Page 49 of Chain Me

The water, she used to wash the blood from my hair, before forming the semblance of a bun that my short locks would allow. After securing it to the nape of my neck with pins, she stood back and sighed. “I guess you’re ready.”

But I stiffened, unwilling to move.

“What’s happening?” I asked. Something terrible, judging from her grimace. Something involving a man I would have given the Gray fortune never to see again—and the figure Saskia implied would be arriving soon.

Raphael.

“You were gone for hours.” Yulia’s anguished expression only strengthened the guilt lancing through my chest. “I’ve never seen Dublin like that. Ever. He thought those radical fools had taken you, perhaps.”

Radical fools? The Grayne?

“I don’t think he was being rational,” she continued in a rush. “Maybe he assumed coming tohimwas his only choice?” She turned away, cradling her chin in her hand. “At least he found you first, before it was too late. I tried to stop him. Hepromisedme he wouldn’t ever sell more of his time—”

“Let’s go.”

I turned and found Dublin in the doorway, his face expressionless. His gaze flicked over me once, conveying no disgust. He didn’t even bother to utter a mocking quip. He merely beckoned with a nod before advancing down the hall.

“Go,” Yulia whispered while tucking a curl behind my ear. She squeezed my arm reassuringly and urged me forward. “It will be okay.”

My stomach churned as I staggered a few reluctant steps, leaving her behind. Up ahead, Dublin continued without waiting for me, already halfway down the narrow hall.

His taste lingered on my tongue as my body thrummed with his blood. Every drop prickled beneath my skin, so potent that it burned. In a sense, drinking from him had always been painful. Overwhelming. In fact…

I usually fainted.

I swayed on my feet as I tried to reconcile why I hadn’t. A swallow racked my throat as I looked down, surprised to find my hand against my abdomen, the fingers trembling. I wrenched it away, forming a fist, and when I looked up, Dublin was watching me. The moment our gazes connected, he turned and continued forward.

I crept after him, and far too soon, we entered a spacious room decorated in shades of black. Like a lecture hall, leather seats framed a makeshift stage—a circle of light illuminating the very center of the marble floor. It was a chillingly familiar setup. Much like a showroom, perfect for various wares to be displayed for purchase.

Humanwares.

“Stay close.”

I jumped as Dublin grabbed my hand, dragging me to his side.

“Say nothing,” he told me.

Across from our position, a contingent of people was already flooding in from a different entrance.

Leading the mass of beautiful, elegantly dressed specters was a man almost too perfect to be real. Stunningly pale, his face was that of an angel’s, frozen in time. An angel who had been barred from Heaven for too damn long.

Instead of wings, an ebony cloak shrouded most of his slight body, blending in with the long, black hair falling down his shoulders. With a flick of his lips, he greeted me with a nod.

“Eleanor Gray.”

I shuddered beneath his scrutiny. Centuries of life had stripped his dark eyes of any expression. Only a chilling aura set him apart from those in his retinue, Saskia and Mikhail among them.

The closer he came, the tighter Dublin clenched my hand until I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying out.

“Raphael,” he said coldly.

“Dublin,” the other man replied. His voice was so soft, yet it resonated clearly over the hushed murmurs of those around him. “How lovely of you to join us. And with dear Eleanor.” He extended his hand to me. “I wasn’t sure when we would meet again.”

I eyed his slim fingers as the memory of our first meeting flashed across my skull. He’d felt so cold. Like death.

A pointed nudge to my side jarred me back to the present. Glancing at Dublin, I saw him jerk his chin in a silent command.Do it.Left with no choice, I placed my hand over the ancient vampire’s and winced. He grasped my fingers without warning, bringing them to his lips.

“I’m curious as to the nature of this visit,” he murmured, lifting his head. But he didn’t release my hand. Instead, he drifted toward another corner of the room, forcing me to follow.