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exterior which changed color like it was made of scales. No snake Ian knew had skin
that color, but there were natural changes in coloration indicating the leather wasn t
dyed. Strangely, the scales glittered when the book was in shadow, and dulled where
the light from the lamps on the wall hit it.
Ian hobbled one step closer to read the gold lettering stamped on the cover,
kicking a large iron key aside. Keys littered the floor, so avoiding stepping on one was
close to impossible. For one moment, the lettering made no sense and seemed written in
a script Ian didn t know. Then small flames flared from the letters and he winced away
for a moment. When he looked again, the lettering was plain old English. It read,  I am
the beginning of sin. The readiness with which you admit a fault may be me,
masquerading as humility. I am Pride. Ian stole a look at Dan, confused.
Dan stood to the side, with his arms crossed in front of him, and his face an
unreadable mask. Only the plea in those big brown eyes gave his real emotions away.
 Meet Grip, the demonic Agrippa of legend. Why don t you choose a chair? Any one
Lena Austin Deadly Sins: Pride - 41 -
you like. And you never answered me. Do you want a glass of wine? His lips twitched.
 Or perhaps something stronger?
Ian looked back at the book.  A demonic book? You re shitting me. Make my
drink a whiskey. Neat.
Footsteps, with keys clinking as Dan kicked them out of the way. Glass tinkled,
and liquid trickled.
Ian looked around to see where Dan had gone. Dan stood in front of a gorgeous
ebony console, where a large collection of antique glass decanters held liquids. He
could see Dan s tortured face in the mirror above, and watched one tear slide down his
cheek. Ian doubted Dan even noticed the mirror, because he wiped the drop away
before he put two glasses and a decanter on a silver salver worth a small fortune and
picked the tray up.
Twenty or thirty chairs, usually in groups of two or three, sat around the room.
All the seating was covered with dust cloths, so Ian limped over to the two nearest him
with a table between, and flipped off the covers. Two dainty Queen Anne chairs,
upholstered with someone s magnum opus of delicate needlepoint flowers, graced his
eyes. He d feel silly sitting in them, but they would do.
Ian waited until Dan brought the whiskey, snatched up the nearest glass, and
drained the finest booze he d ever had in one swallow. Then he sat down.  This place
looks like a meeting or social room, except for the odd decoration of a giant book in the
center of the room. Somehow, I can t imagine parties being held in here.
The wry, sad smile on Dan s face wasn t reassuring.  It s never a party when this
room is used.
Ian wanted to reach out and hold Dan, he looked so sad. The tear he d seen in the
mirror, hastily wiped away, ripped at his guts worse than the leftover ache from Dan s
punch did. Yeah, his trust was back, and his instincts knew it before Ian did, or else he
wouldn t have drunk the whiskey.
The realization hit Ian even harder. He was in love with Dan. Shit, the big L. If
opposites attracted, then you couldn t be more opposite poles out than the two of them.
Lena Austin Deadly Sins: Pride - 42 -
Uneducated street kid from the big city -- and a criminal past to make things worse -- in
love with rich, eccentric, genius mountain man from Colorado. How much worse could
things get for him?
Dan succeeded where Ian s imagination failed to make the bizarre situation even
more obscene.  Guess I d better start at the beginning. I m going to assume you know
enough history to follow me here. He took in one deep breath.  My real name,
etcetera, is Grand Duke Dainius Sutkevicius Romanoff. He took in Ian s stunned look.
 Yeah. The czar whose family disappeared.
Oh, yeah. Things could get a lot worse.
Chapter Six
Dan sipped his whiskey and waited for Ian to absorb the first revelation. He
pretended to be calm when he wanted to kneel before Ian and beg for his
understanding. Any one of Dan s revelations was enough, but put together in a string,
they overwhelmed saints. Yet he had no choice. He had to make Ian understand, or his
friend couldn t combat the forces at work. It was best to simply give all the information
to him and let him absorb what he could.  There s more. I promised you an
introduction. Grip really is a demon in an odd shape. I state the obvious and remind
you demons follow their rules. Trust him to act as a demon would. Don t trust anything
he says because he plays his own game.
Some color returned to Ian s face. He gave Dan a lopsided grin. His voice was
shaky, but he managed some humor.  In other words, even if he tells me the sky is blue
I had better check out the window.
Hey now! I ve never pretended to be anything less than what I am.
Ian s head snapped around to look in Grip s direction. His mouth opened and
closed like a fish out of water.  I ve never had a voice talk in my head. Ian blinked for
a moment.  I d say nice to meet you, but the meeting isn t pleasant in the least. I have a
feeling you re the reason the Russians came, not the fact I m sitting next to the czar in
exile.
Dan choked, surprised Ian had figured out his true rank. Technically, Dan was
the last royal Romanoff, but his heritage meant nothing as far as he was concerned.
Politics, especially world politics, meant living in a fish bowl. Dan wanted none of the
nonsense and strife that turned men gray before their time.
Very good. Yes and no. They want me, and the fact I m attached to the last legal czar just
adds spice to the broth.
Lena Austin Deadly Sins: Pride - 44 -
Ian laughed without humor. He held his glass out for a refill without taking his
eyes off the demonic book.  Dan may not care for politics, but I do. I know the situation
in Russia, and the growing faction of people who want to see the royal family restored
to power, even if they re puppets.
Dan s hand shook as he poured whiskey into Ian s glass. Ian sounded so cynical
and friendly toward Grip, they were a matched set. They weren t talking about some far [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]