Wynn wrinkled his nose. "No, thank you. The grease. Ugh."
I couldn't stop laughing as the guys continued their discussion on what the best food was. It was such a normal conversation to have. A human conversation. No wonder it took me by surprise when Boris appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Ah, good. I caught you before you left." He flashed his long fangs at us. We froze so quickly that you'd think someone had blasted us with nitrogen. None of us had been expecting to see the master of the house. Certainly not now.
"What can we do for you, master?" Antoine answered, shifting me over to take Wynn's arm as he pushed his way down the stairs. "We were just on our way out."
Boris nodded. "Yes, yes. Of course. I won't keep you. I just wanted to have a word with Miss Durand before you left." His bloodred eyes flicked to me and I swallowed thickly.
"Yes?"
Placing a hand on the handrailing of the stairs, he put on an expression of sympathy that didn't reach his eyes. "I wanted to apologize for my child's actions. Valentine can let his baser urges get the better of him when it comes to pretty women. I hope you don't hold his actions against me?" He placed his hand on his chest, and if he had them, he'd have fluttered his eyelashes at me.
My heart rate ratcheted up a level and I had to remind myself that I was safe. I was surrounded by not one, but all six of my vampires. He couldn't touch me. Valentine wasn't even here. Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile onto my lips. "Of course not. A parent cannot be blamed for the actions of their children."
Boris clasped both hands together and smiled in return. "I'm so happy you agree. Have no fear, I have sent Valentine away to fetch some of our guests for the party on Friday, so you shouldn't have to worry about him popping up unexpectedly." His eyes moved to the vampires around me. "And I can see you have plenty of guardians to protect you when he does return. I hope they, too, can find it in their hearts to forgive their brother for his lapse in judgment."
The others inclined their heads, but it was clear that none of them meant it. They knew what Boris's words were and they weren't a gracious offer of peace. They were a warning to leave it alone or else. Too bad none of us planned on following it.
"Good." Boris turned toward the door, waving a hand at it before bowing slightly. "Then have a lovely evening."
With permission to move, we slowly made our way down the stairs and out the door with Wynn and I taking up the rear. Before I finished getting out the doorway, Boris called out to me.
"Yes?" I twisted around to face him.
With smile that could have been called calculating, Boris gestured to me. "Do find something in red, my dear. I hear you look lovely in that color."
It was a good thing that Wynn had me by the arm or I'd have fallen over dead right there. Thankfully, Boris didn't expect me to reply and allowed Wynn to drag me out of the house and into the evening air.
Once we were in the car, I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked. "I can't breathe. I can't..." I gasped in lungfuls of air, but never seemed to get enough in. I shouldn't have come here. I should never have come here. God, fucking, fuck. Fuck, fuck.
"Piper!" Rayne yelled in my face, his hands on either shoulder. My eyes finally cleared to allow me to see him and I croaked out a rasping breath. "Breathe, Piper. You have to calm down and breathe."
"You got to show her, you dumbass. Here." Drake shoved Rayne aside and took his place. My vision was starting to dim, and I knew I was going to pass out if I didn't get enough air. Drake placed his hands on either side of my face and I could feel his powers of persuasion against my skin. "Breathe in, breathe out. In and out. That's it, girl. In and out." He repeated the process until I was able to drop my arms and breath on my own. "Better?"
I nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"No problem." Drake winked before moving back to his seat on the opposite side of the limo against the driver’s seat. Allister sat next to him, worry etched on his face. In fact, everyone, including Marcus, had a similar expression. Offering a weak smile, I shifted toward them. "I'm fine now. Really."
"Are you sure?" Rayne moved from his seat to kneel in front of me again. "Because we can go back and stake that bastard right now." He gestured over his shoulder. I thought he was kidding. I hoped he was kidding.
I shook my head. "No, it's okay. Don't go getting killed on my account. We still have to get rid of Valentine first." The words no sooner came out of my mouth when I realized that we might not be alone. My hand jumped to my mouth and I stared at the divider.
"Don't worry, it's just Darren," Rayne answered the question I hadn't asked, then immediately added on, "Sorry, habit."
I ruffled his hair and smiled until he came close to me, then I grabbed a handful of hair and pulled until his neck bent sideways. "It's fine if I'm in danger. But keep getting into my thoughts and you're going to hear something you won't like."
"Ah, ah, ah. Geez, fine. I said I was sorry." I released him and Rayne grunted . "You might like a bit of pain, but I'm not into that kind of stuff."
My face went beet red and my eyes darted to Antoine and Wynn. "So, you're just telling everyone now? What happened to privacy?"
Antoine shrugged. "Do not point fingers at me until you are prepared to have them bitten."
I shifted my gaze to Wynn who didn't even bother to have the decency to be ashamed. "What can I say? He beat it out of me."
"No, I didn't," Rayne argued, getting up and banging his head on the ceiling. "Fuck." Rubbing his head, he glared at Wynn. "You thought it, very loudly while touching me. I can't keep everything out."
I pursed my lips and sighed, shaking my head. "This is going to keep happening, isn't it? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That's what I get for dating vampires who live together."