Page 72 of Cherished By the Sinners
“I think,” she said slowly, putting her head on his shoulder.“That I just ran out of gas.”
“You’re not injured?”
“I don’t think so.”She closed her eyes and yawned.“I’m really tired.”
“You can’t sleep yet,” Mason told her as they walked through the doors and into the restricted area of the hotel.“You need to shower, dress, and have someone ensure you’re not injured.”
“No one needs to assess me.I already told you, I’m not injured.”The tiny frown on her face was adorable.
“No arguing with Anna’s orders,” he reminded her.
She rolled her eyes before closing them again.“Sure, hide behind Anna, why don’t you.”
Mason laughed.
Darlene’s eyes popped open and she stared at him in shock.“You can laugh?”
That just made it harder to stop laughing.
He carried her into the shower facility they used for messes that could get you convicted of murder.Anna was waiting for them with a couple of the Chinese ladies.They were the same ones who sat with Darlene earlier in the restaurant.
They took one look at Darlene and started fussing.Rushing over, they began to pat her with their hands and ask if she was okay.Told her they would take care of her.
Anna nodded at him to put her down, but he hesitated.He didn’t want to let go of her yet.Didn’t want to let go of her at all.Ever.
Darlene turned her head so she could see his face, then patted his chest.“It’s okay.I’m safe with them.”
He let out a deep breath and very carefully set her down, not letting go until he was sure she wasn’t going to collapse to the floor like she almost did earlier.
The Chinese ladies took Darlene by the arms and walked her into one of the shower stalls.
“I’ll be waiting, right outside,” Mason said.
Darlene glanced over her shoulder and nodded.“Okay.”
The door closed and the water started in the shower stall before he could make himself move at all.
Anna gestured at him to follow her and he ended up leaning against the door to the room.Anna stood in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest and her feet shoulder-width apart.If he tried to go to Darlene, he’d have to go through his aunt first.Not something he would try.She fought dirty.
“What happened?”Anna asked, soft enough that Darlene wouldn’t hear.
“She saw Magnus attack Sebastien, but there was a lot of blood in the space that didn’t belong to anyone in sight, and the remains of a body.He threatened to drink all her blood.I think Sebastien killed someone else in front of her.Drank them dry while she watched.”
Anna’s eyes lit up with fury.“And what about Eli?”
“Darlene said that he tried to help her, at least a little.Distracting his uncle.”
“I don’t want to destroy all the British members of our international alliance,” Anna said.“But I will if they can’t be trusted to stay out of sight of law enforcement.”
“Eli appeared rational.He’s also very young, so he hasn’t had the time to develop some of the mental illnesses and issues so many of our oldest ones have.”
Anna raised an eyebrow.“Baz, Yvgeny, you, and I are all among our oldest.”
“So, why haven’t we become completely irrational and destructive like the British and Italians?”
Anna glanced over her shoulder at the laughter coming from the Chinese ladies who were helping Darlene deal with her bloody clothing and shower.
“I think it’s because we interact with the rest of the world.With normal people, and we care about them.
