Page 82 of Burn for Her
“Like?”
“Dorian’s dying.” Emily studied Lena’s reaction. Her eyes widened. “Holy shit, you knew that already, didn’t you?” She shot up on her feet and shook with rage. “You’re just going to let him die? What kind of heartless bitch are you?” Her voice rose with each word she spat out.
Lena dropped the clothes on the bed and got nose-to-nose with her. “I’m not the one rejecting this whole mate thing. Dorian’s refusing.”
The truth smashed Emily far more effectively than Lena’s fist ever could. Emily backed up, shaking her head, and left the room.
Marie quietly shut the door and wiped more tears from her face. “We were afraid of this. Alistair and I. Dorian’s past is ugly, and it’s clouded his vision of himself.”
Lena crossed her arms and looked out the window. She saw Emily run out of the house and across the yard towards a barn. She also saw Dorian was already at the barn’s entrance. He turned around just before he got slammed by her. He embraced her, much like Bane had Lena.
She didn’t know how to feel about it, but again it wasn’t jealousy. It was something else. “Can you fall in love with someone who’s not your mate?”
“Yes, but it’s more damning in the end. At least, I’d assume that’s the case for vampires. Wolves only see their mate when they drink a specific liquid form of silver. Vampires, unless they manage to go their entire lives without seeing a single reflection, can’t escape their fate so easily. But in both cases, the longing grows the longer one lives without their mate. For vampires, they’re called alakhai. For us, it’s Deesha.”
“Are you saying Dorian could live forever had he not seen me at all?”
“As long as he wasn’t killed out in the field, yes. But I fear his soul would become more hollow. His humanity could wane. He’d likely end up…”
“A monster anyway.”
“Maybe.” Marie sniffled. “I don’t like to think of any of my children like that.”
“How did Dorian come to live with werewolves? Where are his parents?” Lena rethought her question. “Or can your kind mix breeds? Can you have Lycan and vampires from the same union?”
“No,” Marie lightly laughed. “Lycan only breed Lycan. No crossbreeding allowed. Especially after the curse’s legend. Honestly, I don’t even think it’s possible. We aren’t exactly friendly with each other, so I don’t think the theory has ever been tested.”
“Lycan and vampires hate each other… except for you guys and Dorian.”
“He was an exception. But no Lycan would ever bed him or another of his kind. Once he was old enough and had finally come to his full power and maturity, we knew we had to get him into a vampire House. Alistair made some calls and Malachi jumped on the opportunity to meet him. Dorian chose the House of Death, King Malachi’s House, and we moved here and took over this territory to stay a little closer to him. Alistair insisted.”
Wait a second. “How old is Dorian?”
“Over three-hundred. We have no idea of his exact birthday because he didn’t know it, or how old he was, when he came to us. But I’d say around three-hundred and twenty, give or take. He looked like a child when he arrived on our doorstep, but that changed swiftly once we got him healthier.”
Wow. This was just… yeah, wow. Lena chewed on her bottom lip and let all this sink in. “Someone’s after him. Us. I don’t exactly understand it.”
“I’m sure he has a lot of enemies, the Savag-Ri not included. Dorian’s made a name for himself among the vampires.”
“As an executioner.”
“As a protector. A hunter.” Marie licked her lips and cringed a little, “I think being raised by Lycan works against him. He’s had to fight twice as hard as any other of his kind to get to where he is now. And his past doesn’t paint him in a pretty light either. His father was a brutal and cruel bastard.”
Lena wished to ask more about it but wanted to hear that story from Dorian. She heard plenty about his father during Dorian’s episode in the shower. “I don’t want to lose him,” she said quietly.
“Neither do we,” Marie whispered.
“How do we stop him from dying?”
Marie stood up and looked out the window with Lena. “Dorian’s never run from danger before,” she said thoughtfully. “I can’t believe he would do so now.”
“It’s my fault. He’s hellbent on protecting me, even though I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”
“I have no doubt.” Marie smiled. “Especially hearing that you and Bane run in the same circles. That’s impressive.”
Lena rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m violent and unapologetic. Dorian should probably bear that in mind.”
“You two are cut from the same cloth then.” Marie tapped her chin and continued looking out the window. “I think I have a plan.”