The Dark Prince(The Dark Light Series #2)(17)

He opens the passenger side door for me and I slide in. But before I can even get both legs inside and close the door behind me, he's in the driver's seat, the remnants of grey smoke swirling around him.

We cruise out of Briargate and head towards my new home. Morgan had planned to move in throughout the weekend as well but with the news of Jared and James's mom, her parents talked her into staying home for another night. I don't blame them; Tammy's sudden affliction is more than a little disturbing. And I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Pierre had a hunch about what happened to her.

"What are you thinking about?" Dorian asks after flashing his identification at the Paralia guard shack.

I shake my head. "Just trying to wrap my head around all this. This crap is seriously pissing me off."

He gives me a slant of his eyes. "There's nothing you could've done. Whoever this is … whatever it is … he's completely eluding us. I was wrong before. This isn't someone who is just striking blindly. We're dealing with a professional."

"The Shadow?" I ask with wide eyes.

"Possibly. Or a hunter. There are more out there than just Dark Hunters," Dorian replies, whipping into my assigned parking space.

"Like what?" Do I really want to know?

"Another time," he replies, shutting down my curiosity. "I need to feed you." Dorian takes in my playfully offended expression. "Food, Gabriella. I need to feed you some food. For now."

I follow Dorian into the apartment, kicking off my shoes and settling onto one of the stools stationed at the marble-top breakfast bar. Dorian busies himself in the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and cabinets and removing packages of food and dishes. Of course the kitchen is stocked with food, though neither Morgan nor I are great in the cooking department. Dorian, however, seems comfortable and confident behind the stove.

"What are you making?" I ask after a few moments of ogling him.

"You'll see. Hope you like lamb."

I nod. "So what, no abracadabra and lunch is served?" I ask, tapping my fingernails against the cool, smooth marble countertop.

"Nah. Sometimes I like to mix it up. I thought I'd cook for you," he says rummaging through the fresh produce.

"Cook for me? Since when do you cook?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

Dorian smiles slyly. "Oh my dear, Gabriella, you have so much to learn about me." He grabs a couple beers from the fridge, popping them open and setting one down in front of me. "I found a little Greek deli and grabbed a few things for the fridge. Thought it was time I got you in touch with your roots," he winks taking a swig of his beer.

"My roots? You mean, I'm … "

"Greek? Yes, in part. Alex's father is Greek though most of his family was from Egypt." Dorian turns around just in time to take in my astonished expression. "There are Dark and Light forces all over the globe. We look just like regular people," he winks. He turns on some kind of indoor grill unit he's installed in the kitchen. Probably for times like these.

"But do they look like you? With … the eyes?" Dorian's ice blue eyes are an anomaly; too beautiful not to be extraordinary.

He pulls out a little container of stuffed olives and places them in front of me, nabbing one for himself before returning to the grill. "The Dark do, though most of them change them to blend in. Or hide." He pulls out some seasoned meat skewers and places them on the hot grill.

"So …  are all magical forces from Greece?" I ask, picking up an olive and popping it in my mouth.

Dorian moves around the kitchen as if he is at home. He pulls out a cutting board and begins to assemble a salad. "No, not at all. Mostly just the Dark families of nobility. The Light royals are mainly from Rome."

Rome? "So the Light have royalty too?" This stuff just keeps getting better.

"We all have laws; hierarchy. If we didn't, we'd all go around slaughtering each other for power."

"And my mom? Was she from Rome?"

"I believe her family was from Spain originally but settled in Italy. Why the sudden interest?"

I finger the feta-stuffed olive I'm holding before popping it into my mouth and chewing slowly. "Just never knew what I was," I shrug.

"You're Light and Dark. That goes far beyond nationality, Gabriella," he smiles.

I smile back at my equally exotic lover as he moves around the kitchen with grace and ease. I feel selfish as I relish this moment. In light of all that's going on with Jared's mom, I shouldn't be allowed to enjoy this. I shouldn't be this happy. But I am. Having Dorian makes it hard not to be.

