like he’d nearly done with Lynetta.
“Can you turn on the light?” she asked.
Waving his hand, he switched the crystal bed lamp on, il uminating the room in a sultry pale glow.
She surveyed the room and simply said, “Big…and dark.”
“It has windows and is on the second floor.” He motioned to the bed. “Tuck yourself in.”
“Are you certain you can’t lock me in and sleep somewhere else?”
Unwil ing to play games any longer, he advanced on her.
Her eyes widened.
“In bed, or I wil ignore your wishes and return you to the cel ar.”
Frowning, she proceeded to remove her leather jacket. “If you were a gentleman, you would leave.” She gave him an annoyed look, her eyes chal enging him.
He raised a brow.
“Forget it.” Dropping her jacket on a chair, she climbed under the velvet comforter, stil ful y dressed. She watched him with narrowed eyes. “Wel ?”
“Wel , what?”
“Aren’t you going to turn off the light?”
His lips twitched, betraying a smile. After extinguishing the light, she stil looked in his direction, though as black as the room was he knew she couldn’t see him.
She sighed deeply. “Wel ? Aren’t you coming to bed?”
He reiterated, “Sleep. And do not aggravate me further. You won’t be able to leave this room, so don’t contemplate—”
Before he could say anything more, he sensed his brother outside, of al the damned things.
“Daemon, will you let me in?” his brother implored.
Her eyes widened.
“He won’t take you from here. Sleep, Tezra.”
Scowling, she closed her eyes.
He waited until her breathing softened, then he locked the door to his bedroom. Furious with himself for letting her manipulate him so, he left her to meet with his brother. If he wasn’t worried she’d try to escape or someone might attempt to reach her, he’d sleep in the cel ar himself.
Daemon reappeared at the bar, grabbed his glass of wine and took a couple of healthy swal ows. Biting back a curse, he said,
“Freely, I open my house to you, my brother.”
Atreides appeared next to him, but turned his attention toward Daemon’s bedroom upstairs. “Why is the huntress in your room?
Not confined to the cel ar? Hel , even you said she was a dark huntress—they’re the worst kind.”
“Not that it’s any concern of yours, she’s frightened of the cel ar.” He poured his brother a drink. “And technical y she works as an investigator, not a huntress. My mistake. So why are you here?”
“You can’t fal for the woman, Daemon. You know what happened last time. For sixty, no seventy years, you wore the blackest mood.” Atreides took a swig of his drink. “Besides, you have the worst luck when it comes to turning women you intend to be your mates.”
Daemon studied him, stil relieved that his brother had tried to protect the woman and hadn’t planned to terminate her. “Dammit, Atreides, I’m only interested in ending the serial kil ers’ reign of terror. If he murders her, the SCU wil come down hard on al of us. You and I know it. But worse, the kil er knows it.”
“Al right,” Atreides conceded, but Daemon sensed his brother’s unease. “Did you discover anything from the saliva samples of the latest victim?”
the latest victim?”
“Only that it is not one of our closest friends. Unfortunately, we don’t have a databank for vampire DNA.”
“Maison said you plan to use her as bait.” Atreides paced, his long stride eating up the carpeted floor. “You haven’t had a woman companion in many years. Just a quick fix here and there. I don’t think it’s safe for you to share the same room with her.”
“You’re suggesting?”
Atreides stopped and faced Daemon, his look serious, like their uncle’s had been when he laid down the law. Atreides’s resemblance to their murdered relation was uncanny—same sturdy jaw, same raw edges, no rounded flesh to soften the harsh look, same dark furrowed brows and narrowed brown eyes.
Atreides
“Can you turn on the light?” she asked.
Waving his hand, he switched the crystal bed lamp on, il uminating the room in a sultry pale glow.
She surveyed the room and simply said, “Big…and dark.”
“It has windows and is on the second floor.” He motioned to the bed. “Tuck yourself in.”
“Are you certain you can’t lock me in and sleep somewhere else?”
Unwil ing to play games any longer, he advanced on her.
Her eyes widened.
“In bed, or I wil ignore your wishes and return you to the cel ar.”
Frowning, she proceeded to remove her leather jacket. “If you were a gentleman, you would leave.” She gave him an annoyed look, her eyes chal enging him.
He raised a brow.
“Forget it.” Dropping her jacket on a chair, she climbed under the velvet comforter, stil ful y dressed. She watched him with narrowed eyes. “Wel ?”
“Wel , what?”
“Aren’t you going to turn off the light?”
His lips twitched, betraying a smile. After extinguishing the light, she stil looked in his direction, though as black as the room was he knew she couldn’t see him.
She sighed deeply. “Wel ? Aren’t you coming to bed?”
He reiterated, “Sleep. And do not aggravate me further. You won’t be able to leave this room, so don’t contemplate—”
Before he could say anything more, he sensed his brother outside, of al the damned things.
“Daemon, will you let me in?” his brother implored.
Her eyes widened.
“He won’t take you from here. Sleep, Tezra.”
Scowling, she closed her eyes.
He waited until her breathing softened, then he locked the door to his bedroom. Furious with himself for letting her manipulate him so, he left her to meet with his brother. If he wasn’t worried she’d try to escape or someone might attempt to reach her, he’d sleep in the cel ar himself.
Daemon reappeared at the bar, grabbed his glass of wine and took a couple of healthy swal ows. Biting back a curse, he said,
“Freely, I open my house to you, my brother.”
Atreides appeared next to him, but turned his attention toward Daemon’s bedroom upstairs. “Why is the huntress in your room?
Not confined to the cel ar? Hel , even you said she was a dark huntress—they’re the worst kind.”
“Not that it’s any concern of yours, she’s frightened of the cel ar.” He poured his brother a drink. “And technical y she works as an investigator, not a huntress. My mistake. So why are you here?”
“You can’t fal for the woman, Daemon. You know what happened last time. For sixty, no seventy years, you wore the blackest mood.” Atreides took a swig of his drink. “Besides, you have the worst luck when it comes to turning women you intend to be your mates.”
Daemon studied him, stil relieved that his brother had tried to protect the woman and hadn’t planned to terminate her. “Dammit, Atreides, I’m only interested in ending the serial kil ers’ reign of terror. If he murders her, the SCU wil come down hard on al of us. You and I know it. But worse, the kil er knows it.”
“Al right,” Atreides conceded, but Daemon sensed his brother’s unease. “Did you discover anything from the saliva samples of the latest victim?”
the latest victim?”
“Only that it is not one of our closest friends. Unfortunately, we don’t have a databank for vampire DNA.”
“Maison said you plan to use her as bait.” Atreides paced, his long stride eating up the carpeted floor. “You haven’t had a woman companion in many years. Just a quick fix here and there. I don’t think it’s safe for you to share the same room with her.”
“You’re suggesting?”
Atreides stopped and faced Daemon, his look serious, like their uncle’s had been when he laid down the law. Atreides’s resemblance to their murdered relation was uncanny—same sturdy jaw, same raw edges, no rounded flesh to soften the harsh look, same dark furrowed brows and narrowed brown eyes.
Atreides
Similar Books
