The vampire and the assassin

Chapter 13

"You should know to take what Dorian says with a pinch of salt. He's told you enough times to your face that he doesn't like you." The comment coming out of Xander's mouth threw me, and I had to hold back a snicker, so I bit my lip quickly. Just who was this female vampire that caused Xander to be so blunt with her?

"I know. You would think with our wedding now being four weeks and six days away, he'd learn to respect me." The woman answered back in what sounded very much like a child having a tantrum over the fact that a parent had told them off. As I sat thinking more about it, I realized that it must have been Xander's fiancee.

"And you should know by now that Dorian respects only those he wants to respect," Xander retorted. Again, I bit my lip as I listened to the pair. I was starting to like Dorian the more I sat listening to these two.

"Helena, this is Rosetta. The woman who Lucian brought over last night." Dorian finally offered, as if he were fed up with Helena blanking me and pretending I wasn't there.

"Pleasure." I wasn't even sure if she'd looked at me or not, as I'd kept my head down. I stole a quick glance up from under my lashes as I saw the back of Helena dressed in what looked to be a very expensive dress and heels. Her hair was all done up and looked as if she'd put a can of hair spray on it, so not a single hair moved. I found it hard to picture Xander marrying this woman. In the short time, I'd known him and the two times I'd met him and spoken to him, he didn't seem like he wanted drama, and he certainly didn't seem like the type of person who wanted to be with someone who was so high maintenance. Lucian, on the other hand, seemed to be a perfect fit for this vampire. Lucian was also high maintenance, so I now understood why they'd been having an affair behind Xander's back. I lowered my eyes quickly, as I wasn't sure if she knew who I was or what I was tasked with doing. I couldn't risk it, despite a small part of me wanting to put Xander out of his misery about what was really going on between Helena and Lucian.

"Anyway, now that I've found you, are we still going out tonight? I mean, you promised we could go shopping." Her tone was yet again that of a spoilt, whining brat who wanted to get her own way.

"Helena, I told you earlier, I can't go with you tonight." Xander's tone sounded as if he were defeated. Just what did he see in her?

"What are you still doing here?" Helena snapped. I lifted my head to look up at Helena as I felt my hand clench into my dress. I quickly relaxed it in the hopes that she had not seen it. "Hurry along and get cleaning."

"Actually, I invited her here to make sure..."

"I don't care. We need to get this wedding sorted!" Helena sounded more and more like a spoilt brat, so I got up, not wanting to cause any more trouble. I dipped my head toward Xander and quickly made my way to the door. I shut it straight behind me and stood with my back against the wall as I took a few deep breaths to calm my head and my racing heart.

"Sorry, I did try and keep her busy; however, it looks like there's only so long an i***t can be kept busy until they use their brain." Dorian stepped out of the hallway as he offered his arm to me. "How did it go?"

"You lied to me," I said. I would not take his arm at first, so I folded my arms over my chest, looking at him with a scowl.

"I'm a vampire, part demon, not part angel." He grinned. "Demons lie; so do I. Besides, I did it for you both; you can both thank me down the line." He winked. "Now... Shall I walk you back so that your roommate Sarah doesn't behead me?"

"I'm very tempted to do it myself," I muttered darkly; a small sigh escaped from me. I took his arm and looked up at him. "I don't like being used in whatever game you're playing. I've only just met you, and you're giving me the impression you're a bad guy."

"Sweetie, you'll quickly learn that there are bigger bad guys here than me. And I'm doing this... for the good." He grinned.

"I thought you said you were part demon, not angel."

"Doesn't mean I don't have good intentions, just bad ways of doing things," Dorian countered. I couldn't really argue; after all, I was trying to be good in my ways because of my bad intentions down the line, so who was I to judge in the slightest?

"So... what were you talking about or meaning with Sarah?" I was honestly curious. It seemed like there was some history, and I was wondering if Dorian was going to offer it up to me or not.

"Your friend Sarah is still very bitter about our last meeting." Dorian laughed. "That's why she asked me not to let you get dragged into games."

"What did you do?"

"I asked her out on a date, making it look like I had the intention of starting something with her. So I took her to dinner, only for her to find out I needed her help with a business deal. Scandalous, I know. I don't recall the promise that there could have been more between us though."

"But you left her high and dry with no intentions."

"Between you and I, she's not my type. However, I doubt I would have my wicked way with any woman here, but if I had to, I would probably pick you as you've got a fight about you, but...." Dorian trailed off as if he knew something and had no plans of sharing it with me.

I blushed deeply at his comment as we walked. "But what?" I asked, as I could feel my heart hammering in my chest pretty damn hard. I really didn't like to be at a disadvantage by not knowing something, especially if it was about me.

"It's a secret." He winked at me. "When the time comes... you'll be in on the secret too. I promise, for now, though, it's only Xander's close friends."

I stopped dead and looked at Dorian, who looked like he was enjoying himself just a little too much. "If it's about me, then I want to know now."

"Not the way it works, sweetie. As I said, everything will play out, and then you'll understand, and then you can thank me. Now come on. I think humans are usually fighting to get food about now. You need to make sure you get fed and don't go to bed hungry. Xander would not be happy if you did."

I carried on walking with Dorian as the cold night air hit me, and my mind turned over everything he'd said. Maybe he knew what I was up to and was secretly dropping hints that he'd planned on helping me pull it off? I doubted it a little, as Lucian never said anything about getting help, and not only that, I doubted that Lucian would be able to turn one of Xander's good friends into help for me.

"What's going through your head, pretty princess?"

"I'm just feeling a little confused by what you've said," I admitted. "One minute I feel like I've grasped what you've said, but then you confuse me even more."

"Rosetta, Rosetta, Rosetta, if there's one thing about vampires I thought you might have learned from Lucian, it's that we enjoy playing games to get to the point of what we want. Usually, our games are to benefit us. Me, on the other hand... I pretty much have everything I want. Well, most things I enjoy playing games with others to make them understand what it is they need." Dorian stopped and looked at me with a grin. "You being here is under the rules of Lucian's game, so what did you have to give up for you to be here? What game is Lucian playing with his big brother, and what part do you have to play in it? I know your part in my little game, and you are the queen in that chess game. I just hope that you make the right choice about what game you're going to allow yourself to be washed up in."

I looked up at Dorian. "How do you know so much?" I asked quietly.

"Some vampires have gifts. My gift is..." He broke off with a grin. "Doesn't matter. Your friend is getting worried about us standing and talking out in the open like this. Go and run along; she's up in your room and has food for you too. Rest well, Rosa." A grin spread across his face as he let go of my arm and turned around to head back the way he'd come. I stood and watched him walk away before I headed inside the servant's house and headed up to my room. My head was simply spinning from everything that Dorian had said to me. Just what was his gift, and what did he know about me? The very thought made me feel freezing to my bones.