“It’s been a long time, my friend.”
“Too long,” Cyn said, grinning as he ran a glance over Dante’s casual black jeans and shit-kickers. Long before Dante had been captured by the witches and made the guardian of the Phoenix, they’d traveled through Europe, indulging in every vice they could discover. “I have yet to meet your mate.”
Dante shook his head, the pair of golden hoops hanging from his earlobes catching the moonlight.
“I’m not sure I want you to,” he said. “I haven’t forgotten your fatal attraction to women.”
Cyn rolled his eyes. Dante hadn’t been hurting for women. They’d found his bad-boy vibe absurdly exciting. But, of course, the annoying vampire had to remind Fallon of Cyn’s unfortunately exaggerated reputation.
Predictably the princess made a sound of resignation. “Is there anyone who doesn’t know about your unsavory habits?”
Flipping off the laughing Dante, Cyn fixed his attention on the female at his side.
“They weren’t unsavory.”
“No?”
He grimaced at her disbelieving expression.
“Okay, they might have been a tad unsavory, but they’re in the past.”
“The scourge of Europe has been tamed?” Dante drawled.
Cyn glared at his friend. “You aren’t helping.”
“Payback’s a bitch.”
“Payback for what?”
Dante lifted a dark brow. “Surely you haven’t forgotten those twin nymphs in St. Petersburg who you—”
“Enough,” Cyn growled. He was going to have to have several long, painful conversations with his fellow vampires about sharing unnecessary stories about his past. “Are you ready?”
Dante’s smile faded, his gaze flicking toward the massive house hidden behind the high gate.
“Yes, I don’t want to leave Abby alone for long.”
“Isn’t she inside?” he demanded in surprise. Dante rarely left his mate behind.
Dante shrugged. “Yes, but most demons are too terrified to stay in the same room with her, including the Ravens.”
Ah. He’d assumed that Dante had chosen to live in a remote lair outside Chicago because he wanted to be alone with his new mate. After all, Cyn fully intended to make his castle off-limits to stray visitors once he’d convinced Fallon they were destined to be together.
He hadn’t actually considered how difficult it might be for demons, including his fellow vampires, to make casual chitchat with Abby. As the vessel for the Goddess of Light, she could fry them all to a smudge of ash without breaking a sweat.
“Styx isn’t here?” Cyn asked, knowing that the Anasso would never allow Abby to feel unwelcomed.
“No, he just left for St. Louis to retrieve his mate.” The wicked humor returned to sparkle in Dante’s silver eyes. “He was muttering something about cold beds and mangy werewolves who lure females from their mates with a litter of babies.”
“Poor bloke.” Cyn gave a shake of his head. There weren’t many things worse than having Weres as in-laws . . . Wait. He grimaced, suddenly recalling his own potential in-laws. He didn’t doubt for a minute that the King of Chatri would do everything in his power to take Fallon away. Including trying to kill him. He squared his shoulders. A worry for another day. “Ready?” he asked Dante.
“Yes.”
Grabbing his friend’s arm, he reached for Fallon’s hand, shivering as they were instantly surrounded in the electric darkness of her portal.
Seconds later they were once again standing in his foyer.
Cyn shook off the momentary disorientation at being yanked through dimensions, and glanced toward Fallon who was calmly studying Dante as if she hauled vampires around on a regular basis.
Cyn, on the other hand, was already growing twitchy at having Dante so close to his potential mate.
It didn’t matter that his friend was already bound to another female. Or that Fallon wasn’t the sort of female to give herself to more than one man.
Until he completed the mating, his instincts were set on “kill now, ask questions later” mode.
Cursing at the unwelcome violence that trembled through his body, Cyn swiftly headed toward his library. Behind him, he could sense Dante and Fallon trying to keep pace with his long strides, but they thankfully didn’t demand to know why he was doing the speed-walking routine.
At last they entered the library, and Cyn moved to the desk where he’d left the scroll given to him by Siljar.
“Damn,” Dante muttered behind him, turning in a slow circle as he inspected the shelves that towered two stories and the ceiling that had been painted with a Greek fresco. “Why the hell did you keep this such a secret?”
“Did you think I was going to allow a bunch of demons who were barely housebroken to trash my books?”
“Hey, I was housebroken.”
Cyn snorted. “Which is why you destroyed my favorite tapestry when you used it for target practice?”
Dante sent Fallon a sorrowful glance. “How do you endure living with him?”