Chapter Twenty-Seven Dominic
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dominic
I stop outside the cave, surrounded at once by a blanket of falling snow. Each flake melts into a puff of steam as soon as it touches my skin, but at least it manages to cool me down. I need it after this morning. After that dream.
Gods, my cock still throbs with need, straining against my trousers.
I gather the cool air in my lungs, willing some of that ice to flood my lower regions, but it’s no good.
The memories won’t leave me. I can still feel the soft mound of her breast in my palm, the hardness of her nipple between my fingers.
Can still feel the curve of her bare ass against my hips.
And that’s only what happened after we awoke.
The dream itself…
Now that was a fucking experience. I meant what I said when I told her I don’t dream, for I rarely do.
It’s uncommon for Shadowbanes. When I do dream, I see nothing but blood and shadows, see the faces of Incarnates, of every person I’ve slain.
When this happens, I tend to thrash in my sleep, which is why I take private quarters whenever we post up in a village.
What I didn’t tell her was that there was another reason I knew the dream undoubtedly belonged to her.
Because I saw that dream through her eyes.
It should have unsettled me, finding my own face staring back at me while my tongue painted circles over those spectacular tits.
It should have felt like I was fucking myself.
But it didn’t. Because I was more focused on the fact that Inana’s view of me—her fantasies about me—drew so much pleasure from her.
That was enough to stir my own. To make me so half mad with desire when we awoke that I nearly rolled on top of her and finished what we started.
It was the shame of that thought that had me springing away from her. What kind of asshole can only think of fucking when he wakes up next to the girl he spent all night and half the morning caring for?
An asshole like me, that’s who.
But only because it’s her.
Blowing out a heavy breath, I finally don the rest of my clothing, pulling my shirt over my head, followed by my jerkin.
The gods must be punishing me. Inana is the worst person I could be alone with.
The worst person to be stuck with. But I can’t regret it now.
Even if I could choose again, I’d still jump into the river after her.
When I saw her slip away from me, time stood still.
My chest felt like it had collapsed with the bridge.
I couldn’t see her face behind her mask, but I could feel her terror.
Her shock. I gave myself only the briefest moment to consider what to do.
Just long enough to assess the situation on our side of the bridge once more.
Just long enough to meet Calvin’s eyes and exchange a knowing nod.
Then my mind was consumed with saving her.
“You’re welcome,” Pride says, reading my train of thought. Under the light of the sun and in the brightness of the snow, he and my other two shadows are relegated to pools of gray near my feet. “What a fucking nightmare that was.”
“I can’t believe you made us swim,” Lust says.
Sloth is the only one whose commentary lacks disdain. “Turns out I’m an excellent swimmer.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. I know they didn’t like being submerged in running water.
Our connection allows them to cross it just fine, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hold at least a fragment of the same fear wild Shades do.
Yet they aided me, lending me their strength to hold Inana up and battle the current.
Footsteps approach, and I stiffen. Inana emerges out into the snow. She blinks profusely, snowflakes coating her hair and lashes at once. “Oh,” she says, “it’s awful out here.”
It seems her mood has calmed as much as mine. Perhaps we can be civil now. She waves a hand before her to bat away the falling flakes, but it’s no use. There’s nothing but white and trees and flurry to be seen. She takes another step forward, and I thrust out an arm to bar her path.
She halts, then leaps back when she realizes she was about to walk off the edge of a cliff. It’s only a five-foot drop, but I doubt she’d find it pleasant. “What the hell? Where are we?”
“Come,” I say, ushering her back into the cave. Thankfully, she doesn’t argue, and we step back under the shelter. I point to the left. “There’s a short trail this way that leads to the river. I pulled you out not far from here.”
She dusts snow from her cloak, then from her red-gold hair. “How did you find this place?”
“I was looking for a wide enough tree to take shelter under and found this instead. It was much easier to see before the snowstorm hit.”
She looks out at the several inches built up outside the cave, weighing down the branches of the pines. It’s a far cry from the mild dusting we traveled through the last few days. “This all happened overnight?”
“It did.”
Silence falls between us, growing taut with every breath. I want to break it but I don’t know how.
We turn to each other at the same time, but she’s the one who speaks.
“Thank you,” she says, her words flying from her mouth as if they escaped on their own. She keeps her eyes on my jerkin as if she can’t bear to meet my gaze. “You saved me from the river and ensured I didn’t catch my death from the cold. I…I probably owe you my life.”
It takes me a few breaths to find my words. “You don’t owe me anything. And I meant it when I said I’m sorry. For how you woke up. That was—”
“It’s fine,” she says, her eyes flicking briefly to mine. “I was confused, but…I didn’t hate it. Being warm, that is. I know the logic of body heat and nudity. It was…smart.”
Something brightens inside me, pride at having been called smart.
I force the feeling away. What am I, a fucking schoolboy? I clear my throat. “Are you injured? Lacerations? Broken bones?”
She arches a brow. “You mean you didn’t get an eyeful when you were undressing me?”
I glower, but she merely grins.
“I’m fine,” she says. “Bruised, but that’s all. I felt like I was being dashed against a thousand rocks and broke every bone in my body, but that was probably just the cold.”
Concern tightens my chest. “You weren’t hurt the other night either? I wasn’t in any state of mind to check on you, seeing as I had a hole punched through my fucking torso.”
“Oh.” She pulls her head back, surprised by my question.
