Dark Obsession (Vampire Royals of New York #3) - Sarah Piper Page 0,58

her soft skin. “How is it you’re smiling after what Isabelle revealed?”

“Because I’m channeling my sister, and she would definitely see the positives here.”

“What positives? We’ve just discovered you’ve been claimed by one of the original demons of hell.”

“Exactly.” Charlotte curled her fingers around his wrists and gazed up into his eyes. “Last night—before we knew anything about this Azerius asshole—you promised me you’d find a way to break the demon bind. And after less than twenty-four hours, we already know who he is. We know about all his stupid names, his daddy issues, his bloodlust. We’ve got his toys. We know who worships him.”

“And,” Isabelle added, offering Dorian a warm, understanding smile despite his earlier outburst, “as a human promised to Lord Azerius, Charlotte will be safe from any demons who swear fealty to him. In their eyes, a soul bound to Azerius is untouchable—harming her would be like harming the demon lord himself.”

Dorian blew out a breath, wishing the information brought him some measure of comfort. But what did it matter if she was safe from harm tonight, only to be dragged to hell tomorrow?

“We still don’t know how to summon him,” he said.

“Yet.” Charlotte turned and kissed his wrist, the touch of her warm lips further relaxing him. “Now, let’s go back upstairs and get you another drink before you Hulk out on Colin’s creepy collection of blood and bones and he has to recreate his research from scratch.”

“Excellent point, Charlotte,” Colin said. “And now that you mention it, I could use a drink too.”

Finally granting his woman a smile in return, Dorian leaned in and whispered, “You’ve convinced him to take a break, love. You really are a miracle worker.”

As they made their way to the elevator, Dorian was overcome with the same feeling he’d experienced earlier—like someone had been watching them.

But just as before, the chamber was empty, save for the echoes of his dead father and the brutal lord of hell who would soon—one way or another—meet the same fate.

Chapter Twenty-One

By the time they settled into the study and Dorian poured everyone another round, Gabriel had returned, the frustrated look in his eyes confirming what Dorian had already suspected—he wasn’t able to trace the source of Sasha’s call.

“It looks like whoever’s holding her covered their tracks well.” Gabriel returned Charlotte’s phone and dropped into the chair closest to the fireplace, stretching out his legs before the flames. “The call bounced through several different cities, none of them in New York State. But,” he added, “my source isn’t giving up. I sent him the screenshot you took—he’s analyzing it now.”

“Thank you.” Charlotte smiled—still channeling a bit of her sister, Dorian suspected.

“So what have you lot been up to, then?” Gabriel leaned back in his chair and glanced around as Dorian distributed the drinks. “No offense, but you look as if you’ve just emerged from the very dungeons of hell.”

“You have no idea how right you are.” Aiden lifted his glass. “Cheers.”

There hadn’t been time to get into the details of the blade and the book with Gabriel earlier, and now it spilled out in a mad rush, all of them trying to fill in the gaps with whatever information and hypotheses they had about Chernikov’s dastardly plans and the demon Azerius.

They were all in agreement on one thing—Chernikov had to be dealt with, and quickly. They had no idea how much work had already been completed on his project, and no guarantees the other nefarious employees at Armitage Holdings would back off, even with their operation exposed.

“We need to take them out completely,” Gabriel said.

“We can’t take out Chernikov’s entire organization alone,” Aiden said. “We haven’t the numbers.”

“So we’ll start with Chernikov himself,” Gabriel said. “Cut off the head of the snake, then work our way down.”

“And then we’ve got hundreds of pissed-off demon sycophants on the loose, with no obligation to honor the Accords,” Isabelle said. “They’ll be looking for blood and vengeance, and where do you think they’ll start?”

No one said a word to that—no one needed to. In the wake of a Chernikov assassination, all those rudderless demons would be torching Ravenswood by dawn. And without an army of his own, Dorian had no way to defend it, especially when he considered Chernikov had the backing of House Duchanes, a coven of dark witches, and untold other defectors on his side.

At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if Malcolm was among them.

“I don’t suppose you’re any good with biological weaponry?” Aiden asked