows lifted. “Gabriel?”
“He’s got a reputation for… tracking people down.”
“Yes, and making them disappear.”
“I don’t need her to disappear. I need her to be protected. Gabriel can keep a close watch, make sure she’s not still a target.”
Aiden lowered his eyes and sighed, swirling the cold coffee in the mug.
“Say it,” Dorian said.
“I think I’ll keep it to myself.”
“For fuck’s sake, Aiden. If you’ve got something to—”
“What is it about this woman? You hardly know her, and she’s already got your balls in a jar.”
“Last time I checked, my balls are still very much in my possession.” Dorian reached for his belt buckle. “Would you like proof?”
“You spent half the meeting today with a hard-on the size of the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t difficult to tell where your mind had wandered.”
“Piss off,” he said, but there wasn’t any ire behind it. Dorian blew out a breath and loosened his tie, knowing damn well Aiden could spot his lies a hundred miles away. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“That’s precisely the problem.” Aiden rose from the chair, crossing to the other side of the office and rifling through the file cabinet. He slammed one drawer, then opened another. “This is a critical time for us, and here you are, allowing yourself to be distracted by—”
“What in the bloody hell are you looking for?”
“The lemon biscuits, you daft, obsessed bastard.”
“First of all—obsessed? Hardly a fair assessment. Secondly, you ate all the biscuits, and you left crumbs all over my desk. And lastly…” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She isn’t returning my calls. How have I already managed to fuck this up?”
Aiden slammed the last drawer. “So you’re bloody well in love with her, then?”
“What?” The L-word electrified his blood, his heart damn near seizing. “I never said—”
“If you won’t listen to me as your very concerned friend, listen to me as your business partner. We need to focus on this merger. Never mind Lucien’s concerns about our financials—if you don’t get yourself sorted out, we’ll lose the deal on account of your inability to pull your head out of her very beautiful, very firm—”
“I’m handling it.”
“You’re not. You were sitting at that meeting, daydreaming about your wedding when you should’ve been reassuring the investigators about our capabilities.”
“For fuck’s sake, I’m not going to propose to the woman. I just want to spend time with her.”
“You were picking out china patterns.” Aiden shook his head. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not wearing a colored cummerbund to your wedding. Classic black, or I’m staying home.”
“Are you quite through?”
“You’re obsessing, and it’s clouding your judgment.”
“I don’t need judgment. I need a plan.” Dorian hit the intercom for