Page 453 of Dark Love

“What’s going on Dahlia? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

Can I? “The trouble I’ve been having with sleep isn’t related to being roofied… well, not completely related. It wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t, but it’s only sort of the reason I can’t sleep. And I’ve been using you. I’m sorry.”

“Dahlia, slow down, take a breath, and explain that to me one more time.”

“Vex—”

“Yes, Dahl?”

What? Vex!?! I half-jump, half-fall out of the lounger. My laptop makes an odd splat on the brick pavers, but I don’t even have time to think about that.

Max grabs me so that my face doesn’t meet the ground the sameway.

“What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning.” My voice comes out as this weird screech.

“The question that’s going to be answered is, why is Vincenti in your backyard after midnight? I don’t see a party and those look like pajamas.”

Vex’s voice is oddly controlled. Almost robotic in his intonation. That can’t be good. “Um. So, you weren’t coming home until breakfast.”

“We’ve already established that, Dahl. Why is he here?”

“Um…” To carry me to bed doesn’t sound like the answer Vex wants. To lock my doors after he puts me to bed sounds even worse. “Um…” Think of something. Anything. The dog eating my homework is a completely reasonable excuse for a sexy man spending most of the night with me. People don’t kill people they know, right? They said that on some television shows… it might work. “Um… Vex, this is my neighbor, Max Vincenti. He’s Hope’s dad. Max, this is um Vex—”

“Dahl, we know each other.”

What? How? “You do?” I turn to Max. “You mean this whole time you knew Vex?”

Max grins. “Yup. And if I knew you made whatever those bourbon cookies were, I’d have put up more of a fight—”

“Cookies. You made him cookies?” Vex’s voice is barely a whisper, but it feels like a roar.

“Prue, you need to step back now.” Max moves away from me.

“Huh? What’s going on?” I shift my gaze from Vex to Max.

“Back up before Vex hits you.”

“Vex would never hit me. I told you he’s a gentle, kind man who would never harm a woman.” Didn’t we just talk about that for almost an hour? “Vex isn’t like that.”

Max’s grin gets even wider as he moves back from me. “Vex would never hurt you on purpose. But in a second, he’s about to try to give me two black eyes… and neither of us wants you to get hurt.”

“Vex isn’t going to hurt you.” I turn to Vex. “Right? You wouldn’t hit Max for being a good guy. Max found out that I was roofied, and he thought he was taking care of me carrying me to bed.” Oops. I slap a hand over my mouth and Max jumps away from me as Vex flies across the yard.

“No. Stop! It’s not—” An arm wraps around my waist and pulls me away from them.

“Don’t get in the way,” Talon says.

“But Vex is going to kill Max.” Doesn’t he know who Vex is?

“If Vex wanted Max dead, he’d be dead already.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” They’re literally on the ground pummeling each other.

The hollow sound of Vex’s fist smashing into Max’s side is only slightly less nauseating than the grunt Max makes in response.

“Because I do. Can I let you go? Or are you going to try to separate them and get yourself hurt?”

Um. “Someone should separate them.”

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