He almost cringed at the desperate note in his voice. In the back of his head, a nagging voice wondered if she'd lied to everyone tonight not because she cared for him as a mate, but because she didn't want to lose her magical bodyguard. He didn't want to think that, but as much as Felicia had revealed in the past few days, she was hardly an open book.
She bit her lip. "I like you very much."
Felicia liked him. Duke didn't have the courage to ask her if she loved him, or ever could.
The rest of the ride passed in silence. Because he couldn't stand to be too far from her, Duke held her hand. Though she clasped his in return, he knew tonight had rattled her.
After dodging the paparazzi outside the Dorchester, they dashed through the deserted lobby and into a waiting elevator. The doors slid shut, and he turned to Felicia, caressing his way up her bare arms. "Are you all right?"
She frowned. "I wasn't the one arrested. What about you?"
"Fine."
"How?" She shook her head. "Mason is your brother. This discord between you isn't right. It's my fault."
So that's what troubled Felicia.
A heavy weight settled in Duke's chest. He was aware that he and Mason were quickly approaching a point of no return. Another stunt like this, and Duke would be hard-pressed to forgive his younger brother. On the other hand, if another man had stolen his most precious gift, his very heart, Duke could well understand such hatred.
He'd kill any bastard who took Felicia from him.
"Our problems aren't your doing. They started long ago." He sighed. "Mason has every reason to despise me. He wanted you for himself, and I took you. With your statement, he knows he's lost you. And I'm not letting go, Felicia."
Silently, she looked away, pulled her hand back. A physical withdrawal. Duke cursed under his breath. Did she feel too guilty about hurting Mason? Or, as Duke feared, did she not love him enough to choose him forever?
In their suite, he tore through the dark rooms, frustration edging to the fore. Damn it, with Felicia it was always two steps forward, one step back. He didn't want to lose her, and pushing her now would only induce her to put new walls between them. But would she ever open her heart and give herself completely to him?
"It's wrong. I've come between two brothers and--" She choked. "I feel terrible.
Nothing ever came between Deirdre and me, ever. Until Alexei."
And that had ended in the woman's death. Duke's gut twisted.
"Mason is your friend, yes?"
"He was. I don't know if he'd still say the same."
"His anger toward you will abate." Duke couldn't believe he was consoling her, when all he wanted to do was wring Mason's neck. But anything to take that haunted look off her face. "In time, he'll heal. Move on."
"But your relationship with him will never be the same, and I don't know if I can live with that."
"Even if I'm willing to bear it?"
"Simon ..." Her voice pleaded with him.
Perhaps she meant what she said, but Duke couldn't help but think that she merely used Mason again to keep distance between them.
"What if you find one day that I'm ... not worth it?"
"That will never happen, but I could assure you until I'm blue in the face, and I'm not certain you would ever believe me. You'll have to realize that for yourself."
Tamping down his agitation, he gritted his teeth and closeted himself in the bathroom. The warm spray of the shower felt heavenly, and washing the stench and filth of jail off himself soothed him.
Long minutes later, he emerged to see that Felicia had taken off all her makeup and slipped into one of the negligees he'd had delivered to the room. Eggshell silk trimmed in delicate lace. Demure but sexy. She looked stunning. All the relaxation from his shower fled, replaced by a desire that made him edgy and hard. He ached to make love to her. To stake his claim anew.
But she needed time to come to grips with tonight's events. Damn it, somehow he'd have to give it to her. They were making progress, just not as quickly as he liked.
On the bed, she reclined, her knees curled up, a book resting on them.
He frowned. "Is that one of Merlin's books?"
She glanced up, saw the towel wrapped around his middle, and flushed. "Ah ...
yes. It is. I, um ..." She swallowed, staring at his chest. "I'm trying to find something useful in this book. Tonight proved to me we cannot keep living in this gossipmonger bubble to avoid Mathias. The only way to deal with him is to head off this threat."
"You mean, go to Morganna's tomb?"
"I don't see another choice. We're merely avoiding the inevitable."
He understood her logic ... but no. "Chasing Mathias is tantamount to a death sentence. I won't let you do anything to endanger yourself."
" Let me? I'm a grown woman. An Untouchable. The magic in that tomb can't hurt me."
Duke grabbed her shoulders tightly. "Listen, Sunshine. That's a theory. No one knows that for a fact. It's also possible that you could step one foot inside and die instantly."
"Hiding in plain sight won't work forever. You can't keep inventing a new scandal every day."
As much as he wanted to refute her, he feared she was right.
"And how long before Mathias gets desperate? What if he takes a cue from terrorists and starts bombing buildings and killing innocent humans just to reach me?"
Duke wouldn't put anything past Mathias. But how could he simply let Felicia walk into one of the most dangerous places known to magickind?
"Have you found anything useful in that book?"
She shook her head. "Odds and ends, really. The tomb was created for Morganna, 163
and Merlin himself distilled her essence into a bottle to store there."
In other words, she'd learned nothing that would guarantee her safety. Likley because no such guarantee existed.
"What if we led Mathias into the tomb, destroyed Morganna's essence before he could carry out his plan. Perhaps then we could find a way to destroy him?"
The thought horrified him. "Too risky."
"But is it possible?"
Duke said nothing. He didn't know the answer and didn't want to encourage her.
"I think we should talk to Bram," she mused.
"We aren't going to the tomb, period."
"I won't keep running. I'll never have a normal life unless Mathias is no longer a threat."
Bloody hell. That was true. Question was, what did she now see as a normal life?
One with him, or merely one in which she wasn't always looking over her shoulder for evil incarnate?
Cursing, Duke rose and found his phone. Bram answered on the first ring.
"Are you out of your bloody mind?" he screeched. "Why not take out an advertisement telling Mathias exactly where to find you and how much you love Felicia?"