Dorrien saw her do it.
In fact, he had seen her the very moment she lifted Hans Ryder from the ground with just one hand. He does not question that because Romaine is a vampire in the first place.
But the fact that Romaine wasn’t wise enough to take a peek at Han’s mind if he was really the real one or just a duplicate of the real Hans Ryder is a dumb move... and an advantage for Dorrien.
Dorrien can’t still get over the fact that Romaine is a double agent. He doesn’t know why or how or since when. Yet, she prompted him to play this game of secrets and hidden agendas with him.
And so he will do it; play it as Dorrien likes.
But Dorrien’s move now—kissing Romaine while the wild wolves feast onto a man—was just his ruse.
He was the one who parted his lips first and held her chin with two hands. Dorrien could vividly see the russet eyes of his lover—the eyes of a ‘professional’ liar, a traitor, and a deceiver.
Yes, Romaine is a traitor. And probably she will always be. Despite her title and responsibilities of being a Vampire Supreme, she still manages to do those things under the table.
Romaine smiled at him. He smiled back. She probably thought that he was that helpless. Romaine probably forgot that Dorrien is a shapeshifter. He cannot only change the skin that he wears but also anyone and anything he touches.
That’s why he didn’t bother hearing the cracking of bones and tearing of flesh of those ravenous white wolves to the lifeless man whom Romaine thought was Hans Ryder.
Dorrien even thought to let Rozelyn instead be crowned as the Vampire Supreme immediately. The enemies would definitely be shaken even more when they know that the Queen of Vampires is a goddamn Thaumaturge—and the most powerful one to ever exist.
He even voices this out to Hemera Bellamy. The Solarian Vampire too had a suspicion on Romaine. But Hemera once said that Rozelyn was too young for these huge responsibilities to be passed on her shoulders. Nevertheless, he told the Grand Vampire that anyone would rather have a young Queen as their leader than that of a traitorous Queen who constantly neglects her duties. Romaine did not even attend Samhain—the most important festival of the creatures of the night.
Hemera eventually agreed with him and called for a private meeting with Dorrien, Chadwick, Vesta. Two representatives from each faction. The four of them discussed it all; all about Romaine and the hellish Heathens as well as the current status of the vampires and werewolves.
None of them left without beginning to question any of their kind’s loyalty. After all, anyone can betray anyone. If there is still an undiscovered ‘mole’ within the pack and the coven, then they are seriously and literally fucked up.
“You seem in deep thoughts, darling,” Romaine finally spoke. He was lucky that he secretly has a petal of the Black Peruvian Rose that he managed to steal and sneak from Maebh’s abode, making the woman in front of him unable to read his mind.
Dorrien could see in her eyes that she was a bit frustrated as she couldn’t peer into the mind of her beloved. This made him smile furthermore.
Romaine also smiled at his seemingly jolly grin.
“You seemed happy today, Dorrien?” Her brows raised in question.
He was still smiling as he spoke, “It’s a good day to have a good day, love.”
Dorrien’s lips brushed into hers again. It was a soft and a brief kiss nonetheless.
“Shall we go home now?” He offered as he released her chin.
“That's what I am planning to do before you are swept away by my lips.” It was her who kissed him at his temple this time.
“Then let’s go home now, Romaine.”
And so the two did.
***
Dorrien didn’t mind losing his powers for a day or two just for bringing a single petal of the Black Peruvian Rose with him in order to block Romaine’s mind-reading abilities.
He was the one driving her car and Romaine was just at his side. He could absolutely see that she had been trying so damn hard to break that barrier that prevented her from knowing what he was thinking.
This is an enormous advantage for him, to be frank. Aside from the fact that Romaine will never know that they are planning to overthrow her while still abiding to the Vampire Code, he will not also let her know that the ‘Hans Ryder’ he killed was actually an escaped rapist that he offered to change his face into Hans’ in exchange for his freedom.
