Page 127 of Burn for Her
How poetic, right?
Like most of the victims from his childhood, Dorian would die acutely aware and helpless to stop it.
The familiar vision in the back of his mind was no longer a river current. It was a tumultuous, unforgiving clash of rapids. The whirring noise he was accustomed to hearing was now a riotous roar.
With the little bit of time he had left, he would arm Lena to her teeth. Teach her everything including getting back up to takeover when he was no longer capable.
Holy Hell, Dorian froze. His heart thundered at the possibility of someone else protecting Lena until she was a full-blown vampire. It made Dorian see red.
She’d want sex. She’d want blood. She’d need those things, there was no compromise. Someone else would have to service her… then she would what? Join the House of Death? Fall in love with some other vampire who wasn’t her mate?
Dorian would be ashes by then. Gone. There was nothing he could do…
Another thought formed, and it was a thousand times worse. Would Lena die with him because she was his alakhai and maybe once fate sank its teeth into a set of mates, they’d both survive or both die?
It didn’t seem likely, but he wasn’t hopeful enough to rule it out. All because that hadn’t happened before with other vampires didn’t mean it couldn’t happen now.
Dorian’s heart stumbled to a halt. “She can’t die,” he said under his breath. Sweet mercy, please don’t let his mate die over his mistake. Whatever he did wrong, let him be the only one to pay the price.
“You’re scaring me,” Lena said with a shaky voice.
Dorian sucked back his emotions and boxed them up nice and neat and shoved them in a dark closet. Inhaling deeply, he kept his eyes fixed on the waiting car up ahead. Reaching for Lena’s hand, he squeezed her just enough to say, It’s going to be fine, because there was no way he’d allow that lie to leave his tongue. He could only hope the strength of his touch would offer her a boost of confidence. She was going to need it. They both would.
Walking over to the parked car, Dorian noticed some of the tension had left Lena’s shoulders and she smiled at Lucian.
The blond vampire dipped his sunglasses further down his nose and whistled at Lena. “Dayem, you are stunning.” He waggled his brows. “Black lace and vampirism look good on you, girl.”
Dorian growled, possessively.
Lucian tossed his hands in the air and chuckled. “Hey man, I’m just—” The smile fell off his face.
“Let’s go.” Dorian opened the car door and helped Lena get inside. “Drive us home, Lucian.”
“You look like shit, man,” Lucian grabbed Dorian’s arm. “What the hell happened?”
“Get us to the King.”
Lucian stopped him from climbing in the car, his gaze fiercely concerned. “I thought you turned her.”
“I did.”
“Then why are you still afflicted?”
“I don’t know.” Dorian slipped into the backseat with Lena and slammed the door shut.
They drove to the House of Death, hoping they’d find the answer before it was too late.
Chapter 41
Dorian squeezed Lena’s hand, “You ready for a supreme game of hide and seek?”
“What are you talking about?”
“We’re going out for a hunt.” Dorian explained. “Once we meet with the King, you and I are going to arm up and hit the streets. If Stryx is tailing us, he’ll show himself eventually and we’ll catch him.”
“I really don’t give a rat’s ass about Stryx right now.”
“You need to,” he frowned.