Dark Obsession (Vampire Royals of New York #3) - Sarah Piper Page 0,84
back at Ravenswood, but right now, I just need you to keep him safe for me. Can you do that?”
“I… yes. I think so.” She sniffed back the last of her tears, her eyes filling with determination for her new mission. “Protect the king. Got it.”
“Your sister and I need to take care of some things in the other room, but you can stay here and keep the king safe. We’ll be right back. Okay?”
Sasha nodded and sat down on the bed, and Charley pulled Aiden aside, dropping her voice to a whisper.
“What’s going on with her?”
“Either Silas or Dominic compelled her,” Aiden explained, “And they’re both dead now. The compulsion broke, and everything flooded back at once. It’s too much for her mind to process—she just needed something to focus on.”
“But… How did you know to bring the king piece?”
“I’ve been carrying it since the night I showed you the set. It reminded me of her. I thought… I don’t know.” He gave her a shy smile, his cheeks darkening. “I thought maybe it would help, somehow.”
“You thought perfectly, Aiden, and I love you for it.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then turned back to her sister. “Sasha? Listen to me, baby. I know shit is crazy right now, and we’ve got a lot to catch up on, but I need you to stay calm and trust that we’re going to get you out of here.”
Sasha looked up at her, her blue eyes wide, but clear. She was Sasha again. She was okay.
“I know you will, Chuck,” she said. “And after this? You’re totally getting another job, because your uncle is a fucking demon, and he sucks ass.”
“It’s a promise, Sasha.”
Silas and Dominic were no more than piles of gray ash in the kitchen, but on the couch on the living room, two useless sacks of shit sat together, their hands and feet bound, staring out with wide, terrified eyes.
Behind them, four vampires stood like Greek statues.
Aiden. Colin. Gabriel. Dorian.
It reminded Charley of the night she’d first met them—the Redthorne brothers, assembled outside the guesthouse at Ravenswood. Hard. Handsome. Intimidating as hell.
That night, she’d had no idea they’d become her family.
No idea they’d be here with her now, taking down the man who’d done his damnedest to destroy her.
Charley took the chair across from them and grinned at her uncle. “Guess Rogozin was right, Uncle Rudy. You’re shooting blanks, huh? No demon fire. That’s kind of pathetic for a demon host.”
On account of the duct tape across his mouth, Rudy spoke only in grunts.
Charley turned her attention to Travis.
Her stomach twisted, her hands trembling with rage.
“Are you certain you want to do this?” Dorian asked her, his voice full of concern. “I don’t mind taking out the trash for you.”
Charley continued to glare.
Travis. The man who’d pulled the trigger and ended her father’s life. The man who’d crawled into her bed, making her feel again and again like she should be grateful for the opportunity to service his dick. The man who’d roughed her up, who’d taunted her, who’d threatened her.
“I’m certain,” she said to Dorian. “I’ll handle him.”
Travis shouted something behind the duct tape, but Charley wasn’t ready to hear it.
She got up and stood before him, leaning in close.
“Hello, Travis,” she said soothingly. Seductively. “Remember me?”
His pupils dilated as her compulsion took hold, and he relaxed, gazing at her with such adoration it made her teeth hurt.
She’d meant to remove the tape. Meant to ask him some questions.
How could you? Why? What the fuck is wrong with you?
But suddenly she was on top of him, her fangs burning as she sank them into his neck, relishing in the taste of warm, coppery blood as it slid down her throat.
She hadn’t planned on feeding on him—only terrifying him a bit. But now that she’d started, she was pretty damn sure she wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.
And Travis, subdued by her words, by the shock of her new form, remained utterly still.
She drank.
And she drank.
And oh, God, she drank.
Her body felt strong and alive, and beneath her punishing mouth, his pulse grew faint—barely a whisper. She swore she could feel his soul, clinging to the last vestiges of life.
A soft touch on her shoulder drew her attention, and suddenly Dorian was kneeling at her side, his hand on her back, a soft, imploring smile touching his lips.
“All right, love,” he whispered. “Not too much.”
Charley shrugged, not ready to break away just yet. For the man who’d murdered