Page 66 of Dance With Death

“That requires cooperation, Violet, and, so far, you have excluded me. Therefore, I will speak to Dashiell when I see fit.” She seethes at him. “But rest assured, I’ll pass on everything I discover.”

Dorian turns to me, and every muscle in my body tenses as I prepare for him to grab me or use magic. He slides hands into his pockets and looks down. “Rowan informed you that I waited at the academy for Violet. You assisted her in avoiding me.”

My throat bobs. “Violet would’ve come to the hospital without me. I wanted to protect her.”

He barks a laugh. “Protect her?”

“I mean, stop Violet from doing something that would cause trouble,” I stammer.

“Uh huh. Avoiding trouble by chasing shifters through the hospital?” He pushes his tongue against a canine. “Hemia aren’t supposed to enter human hospital wards.”

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“I can be very persuasive, Dorian,” Violet says.“Grayson had to help me.”

He pivots to look at his daughter. “You used mind control on him?”

“No,” she retorts. “My three friends often step in if they believe I may cross a line and cause trouble.”

Again, a derisive sound escapes Dorian before he steps across the room to Dashiell, hands still casually in his pockets. “Look at me.”

Hesitantly, Dashiell removes his fingers from his eyes and does as he’s commanded, then suppresses a pained noise, face paling. I cringe at the memory of Dorian’s magic piercing my mind. “Violet informed me that your memories are a mess. Your mind may take some working on.”

Dashiell’s hands tremble, and he balls them on his knees. “I’ll cooperate.”

“You say that as if it’s an option, Dashiell. Is that your real name?” He nods. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Dashiell.”

Poor guy. But at least Dashiell’s presence deflects from me. Dorian turns to Violet again. “To say that I’m unimpressed with your behavior would be an understatement. I’m called to the academy by human detectives who tell me somebody found Holly injured in the woods. One of you. I had no idea. You’ve made me look like a fool.”

“And I have explained why,” says Violet.

“I will not harm the girl,” he repeats.

“And I couldn’t be sure, Dorian. Holly?—”

“Your loyalties are wrong,” he snaps.

I shuffle in my uncomfortable chair as Dorian’s dark cloud of anger grows. Violet, this is not helpful.

“If I’d returned to the academy as requested, I would never have found Dashiell at the hospital,” she says evenly. “A result for the investigation.”

“A lucky coincidence,” he retorts.

“Not for me,” mumbles Dashiell. “But I had to know that Holly is safe. You will keep her safe?”

“From shifters trying to tear her insides out?” asks Dorian.

“That wasn’t me! I called an ambulance when I saw what Sam had done. Then I heard voices. Brought Violet to her,” he protests, slumping back. “Like I said, I’ll cooperate in every way.”

“And like I said, you’ve no choice but to cooperate.”

Dashiell took a risk visiting the hospital once this morning, and then a second time this evening. He’d known Holly would be under watch by humans or supes, or both. The shifter either has a guilty conscience along with his secrets or he genuinely protected Holly and wants to continue keeping her safe.

Or somebody has sent him to finish a failed job.

24

VIOLET

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