Page 44 of Grim’s Delight (The New Protectorate Syndicate #1)

TWENTY-THREE

“So… what’s it like?”

Dahlia eyed the racks of clothing that lined the spacious closet. Standing in only her newly purchased lingerie and a pair of pointed-toe heels, she held the phone to her ear as she tried to decide on what outfit to wear to meet the Amauri family. Formally, anyway.

Rifling through the hanging garments that had mysteriously showed up from her apartment along with all the new things that Marietta continued to gleefully deliver, she surveyed her choices.

“What’s what like?”

“Being, like, married or whatever,” Cecilia clarified. The volume of her voice changed as she moved around what sounded like her bathroom, no doubt getting ready for work.

Married. She guessed that’s what they were. Felix did love calling her his bride.

Dahlia pulled a vintage blazer dress off the rack. Determining that it was too boss bitch for a family meeting, even a syndicate one, she put it back. “It’s only been a few days. I can’t say my opinion is fully formed yet.”

“Okay, but it’s formed enough for you to agree to stay with him — after giving your best friend in the whole world a heart attack and not calling me back for three days, by the way.”

“You did say you were the one who’d die first,” Dahlia dryly replied. “Hey, what outfit should I wear to this meeting? It’s not business, but it feels weirdly like an interview with a board or something. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but…”

“You kind of have to try too hard,” Cecilia finished. The familiar sound of a makeup brush tapping the side of the sink came through the line. “Go for the slouchy green top and the fitted black slacks. It’s dressy but not formal. It says, I’m a sexy new vampire with better taste than you. ”

Dahlia hurried to find the parts of the outfit. Stepping out of her heels, she tugged the pants on and then slipped the top over her head. Shoving her feet back into her heels, she walked over to the towering mirror at the far end of what no normal person would actually consider a closet.

Cecilia was right, of course. It was the perfect outfit.

What neither of them considered, however, was the way the slouchy, off-the-shoulder top revealed the patchwork of lovebites and actual bites that decorated her throat and shoulders. Dahlia’s cheeks turned bright pink as she traced them with her gaze.

And those were just the ones above her neckline.

She wasn’t sure why they took her by surprise every time she saw them. Working in a vampire bar for as long as she had, she’d seen so many bites — old, new, and in-progress — that she’d stopped noticing them. But there was something very different about seeing them on her own skin.

Each one was a reminder of Felix. They were bright neon signs declaring his ownership, telling the world what they’d done and how often they’d done it.

Dahlia hadn’t allowed a man to so much as leave a hickey on her neck since she was a teenager. She found them unnecessary and more than a little embarrassing. Felix’s bite was different, though.

Probably because he sported nearly twice as many as she did.

“How’s it look?”

Cecilia’s tinny voice shook her from her lusty observations. Coughing into her fist to clear her throat, Dahlia retrieved her phone from where she’d left it on the massive circular cushion in the center of the closet.

“Needs some jewelry,” she said, trying to sound normal.

“Oh, has he bought you anything outrageous yet? He seems like the type.”

Dahlia snorted. “You have no idea.”

The click of her heels softened by the plush carpet, she made her way over to the wall of cabinets that contained everything from her silk scarf collection to all the jewelry she’d ever sent back to him over the years.

It took barely a touch for the narrow drawer to glide soundlessly out.

Carefully displayed on dark blue velvet were an array of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies, and jet.

Some pieces she recognized, others appeared to materialize out of thin air whenever she wasn’t looking.

Selecting a simple strand of alternating jet beads and small, perfect diamonds, she clasped it around her marked neck before she went hunting through the other drawers. One was entirely dedicated to watches. From there she selected a slim silver timepiece, then moved on to rings.

She’d never gotten to wear them at work, since they could tear gloves, so she took great pleasure in sliding a handful of light-as-air silver bands on several fingers.

There was no telling what was Felix and what was Marietta getting a kick out of spending his money on her behalf, but either way, Dahlia wasn’t too proud to say no to any of it.

