Page 21 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Mason

D arlene’s lips were firm and plush under Mason’s.

The kiss was almost sweet in its innocence, but it was also slow.

Building its intensity with every second that went by.

So, when her teeth caught his bottom lip and tugged, the slight pain of her bite triggered a heated desire to tear her clothes off and gorge himself on her.

He wanted to caress her breasts, and lick her pussy until she screamed out an orgasm or two.

Then he put a hand flat on her back, pulling her into his body—and she tore herself out of his arms. A second later she was across the seat, as far as she could go and still be inside the vehicle. Her body shook and her face had paled. Her eyes were huge, wide with fear and shock.

What happened ?

Something scared her. Something he did.

“Darlene?” He said her name as softly and carefully as possible. Tried to make his voice sound safe and trustworthy. “You’re okay.” He held his hands out and up. “No one is going to hurt you.”

It was a stab to the gut to see her so frightened when a moment ago she was kissing him as if he were her Prince Charming.

She stared at him blankly for a moment. “Mason?” her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands, crying, “No, no, no .”

“Darlene, it’s okay. You’re safe.” He bent over to try to make himself look less imposing.

She shook her head and cried harder.

“Please,” he begged. “Let me help you.”

Mason glanced at the street outside the car. They were almost to the hotel, good. He could hustle Darlene out of the car and into his and Magnus’s suite. She needed time and space to calm down.

His cellphone buzzed. He looked at it. Anna.

Call me .

“It’s Anna,” Mason said to Darlene so she’d know why he was paying any attention to his phone while she was having a meltdown.

He hit the call icon. “Mason,” he said, when she answered. He put the phone on speaker so Darlene was included. So she’d know she was as important to him as his family was.

“Where are you?” Anna’s voice made Darlene’s head come up.

“A couple of minutes away,” he said, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

“Go straight downstairs to the staff entrance. All street-level entrances and exits are being watched.”

“I understand. Darlene is with me,” he said. “She is... upset.”

“To be expected,” Anna said. “She’s been through a lot.”

When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Has something else happened?”

“Something triggered a powerful fear response in her. I’m worried.”

“I... I’m... I’m okay,” Darlene said, crying and hiccupping at the same time. “I don’t know why I reacted like that.”

“We’ll talk about it once you’re back, showered, and dressed,” Anna said. “But I think the events of the day may have overwhelmed you.”

“Yes... ma’am,” Darlene said.

The call ended and Mason put his cellphone in his suit jacket.

They went through an intersection and the car slowed as it approached the entrance to the underground parking lot reserved for employees and VIPs of the hotel.

As the car left the night behind for artificial light and only a muffled sound of the city, Darlene uncurled herself and scooted back over to wrap one hand around Mason’s wrist.

When he met her gaze, she lifted her chin and stared him down like she was a professional gun fighter. “I’m not afraid of you.”

He let one corner of his mouth curl up. “I know.” But she was afraid of something. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to figure it out.

She nodded, then looked out the window. “Now what?”

“Now, we do as Anna suggests.”

Darlene looked at him with a tiny smile on her face. “Don’t you mean orders?”

“Yes, suggestions, orders—they are the same thing when Anna says them.”

“She’s always been very nice to me,” Darlene says, her smile in her eyes now. “But she’s got a scary face. I’ve only seen her look like that a couple of times, but...”

Anna was nice to Darlene at first because she’s Sam’s friend and then because Mason and Magnus made it clear they wanted her. But now, Mason was sure that Anna liked Darlene because Darlene was the most honest person she’d ever met. Honest, kind, and joyful.

Darlene had no idea how much she was worth to a bunch of immortal paranoid assholes. Honesty, kindness, and joy hadn’t been part of their lives for hundreds of years.

“She’s protective of her family and the people in our employ,” Mason said as the car came to a stop and he opened the door. “Stay there,” he said. “I’ll come around.”

He jogged around the limo and opened the door for Darlene. She got out, and nearly collapsed onto the pavement.

Adrenaline spiked in his bloodstream and he caught her in his arms. “Darlene?” He carried her into the building. “Are you okay?”

“I think,” she said slowly, putting her head on his shoulder. “That I just ran out of gas.”

“You’re not injured?”

“I don’t think so.” She closed her eyes and yawned. “I’m really tired.”

“You can’t sleep yet,” Mason told her as they walked through the doors and into the restricted area of the hotel. “You need to shower, dress, and have someone ensure you’re not injured.”

“No one needs to assess me. I already told you, I’m not injured.” The tiny frown on her face was adorable.

“No arguing with Anna’s orders,” he reminded her.

She rolled her eyes before closing them again. “Sure, hide behind Anna, why don’t you.”

Mason laughed.

Darlene’s eyes popped open and she stared at him in shock. “You can laugh?”

That just made it harder to stop laughing.

