“We spoke earlier,” he said finally. “If there’s time, we’ll be meeting before we leave.”
“You and Raj can have a drink while Sarah and I shop,” she suggested brightly.
He rolled his eyes. “Are you ready?”
She stood and stamped her feet in her boots. “Ready, master.”
He stood and threaded his strong fingers through her hair, tugging slightly so she looked up at him. “Remember that, lubimaya.” He kissed her softly, smiling at her confused look. “Remember who truly is master around here.” Cyn went to punch him, but he caught her fist with a laugh. “Come on, let’s go see what that damn sorcerer wants now .”
He took Cyn’s hand and led her out of their suite and down the stairs. All the while, the same idea kept running through her thoughts . . . it would be so much easier if I did this alone.
NICK HEARD FOOTSTEPS on the marble and turned in time to see Raphael and Cyn round the bottom of the stairs. They were holding hands. Wasn’t that sweet? He had no doubt Raphael was possessive as hell when it came to Cyn, just as he had no doubt the vampire’s usual possessiveness was on steroids these last few days. He took no small amount of pleasure from knowing that he was the cause of the vampire’s agitation, but at the same time, he was forced to admit that he envied what the two of them had. As much as he didn’t want to see it, there was no doubting the strong connection between them. Raphael didn’t just desire Cyn, he didn’t only want to own her, he actually loved her. That was an emotion Nick couldn’t recall ever seeing from a vampire as powerful as Raphael. Vampires like him owned people, even their lovers. They didn’t love them, and they sure as hell didn’t commit to a monogamous relationship with one of them.
Nick looked at what Cyn and Raphael had, and he wanted it for himself. He longed for it. He was so tired of being alone, of searching for his warriors and fearing that he’d never find them, that he might be alone forever. Sure, he had people who worked for him, good people whom he cared about. But he didn’t have friends, didn’t have the camaraderie of his brothers-in-arms . And he sure as hell didn’t have a lover waiting for him to come home at night.
He gritted his teeth, wondering what had come over him lately. Maybe it was being around those two for days on end. He needed to recover the manacles and get the hell away before they had him drinking the same happily-ever-after Kool-Aid.
“Hey Nick,” Cyn said brightly, but she didn’t try to hug him. Apparently, the vampire had drawn the line on that. “How’s the hotel?”
“One of the best in the city, darling. Don’t worry about me.”
“We’re not,” Raphael said flatly. He pulled Cyn down to sit next to him on one of two facing couches and gestured for Nick to take the other. “Tell me about this collector.”
“Us,” Cyn corrected him, with a scolding look. “Tell us about this collector.”
Raphael squeezed her hand and leaned over to brush a kiss over her temple in apology. How sweet. Fuck, he needed to get away from here.
“You want to know about Isaac Marshall,” he said briskly.
“Right,” Cyn said. “But first, I have a question. Why not just buy the manacles from Marshall? I know it’s not a question of money, so what’s the deal?”
“You underestimate the mindset of a collector. Marshall’s collection is one of the top five in the world, and it didn’t get that way because he was willing to sell. In fact, I’ve never heard of a single piece from his collection ever going up for auction. He acquires, he doesn’t sell.”
Cyn frowned. That actually made sense. She’d known people just like that when she was growing up. Her father, when it came to his art collection, for example.
“Cyn, I know you’ve already done a computer search on him,” Nick said, changing the subject. “What’d you find?”
She nodded. “He’s a boring man who heads up a
“You and Raj can have a drink while Sarah and I shop,” she suggested brightly.
He rolled his eyes. “Are you ready?”
She stood and stamped her feet in her boots. “Ready, master.”
He stood and threaded his strong fingers through her hair, tugging slightly so she looked up at him. “Remember that, lubimaya.” He kissed her softly, smiling at her confused look. “Remember who truly is master around here.” Cyn went to punch him, but he caught her fist with a laugh. “Come on, let’s go see what that damn sorcerer wants now .”
He took Cyn’s hand and led her out of their suite and down the stairs. All the while, the same idea kept running through her thoughts . . . it would be so much easier if I did this alone.
NICK HEARD FOOTSTEPS on the marble and turned in time to see Raphael and Cyn round the bottom of the stairs. They were holding hands. Wasn’t that sweet? He had no doubt Raphael was possessive as hell when it came to Cyn, just as he had no doubt the vampire’s usual possessiveness was on steroids these last few days. He took no small amount of pleasure from knowing that he was the cause of the vampire’s agitation, but at the same time, he was forced to admit that he envied what the two of them had. As much as he didn’t want to see it, there was no doubting the strong connection between them. Raphael didn’t just desire Cyn, he didn’t only want to own her, he actually loved her. That was an emotion Nick couldn’t recall ever seeing from a vampire as powerful as Raphael. Vampires like him owned people, even their lovers. They didn’t love them, and they sure as hell didn’t commit to a monogamous relationship with one of them.
Nick looked at what Cyn and Raphael had, and he wanted it for himself. He longed for it. He was so tired of being alone, of searching for his warriors and fearing that he’d never find them, that he might be alone forever. Sure, he had people who worked for him, good people whom he cared about. But he didn’t have friends, didn’t have the camaraderie of his brothers-in-arms . And he sure as hell didn’t have a lover waiting for him to come home at night.
He gritted his teeth, wondering what had come over him lately. Maybe it was being around those two for days on end. He needed to recover the manacles and get the hell away before they had him drinking the same happily-ever-after Kool-Aid.
“Hey Nick,” Cyn said brightly, but she didn’t try to hug him. Apparently, the vampire had drawn the line on that. “How’s the hotel?”
“One of the best in the city, darling. Don’t worry about me.”
“We’re not,” Raphael said flatly. He pulled Cyn down to sit next to him on one of two facing couches and gestured for Nick to take the other. “Tell me about this collector.”
“Us,” Cyn corrected him, with a scolding look. “Tell us about this collector.”
Raphael squeezed her hand and leaned over to brush a kiss over her temple in apology. How sweet. Fuck, he needed to get away from here.
“You want to know about Isaac Marshall,” he said briskly.
“Right,” Cyn said. “But first, I have a question. Why not just buy the manacles from Marshall? I know it’s not a question of money, so what’s the deal?”
“You underestimate the mindset of a collector. Marshall’s collection is one of the top five in the world, and it didn’t get that way because he was willing to sell. In fact, I’ve never heard of a single piece from his collection ever going up for auction. He acquires, he doesn’t sell.”
Cyn frowned. That actually made sense. She’d known people just like that when she was growing up. Her father, when it came to his art collection, for example.
“Cyn, I know you’ve already done a computer search on him,” Nick said, changing the subject. “What’d you find?”
She nodded. “He’s a boring man who heads up a
Similar Books
