Page 26 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Mason

M ason watched Darlene fall asleep, her breathing evening out, with a satisfaction that was almost as good as sex. It filled something inside him, something sad and lonely he hadn’t known existed.

No one besides his brother had ever trusted him as much as Darlene. No one.

A strange emotion welled up from his chest, hot, clammy, and filled with an erratic, electric energy. His vision went blurry and something wet tracked its way down his cheek.

“Trust,” Magnus said in a soundless whisper. “I didn’t realize how great a gift it was until now.”

Mason could only nod. If he opened his mouth to try to talk, he’d blubber through it.

“No wonder Baz, Yvgeny, and Anna have been acting strange,” Magnus continued. “If they are feeling the same way as we are right now.”

“They would burn the world to ash if someone harmed the ones they love,” he managed to choke out.

“What is it that Baz calls us? Insane, obsessive compulsive, paranoid assholes.” Magnus nodded. “He is exactly right.”

Mason curled around Darlene’s body and let his mind drift off into a hazy meditation with the scent of her skin in his nose.

***

S omeone was walking through the suite, disturbing the air and spreading their scent.

Mason took in a deeper breath through his nose to see if he could identify the culprit.

Bazyli.

Mason stirred himself. Baz wouldn’t be in their suite if it wasn’t important. Especially now that he and Magnus had Darlene with them.

He carefully and quietly disengaged himself from Darlene, who’d somehow taken the arm he’d draped over her waist and wrapped herself around it.

Bazyli, wisely, didn’t enter the bedroom. He waited outside in the living room space of the suite.

Mason joined him, closing the door so they didn’t disturb his brother or Darlene. “What is it?”

Baz threaded his hand through his hair, pulling on it as he did so. His mouth and eyes were bracketed by deep lines etched into his skin.

It was a remarkable show of frustration and concern from his cousin. Normally, the only emotion he allowed the world to see was irritation and his own version of I don’t give a fuck .

“You know how the Chinese, Japanese, and Indians came here because they were compromised in their own countries?” Baz asked.

Even his tone was different, a tension to it that had the hair on Mason’s neck rising. “Yes.”

“Well, it’s happening to everyone.”

It took a second before Mason could make himself ask, “ Everyone ?” The implications were staggering. “How do you know all this?”

“Because I’m not as big of an idiot as you think I am. Once the third group showed up on our doorstep asking for sanctuary and running from their own government, I started making calls. Turns out, the house is on fire everywhere.”

“ Everywhere ?”

“Yes, including in Slovenia. Though it’s not the Slovenian government, it’s the Russian government who attacked the family’s estates.” Baz rubbed his face. “They blew up two of our castles, the ones that were publicly known.”

“Casualties?”

“None. Our people were tipped off about five minutes before the airstrikes happened.”

“The other properties?”

“So far, fine, but our security has been completely compromised. I expect all our remaining holdings outside the United States to be under surveillance.”

“And inside the United States?”

Baz just looked at him.

Right, they should assume every property they owned was being watched.

“And many of them,” Baz added, his voice grim, “are already on their way here. Now.”

Mason nodded. “We will prepare to receive them.”

Baz sighed.

“What else?”

“The French, Greek, Scandinavians are also on their way here.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “Is there anyone not coming here?”

“We’ve lost contact with the Austrians, and no one has seen or talked to that Scottish asshole in a couple of years,” Baz said.

“That’s not unusual for the Scot,” Mason said. “I once went looking for him after a several-year stretch of no contact during World War II. He’d joined the army as a cook and threatened me with haggis. But the Austrians? That’s a problem.”

The Austrian vampires were nearly as old as Mason’s own family, and they were arrogant about it. If they’d been captured or taken by a government, things could go very bad for all of them.

“We’re going to need to prep for an additional one hundred of us and whoever of their households are left,” Baz said.

“Our blood supply isn’t enough for all of them to be using it at once. The sheer number of expected arrivals is going to overwhelm our arrangements.”

“They will have to manage.”

“We can assume some will bring their own human retainers, like the Chinese. For the rest... keeping the supply fresh will be the challenge. I’ll speak with the clinic about staggering the donations; that twelve-hour window makes stockpiling impossible.

” “Better you than me,” Baz muttered. “I don’t trust any of them after the way they treated Nika and Sam. ”

Mason smiled. “Maybe you should consider taking some people skills training.”

Baz stared at him blankly for a moment then burst out laughing. “Nice one. It’s good to see Darlene is having a positive effect on you.”

“Speaking of Darlene. I’m going to suggest she move from housekeeping to security.”

“You want her to be a security guard?” Baz asked, his voice rising in pitch.

“Not a guard. I think she’ll do well monitoring the security cameras and internal communications. She’s very observant and did you know she speaks a little bit of several languages?”

“I didn’t.” Baz shrugged. “Sure, whatever you want, but I’ll let you tell Louise. Darlene is her favorite.” Baz patted him on the shoulder and left the suite.

Mason turned and found Magnus standing inside the doorway to the bedroom.

“I heard,” his brother said. A slow smile spread across his face. “I think your change of job for Darlene is perfect. That room is the most secure in the whole building.”

“If she agrees,” Mason added.

Magnus nodded.

“If I agree to what?” Darlene’s voice floated out of the bedroom.

Mason and his brother went back inside to find Darlene laying on the bed, her eyes only open a crack.

“Would you be interested in a different job?” Mason asked.

“Working in the security room, monitoring the screens and internal communications,” Magnus added.

Her eyes opened wider and her eyebrows went up. “Really?”

“You’re very observant,” Mason said.

“You notice the little things about people, things that don’t make sense or add up.” Magnus said.

“And your language skills would be an asset,” Mason added.

