Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,76

scream, but no sound escaped.

Dorian dragged his gaze back to Malcolm, barely containing the fury burning through his veins. “Explain.”

“The gray?” Malcolm waved a hand through the air, as if the mere request for an explanation was an epic overreaction. “I discovered the poor creature on a drive through the mountains earlier—nearly ran it over. I thought our brothers and sisters should be made aware of the dangers we’re facing now.”

“And you thought it wise to bring that danger into our home?”

“Relax. This one’s harmless.” Malcolm rose from his chair and approached the cage, then gave it a swift kick, startling the gray. “It’ll be dead by sunrise.”

Dorian couldn’t help but notice the amulet round the creature’s neck. “No, it won’t.”

He took a deep breath, temporarily stowing his fury. He’d deal with his brother’s treachery later. Right now, he needed to regain control of this ridiculous sham of a meeting and usher these sycophants out of his home.

“Friends,” he said, turning his attention back to the mob with a cold smile, “thank you all for coming. I want to personally assure you that the members of House Redthorne—along with our trusted associates—are doing everything in our power to track down and eliminate the grays. At this point, we have no reason to believe they won’t be contained.”

“And what of the murders in the city?” Kate Connelly—a friend of Aiden’s who’d first reported the demons’ presence at Bloodbath—asked. “What of House Duchanes?”

“Excellent question, Ms. Connelly,” Dorian said. “As many of you have undoubtedly heard, Renault Duchanes went into hiding after an unprovoked attack at one of my residences. We’re still searching for clues to his whereabouts, as well as proof of his rumored association with demons and their connection to the influx of grays in the area.”

A vampire from House Deegan spoke up. Dorian remembered him as one of the relics from the original council his father had disbanded—a former state senator. “While the members of House Duchanes continue to do his bidding in the city,” he said, “Renault has allegedly taken refuge with a coven in Paris.”

Dorian lifted his brows. This was news to him. “And you have proof of this, Senator Deegan?”

The vampire reddened slightly. “At this point, it is but a rumor, but one worthy of investigation.”

“And one I would be more than happy to investigate,” Dorian said sharply, “if you’d bothered to share the relevant details.”

“My contact in Paris says Renault is building a case against House Redthorne. A case to legitimately overthrow your rule.”

“He has no claim,” Dorian said, “and no cause.”

“He will find one, highness,” Deegan said. “And what then? We should all bow as pliantly to our new rulers as we have to the old?”

“It’s funny, Senator Deegan.” Dorian narrowed his eyes, making the old bastard squirm. “You speak of pliancy, yet as I recall, you were one of the more… outspoken members of my father’s council. One who caused him a fair bit of legal trouble over the decades.”

Lawrence Deegan was a belligerent drunk and a womanizer whose antics on Capitol Hill had nearly gotten vampires exposed. In the end, Augustus had given him an ultimatum: retire from the human political realm, or die.

The old senator bristled, lowering his eyes. “I fail to see—”

“And that’s precisely the problem, Senator,” Dorian said. “You fail to see.”

“Why should we presume Duchanes’ guilt without proof?” a vampire called Regina Olivand asked. “And furthermore, why shouldn’t we consider a regime change? Perhaps our lives would improve with some new blood at the helm.”

“New blood?” Dorian paced the small space that still remained in the overcrowded room, his eyes never leaving hers. “And you believe, Ms. Olivand, that King Duchanes would simply allow you to go about your business unmolested?”

“We all just want peace, your highness,” she said. “That’s all.”

“Duchanes wants peace?” Dorian shook his head, disgust churning inside him. “Renault Duchanes is working with a powerful demonic faction to overthrow this city as we speak, and you believe he’ll simply smile and wave and wish you well on your journey? Extend the ring for a kiss, and offer you many blessings in return?”

“House Redthorne is not united,” one of the upstarts chimed in. “That much is clear. How can you keep our communities safe and at peace when you can’t even keep your own house in order?”

Dorian wanted nothing more than to feed the little twat to the gray, but again, he reined in his anger, forcing his smile back in place. “We’re still trying to get