He pauses in his pacing and shoots a lustful glance in my direction.
I swallow and try to keep my face impassive. I don't want to encourage him that I want him, yet I don't want him to think that I want Stephan either. “Stephan isn’t as noble as he likes to pretend he is,” I add for good measure.
Dorian eats it right up. “No,” he agrees with me adamantly. “He certainly isn't. I’m so glad someone elsefinallysees it. He's always been pretentious and high-handed, thinking he's better than all of us. I'm going to destroy him and that high horse he rode in on once and for all.”
Dorian grabs his phone and begins setting it up on a shelf, pointing it at us.
Alarm bells go off in my head. “What are you doing?” I ask him, though I already know the answer.
“Taking your suggestion, my lovely. I'm going to send him a video of me kissing you, and then we'll go from there.” He snickers like a mischievous child.
“No,” I say firmly.
He frowns and raises an eyebrow at me.
“Not over a video,” I amend.
When Dorian just stares at me, I come up with, “Won't it cut him much more deeply to see it in person?”
Dorian pauses as he considers it. “It would,” he speaks slowly, and I can almost see the cogs turning in his head, “but he'll have to be restrained. We don't want any chance of him going nuts and interrupting anything.”
He considers for a moment longer before he shakes his head. “No Elena, dear, as much as I like the way you think, it's too risky.”
He goes back to positioning the phone, and I take a gulp before I add another caveat to my offer.
“But if you make me your queen ineveryway in front of him, he won't be able to stop anything.”
Dorian goes completely still as he glances at me over his shoulder. “You hate him that much?” His voice is thoughtful as he studies me keenly. “So much so that you would bargain your virginity and your life to me just to get back at him?”
I find that I can't lie and agree that I hate him. No, not whenever I suddenly realize that my feelings for Stephan are a complete one-eighty from hate on the love-hate scale.
Instead, I say, “I'm going to die one day anyway, and it's obvious that I will be mated to one of you. So far, Stephan is the one who's hurt me the most.”
I shrug my shoulders like it's no big deal to me one way or the other which brother I end up with. “At least this way it's my choice.”
Dorian pockets the phone and turns to me with a dazzling smile, affirming to me that my plan has worked. “I'm so glad you are so reasonable, my dear. I was beginning to think this was going to be a bit of a drawn-out thing, and I just don't have the patience for all that, you know.”
I don't answer and I don't think he really expects one because he goes on, “I promise this is a decision you won't regret. I realize you may not love me now, but once you become mine, you’ll develop feelings for me,” he says confidently before he adds, “and you'll find you won't have a more skilled lover than me. I will be quite devoted to you, I assure you.” He adds that last bit as an afterthought, like I'm worried he would cheat on me.
“I'll still make the experience pleasurable for you.” He moves closer to me before he tilts my chin up to him, lust burning in his eyes. “Although we will have to go a bit faster than I would like. I won't be able to take the time with you on your first time that I would like to, but after that, we can explore. I'll teach you all the sins of the flesh and show you more pleasure than you've ever dreamed of.”
I still don't say anything. Dorian doesn't seem to mind as he runs his thumb along my lips, thankfully this time I don't feel the wetness of truth serum on this skin. His eyes scan my face as he murmurs, “I’m so glad you chose to be practical. Yes, you will make a perfect queen for me indeed.”
With one last stroke over my bottom lip, he releases me and pulls his phone out of his pocket, I assume to place the call to Stephan.
He juts his chin over to the closet. “Put on that dress in there.” He looks up from his task to grin at me proudly. “I had it ordered just for this occasion.”
My heart stalls when I slowly open the wardrobe and see a flowing red gown in it. The back dips down low in the back, almost to the top of my ass, and the flowing fabric is stunning.
I glance up to see Dorian watching me with a look that unsettles me.
I don’t care how beautiful this dress is. I don’t want to wear it, especially with Dorian looking at me like that.
He motions with me to his hand, and I swallow as I step into the walk-in wardrobe and close the door to change without his eyes on me. Thankfully, he allows me my privacy and doesn’t press the issue.
I try to calm my racing heart. What I've set into motion is risky. It could go either way when Stephan gets here.
I only hope that he has a way to overcome his brother and rescue me because, if not, I'm going to be mated to Dorian until the end of time.