“Really?” she asked again.

Mason nodded as Magnus said, “Yes.”

She looked from one to the other. “Can I try it before making a final decision?”

“Of course,” Mason said.

“I will see if I can find a uniform in her size,” Magnus said.

“Now would be a good time to shower,” Mason said to Darlene. He pulled out his phone. “I will notify Louise of this trial run in security.”

“Why the hurry?” Darlene asked.

“We’re expecting several large parties to arrive in the next few hours. We will need every suite prepped for their arrival.”

Darlene’s eyes widened. “Louise might need me.”

“As people enter the hotel, you can advise her on party size and composition. I will see if Anna will join you in the security room. She knows everyone.”

“But—”

“I will ensure that Louise has enough hands to get the work done,” Mason told her. He cupped her face in one hand and leaned down to kiss her. He wanted to devour her, but he kept it much shorter than he wanted. “If you were to be taken or harmed again, Magnus and I would—”

“Destroy the world?” Darlene finished with one eyebrow rising into her hairline and a smile playing across her lips.

“Yes.”

She huffed. “Okay. I’ll get into the shower.”

Mason spent the next ten minutes on the phone ordering a security uniform for Darlene, touching base with the rest of his people, and organizing transportation for all the incoming groups.

Yvgeny would be landing first with Sam and the rest of their family.

Anna had been in contact with her government and military contacts handling the paperwork and cutting through the red tape for their entry into the United States.

A knock at the door had Mason opening it to find Louise standing in the doorway.

“You’re stealing my best employee,” she said with a pout as she handed over a folded stack of black clothing.

He shrugged. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re stealing her.”

Louise’s eyebrows rose. “And the fact that she’s now living in your suite has nothing to do with it?”

“I’m not going to apologize for being possessive of the woman my brother and I love.”

Louise’s jaw dropped open. Then a huge smile lit up her face. “I knew it! Baz owes me fifty bucks.”

That made Mason laugh.

Louise’s smug expression turned into pure delight. “I’m thrilled for all three of you. She deserves to be cherished, and you two boys have needed her kind of sunshine in your lives for as long as I’ve known you.”

“Thank you,” Mason said.

Louise slapped her hands together and rubbed them with glee. “Our guests will be arriving soon. Will you be in the lobby to meet them?”

“Yes, Magnus and I both.”

“Anything I should know regarding their rooms?”

“Standard VIP protocols are more than sufficient.” He tapped his ear. “Darlene will notify you if anything additional is needed.”

She nodded and hurried away towards the elevator.

Mason closed the door, locked it, then went to the bathroom and knocked.

“Come in,” Darlene called out.

He opened the door and found her wrapped in a large towel. The bruises on her face, neck, and body had darkened in the hours since she’d been rescued. A dark, purplish-blue now shadowed them.

“Are you in any pain?” he asked. “Can I get you something for it?”

She considered his question for a moment then nodded.

“But just something over-the-counter. As long as I don’t bump into anything, they’re not too bad.

” She smiled and held her hands out for the clothes.

“Sitting in the security room is probably the safest I can be without wrapping me up in bubble wrap.”

“One of those puffy winter coats might work,” he said letting a smile play at the corner of his mouth.

She laughed, and it was so open, so cheerful, it was as if the sun had come out from behind storm clouds that had cloaked it for months. It warmed him from the inside, and he couldn’t help reaching out to her. He cupped her face with one hand and leaned down to kiss her.

“Thank you,” he whispered when he pulled back after several seconds.

“For what?” she asked, out of breath.

“For your smile, your laughter, and your love.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we have a mutual admiration society thing going on, because I feel the same about you and Magnus.” She stepped back and waved her hand at him. “Now shoo. I need to get dressed and you’re distracting me.”

Mason left her to get dressed as he checked in with all his people again.

When she came out, she looked like a different person. Her black uniform fit perfectly, flattering her figure in an understated way. When she moved toward him, her natural gait gave her a wiggle that attracted the eye.

She’d braided her hair so it was pulled back from her face, making her look much younger. Her uniform seemed to make her bruises stand out even more. The sight of them made him want to hunt down Sebastien and bring him back to life just so he could kill him again.

He handed her the new hotel ID badge Louise had brought with the clothes. “You now have access to the entire hotel.”

She took it and slipped the lanyard over her head. “Thank you.”

“Come on, I’ve ordered you some coffee and snacks to have while you’re monitoring the security feeds. Magnus will meet us there.”

Mason held out his hand and she took it, following him out of their suite.

Brian and Magnus were in the surveillance room when Darlene and Mason arrived.

Magnus didn’t say anything, just walked up to her and kissed her long and deep. “How are you?” he asked, his deep voice sending a shiver through her.

“Good,” she said. She smiled. “Really good.”

He nodded and stepped back. “Brian is going to give you a crash course on the feeds. We have multiple VIP groups arriving, so things are going to be hectic. Stay on top of everything. Anna will be joining you shortly. She has the latest intel on everyone arriving, so she can advise you on anything that needs to be done. She may need to leave, depending on what state our new guests are in, so don’t depend on her being here the whole time. ”

The door opened and Anna entered, an odd smile on her face. It was sharp, the tips of her teeth visible. Her gaze was hard, and yet she almost bounced on her toes.

Anna rubbed her hands together. “Tie yourselves up, everyone. Things are about to get messy.”

“It’s buckle up .” Brian covered his face with one hand. “We say, buckle up .”

Magnus caught Darlene’s gaze and mouthed, I love you.

She mouthed it back to him, then watched him slip out of the room and close the door.

For the first time in her life, she was happy. Truly and completely happy.

“Ready?” Anna asked.

“Ready,” Darlene replied.

“Fuck my life,” Brian said.