"Even knowing what he did to Nix? Knowing that he would have killed Tobias if he'd gotten the chance?" Disbelief rasped Dante's voice. "Knowing that he's the one behind the rift device?"
She jerked her gaze to him. "I didn't know that. I just found out from Tobias yesterday."
"And now that you do?"
"Of course he needs to be stopped." Her stomach churned. Surely he didn't believe she could think otherwise? Then again, what else was he supposed to believe? She'd given her brother the benefit of the doubt and he ended up being a rogue killer. Her cousin was already a murderer.
She'd wanted her family with her. Now she wondered why.
"As soon as Tobias told me what Stefan … Natchook was up to, I told him that I saw him about a week ago. And before you ask, I don't know where he is, I swear." Tori stood and started to pace. "I know you don't have any reason to believe me, Dante, but I'm telling you the truth. I am sorry that my decisions caused Lily to get hurt. Sorrier than you'll ever know." She lost steam and plopped back down in her chair.
"You already said you were sorry for that." He blew out a sigh. "And I accept your apology." He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "So … where do we go from here?"
"What do you mean?" Her heart took up residence in her throat.
"I want to trust you, Tori. I'm usually a good judge of character, and I think this secretiveness is not your usual style."
"It's not." Her pulse rate picked up speed. Was he going where she thought he was going with this? Oh, God, she hoped so.
Dante stared at her. This was the woman he loved. That she was also a werewolf and he wasn't complicated things, sure. That she was the sister of the werewolf who turned his sister complicated things even more. When he'd thought he might turn, he hadn't exactly been thrilled with the idea. Now that he knew otherwise, though, it left him feeling … hollow.
Alone.
When it came down to it, he loved Tori. It was as much his fault as hers that Lily had been put in a position of danger.
The question was, was he ready to take the risk of building a life with her? More important, could he face a life without her, however short, relatively speaking, that life might be?
The answer was easy. No.
He stood and drew her to her feet. "I love you," he said, and watched her face go white. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"I think maybe I just hallucinated for a second." Her bright eyes searched his. "Say that again. Please."
He cupped her face in his palms. "I. Love. You." He pressed his mouth to hers for a long, lingering kiss. When the caress ended, he rested his forehead against hers. "I don't know where this road is gonna take us, but I do know that I want to travel it with you."
As a crazy as hell, horrifying yet wonderful thought struck him, he paused, drawing back to stare down into her face.
"What?" she finally asked when he remained silent.
"You could turn me."
She blinked. Disbelief warred with hopeful speculation in her eyes. "What?" she repeated.
"I don't want the next thirty or forty years with you. That's not enough. Not nearly enough, sweetheart. I want forever." He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Turn me."
"I … can't." She stroked soft fingers down his cheek. "Dante, you can't really want this. You're just upset. Concerned about Lily-"
"You're damn right I am." He gripped her hanripDand in his and held it against his face. "But I'm also serious about this. When I thought, back at the hospital before the test results came in, that I might turn into a werewolf … " He shook his head and placed a kiss on her palm. "I'll admit I wasn't too happy about it. But when the results came back negative, I was disappointed. No, more than that. I was devastated." He swallowed, hard. "I don't want to be alone, Tori."
"You'll never be alone." Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face in his neck. He felt moisture against his skin and pushed her back so he could see her. Sure enough, her eyes glittered with tears.
"Hey, hey." He swiped his thumbs under her eyes. "None of that now."
"It's just … " Her lips pressed together. "I thought I'd lost you. I never thought you would forgive me."
"You're human, sweetheart." He gave a crooked grin. "Well, nearly human, anyway. You make mistakes. I do, too. When I think of how much time I wasted fighting my feelings for you … " He shook his head. "The thought of not having you in my life is unbearable."
"Dante … " She drew his head down and kissed him, her soft lips moving under his, parting, taking. Giving.
Someone cleared his throat, and they parted to see the two guards. "Sorry to interrupt," the dark-haired one said. He held up his cell phone. "Just got the call. You're to go back to the council for your sentencing."
Dante frowned. "Sentencing? What the hell is he talking about?" he asked Tori.
She held up her right wrist and for the first time he noticed a band of silver around it. "They wanted to make sure I didn't attempt to shift so I could escape." Her slender shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I withheld information. I'm to be punished."
"Tobias told me to let you know it's not serious. He's sure the council will go with a thirty-day suspension from duties. Minus any silver … enhancements." He gave her a wry grin.
Tori took a deep breath and released it in a quick exhalation. "Thanks for letting me know, Con."
The guard nodded. "We need to go."
"Would you give us a minute?" Dante asked. When the guard didn't move, he added, "Please."
The man gave an aggrieved sigh but motioned his colleague to go to the back of the house again.
Dante took hold of Tori's shoulders. He had to tell her about the rift device before she heard about it from Tobias. Otherwise, she might think Dante had kept information from her to get even. "I need to tell you this before we head out."
"We?"
"There's no way in hell I'm not going with you."
Her smile was tremulous. "They probably won't let you in." Her tongue swept out to wet her full lips. "And I have to get permission to turn you. Even then they may not grant you entrance."
"Then I'll wait outside."
Her soft palm stroked his cheek. "I love you." Her eyes searched his. "What did you need to tell me?"
He took her hand in his, wrapping his fingers around hers. Keeping his voice to a whisper, he said, "The device is gone."
She gave a brief nod. "I know. Rand told me last night."
"I didn't notice it until this morning when I got home from the hospital. I figured your brother had taken it. It would have been too much of a coincidence for it to go missing at the same time as Lily's attack and it not be him."
"He gave it to Stefan." In a low voice, she told him how she'd smelled her cousin's scent at the house upon arriving home last night. And what Rand had confessed to her. "At least we still have the tile, sschematics."
"Now Stefan may have what he needs for his plan to succeed." Dante's dark eyes held hers. "And we have no idea where he went, or what his next move is."
She tightened her hand on his. "This isn't over, not by a long shot."
"Nope." He tipped her chin up. "But whatever's gonna happen, we'll face it together."
"I like the sound of that," she whispered. "And whatever happens with my job, I'll help you and Tobias stop Stefan. I swear."
As she went up on her toes to kiss his mouth, Dante knew their life wouldn't be an easy one. He had faith that the good times would outweigh the bad. As long as they had each other, they could face whatever the world-this one or one from another dimension-threw their way.
Tori stood in silence, hands clasped behind her back, and waited for someone on the council to speak. All thirteen members were gathered, wearing their flowing white robes. Stern faces gave away nothing of what they were thinking. She took a deep breath but couldn't sort through any emotions. Her gaze went from one to the next, ending with Tobias on the end. One edge of his mouth tipped up and she took that as a sign of encouragement. Even though Con had told her the punishment was going to be fairly light, someone could have changed their minds. And to add to her nervousness, she was going to ask them to allow her to turn Dante. She knew she should wait until they weren't so angry with her, but she couldn't help her anxiousness.
Finally, the council president spoke. "Liaison Joseph, you are standing before this council due to gross negligence of your duties. Your inaction resulted in several deaths and unsanctioned turnings by your brother. Do you have anything to say before we pronounce sentence?"
Tori swallowed. "I … " What could she say that would make any of them feel lenient toward her that she hadn't already said? She refused to beg. "No, my lord Arias."
A glint appeared in Deoul's eyes. He seemed pleased by her response. With a slight nod, he glanced around at the other councilors before meeting her gaze again. "It has been determined that you will be suspended from active duty for no less than thirty days."
She hardly dared relax yet. Going without pay for thirty days would be rough, but she could do it.