“Well, even if you escaped, you will still be recognized with that sinful face of yours. So, here’s my proposition…”
Dorrien watched the face of the serial killer winced under the light of the lamp posts as the new moon was not that glowing enough to give light to them.
“What is the cost of your apparent help, Monsieur?”
Dorrien smiled at the French native rapist. “You just have to ask a woman who she really is, and if her name is actually Romaine.”
The killer looked at him from head to toe. “So, in exchange of you changing my face through this supernatural way, all I have to do is confront someone if this woman is really Romaine?”
“Yes,” Dorrien replied.
“I am a rapist, Monsieur. You already know what I do to women…” A devilish grin tugged on his lips.
“It’s okay if you do that to her. As long as you are able to tell me the answer and return to me…safely.”
The rapist seems a bit perplexed. “What is she to you? And if I kill her just to squeeze the answer that you are asking, will that be okay to you?”
Dorrien sighed as his eyes diverted to the western horizon, to where the house of the most powerful vampire to ever live was erected.
“If she is important to me, why do you think I will send a rapist to squeeze her out of answers that I gravely need? So no, she is not that important to me. Not anymore.”
The killer lit a cigarette as he listened to him.
“Besides, this bitch is a traitor,” Dorrien returned his gaze to the rapist. “So do everything you want or need to her. Just return to me with the answer to that question.”
The smoking man nodded. His face was still unsure. “To whom is this face you will be giving me then?”
Moments passed first before he answered. “It belongs to a friend who has an untruthful ‘affair’ with this woman.
Dorrien calls the conflict between Hans Ryder and Romaine Eastwood an ‘affair’…
“Okay then. It’s that it? You know people like me, we will do anything just to never wake up behind the bars again.” His maleficent smile was honestly bothering Dorrien but he just ignored it.
‘That is if you are gonna still wake up after I send you to Romaine…’ Dorrien apparently thought.
“So be it,” He extended his hands to the man who still had a cigarette between his lips.
“So be it…” The man then accepted the hand of the shapeshifter who offered him freedom in exchange for inquisition.
And that was that. That was the deal between him and the man who is now on the stomach of those feral wolves.
The real Hans Ryder had gone to the Oriental lands, to Tokyo. He promised to never set foot in Shamrock again as he had promised to Dorrien in exchange for running away safely.
He had already anticipated this. Romaine will surely kill Hans Ryder, Eku’s bestfriend, as he is the only vulnerable person who has been with Eku when they hunt for Blood Roses.
It is also him who knew Romaine’s true identity, and the fact she played a hand in Eku’s death.
Dorrien only had a hunch on these things. But with the help of a sacrificial lamb—the rapist, he had managed to prove it all as verity.
Hans Ryder had told him through the phone that he had arrived in Tokyo just two days ago. Brilliant and a good dog.
Despite all of the other people who think of him as pathetic, he doesn't mind them.
It is better to remain weak in other’s eyes as they will never see you as a threat. And that moment, you have an advantage to strike behind as they will never suspect you aside from the fact that they did not see you coming.
Dorrien smiled. His smile grew wider as he watched Romaine’s head slowly fall to the car window and was indeed asleep.
She’s perhaps extremely tired fucking and eating the rapist that she thought was Hans Ryder.
But Dorrien’s mind will never forget what the real Hans’ had told him about Romaine and Maebh. Aside from the fact that Romaine is Maebh’s biological mother, Romaine was not born as Romaine Eastwood.
Hans Ryder proved that true as he and Dorrien traveled to the southern part of Ireland and the grave of the real Romaine Eastwood had been located in a rural cemetery. Etched into the tombstone is the birthday of ‘Romaine’ who she constantly says she was born in.
That’s why ‘Romaine’ killed Eku. Rozelyn’s father has knowledge on Romaine’s greatest secret, especially about the one that pertains to her real identity.
Dorrien Ronan knew it, had suspected it. Romaine Eastwood-Zadzisai had been lying to all of them all along.
And if Rozelyn finds that out…Romaine will certainly be a carrion in a matter of seconds.