He carried her into the shower facility they used for messes that could get you convicted of murder. Anna was waiting for them with a couple of the Chinese ladies. They were the same ones who sat with Darlene earlier in the restaurant.

They took one look at Darlene and started fussing. Rushing over, they began to pat her with their hands and ask if she was okay. Told her they would take care of her.

Anna nodded at him to put her down, but he hesitated. He didn’t want to let go of her yet. Didn’t want to let go of her at all. Ever.

Darlene turned her head so she could see his face, then patted his chest. “It’s okay. I’m safe with them.”

He let out a deep breath and very carefully set her down, not letting go until he was sure she wasn’t going to collapse to the floor like she almost did earlier.

The Chinese ladies took Darlene by the arms and walked her into one of the shower stalls.

“I’ll be waiting, right outside,” Mason said.

Darlene glanced over her shoulder and nodded. “Okay.”

The door closed and the water started in the shower stall before he could make himself move at all.

Anna gestured at him to follow her and he ended up leaning against the door to the room. Anna stood in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest and her feet shoulder-width apart. If he tried to go to Darlene, he’d have to go through his aunt first. Not something he would try. She fought dirty.

“What happened?” Anna asked, soft enough that Darlene wouldn’t hear.

“She saw Magnus attack Sebastien, but there was a lot of blood in the space that didn’t belong to anyone in sight, and the remains of a body. He threatened to drink all her blood. I think Sebastien killed someone else in front of her. Drank them dry while she watched.”

Anna’s eyes lit up with fury. “And what about Eli?”

“Darlene said that he tried to help her, at least a little. Distracting his uncle.”

“I don’t want to destroy all the British members of our international alliance,” Anna said. “But I will if they can’t be trusted to stay out of sight of law enforcement.”

“Eli appeared rational. He’s also very young, so he hasn’t had the time to develop some of the mental illnesses and issues so many of our oldest ones have.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “Baz, Yvgeny, you, and I are all among our oldest.”

“So, why haven’t we become completely irrational and destructive like the British and Italians?”

Anna glanced over her shoulder at the laughter coming from the Chinese ladies who were helping Darlene deal with her bloody clothing and shower.

“I think it’s because we interact with the rest of the world. With normal people, and we care about them.

“The irony of that is profound,” Mason drawled.

Anna smiled briefly. “It is, isn’t it?”

The shower shut off.

“As soon as Magnus gets back,” Anna said. “You and he are going to have a conversation with Darlene where you tell her everything.”

“But—”

“You can wait until she feels comfortable and safe, but you must tell her.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Anna shifted until she faced the rest of the room and waited with him for Darlene to come out of the shower stall.

When she emerged, Anna gestured at the bench seat near the lockers. “Have a seat.”

Darlene sat and the two Chinese ladies sat with her.

“Did you discover any injuries while you showered?” Anna asked Darlene.

“Nothing more than bruises.”

Mason’s gaze was drawn to Darlene’s neck and the mottled blue-green of the bruising there. Some of them in the shape of fingers.

Anna extended a hand and carefully felt the skin of Darlene’s neck. “Some swelling here, but nothing to be too worried about.”

“He, um... picked me up by my neck at one point,” Darlene said quietly. “But only for a couple of seconds,” she hurriedly finished.

Mason grunted. It was the only sound he could trust himself to make and not explode in anger.

Anna took a step back and nodded. “Right now you’re okay to go collect some clothing and toiletries from your room, then go on up to Mason and Magnus’s room.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Darlene smiled. “And thank you for... caring about me.” She cocked her head to one side. “I don’t know if I’ve ever thanked you for that before, but I’m very grateful for everything you and your family has done for me. You’re all very kind.”

“Grandmother says that family is more important than profit or power,” one of the Chinese ladies said. “Without family, we are no more than animals.”

Anna nodded. Mason did too.

Mason waited until Darlene glanced at him before moving to pick her up and cradle her in his arms. “Thank you,” he said to the Chinese ladies.

Then he turned to Anna. “Thank you.”

He turned and went to the door, which Anna opened right before he reached it. He smiled at her burst of speed. Did Darlene notice?

He glanced down, and saw that her eyes were closed. Not asleep, but not far from it.

He exited the room and strode down to the employee elevators. The ride up to his and Magnus’s room was completely uneventful. He could only hope that the upcoming conversation with Darlene about who and what he was, what his whole family was, would be as uneventful.

He got off the elevator, entered his room, and laid Darlene on the couch in the living area of the suite.

He covered Darlene in a blanket then spent a few minutes in their private command center—a small office within the suite tied directly into the hotel's main surveillance—looking over the logs and anything the computer might have flagged as a problem.

Aside from the kidnapping attempt earlier that day, nothing stood out.

Mason’s phone buzzed. He checked it. The message was from Magnus.

On my way home .

Good. They had a lot of explaining to do.