Dark Obsession (Vampire Royals of New York #3) - Sarah Piper Page 0,24
loose all those grays. Hell, even the demons didn’t know what the fuck hit ‘em—that was an outside job. So if Rogozin’s got something to say about the shit that went down back there, he knows just how to find me.”
Charley sighed. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
“After tonight?” Cole cracked up. “Pretty sure Rogozin should be worried about you.”
Charley smiled, but she didn’t let herself relax until they’d finally come to a stop in front of Cole’s cabin. Tucked into the woods at the end of a long dirt road, it felt like another world—safe and protected, far removed from the craziness they’d just escaped.
“You’re sure they won’t retaliate?” Charley asked again. “Maybe you should come back to Ravenswood tonight.”
“Your concern is real touching, Charles,” Cole said. “But I got this place surrounded by wolves. Anyone tries to pull any shit—demon, vampire, gray, or human—they’re in for a world of hurt.” He got out of the car and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag. If he realized he was still buck-ass naked, he didn’t seem to care. “You all comin’ in for a drink? I got just the thing. Special home brew—it’ll put hair on your balls.”
“Yes, but will it put balls on your balls?” Aiden opened the car door and stepped outside, more than a bit unsteady on his feet. “I seem to have left mine back on that mountain. Charlotte, where on earth did you learn to drive like that?”
“That’s… a really long story.”
“You know what’s good for long stories?” Cole blew a plume of smoke into the night sky, then grinned. “My special home brew.”
Charley laughed. “That actually sounds—”
“Charlotte and I are heading back to Ravenswood tonight,” Dorian said sharply. It was the first he’d spoken since she’d picked them up, and though his voice was still hoarse, his tone left no room for argument.
Charley swallowed hard. Why did she get the distinct feeling she was in deep shit?
“You sure?” Cole asked. “I got the green stuff too. Might help get the taste of hellfire out of your lungs, Red.”
Dorian coughed again, shaking his head. “Another time, perhaps.”
“Suit yourself.” Cole leaned in through the driver’s side window and gave Charley a fist bump. “Catch you later, Fast and Furious. And hey—go easy on our boy here. I realize Red’s a grumpy ol’ fuck, but it’s been a while since that antique heart of his saw so much goddamn excitement.”
Charley laughed. “I’ll do my best.”
When the guys were back inside, she finally turned to Dorian, meeting his gaze across the front seat. It was only a couple of feet, but suddenly, it felt like a mile.
“You okay?” she asked softly, reaching for his face. “I don’t like that you’re coughing.”
“And while we’re on the subject of things we don’t like…” He grabbed her wrist and glared at her, his golden-brown eyes igniting with anger. “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain what the fuck you were thinking back there.”
Chapter Ten
“I don’t need thirty seconds, vampire,” Charlotte said. “I can do it in five.”
Dorian seethed. The anger burned through him as readily as the hellfire. “Well?”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, her pulse thudding beneath his touch, a wild energy buzzing through her veins like electricity. Dorian sensed all of it—every beat, every rush, every richly-layered scent.
It made him dizzy and hungry and desperate to kiss her, but it wasn’t enough to spare her Dorian’s wrath.
She’d bloody near gotten herself killed tonight—more than once. And for what?
“You, Dorian Redthorne,” she snapped, jerking free of his grasp. “You’re why. And I’d do it again in a hot second, no matter how much it pisses you off. So if you’re going to lecture me about—”
“Aiden specifically told you to drive back to Ravenswood and—”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t do well with orders. Not outside the bedroom, anyway.”
His own blood flared at the thought, but he was still too mad to do anything about it.
Scratch that. He was furious.
“You never listen, Charlotte. You put yourself in danger at every turn. You risked your life coming back for us tonight, and—”
“And it’s a damn good thing too. If I hadn’t, you, Cole, and Aiden might be dead. ”
“Highly unlikely. Maimed, perhaps. But—”
“That demon bitch tried to incinerate you! She dropped your ass like a hot stone! I saw you fall and all I could think was—”
“You shouldn’t have seen that.” Dorian clenched his jaw, doing his best to hold back the torrent of curses he wanted to unleash. “You shouldn’t have even been