Page 71 of Burn for Her

“That’s dumb.” She wiped her tears away.

“It’s deserved.”

“Well, if you do that, how else will you be able to do this to me again?”

Dorian sat on the side of the bed. He was trembling something fierce.

“Hey.” She leaned forward. “I’m fine.” Lena was more than fine. Her tears weren’t because he hurt her. He’d done no such thing. She was crying because—

“One night,” his voice cracked in the darkness. “I said I wanted one night with you then I’d die knowing I attempted to love.” Dorian swept the hair from his face and glared at her. “I don’t want you for one night.” He started to choke up. “I want you for forever.”

It would have been such a romantic moment if his window hadn’t shattered when a Molotov cocktail crashed through it and burst on the floor. Flames erupted. Lena screamed.

“Get down!” Dorian threw a blanket over her head and carried her out of the bedroom.

Chapter 23

Torn between getting Lena to safety and putting out the fire in his bedroom, it was a no brainer. Dorian chose Lena. His house could burn, nothing mattered but her. Slinging her over his shoulder, Dorian ran out of the bedroom with her wrapped in a blanket. Once he got Lena someplace safe, he would hunt down the fucker who did this. No one threatened him, or her, and got away with it.

Swinging open his front door, he ran smack into Lucian. Thankfully, that vampire hadn’t actually left. Dorian knew he’d stay close, even after his attitude earlier. Lucian must have stayed to guard them for the night. He was gracious like that.

“Motherfucker!” Lucian snarled. “I didn’t see them. By the time I heard the crash, they were already gone. I have no clue how they got past me without me sensing them.”

“No scent?”

Lucian looked a little ashamed. “None I could catch in time.”

“Take Lena for me.” Dorian placed her down on the ground and swiftly rearranged the blanket to fully cover her and cupped her face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Dorian shoved a finger at Lucian, “Guard her with your life, understand me?”

“I’ve got her. Go!”

Dorian ran back inside the house. He needed to grab Lena’s things before they burned—if it wasn’t already too late. The fire wasn’t spreading fast. It was partially because he didn’t have much in his home to catch fire. His bed, however, was already a massive torch. His clothes would be next.

Grabbing her dress from the floor, he pressed the fabric to his face to filter the air. Then he ran into the kitchen, and, in a last-ditch effort to save what little he had, grabbed the fire extinguisher from under his sink. Running back in, he sprayed everything.

The fire died out and the air remained smokey. Furious, he glanced around, relieved the damage wasn’t worse.

“Dorian!” Lena yelled.

At the sound of her voice, he turned just as she ran back into his bedroom. He dropped the fire extinguisher with a clank and stormed over to her. “I said to stay out!” But his anger went MIA once he pressed his lips to hers. “I have to get you someplace safe.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She pushed away from him to look at the damage from the fire and all the shattered glass on the floor.

Dorian yanked her back. “There’s too much glass everywhere. You’ll cut yourself.”

Not only did he not want her hurt, but if she cut her feet, the scent of her blood would have him undone. He couldn’t afford to lose what little bit of clarity he’d somehow gained tonight.

Lena’s brow furrowed. “Who did this? Do you have any idea?”

“The property’s clear,” Lucian huffed from the doorway.

“I told you to keep her safe, Lucian.”

“Yeah, well,” he stopped to catch his breath. “There’s no stopping her from getting to you, man. She nearly took my nuts off just now.”