And what had he meant when he�d said it was genetic?

"What of the woman?" Malcolm asked, glancing up at the ceiling as if he could hear Charlotte�s very heartbeat. "She�s a distraction we can�t afford."

"She�s more than that," Gabriel said, amber liquid sloshing over the sides of his glass. "Dorian told her about us. That makes her a liability."

"She broke the compulsion," Dorian said. "I didn�t have a choice."

Gabriel unleashed a bitter laugh. "You never have a choice, do you, brother? Everything that�s happened, all the darkness you�ve brought upon us, and it�s never your fault."

Dorian seethed, but he didn�t argue the point. How could he? Gabriel may have been the only one ballsy enough to speak it aloud, but all of them were thinking it. Even, Dorian guessed, his dearest friend Aiden.

"She knows about us now," he said calmly, "and she�s clearly a target for Duchanes, regardless of who gave the order. Beyond that, I� I care for her."

It was another admission, another death, and Dorian didn�t have the courage to meet their eyes.

"She�s your responsibility," Malcolm said.

"One I gladly accept." Dorian rose from his chair and headed toward the door, done with his brothers, done stewing in his shame and guilt. Just before he made his final exit, he dropped a hand on Gabriel�s shoulder, still not meeting his eyes, but needing to say the words anyway. "I appreciated your assistance out there tonight. She would�ve died without it."

"I didn�t do it for her."

"That doesn�t change my gratitude, nor the fact that I�m glad you�re here."

"I�m not doing this for your gratitude, either." Gabriel jerked away from his touch. "When the dust settles and you�ve finally secured the bonded witch, I�m leaving. And I never, ever want to see you, hear you, or smell your traitorous blood again, yourhighness."

"Don�t take another step, dickhead." Charley stood in front of the bedroom door, stake at the ready.

"Dickhead?" Dorian glanced at her weapon, a smile quirking his lips. "I see we�re feeling rather confident now."

"I swear on my father�s grave, Dorian Redthorne. I will stake you."

"Oh, I�ve no doubts about your intentions, Buffy."

"So you have a death wish?"

He strode toward her, stopping only when the pointy end of her makeshift stake was pressed against his sternum. "That depends. Are you strong enough to break through the bone and pierce the beating heart behind it?"

"Test me and let�s find out."

Dorian raised his hands in mock surrender. "By all means�have a go. But Charlotte?" He grinned again, fangs descending before her eyes, sharp and terrifying in the moonlight. "Don�t miss."

Her whole body trembled, their gazes locked in a fierce battle of wills, her stomach flip-flopping. Never before had she felt such an acute mix of terror and exhilaration. It rendered her speechless and paralyzed, lost to the magnetic pull of a dangerous monster she should�ve run from.

Should�ve killed.

You are my ocean tide, Dorian Redthorne, come to steal my soul�

"Lesson one," he said, and the room spun into a smudge of indiscernible shapes and colors. Before Charley could suck in another breath, she was face-first against the wall on the other side of the room, his body pinning her in place, her pathetic stake clattering to the floor. JrNovels.com