Dying to Date(64)

Her heart clenched. She met his gaze and saw the sincerity in his eyes. “Me, too,” she confessed. Those three little words were on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back. It was too soon. They needed more time to get to know each other. Time away from the drama of disapproving parents and devious grandparents.

“Once this is over, we can figure out where we go next,” he told her. “But for the record, I don’t care where we end up, as long as you’re in my arms every night.”

“That sounds about right,” she agreed, sliding her hands over his shoulders. Melissa pulled his mouth back down to hers and smiled against his lips. The next few hours would be some of the hardest of her life, but Tarian would be waiting for her at the end of it. They could figure out what they were to each other and, hopefully, spend days in bed.

Then she could see if the niggling suspicion in her brain was warranted. Despite the odds, Tarian might very well be her mate, and if that was the case, no power on heaven or earth would separate them again.





Chapter Sixteen


The pounding on her door had Melissa sprinting to her entry wall.

“Ready?” she asked Tarian.

He shrugged. “As we’ll ever be.”

With a flip of the lock she pulled the door open.

Lucian barreled in like a storm. “Where is he?”

“Over here,” Tarian said, lounging on her sofa. “Though let’s all remember what happened last time you tried to attack me.”

Her father bared his teeth. “Why are you still in the city?”

“The fact that you didn’t know I was here tells me you have rather inept spies.”

Abbey pushed into the room, forcing Lucian out of the doorway. “Hello, Melissa,” she greeted. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

“Tarian has a plan to ensure that,” she said, closing the door behind the pair. “Come on in.”

“Who took my daughter and what are they doing in New York?” Lucian demanded, his eyes not leaving Tarian.

Her lover leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “There is a small group of necromancers stirring the pot, and it’s bad for all of us. They happen to be here in the city and it’s our chance to catch them.”

“You’re doing this out of a desire to increase public safety and nothing more, I’m sure,” Lucian drawled.

“No. I want equal rights for my people.”

“Not happening.”

“Then good luck finding this group.” He leaned back on the sofa, utterly calm.

Abbey slid her hand up Lucian’s arm. “What happens if we don’t get this group?” she whispered into his ear. “More people will be in danger and this time, they might not have a guardian angel looking out for them.”

“I’ve watched necromancers slaughter my people for generations.”

“Lately?” Tarian asked. “Because we haven’t even been allowed around your kind in a century.”

“Listen to what he has to say,” Melissa said. “It’s not an unreasonable request.”

Lucian’s angry eyes turned to her. “I believe I ordered you to stay away from him.”

“Going to ground me?” she replied, tapping her foot in impatience.

“Come on, honey,” Abbey said, pulling Lucian into the living room. She guided him into an armchair and perched on the arm next to him. “Tarian, what are your terms?”

“I want necromancers allowed in all major cities. We will, of course, be held to the same standards as all other races. No violence or threatening our cover with the humans. We just want the chance to live normal lives.”

“Fair,” Abbey said before Lucian could jump in. “And in return for this, you will give us the kidnappers.”

“Yes.”

“Who are they?” Lucian growled.

“Their leader is Dominic Salverg, my grandfather.”

“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Lucian muttered.

Abbey whacked him over the head.

“You need a necromancer working with you to get close,” Melissa said, moving next to Tarian. “Dominic will be on the lookout for vampires.”

“I can set up the exchange. Tell him I have Melissa and will trade her for my sister. When I have the location, I’ll relay it to you, and you can have your people standing by. I can handle my grandfather and you can corral the rest of his minions.”

“Melissa is not getting anywhere near this.”

Anger churned within her. She opened her mouth to defend her abilities, but Tarian beat her to it.

“Agreed,” he said. “Besides, it’s not necessary. We just need him to think an exchange is happening so he’ll give us a location to trap him in.”