“I have to go,” I told Quinn. “I have an appointment.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
I shook my head. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
It took a bit more convincing, but I managed to part ways with Quinn, and just before seven o’clock I approached the Madison Manor. My steps slowed the closer I got to
Gideon’s hotel as I tried to calm myself.
This will go just fine, I tried to tell myself.
I could handle Gideon Chase. He was putty in my hands.
Sure.
I heard a voice from the shadows.
“You’re seeing Gideon again?” the Red Devil as played by Thierry de Bennicoeur asked.
“What a surprise.”
I put a hand on my hip. “He’s just so charming I can’t stay away.”
“I see. So you feel the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it?”
I’d taken an English Lit course the year I’d been in university. I recognized a good Oscar
Wilde quotation when it was sarcastically thrown in my direction.
Or maybe he was just being truthful. I tried to see the situation from his point of view. I knew Thierry didn’t want me to put myself in harm’s way by seeing Gideon. He’d told me as much to my face. And yet here I was merrily prancing into Gideon’s hotel room again as if it was no big deal.
Also, I do believe I admitted last night to the “Red Devil” that not only did Gideon kiss me, but I might have enjoyed it. Whoops.
“Do you think I’m having an affair with Gideon?” I asked.
There was a long stretch of silence. “Are you?”
“I can’t believe you have to question that.”
“That wasn’t a clear yes or no answer.” His voice was tight. “But it’s really none of my business either way, is it?”
“Now that you mention it, I guess it isn’t.” I pushed my annoyance away and turned around to spot him in the shadows to the side of the hotel a little off to my right. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me who you are? I’ve never been a big fan of game playing, unless it’s Twister or spin the bottle.”
I’d give him a chance. This was his big opportunity to come clean with me once and for all.
“It would be best if you kept your distance from Gideon,” he said quietly, without even attempting to answer my question. “I don’t need to tell you he’s a very dangerous man.”
“So are you. In fact, Gideon tells me you’re basically a vampire of mass destruction.”
“He said that, did he?”
“My words, but that’s what he meant.”
There was a pause. “And what do you think of me?”
“The jury is still deliberating. All I know is that Gideon will hand over the grimoire so I can break my curse if I hand you over to him. So I’d watch my step if I were you.”
“Do you plan to help him? Is that why you can’t seem to stay far from his side?”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do.” All I could see in the darkness was the outline of his body and a slight glitter in his shaded eyes behind his mask. “There’s a lot on the line for me at the moment and I feel like I’m all alone in the world.”
“You’re not alone.”
“Sure feels that way.”
“You didn’t seem so alone this afternoon with Quinn. Perhaps there is still a chance you and he can be together if that’s what you want.”
There was a familiar unfriendly edge as he said Quinn’s name. Obviously the kiss had not gone unnoticed. As much as I’d had it with the jealousy, I did feel a twinge of guilt. More than a twinge. It felt like lately I’d been gallivanting all over the city attacking the lips of everyone I passed. Thierry had a right to be questioning the fidelity of my lips or, for that matter, the rest of my body.
“I’m not in love with Quinn. Never was, never will be. Also, his fiancée would rip my head from my body with her new fangs. You know very well who I’m in love with.”
“Do I?”
I sighed heavily. “Why don’t you take the rest of the night off? I don’t need protection from anyone right now, especially not somebody who hides behind a stupid mask.”
“Perhaps I’m not protecting you as much as I’m protecting others from you.”
I tried not to cringe. “Is that so?”
“You are a dangerous woman right now, currently treading a very fine line of self-control.
You pretend you’re normal when you’re anything but.”
“Yeah, well.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat and absently touched my gold chain.
“That’s what I want to fix. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
I started to walk away but he grabbed hold of my hand.
“Sarah—”
“What?” Just as I turned to face him he let go of me and stepped back into the shadows.
A long moment of silence stretched between us. “Promise to be careful.”
“I’ll do my best.”