Assessing herself in the mirror one more time, she fluffed her hair with one hand as she asked, “Do you have work tonight?”

“Yup.” Cecilia took extra care to pop the p. “Not all of us get to skip off to the land of hot vampire men desperate to shower a woman in jewelry.”

“How’s the vibe been? You know, what with…” Dahlia trailed off, not wanting to say the words “Devon’s mysterious disappearance into a barrel of lye” if she didn’t have to. She’d given enough hints to Cecilia about what had happened for her to get the drift.

“Better, for the most part. But I heard from Beau that Duke is coming back into town tonight to look for his brother. Can’t imagine that’s going to be pretty.

” Cecilia paused. The sound of something — setting spray, probably — being spritzed came through the line before she spoke again.

“Other than that, it’s the same old stuff. A lot less fun with you gone, though.”

Dahlia turned away from the mirror, her senses sharpening with concern. “You’re gonna steer clear of Duke, right?”

“Well, I’d planned on climbing him like a cat tree, but if you’re worried…

” Cecilia blew a raspberry into the phone.

“Of course I’m not going anywhere near him!

I mean, it’s not like I had anything to do with Devon taking an unplanned hiatus from life as a scumbag, but I’m not a buffoon. Head down, tray up — just like always.”

Letting out a relieved breath, Dahlia replied, “Just be careful, okay? If he starts asking you questions or bothers you or— whatever. Tell me. Felix and I will handle it.”

“You and Felix, huh?” Her friend sounded a little too smug. “Look who’s gotten real comfortable!”

Dahlia rolled her eyes. “If I was there, I’d throw something at you. Please react appropriately.”

“Oh no, you just chucked a blush palette at my head! How dare you? It’s shattered on the floor and I’m bleeding ? —”

“I’m hanging up!”

Cecilia blew another raspberry. Somehow, Dahlia was almost certain she could hear a smile in it. “Love you! Knock ‘em dead, tiger.”

Rolling her shoulders to loosen her tense muscles, she replied, “They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

Marietta was the one to fetch her from her room. Dahlia had been assured several times that she could wander the house at will now that they’d come to an understanding, but she still found the place too confusing to confidently navigate on her own.

And it wasn’t like she’d had much incentive to leave. For the past three nights, they’d been holed up in their bedroom, making up for lost time. And of course, she’d been practicing the surprisingly difficult art of the bite.

With their little honeymoon period drawing to a close, Felix had been busy for most of the night, so it was up to Marietta to be her guide.

Dressed in a white skirt and bustier top, Marietta could’ve been mistaken for a vampiric pin-up model. She looked like the kind of woman who could drop a glove on railroad tracks and still have a man rush to retrieve it for her.

Linking their arms together with a large, red-lipped smile, she led Dahlia down the hallway.

“Nervous to meet the in-laws?”

Dahlia shook her head. “Not really. It feels more like I’m going to a job interview.”

“That’s not a bad way to look at it,” Marietta replied. “I mean, you’ve met almost everyone whose opinion really matters to him, so it’s more of a formality at this point. Meet the elders, kiss some baby cheeks, let them see what a badass you are. Easy-peasy.”

Looking sidelong at her guide, she probed, “Felix is really close to the cousins, huh?”

“Very close. I mean, he’s never been the warmest guy around, but we’re all pretty fucked up, so who are we to judge?”

Dahlia tipped her head in a nod. It was hard to argue with that. “I’m curious about why you threw your lot in with him over Yvanna. I know that his grandmother named him the heir, but didn’t Yvanna have more experience and the approval of the older generation?”

“There was never a question that we’d stand behind Felix,” Marietta answered, a little bit of her normal levity hardening into something fierce.

