Hearing Belle's voice, Devorlane cursed foully. All he wanted was to get back up the stairs to his bedroom. Not all, exactly, in terms of there being one thing. Shut the door, reconstruct himself, also featured there, not to mention removing the hand that had unwelcomely fastened about his heart. It was still all though in terms of regaining his tranquility. Belle, in terms of that, was the last person he wanted to see.
"Devorlane-oh, Devorlane, there you are."
Gritting his teeth, he turned and glowered. "What?"
Of course Belle didn't know that the damned Sapphire woman was his mistress. Had she, she was unlikely to greet him with quite that degree of simper on her drably dull face, or widen her already bulging eyes in joy at clapping them on him.
"I'm so sorry to trouble you, Devorlane."
He turned to go. "So why do you keep doing it?"
"I didn't think that I wa--"
"What do you want?"
"I was just wondering where Cassidy is."