Sacrifice: Laid Bare (Laid Bare #4)(12)

“Oh.” I bit my lip and stared down at Dunne. What this must look like to Lucien. “I never meant him any harm,” I whispered.

Lucien reached over and tapped Dunne’s icy forehead. “So, what’s with all the ice, then?”

I smiled and scooted over to Dunne. Turning back to Lucien, I said, “Here. Let me show you.”





Lucien



Dahlia reached down and placed her hand on Dunne’s iced-over face. Slowly, cracks began to form.

I wondered what she was hoping to accomplish, but it all became clear when the ice began to melt away.

“Christ, Dahlia.” I peered on in wonderment. “What have you done?”

With arctic-cold water pooling around Dunne’s head, he awoke with a start. “What the…?”

He shot up, his hands going to his face. It seemed he sensed something was different. And, wow, was it ever.

Dahlia had restored Dunne to his former self.

Rushing over to an old, cracked mirror that hung on the wall by the door, he felt his chin, cheeks, and his nose. Slowly, he lifted his T-shirt. Even the scars on his torso were gone.

When he turned to us, there were tears in his eyes. “Dahlia…” His voice cracked and he looked away. “How did you…? Why did you…?”

He could say no more.

Dahlia went over to Dunne and placed her hand on his once-again handsome face. I felt no jealousy; it was merely an act of kindness on her part.

“You deserved to have back what you once had,” Dahlia said softly.

“But…but, do you know how hard I’ve tried to fix myself in the past? I called on all my power and was never been able to…” Dunne trailed off and turned to stare at his reflection in the mirror. Dahlia’s hand fell to her side. “I just don’t know how you did it,” he muttered.

“It took all of our powers combined,” Dahlia said. “Only while holding all three of our collective power was it possible.”

Dunne touched his smooth cheek. “I just can’t believe it.”

“Are you mad I did it without asking?” Dahlia asked, concerned.

Dunne turned back to her. “No, no.” He laughed. “Are you kidding? This is wonderful.”

“You know what this means, Dunne?” I chimed in.

“What?” he asked, his eyes meeting mine.

“It means you can return to civilization.” I motioned to his humble surroundings. “You no longer need to live like this. You can come back with us to Chicago, even. If you want to, that is.”

Dunne’s hazel eyes filled with an emotion we were not known for conveying—fear.

“I don’t know about that,” he said quietly. “I appreciate your kind offer, I do. But I think I’ll stay put for a while.” He sighed. “I’m afraid it’s going to take some time for me to get used to the idea of being around people.”

Dunne had been a recluse for so long I supposed the concept of this new kind of freedom seemed daunting.

I didn’t want to push, so I left my offer open-ended. “No need to decide now,” I told him. “Just know that you always have a place to stay if you ever care to venture down to the lower forty-eight.”

“Thank you,” Dunne said, smiling. “Perhaps someday I’ll take you up on your offer.”

I could see Dahlia was pondering something quite intently while Dunne and I spoke.

“What are you thinking, Dahlia?” I asked softly.

“Oh.” She looked up at me, surprised. “Um…”

She smiled over at Dunne and addressed him. “I was just thinking Lucien and I may know someone you might hit it off with.”

“No humans,” Dunne replied, bristling. “I don’t need that kind of trouble.”

He was right, to an extent. Dealing with humans posed all sorts of perils. Look what I’d just gone through with Dahlia.

“The woman I’m referring to is like us,” Dahlia said.

And that was when I realized what she was up to.

My brows shot up. “What? You want to set Dunne up with Selene?” I then mumbled, “Poor guy,” and Dahlia shot me her best dressing-down look.

“Selene’s not all bad, Lucien. And”—she gestured to Dunne—“if anyone can handle that woman, it’s Dunne.”

I had to admit, he appeared intrigued. And, true, Selene was not all bad. She’d loved someone once, and I recalled her at that time as being at her best. Plus, now that she was free, she would probably be a nicer person. Hell, even if Selene acted up, Dahlia was right. Dunne could handle her.

I nodded thoughtfully, and Dunne asked skeptically, “Who is this Selene?”

“My cousin,” I replied.

“She’s very beautiful,” Dahlia chimed in. “She looks a lot like Lucien, dark hair, dark eyes.”

“Hmm…”

Dunne thought it over and agreed, but only as a way-in-the-future kind of thing. That worked for me. When Dunne someday ventured down to Chicago, we’d set up a meeting with Selene.

“Well, with that decided,” Dunne began, “I think we should have some dinner. I’m sure you and Dahlia will be returning to the states soon, yes?”

I nodded. “Yes. We’ll be leaving in the morning.”