She shifts her leg, then lifts her skirt, looking down at her calf.
“Honestly, I forgot to search myself for wounds the night I was tending yours, but no, I’m fine.
The Shade grabbed my leg when it tried to pull me under the wagon, but it must not have broken the skin. ”
My concern eases. I’m glad I was the only one hurt that night.
“So…where exactly are we in relation to where we were? I take it we’ve been separated from the others. Are they safe?”
“We’re at least two miles downstream from where we were, which is even farther by road. The others should be safe, though. The Shades on their side of the river were calm, even after the bridge collapsed.”
Her expression turns wary. “What about the other side? What happened with Henderson and his crew?”
I thin my lips, debating whether I should tell her what I did.
But there’s no use keeping secrets like that, just to hide how coldly I ended lives last night.
I’d do it again if I had to. “I killed two of his Summoners,” I say.
“Shot his favorite, Abigail, with an arrow, and fled while aggressive Shades were starting to cross the bridge. I don’t know what happened to him, but he would have had to fight through the Shades to get to his wagon. He could be dead.”
“Hopefully. What side of the river are we on?”
I release a grumble. “The wrong side. Well, the right side if we were still heading the direction we were going before, but there’s no use continuing east just the two of us, without the wagon and our crew.
We need to join the others on the opposite side and take the southern pass instead, but there isn’t another bridge for several more miles south. ”
She furrows her brow. “Can’t we…maybe cut down a tree or something? Use that as a makeshift bridge?”
I blink at her, impressed she had the same thought I did last night, when my mind spun to concoct a way out of this damn mess.
If we can find a narrow enough portion of the river and a tall enough tree, I can cut it down so that it falls across to the opposite bank.
“Yes, but there’s one problem. I have no axe.
Not even my sword, just my knives. The cave has been used as a camp before, but its previous visitors left nothing behind save for scraps of old sacks and a rusty mug with a hole in it. ”
She folds her arms and assesses the cave. Her gaze lingers on the fire. “What about what happened with the bridge? Can’t you use your astrotheurgy to burn through the base of the tree instead of chopping it down?”
“I could,” I say with a sigh, “but there’s another problem. I left my vials with Calvin.”
Her gaze shoots back to mine, her face paling as understanding dawns. Without my blood source, I can’t use astrotheurgy. She idly rubs her neck, and I wonder if she’s realizing what else that means.
If I’m struck by the thirst, I’ll need her to be my source.
I curl my fingers into fists, fighting the way my mouth waters at the thought. No, I will not use her like that.
“So what do we do?” she asks, dropping her hand from her neck and folding her arms tighter against her chest. Maybe I’m imagining it, but her breaths seem shallower.
Her posture tense. Is she worried I’m going to jump her?
Sink my teeth into her throat like one of those fucking lords in the Sacred Cities?
I step away, just to demonstrate my control. Whether the demonstration is meant more for her or me, I’m uncertain. “We can’t do anything until there’s a break in the snow. It isn’t safe to travel on foot in a blizzard, and Calvin knows what to do in these situations.”
“Which is what?”
My fingers automatically move to my waist, seeking my holster, but of course it isn’t there. “Calvin and I have a way of finding each other.”
“How?”
I breathe deep, choosing my words carefully. “My vials contain the Shades I captured.”
“The ones with your face?”
I nod. “If we’re close enough in proximity, they could scent my blood.
Their reaction will be subtle, but they will tug against their vials.
Calvin can use that as a compass of sorts.
Meanwhile, he has vials of my blood. Sloth, Lust, and Pride should be able to catch the scent if he opens one near enough.
They will have made camp not far from the bridge.
Calvin will begin his search once the blizzard calms. Once they find us, they can use the tools in the wagon to cut down a tree for us. ”
“So you’re saying we have to wait here until they get close enough for this…makeshift Shade-compass theory to work?”
“Yes.”
Her lips pull into a grimace, and she rubs her brow. When she meets my eyes, there’s trepidation in them. “But our problems would be solved if you had a blood source to fuel your astrotheurgy and help you cut down a tree?”
My pulse quickens at what she’s suggesting.
Why did she have to say that? After all the energy I expended in the river, not to mention my still-healing wound, it’s only a matter of time before I feel the strain of thirst. My gaze falls to her neck and my mind fills with a vision of my lips on her skin. Fuck, I bet she tastes divine.
I sink the tip of my canine into the inside of my lip, forcing my mind from such thoughts and focusing on that brief piercing of pain instead.
It takes all my restraint to speak evenly.
“If we choose to take that option—and we only will as our last resort—it’s useless to consider it now.
Once we leave the cave, we lose our most certain means of shelter.
We can’t risk that until we know the wagon is close. ”
“So we’re stuck here for now?” Her voice trembles slightly. I watch her throat bob as she swallows hard. “Together?”
The word together has my britches tightening, has my blood roaring, and I need to get out of this cave again.
I’m not even sure if I manage to answer her question before I stride away to find my belt on the cave floor.
The familiar weight of my blades eases some of the vulnerability I feel without my sword and vials.
I let my palm rest over the hilt of one while I rush back to the mouth of the cave.
“Where are you going now?” Inana asks, throwing her hands in the air.
“You need to eat,” I say, pausing near the opening. I turn halfway to look back at her. “I’m going to take care of you. All right? I promise.”
Her bewildered expression remains trapped in my mind as I march through the snow toward the river.