Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,53

truths had a way of cutting deeper than both.

Still, with Colin, Gabriel, and Aiden nodding appreciatively over the omelets, Sasha brightening the room with her impossibly sunny smile and endless tales of college life, and Charlotte singing the praises of those smoothies, Dorian thought again of that secret, hidden wish nestled inside him—the word that not so long ago had set his very teeth on edge, but had somehow snuck back into his heart, making itself at home.

Family.

It was a moment, a snapshot, perfect in all the ways but the one that mattered most:

It wasn’t real.

Chapter Eighteen

“Want to know what I love most about your boyfriend?” Sasha flopped on the end of Charley’s bed—rather, her guest bed—and grinned. “I mean, there are a lot of things, right? But the fact that he thinks you guys need to pretend to sleep in separate bedrooms for the sake of my innocent eyes? That’s proper, next-level, old-world hotness right there, and I’m here for it.”

“I told you, Sash. He’s not my boyfriend.” And we aren’t pretending. Charley fluffed the pillows, trying to put the bed back in order after her night of tossing and turning. Alone.

After Dorian had left her, she’d tried to distract herself by compiling the notes he’d asked for—everything she could drum up about Rudy, about his known associates, his hangouts. She also made a list of the missing artwork from the One Night Stand heist.

After completing her homework, she’d only gotten a couple of hours of sleep, interrupted with alternating nightmares about her uncle strangling her and Sasha to death… and about losing Dorian.

When she woke up at dawn, she’d realized the latter had already come true.

“Then what is he?” Sasha asked now. “Just some rando who invited us to his manor and cooked us chili and omelets and looks at you like he wants to spend the rest of his life licking you like an ice cream cone? A thing that would be a lot easier if he skipped the whole separate-beds nonsense?”

Charley rolled her eyes and swatted Sasha with a pillow. “Shouldn’t you be off pestering Aiden? I thought he was going to teach you how to play chess today.”

“Aiden…” Sasha leaned back on the bed, letting out a dreamy sigh. “Speaking of licking someone like an ice cream cone.”

Charley gasped. “No! You’re not allowed to get that doe-eyed look in your eyes over Aiden Donovan.”

“What? Why the hell not?”

“You’re too young for him, for one thing. And he’s too old for you. And he’s a… No. Just no.” Charley had enough trouble keeping Sasha out of the criminal life. Now she had to worry about keeping her out of the supernatural life too?

“Aiden’s not a no-just-no. He’s a yes-hell-yes. A hot, sexy yes I want to—”

“I’m not listening!” Charley sing-songed, pretending to cover her ears, knowing damn well she could no more keep her sister from gushing over her new vampire crush than she could keep herself from obsessing over her own.

It didn’t matter anyway. Once they figured out this Rudy situation, she and Sasha would be out of Dorian’s life for good. Out of Aiden’s. Out of the lives of the entire Redthorne clan.

“Anyway,” Sasha said, sitting up again. “Aiden’s working today. But he told me there’s a movie theater in town, and guess what? They’re showing a double feature this afternoon—Romancing the Stone and Pretty Woman. I thought maybe we could go? And get a late lunch after?”

“Don’t you have to get back to the city? I thought you had to open at Perk tomorrow. And what about class?”

“Darcy picked up my shift, and I already messaged my professors I’d be out a couple days. I turned in my English paper early, so it’s no big deal.”

“Hmm. So you’ve got it all planned out, huh?”

“I like it here.” She shrugged, her voice softening. “Don’t get me wrong—I love the city. But here, I feel like I can actually breathe.”

“It is beautiful,” Charley said, her gaze drifting to the window. Her room faced some kind of orchard, the trees boasting leaves the color of ripe apples. “Especially with the fall colors.”

“Not just that, Chuck. I like you here too. You’re way more relaxed. Not looking over your shoulder every five seconds, waiting for another stupid order from Uncle Boss.” Sasha glanced up at Charley, her eyes glassy. In that moment, she looked as young as she had when she’d shown up on Charley’s doorstep all those years ago. “Why can’t you and Dorian just, like,