Page 19 of Taken

“She’ll be ordering,” he told her, handing the menu over to me.

I looked up at her. “Just a coffee, please.” I handed her back the menu.

She huffed, clearly annoyed. “Are you sure? We’ve got a lot to choose from. We’ve got burgers, salads, and we serve breakfast all day—”

“Just coffee,” I said. “Please.”

She squinted, snatched the menu from my hands, and walked off toward the kitchen.

“I heard about what happened in East Greenwich,” Dorian said.

I studied him for a few seconds before I asked, “How did you know about that?”

“Sarah called me. She felt you and your coven would need all the help you could get,” Dorian explained. “Don’t get mad at her.”

“I’m not mad,” I said. “I just didn’t realize the two of you talked.”

“We don’t, really. Not like you think. Sarah and I knew each other the entire time she was in the lair, Mercy. She checks in now and then. We were friends, too.”

It never crossed my mind that, though she was a prisoner, she had made friends while inside, even with those deemed as enemies.

I wondered how much she had told him. I hoped she hadn’t mentioned what happened last night. I still hadn’t spoken to Sarah since she woke up earlier today. She’d only sent a quick text telling me she was okay.

“You think it’s that clan in Providence?” Dorian asked, changing the subject. He probably sensed how uncomfortable this conversation was making me. Also, how much did she tell him about what was going on?

I nodded. “Caleb suspects, anyway. The killer tattooed a black horse on the inside of the victim’s lip. It’s the clan’s logo. We’ve learned that they moved here a year ago from New Orleans. They’d been quiet since they came here, but the murder happened just a few weeks after the club opened. We all know that when vampires are up to shady shit, they create a secured lair.” Since I wasn’t sure how much Sarah had told him, this could be a surprise. “The leader is—” I shifted in my seat.

“Is?” he repeated.

“Alexander Winchester,” I confessed.

Dorian’s eyes went wide. “Well, I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Yeah, none of us did.”

“Then let me help you. For all the clan knows, I’m on the vampires’ side. I can help get information.”

I shook my head. There was no way Dorian needed to get involved. He had already sacrificed himself by helping me get out of Maurice’s lair a year ago and almost got himself killed. I wasn’t going to have his life on my hands again.

“Absolutely not,” I said. “It’s too dangerous, Dorian. We already had an incident last night, so we need to regroup and decide what to do next.”

“What incident?” he asked, the pitch of his voice rising a notch.

Fuck.I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t need Dorian worrying about me, too.

“Nothing,” I snapped. “We have it handled. Sarah shouldn’t have called you.”

“Then let Noah help,” he suggested. “He’s a shapeshifter. He can be the eyes and ears you need when it’s difficult to get into the darker places.”

That was one refreshing thing about Dorian. He didn’t argue with me like Caleb did every fucking second. Dorian didn’t question me when I made a decision about something. He respected it. But he was also right about having Noah help us. Having as many supernatural beings on our side as possible would give us the upper hand.

I considered his words. “I’ll think about it,” I said as I climbed out of the booth. Dorian moved next to me so swiftly that my hair blew to the side. “Show off.” I smiled.

He placed his hands under my jawline. I felt a chill on the back of my arms from the coldness of his fingers. The more his touch lingered on my skin, the more my body responded to it. The nerves between my legs went wild, causing my stomach to twist and my body to feel aroused by his very presence. His scent caused my head to spin.

“Why do you have me text you, Mercy?” he whispered. “If you feel nothing, why do you care so much if I’m okay?” He brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers and slid his hands to the back of my neck, gripping tightly to keep my head from turning from his gaze. I stopped him from inching closer to me by pressing my hand to his chest, creating a gap between us. His hand dropped to his side, and he flinched.

“Goodbye, Dorian.”

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