Giving her and Gideon another look, Daegan had turned back to Brian. “Until I return, until this is managed, the relationship she has with her servant is exclusive.”
“Damn right about that,” Gideon muttered.
Brian"s brow lifted, his gaze cutting to Gideon and then coming back. “Not my type,” he noted dryly, with a hint of a smile at Gideon"s scowl. “But I understand.” Before she could catch up on all the undercurrents in that exchange, Daegan put his large hands on her shoulders and gave her that look that said not to cross him on what he was about to say. It immediately stiffened her spine.
“Lord Brian is in charge until my return. Period. Follow his direction as you would follow mine.” A grimness tightened his jaw at the look in her eye. “Perhaps better than that. I trust him and he is here to help you. All right, cher? If I have lost your trust, trust at least that this man can make things better for you, if you will let him.”
He said it flatly, no inflection, but it sent a shard of glass through her heart anyway. She"d managed a nod, and because she knew he"d be gone in a few moments, she reached up, framed his face, her thumbs passing over his lips. Don’t leave me, don’t leave me.
Soon after she"d been turned, he"d taken her blood as a sire would, so he could speak in her mind or hear her thoughts as needed, but he"d vowed he"d do that only when essential to her well-being. He"d been well aware that bloodtaking had been another betrayal of past promises made. So she didn"t know whether she was glad or not he"d apparently honored his vow and missed her involuntary thought.
Closing his hand over her wrist, he gazed down into her face. Those dark eyes were so unfathomable to her, and yet so absorbed in everything she was, she almost swayed into him.
But she managed to hold her ground. He lifted his gaze to Gideon, standing just behind her.
Though Gideon usually told Daegan to fuck off when he tried to issue him a directive, Anwyn knew that Gideon shared Daegan"s confidence in Lord Brian. He also seemed to understand this moment was not about that. “We"ll be here,” the hunter said. “Watch your ass and get it back here as soon as you can. She needs you.”
Fucking handling her, the both of them, Gideon saying what she couldn"t bring herself to say.
Daegan raised a brow. “And you, vampire hunter?”
“I need you like I need a chancre on my dick. Thanks for asking.” A cough came from the corner of their sitting room, where Debra and Brian were setting up a variety of equipment that looked like what she"d see in a private, well-funded hospital.
Daegan sent Brian a quizzical look but the attractively built male with dark blond hair and direct green eyes straightened, nodded with a serious mien. “We"ll do whatever we can for her.”
Daegan nodded, looked back toward Anwyn and Gideon, but it was Gideon"s gaze he met.
“It turns out you are not the third wheel after all, Gideon Green. Right now I am. Care for her.