Page 49 of Because the Night

“Very.” He frowns. “However, hurting you is not my priority.”

“It’s not your priority? Oh, that makes me feel so much better. Thanks.”

He can’t come inside. I am safe for now. But it’s not as big a relief as it should be. Because the way he watches me with such ownership and entitlement is beyond creepy. Not even Archie harbored such hatred of me. And he definitely wanted to rip out my heart and eat it—or something.

“Lucas,” I say, my voice shaking. “I need you.”

A second later, he is standing at my side. Thank goodness. He, too, stares out at the intruder in the garden, his nostrils flaring with anger at the sight. “Hello, brother. It’s been a while.”

“You shouldn’t have made her,” says Marc in a low, angry voice.

“She has nothing to do with this.”

Marc scoffs. “She has everything to do with this. Ana was my wife. Mine. But even now you cannot accept that. How dare you try to duplicate her with the cheap whore standing at your side.”

“Excuse you,” I say. “There is nothing wrong with working in the sex trade, or liking sex, for that matter. And I am not cheap.”

“That’s true,” agrees Lucas. “She’s really not.”

Marc’s hands curl into fists. “I could have forgiven you for stabbing me in the back and setting me on fire. It’s not as if we haven’t had our fun with each other over the years. But not this.”

I cock my head. “You could forgive him for stabbing you in the back and setting you on fire? What the fuck is wrong with you people?”

Lucas hushes me before turning back to his brother and saying, “As wonderful as this family reunion has been…what do you want, Marc?”

His brother’s answering smile is all sharp teeth. “I will not allow you to use this woman as a weapon against me.”

“Are you here on personal business, or are you representing the interests of your Russian friends?”

“Such bitter irony,” says Marc. “This situation was years in the making. It took patience to infiltrate The Thorn Group. Then we compelled Jennifer to avoid mentioning that visitors should stay out of the basement when she sent her underling to check the property so close to sunset. I was confident whoever it was she sent would get past the runes and wake you. After all, they would be an innocent who bore you no ill will, and no vampire had actually compelled them. None of us even knew who exactly it would be.”

“You did that?” I ask in surprise. “You’re the asshole responsible for getting me killed?”

Marc snarls in my general direction. The dude really does not like me. “That she would turn out to look so similar to Ana. And it was me who unknowingly sent her to you.”

“Why did you want me woken so badly?” asks Lucas. “Just out of curiosity.”

“I look forward to sending you her ashes, brother. The box has already been purchased. Mahogany with gold and pearl inlay. It’s quite a fetching piece. Soon.” And with that, Marc does a mocking little bow, and then he’s gone.

“That’s the…actually, I’m not sure how many times it’s been now that someone has threatened to kill me,” I say. “Do you think he’d feel differently if he got to know me?”

“No. Are you alright?”

I sigh. “I don’t know.”

He just watches me.

“At least now we know a bit more about what the hell is going on. Shame he wouldn’t share his whole nefarious plan with us.”

“It would have been helpful.”

“How does it feel to have beef going back to the dark ages?” I hand him a blood bag. The way he cringes like a big baby at the thing. “So don’t drink it,” I say. “It’s not like I’m forcing you.”

“It’s fine,” he says, sucking it down with a not-quite-hidden grimace. “Let’s head back downstairs.”

My jaw cracks on a yawn. “It must be close to dawn.”

“Time for you to rest.”

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