“Yvanna and Julius — they saw people as tools. The family was just a means to an end for them, and everyone else could be stepped on. Felix and Grandma Dora decided there was a better way. We would’ve been out of our minds to go against him. ”

Dahlia mulled her words over as they made their way downstairs. Getting to know this side of Felix had been enlightening, to say the least. It wasn’t that she hadn’t known him before, but since being strong-armed into his family life, her understanding of him had expanded in ways she didn’t expect.

He was never going to be touchy-feely. Felix had been forged by the syndicate, and it made him sharp in ways that the average person would probably never be able to handle.

But he wasn’t heartless.

She got a peek at that heart when she stepped into what she could only describe as a lounge.

In another mansion, it probably would’ve been the main dining room.

Seeing as vampires didn’t sit down to eat together in the same way, the space was dedicated to sprawling couches, coffee tables, loveseats, and break-off areas where people could play chess or read.

Dozens of people were scattered around — young families with children playing on the floor, elders with their white heads bent together, and what could only be described as a battalion of young men standing in loose clumps around the perimeter of the room.

Not all of them had a visible white stripe in their hair, but many did.

Before she drew too much attention, Dahlia leaned toward Marietta to whisper, “Are all of those guys Amauris?”

“Some are sworn into the family, so not blood related, but most of them are second or third cousins,” she answered.

Dahlia did a rough headcount. “Not a lot of women in the family, huh?”

“Oh, don’t bring it up around Alvin if you don’t want to sit through a three hour lecture.

” Marietta nodded toward where a familiar blond doctor stood by a towering window, apparently deep in discussion with someone.

The fact that he was present for an all-family meeting was telling.

“Vampires tend to have more boys than girls. I don’t know if anyone really understands why yet, but Alvin sure likes to theorize. ”

The hair rose on the back of her neck a moment before the weight of a familiar hand settled on the small of her back.

The smell of smoke drifted over her when Felix bent his neck to press a lingering kiss to her nape. “Hello, pet,” he whispered. “Ready to face the family?”

Suppressing a shiver, she half-turned to look at him. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Why do you smell like a bonfire?”

Felix stepped smoothly beside her, one arm curled possessively around her waist. “Your father lit one of my clubs on fire.”

“What?” Alarmed, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and demanded, “Was anyone hurt?”

Of course she’d heard a little bit of what had been going on outside the walls of the Amauri home as Felix fielded phone calls and the occasional stop-in from Milo or Nash, but she had no idea the animosity between them had escalated that far.

“Nah. It was around dusk, way before anyone was due for work. He was sending a message, not declaring war. Yet.” His thumb drew soothing circles on her waist. “Don’t worry. He’ll either do something that gives us an excuse to take him out or he’ll give up soon. Either way, we’ll be fine.”

Marietta cleared her throat. Giving Dahlia’s exposed neck and shoulders a significant look, she dryly suggested, “Well, seeing as you two have been putting in the work, it might speed up the process a bit if Dahlia was seen in public.”

Ignoring Felix’s rumbling growl, Dahlia gave her a considering look. “Felix said I need to wait for the venom to settle before I go out.”

“Yeah, and you two have been working overtime to make that happen.”

“It’s only been a week,” Felix broke in, his tone hard. “I’m not going to rush it and risk them thinking there’s still an opportunity to take her back. End of discussion.”

It wasn’t often that Felix appeared to pull the boss card with his cousins, but when it happened, they backed down immediately. Marietta put up her hands. “Just a thought.”

But she wasn’t held by the same rules. For all of Felix’s many, many flaws, he’d never discouraged her from arguing with him. If anything, she felt like it was her obligation now that she had a stake in the family.

Dahlia frowned at him. Thinking of all the people in the lounge and what could happen to them if Alastair decided to crank up the heat — literally and figuratively — she said, “It’s worth considering, Felix.

I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.

What if the club had been set on fire during work hours?

What if one of the cousins got shot? Shouldn’t we do everything we can to minimize the chances of Mr. Bowan escalating things? ”

Felix propelled her forward, into the lounge. Muttering under his breath, he said, “Later.”