Page 81 of Skin Trade

But when Seth made a move forward, Alexander put his hand up to stop him, and said, “Not too close now. Don’t want this pretty little thing ruined. It would be such a shame.”

Seth stopped, but he didn’t back up.

“So, are you going to tell her? Or do you want me to?”

“Stop it.” Seth didn’t breathe, didn’t need to, but right then his shoulders moved as if he was taking a deep breath.

“Seth? What’s he talking about?” Payton asked, not sure if she really wanted an answer.

“Yes, Seth. What am I talking about?”

Seth’s eyes flared. She was sure he’d have moved closer if Alexander didn’t have hold of her. She was glad he didn’t. No reason to give Alexander a chance to repeat what he had done to Josie.

“Let her go. This is a problem with me. Not her.” Seth went to move then, stood squarely, every inch of his body seeming bigger.

Alexander shrugged. “But she’s mine. You said I could have her.”

“No.”

Whatever game these two were playing, Payton wasn’t interested. She wanted more and more right then to find her father and not deal with whatever this was.

“I am not anyone’s,” she said.

“Oh, but that is where you’re mistaken. He marked you, laid his claim on you when he was supposed to hand you over.”

Seth put his hands up as if surrendering. “He’s lying, Payton. I would never …”

But Alexander was faster. He moved himself and Payton at the same time away from the table. “Really? Do you think she’ll believe a word you say when she knows the truth?”

“The truth?”

“Yes, Dear, the truth.” Five more men bundled into the room. Five men she recognised from the meeting at Lush. Men who had stood around, guarded the place. Other vampires. “Oh, wait. He won’t tell you the truth because if he does, you’ll never speak to him again. And well, he’s sooooo in love with you. All this time alive and you’d think he’d learn.”

“Is this about my father?” It seemed the only logical thing. There wasn’t anything else these two could bother her with that she’d care enough to feel hurt.

“Joseph.” When Alexander said her father’s name, he put on an accent to make it sound strange and unrecognisable to her. “Tell her, Seth. She wants to know about her father. Where is he?”

Cold ice formed in the pit of Payton’s chest making it hard to breathe. “You know where my father is?”

“No. I don’t.”

“And see, there he is, telling you he doesn’t lie to you.”

Don’t let him get into your head. Quiet words. Distant words that filtered into her mind. She looked to Seth, and he nodded at her, confirming that he had done that, and it wasn’t just her hearing what she wanted.

“Did Seth ever tell you he was a scientist?” Alexander asked. “That he likes to make things? Test things?”

She felt for the cylinder in her jeans pocket and remembered what Sky had told her about that. How Seth had created bullets that could kill the thirsty. “No,” she said. Because Seth hadn’t told her.

“Don’t do this.” This time, when he came closer, too close, two of the men who’d come into the room dashed forwards. Hounds ready to jump in case Seth attacked their master. He moved out of their way, dodged as they tried to grab him. “Don’t,” he said again.

“But we had a deal.”

“You touch her and I--”

“What?” Alexander rose. Not that he had been sitting, but the way he moved seemed to make him taller, bigger even. It made it look like he rose from somewhere. “I am the master here. Do not forget that.”

“And Payton is mine. You break the rules, your word and your place as master falls away.”

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