Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,22
Village, resulting in a major drug and sex trafficking bust. Charley couldn’t imagine why he was so interested; she’d assumed vampires like Gabriel would be above the city’s human dramas.
Still, Charley would rather listen to the depressing news than try to make conversation with Dorian’s youngest brother. He’d never been particularly warm toward her—toward anyone, as far as she could tell—and the fact that he was suddenly following Dorian’s orders without pushback meant the situation was even more dangerous than she’d feared.
She would’ve preferred the Redthornes to be at each other’s throats again. That, at least, would’ve felt normal.
Normal. Right. Like being attacked by crazy vampires and demons was normal. Like being threatened by her uncle was normal. Like confessing to Dorian that she’d been plotting to steal from him was normal.
Nervous energy zipped through her limbs, and she fidgeted in the front seat, alternately pulling at threads at the hem of her sweater and wiping her damp palms on her jeans. She didn’t even have a phone to distract her now—another situation totally stressing her out. She’d have to see if Dorian had been back to his penthouse—maybe he’d picked up her purse. If not, she’d have to send Rudy a text from Sasha’s phone tomorrow. She didn’t want to risk going off the radar for more than a day—not after his antics this morning. Plus, she wanted him to know Dorian had invited her and Sasha for a visit; she planned to spin it as an opportunity to gather more intel and charm Dorian into the idea of a future family getaway. Maybe it would keep Rudy off her back a few extra days.
By the time they pulled into the manor’s circular drive, Charley’s nervous system was damn near shot. The only thing that kept her from completely falling apart was Sasha—the girl was over the moon at the sight of the manner, her slack-jawed appreciation of its size and grandeur making her look like a kid at Disney World.
“Holy balls,” she whispered, taking it all in as they got out of the car. Charley kept stealing glances at the front doors, hoping Dorian would emerge, but the only vampire who’d shown up to greet them was Aiden.
“Good afternoon, Ms. D’Amico,” he said with a cautious smile. “And this must be Sasha. Welcome to Ravenswood—we’re so glad you could join us.”
“This place is freaking amazing,” Sasha said, her megawatt smile brightening the gray day.
“Wait until you see the grounds,” Aiden said.
“Charley said there’s a pool?”
Aiden laughed. “Would you like the tour? I’m Aiden, by the way—friend of the family. I’d be happy to show you around, if it’s okay with you, Ms. D’Amico?”
Charley nodded, grateful for his kindness. Pressing a kiss to her sister’s cheek, she said, “I need to find Dorian. We’ll catch up with you in a few minutes, okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Sasha said. Then, leaning in to whisper in Charley’s ear, “I’m officially mad at you for not warning me about the hotness level here. Had I known, I would’ve put a little more effort into my hair.”
Charley laughed and pulled her in for a hug, squeezing extra tight. “Behave yourself, young lady.”
“I may be young, but I’m legal,” Sasha whispered, and with that, she twirled out of Charley’s embrace and headed for Aiden, looping her arm through his and following him along the path into the gardens.
“How old is he, anyway?” Charley asked.
“An antique, like the rest of us,” Gabriel said. “Why do you ask?”
“I think my sister’s already smitten, and she doesn’t even know he’s a vampire. That would send her into crush territory in a heartbeat.”
Gabriel grunted. Or maybe it was a laugh—hard to tell. “You’ve nothing to be concerned about. Aiden is a perfect gentleman—which is more than I can say for the rest of us. Especially our king.”
His eyes glinted, but beneath all his cold, sharp edges, Charley had no idea if he was teasing her… or warning her.
A chill rattled through her bones, and she tugged her sweater sleeves down over her hands. “Where is he, Gabriel?”
“He’s asked me to escort you to the dining room.” Gabriel took her elbow, steering her toward the grand stairs that led up to the main entrance. “He’s wrapping up a business call and will join you momentarily.”
“What business call?” she asked. How could he think of business at a time like this? Didn’t he have vampires and demons to chase down?