Free Rise of the Lost Prince by London Saint James Page B

coming forward in
her mind of a ghoul with a forked tongue. “I’m sorry, but I was trying to
protect you from remembering something most would consider a nightmare.”
    “And trying to keep me from
knowing about you and the others, too.”
    “Yes,” he said. “But, now you
know, and I promise Vibe will never change your memories again.”
    “And, my father?”
    He pinched the bridge of his
nose. “You’re father is a hard man to get alone.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve
tried to have Vibe do the mind thing on him?”
    Petúr scowled. “Maybe.”
    “Maybe?” She lifted her chin. “Please
clarify.”
    “Let’s just say, if we could have
stopped him from buying this place, we would have.”
    He sounded so defeated. Some of
her ire settled.
    “Just...” She paused and looked
away. “Don’t hurt him.”
    “Do you believe I would?” he
asked, voice hard.
    “I don’t know.” She glanced back
up to see the harsh planes of his glorious face. “Maybe.”
    “Maybe? Please clarify.”
    So, he wasn’t above using her
tactics.
    “Perhaps you would.” She bit at
the inside of her cheek.
    “Perhaps?” He snorted. “Perhaps
isn’t an answer, Wyndi.”
    Gosh. Why did she have to love
the way her name sounded when he said it?
    “I don’t know,” she said. “You
might, to protect your home.”
    “We may use scare tactics, or
change people’s memories, but we do what we do in order to protect them and ourselves.
What do you think would happen if people knew about us? About the things we can
do? About all those things which really do go bump in the night?”
    She blinked up at him, processing
that. He must have taken her silence as a confirmation she didn’t believe him.
    “We don’t hurt humans,” he said
through gritted teeth. “No matter what. Okay?”
    She knew, on some instinctive
level, he was telling her the truth. She dropped her gaze yet again. “Okay.”
    He reached out and tucked his
fingers under her chin. “Look at me.” Softening at the touch, she did what he
requested. “We won’t harm your father.”
    She nodded. “Don’t you think
he’ll become suspicious if he doesn’t hear from me?”
    “Nope.” He slipped his fingers
free of her and she mourned the loss of contact. “You are going to call him.
Let him know you’re going to take a few days away from work. How about a trip
to a spa?”
    She arched a brow. “Spa?”
    He shrugged his big shoulders.
“Sounds like a good reason to be away to me.”
    “How am I supposed to call him?
No phones, remember?” Byte cleared his throat. Petúr produced her cell phone
from his pocket and handed it over. “You had the twins take my phone out of my
purse, didn’t you?”
    “Guilty,” he said.
    Unless she wanted to argue until
she was blue in the face, she’d give in.
    “Fine,” she said, not quite as
piqued as she sounded.
    “After the call,” he said, “and
after you eat something, we’re having a group meeting so Bell can tell the guys
what she told me about the portal.”
    “All right.”
    “Then we’ll make a quick trip to
your place to get some clothing.”
    “Thank you for not forcing me to
wear this the entire time I’m here.” She tugged at the too large shirt she was
wearing.
      “You’re welcome. But, I never said you’d be
wearing my shirts the entire time.” He hit her with a wicked smile an instant
before he leaned down and whispered in her ear, warm breath gusting across her
cheek and neck. “When I get you alone again, you won’t be wearing anything,
because I intend to continue where we left off in my room earlier.”
    Goose bumps humped her flesh
right about the moment she blushed. Quickly she glanced at the phone, pressing
the icon in her contacts to dial her father’s number with her thumb.
    ****
    Bell was standing inside a
closet, scooting aside hanger after hanger of men’s suits. Armani suits.
Sighing, she plucked a navy blue V-neck sweater free and put it on, next
snagging a