"I'm happy too," he suddenly remarks. He places our plates on the bar in front of me then walks around to join me.

My mouth drops in aggravation. "Thought you said you weren't a mind-reader."

"I'm not. But I can feel what you feel. The link, Gabriella. Your emotions become mine."

"Why can't I feel what you feel? Doesn't seem fair to me," I smirk, picking up a forkful of salad dressed with a yogurt sauce.

"You will but not until you ascend. You're still a somewhat normal girl." He chews a bite of skewered meat. "After that, you could probably infiltrate any mind you please and plant all sorts of crazy ideas."

Infiltrate any mind? How can he discuss something so intrusive and insensitive so casually?

"But … how? How do you get into my head? It's freakin' infuriating to know that you can just mess with my thoughts whenever you please." I sigh before taking another swig of beer. Suddenly I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. "You did that before, didn't you? You messed with my head, making me doubt all the signs, all the hints that you were Dark. Why?"

Dorian chews his lip nervously. "I thought I wanted you to know what I was. To make it … easier for me. But then I'd change my mind. I wasn't ready to let you go." He picks at his food, obviously uncomfortable with discussing another layer of his betrayal. "I apologize for confusing you. I thought if I removed those thoughts from your mind, soothed your qualms, we could have more time."

I understand; Dorian wanted to hang onto the beautiful illusion just as much as I did. Ignorance truly was bliss when we both could mask the truth of our identities. But that doesn't excuse him from altering my thoughts. There has to be some boundaries.

"Just promise me you won't do it again. I mean, the stuff in the bedroom is fine," I blush, looking down at my plate, "but no more messing around in my head. My thoughts and feelings are mine. You might be able to feel them and influence what I think, but they are mine, Dorian."

Dorian puts down his fork and turns to me with a furrowed brow. "You're angry."

"You're damn right, I'm angry! I mean, I get why you made the link; it's for my own safety. But I have to be honest with you- if you had given me a choice, if I would have known what was in that vial, I would have said no." I let out a breath, and grab his hands, trying to make him see my point without hurting his feelings. "I thought I was going crazy, Dorian. I felt stupid as hell ignoring all the signs pointing to what you were. Don't take that away from me. Don't take away my ability to think for myself. You don't want a puppet for a girlfriend."

Dorian stares at me for what seems like several minutes, his ice blue eyes unblinking and unreadable. "You're right," he finally mutters. "You are absolutely right. I'll never make you feel like that again."

I nod and return to my plate. It really is delicious and the fact that Dorian has prepared it makes it that much more scrumptious. "Thank you."

Dorian doesn't budge; he's still staring at me intently. "You want to break the link. You wouldn't have chosen that for yourself."

I wash down my bite of food with the rest of my beer. Something tells me I'm going to need a few more. "I get why you did it, Dorian. And I appreciate that you trust me that much. But if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly easy to love. I say the wrong things, I'm too aggressive, and I have a habit of hurting the people I care about. One day you'll realize that, and I'll be dead."

He frowns at me like I have two heads, and I swear I hear a low growl vibrate from his chest. "Don't ever say that," he mutters between clenched teeth. His eyes spark with heated electricity. "I would never, ever do that, Gabriella. How many times do I have to tell you? You are everything to me. Maybe that depth of devotion is hard for you to understand being that you still have this silly notion that you are human and need to conform to human standards of commitment. But I absolutely, unconditionally love you. That will never change, little girl."

I nearly flinch at his intensity, unable to tear my eyes away from his. I believe him; every fiber of my being believes him. And because I feel that same gravity of devotion for him, I can understand why he made the link. Part of me is glad that he did it. He chose me, not Aurora, not some other equally gorgeous, powerful force. He chose me.

My mouth curls up into a smile, and a giggle erupts from my lips. "You know, you could have just sent flowers."

Dorian matches my jovial expression, stowing his ominous scowl. "No. You don't want flowers."

"You're right. A six pack then? Nothing says I love you like booze." I return to my meal, hoping it isn't too cold. "So what time are we leaving for the hospital?"