Page 79 of Burn for Her

“He held back.” Lena narrowed her gaze at Bane. “Clearly.”

Dorian wheeled around and slammed Bane against a wall. “You hit my mate for fun?”

“Relax, brother.” Bane put his hands up, even while Dorian choked him. “She holds her own. She’s fearless. No shifters or vampires are allowed to use their extra abilities in a fight. We go as humans and fight like them.”

The air whooshed out of Lena and she rocked back on her heels. “How many of you are there in the club?” She had no clue she went up against werewolves and vampires. For some reason, it made her feel a little betrayed. She’d been duped. It also made her confidence skyrocket because if she could handle them in a bare-knuckle fight, she could handle anything else they tried on her now. Dorian didn’t have to worry so much.

“A bunch,” Bane shrugged. “You gonna let me go or are you gonna continuing pinning me, Reaper? Cause if we’re gonna be here a while, I’d like some pie. You can spoon feed it to me while you lightly choke me and tell me I’m pretty.”

Dorian, surprisingly, chuckled and let him go.

Bane tugged on his shirt and cracked his neck. “I love you, man.”

Lena was back to feeling confused and lost. She wanted Dorian to look at her and he wasn’t. She wanted to say something more to him but couldn’t.

Did he think she was crazy for fighting? Was it because she was a woman? Was it because she and Bane had a history, and he didn’t like that?

Well tough shit.

“How about we get you some new clothes,” Marie said sweetly. “You look like you could use a little freshening up.”

Now Lena was insulted. Regardless of whether Marie was right or not, Lena didn’t need it pointed out that she looked like a train wreck in men’s clothing. But she also didn’t want to stay in the kitchen with Dorian and everyone else if they were going to continue acting like she was a plague or something.

“Yes, that would be great.” Lena finally said, her gaze penetrating Dorian. She wanted him to look at her, and say something, anything. But he didn’t. His shoulders slumped and his head bowed, fists remaining clenched at his side. She shoved past him, knocking into him as she left the kitchen.

Dorian wasn’t the only dangerous one in their fated relationship.

Maybe it was giving him second thoughts?

Chapter 26

“You found the perfect girl.” Bane dropped his ass into a chair and pulled an entire pie over to him. Snagging a fork, he dug in. “Why do you look like you’ve just been told your puppy died?”

“I’m not turning and mating her,” Dorian confessed. He, Emerick, Alistair, Bane, and Bowen all sat at the table just like old times. Emily was MIA. “I can’t do that to her.”

“You can’t do what?” Bane shoved a heap of apple pie into his mouth and talked while chewing. “You can’t give her a better life? Love her endlessly? Have your soul set free?”

Was that bitterness in his tone? You better believe it. Dorian didn’t blame him for the attitude. “She deserves a lot better than me.”

“Fate doesn’t think so,” Bowen said from Dorian’s right. “Clearly.”

“When I first met Lena, I thought she was a vampire already,” Bane shoved another forkful into his mouth. “I was shocked as shit when I discovered she was just human. Her speed and agility have heightened over the years.”

“Because she’s prime for transitioning.”

“That’s what I suspected.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair. It creaked with his weight. “I’m the one who told her about The Wicked Garden.”

Dorian glowered. “You allowed her to be food for my kind?”

“She needed to be food. She wants to be food.”

Dorian shot out of his seat, lunging to attack him again. If Alistair hadn’t held him back, he would have leapt across the goddamn kitchen table. “Easy, son. Your instincts are riding you too hard and it’s unnecessary here.”

He knew Alistair was right. No one here was a threat. In fact, if Bane hadn’t told Lena about the kink club, there may have never been another chance of seeing her again since Dorian had backed out of even knocking on her door before that.

“I’d hoped she’d have made it to the third visit. Had every confidence she would. And, from there, maybe one of the vamps could help her out. Her taste for violence is impressive. And terrifying.”

“You make her sound psychotic.” Something Dorian didn’t appreciate.