Dreams of a Dark Warrior

old Aidan is in there. Maybe make an attempt to be more like him.”
    In a disbelieving tone, Declan said, “Be more like Aidan.”
I can barely figure myself out …
He had no idea what or who he was, but now he was supposed to emulate someone else?
    “Start being honest with her. Aidan always let her know what he was thinking. And he fairly much treated her like a queen.”
    Lothaire sneered, “That’s the worst bloody advice I’ve ever heard!”
    Agreed.
    Brandr bowed his chest. “And why’s that, leech? She cared for Aidan once—she will again.”
    “Precisely. She cared for
Aidan,
” Lothaire said. “I knew of Aidan the Fierce—no mortal could kill that many of the Horde without my hearing about it. And I know that he was a bold, blond Viking who was like a god among men. Women wanted him and men wanted to be him.” He sighed. “Reminded me of myself.” Then he jerked his chin at Declan. “Chase here is a coal-haired, scarred, underhanded, emotionally deficientIrishman. Who, incidentally, is loathed universally by immortals and mortals alike.”
    Just lay it out there, leech.
But Lothaire was right. Who was Declan to compete with Aidan—the man Regin had so clearly loved?
    Not for the first time, Declan felt a blistering hatred for the man. A jealousy that ate at him.
Even if I might be Aidan. Sunk cost.
    Lothaire said, “I have a much better plan.”
    “Why help him?” Thad asked pointedly. “When you don’t help anybody else?”
    Lothaire exhaled ruefully. “Incurable romantic.”
    Incurable romantic, my arse.
What was Lothaire’s game? What would he gain by this?
    Brandr said, “A millennia-old source of unadulterated evil dispensing relationship advice? We’ll pass.”
    “If he takes my advice and it doesn’t work, then I’ll release him from one of his vows to me.”
    Declan’s thoughts had been so filled with Regin, he’d forgotten how in deep he was with Lothaire—a vow for all the blood the vampire could drink and an open ended one, for
anything
.
    Which meant …
I’ll be killin’ Lothaire as soon as he stops being useful.
    Brandr shook his head. “If your advice doesn’t work, Chase could drive her further away.”
    “Is that even possible?” Lothaire countered. “Now, the first thing. Brandr tells her nothing, none of that greasing the wheel.” Imitating Brandr’s voice, Lothairesaid, “Aw, Regin, he’s been tortured. His life’s miserable. He just wants you so badly, and psst, the poor guy’s a
drug addict
—”
    “You do drugs, DC?” Thad was appalled.
    “Did,” Declan bit out. “Past tense.”
    Brandr looked like he wanted to kill Lothaire. “If I tried to grease the wheel, it’s because Chase could use some help right about now. All the help he can get.”
    Lothaire briefly gazed heavenward. “Chase is clearly a reluctant sharer. Which should incite her curiosity about what’s going on in his head. She’s a disgustingly self-righteous Valkyrie, filled with the need to fix things, to right wrongs. If anything needed fixing …” He waved a hand to indicate Declan from head to toe. “As wrong as he can be.”
    Declan remained silent, even though this reasoning seemed sound.
Jaysus, Dekko, taking advice from a leech who’s blackmailing you for blood?
    His jaw clenched so hard that he
almost
kept himself from grating, “Second thing?”
    Lothaire said, “Ignore her. Regin is accustomed to being the center of attention wherever she goes. In her circle, she’s the showstopper, loud and brash compared to the silent sister she’s always around. If you ignore her, Regin will grow even more curious about you.”
    Ignore Regin? When even now his gaze was scope-locked on the back-and-forth swish of her hips and arse? Need hammered at him. Without those shots, lust was riding him hard.
    Brandr snapped his fingers in front of Declan’s face. “Oh, yes, this is going to work like a charm.”
    “No, it’ll totally work!” Thad finished his beer, offering a second round. When both Declan and Brandr refused, Thad cracked open another one for himself. “I ignored Sally Ann Carruthers for an entire semester. My mom came home early one afternoon and found her waiting for me. Get this—Sally Ann was waiting
naked
in my
bed
. Mom dragged her out by her ear.”
    Quirking a brow at that, Brandr asked Lothaire, “And the next part of your plan?”
    “Tonight we will all make sure she has a chance to go off by herself. Then Chase will use violence to