"Compulsion, right?" she asked. "That�s what it�s called. You�re trying to use your vampire mojo on me to convince me I�m imagining the complete and utter shit-show I�ve witnessed. Those men who attacked me were vampires. You and your brothers are vampires. And rather than admit it, you want me to think I�m going crazy. Do you have any idea how messed up that is?"

"Charlotte, it�s not that simple. I�m�"

"Don�t. Don�t come another step closer." She grabbed the iron poker from the set beside the fireplace, brandishing it like a weapon. It wouldn�t do her any good, but Dorian admired her guts. "I remember now," she said. "I remember exactly what happened tonight. I remember� God, I remember what happened in Central Park too!"

"What happened in Central Park?" Aiden asked.

"Not now, Aiden." Dorian turned back to Charlotte. "If you�ll let me explain, I�ll�"

"You�ll what? Spoon-feed me more lies? Erase my memories?"

"Charlotte�"

"Get back, or I�ll shove this thing through your heart!" She tightened her grip on the fire poker, tears spilling down her cheeks. "How long have you been messing with my mind? From the very start? Did you� Oh, fuck me. Of course."

Her eyes filled with a pain so sharp and all-encompassing, Dorian felt it echo through his own heart.

In that moment, he knew exactly where her mind had gone.

"Trouble in paradise, brother?" Gabriel taunted.

Dorian whirled around to face him. "Leave us. Now."

"As you wish, highness." Gabriel swiped a bottle from the bar. Then, pointing at Charlotte as if she were a pest in need of exterminating, "Take care of that, or I will."

He left without another word, Malcolm trailing after him, shaking his head as if he were judge and jury in all things Redthorne. Aiden offered a sympathetic smile, then followed them out, leaving Dorian and Charlotte to work through their monumental differences alone.

"Tell me one thing, Dorian," she said. Some of her anger had faded, but she still gripped the fire poker. "And don�t lie to me."

"You have my word." Maybe his word didn�t mean much to her in that moment, but Dorian felt the need to offer it anyway.

She turned away from him, as if she couldn�t bear to look at him another second�couldn�t bear to see his face when she finally asked the question on her mind. "The times we were� together. Did you compel me to be with you?"

"I think you know the answer to that," he said gently.

More than anything he wanted to go to her, to take her in his arms, to show her with his touch and his kiss when every last word had utterly failed. But he couldn�t�not now. She was too upset. Too angry.

"Really?" she snapped. "Because an hour ago, I thought I knew a lot of things. Primarily, that vampires were a myth. Yet here you are, tearing out people�s hearts, turning them into�"

"Not people, Charlotte. Vampires." His composure crumpled, the reminder of how close she�d come to death unleashing a new fury inside him. "Duchanes vampires who would�ve done unspeakable things to you, bled you dry, and tossed your corpse in the river without so much as a backward glance had Gabriel and I not intervened."

"Duchanes? As in, the same asshole from the auction? I saw him earlier."

Dorian nodded solemnly. "The vampires that attacked you were members of House Duchanes."

"House Duchanes? What does that even mean?"

"Essentially, a house is a vampire coven or family�usually one of considerable means." JrNovels.com