"Huh? I'm sorry, I'm just … I don't know what I am," she confessed.
"Well, could you answer the door for me while you work it out?" She raised an eyebrow at her from over her newspaper. Dani shrugged and went to the front door but didn't see anyone at first. She stepped outside to find her dear old godfather reclining on the porch swing. She grabbed a coat and went to sit by him, waiting for him to start in on her about Chase and Griffin.
"Are you ready to go yet?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulder. "The Staffords are giving you a dinner party tonight. It would be rude of the guest of honor not to show up."
"What? I don't know anything about a party tonight. I don't think it's a good idea for me to go back. It's not safe for anyone involved," she sputtered.
"Let me worry about that, my sweet. Tonight you will stay with the Staffords and tomorrow we will talk some more. Now, go get your things." He smoothed a hand over her head.
"I don't have anything to wear to one of your fancy parties, Mason," she dithered.
"That's not what your mother said when we spoke," he coaxed. Tessa stepped out onto the porch with an impish grin.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Tessa asked.
"Why? So you can hide in a hotel room the whole time and sneak around in the shadows? Why are you two pushing me like this?" She felt cornered and wanted to lash out at them both.
"You have things to sort out and you can't do it from here. Trust me. Running from a problem doesn't make it go away. It will catch up with you sooner or later, even if it takes twenty-one years. You're better off dealing with it now." Tessa looked out over the brightening morning sky and nodded as if she'd just convinced herself of the rightness of her words.
"Let's go gather your things." She held open the screen door, not accepting no for an answer.
It took six hours to get to the Stafford estate and another two hours for Dani to settle the butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't ready to face those people again. A knock at her guest room door startled her. She opened the door to find Donovan smiling widely. He was in much more casual attire than when they first met. His jeans and tight black T-shirt showed off his lean, muscular body. It should have been considered a crime against women to look so good without the slightest effort.
"I almost didn't recognize you without your bracelets," he joked. It took a moment before she realized he meant the handcuffs she'd been wearing when they met. "If it's possible, you are even more breathtaking than last I saw you. Maybe it's the blood that has brightened you so sweetly."
She blushed. He was smooth and such a honey. He was hot in a manly, worldly way, like Mason, only yummier. That could have been because Mason was like a parental unit to her.
"Can I help you, Donovan?" she asked when she finally found her voice. He stared and made her squirm.
"Please, call me Van. Mother asked me to tell you the guests are arriving and cocktails will be served soon. When you're ready, I will escort you downstairs. I believe your date is already here, but my mom is old-fashioned. There is no way he's getting up the stairs to escort you himself." As he spoke, he looked her up and down, and suddenly she felt naked.
"Are you going dressed like that?" She pointed to his jeans. "If so, I won't have to put my heels on."
"No." He chuckled. "My mother would die twice. I was just about to go change. Just dial extension eight when you're ready. My room is around the corner, so I will be directly over to retrieve you."
"Thank you." She didn't know what else to say. Van sauntered down the hall like a cat on the prowl as she closed her door. She slid on the slinky, black, backless dress her mother had given her and a pair of heels with straps that wrapped around her calves to tie on the side. They looked kind of Grecian. She decided that putting her hair up was best with the backless dress. Looking at herself, she wondered if her mother had lost her mind. Did she want every man in vampire society sniffing around her skirt?
She called Van, but before she reached the door, she thought of her starburst. It was perfect. Dani opened the door just as Van began to knock. He was gorgeous in an Armani suit with his wavy hair slicked back. She had to control her smile while they looked over each other with approval.
"I think you should ditch that dude downstairs and stay on my arm all night. On second thought, you should stay next to me forever, Ms. Scott." He had a way of quickly undressing and burning a girl with his midnight eyes.
"I would hate to deprive all the ladies in your life of your presence. It would be a shame not to share such a stunningly masculine treat," she purred, and pulled the door shut to step out into the hall.
He smiled a little disbelieving smile. He was obviously not used to being shot down. He'd probably flattered hundreds of girls with that line, and she knew it was a line. He put his arm out and led her to the top of the stairs. The sounds of conversation, soft music, and clanking glasses rose from below. She paused to take a deep breath, hating being the center of attention.
"Are you alright? If you're not feeling up to this, I can take you back to my room and make it all better," he teased her. His idea of "better" would be her ruination for sure.
Darren was pissed. They'd cancelled Danielle's protection detail and hung her out to dry. Couldn't those fools see that they'd signed her death warrant? Did they want to see her dead? He was forbidden from following Danielle while he was on duty. All he could do was spend all of his time off with her, and that wouldn't leave him much time for resting or feeding. He would love it if Danielle was willing to let him feed from her. That would be delicious, and the thought of being at her neck made him hard. He would leave the Wrath and protect her for the rest of his life if she would agree to be his mate. If they were bonded, the others wouldn't matter to her anymore. That was his plan the night of the bonding they'd attended together. He'd hoped to convince her he was a better male than the rest of the population that begged for her attention. He'd gone from romantic warrior to jealous wannabe boyfriend that night in the space of a moment, when he found her in that dark room with Chase. When Chase had started texting her from the other side of the room, Darren had lost his mind. That was a huge mistake. He'd screwed it all up.
She was out there unprotected, and he had no idea where she was. Neither did anyone else. He didn't even know if she was still alive, because she wasn't answering her phone. The council had seen to it that most of the warriors didn't care one way or the other. It made him sick, and his mind went around and around with the possibility that some rogue bastard could have already taken her, and he hadn't been there to protect her from the fate she was sentenced to, just because she'd been born an incredibly powerful being.
He had to find her and do his best to make her his. It was the only way he could protect her all the time, the only way he could keep her to himself. After they were bonded, she wouldn't think about the others anymore, she would only think of him, want only him, be with only him. He would do anything for her now. He couldn't imagine how much more he would love her after she was his mate. He was going to do whatever it took to take her for his own.
His cell rang, and he jumped. It was a friend he sparred with regularly. Darren was glad he called. Getting out some pent-up aggression sounded like a damn good idea. "Hey, what's up, Todd? You ready for a fight?"
"No, man. I got some info I thought you would be interested in. Several warriors, including Wrath, have been assigned to keep a perimeter around the Stafford estate tonight. They waited for the last minute to call extra security, because they're trying to keep things quiet. They are having a dinner party to thank Danielle Scott for saving their son. I know the two of you got close when she was your charge. I thought you might be interested."
The sound of her name made Darren's heart leap. She was alive and well, and back in town.
"I owe you big, man. I'll let you beat my ass for a change the next time we meet in the ring." He leapt off his bed and ran for the shower.
Kayden waited anxiously at the bottom of the stairs for Dani to appear. He hadn't seen her in what felt like a year and needed to see with own eyes that she was safe and whole.
Chase was on the other side of the room, watching from a safe distance, a weird thing for him. Normally, he would be jockeying for position at Danielle's side. He'd even struck up a conversation with Kayden when he arrived. Maybe Dani's request that he and Kayden try to be friends again had affected him. Chase hadn't been the same since the day of the hearing, and it was nice to talk to the friend he missed so much.