Chapter 32 Dom
THIRTY-TWO
DOM
His anguish screams like static on my skin.
Memories flood to me: taking my wave brother’s burdens, smoothing Nevare’s scales, guiding his mind back, making sure he ate and drank.
Younger and younger still, Arik wrestling me and laughing, myself holding a too-small blanket over both their shoulders, murmuring lullabies.
It will all be well. I’ll protect you both.
The Apex in front of me is barely Nevare. His form sways with the heat of his fury, scales splintered and blackened, eyes glowing with a molten madness. The psychic fire rolling off him punches into my mind with wave after punishing wave, threatening to hollow me out.
I stagger back, reaching out with everything I am.
“You left me!” His voice howls, a sonic burn lashing across my brain. “You let me burn! You let Arik die! While you—while you clung to your female—”
His burning gaze turns to her. My beautiful female, a tiny, scaleless being, delicate and yet fierce.
I have to protect her. She’s in danger.
The hatred in his gaze turns razor-sharp. “She’s the weakness. The reason we’re broken.”
“No,” I snarl, putting myself between them, my whole body shaking. “Don’t touch her. You don’t even look at her like that.”
I know what I have to do. Nevare’s fate only has one outcome. He's gone nova, and must be euthanized immediately. He’s a threat to Law-rah. He must be destroyed.
My hands will be the last comfort he receives before death.
A stray thought intrudes. If I follow my ingrained training and euthanize Nevare, my duty will be over. I will be free to choose Law-rah.
But i't’s too high a cost. Tears springing in my eyes, I stand. “Nevare, come here. I can soothe your pain.”
Law-rah touches my back. “What are you doing?”
“My duty,” I tell her. In a tight band, I send my orders to her: to euthanize my Apex if he ever loses control, in order to protect Oloria.
She flinches. “No!”
‘I have no choice, but, when it is done, I will be free to love you.’
I hoped this would provide some comfort to her, but Law-rah takes hold of my arm. “You love him. If you hurt him, you will never forgive yourself.”
“No. I won’t,” I tell both her and Nevare. “But I have no—”
“Don’t you dare fucking say you have no choice,” Law-rah hisses. “You’ve been able to choose with us, on Earth. You’ve led with me, in scenes. There has to be a way out.”
I shake my head once, jaw tightening with what I know I have to do. “He’s gone. He’s lost.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
I look again at Nevare, at his red-rimmed eyes, the pain lancing from his scales keeping me from seeking out his mind.
“No one has ever calmed a nova Apex,” I tell her.
“Why is he like this? Think, Dom.”
I close my eyes briefly. He went nova because I failed. I failed him, I took my attention from him to lavish on Law-rah, and now he has to die.
Because of me.
Law-rah’s firm fingers take my chin, wrench me down to her eye level.
When I open my eyes, her brilliant blue gaze search mine. “When I’m like this, you help me. You’ve done it before, loads of times, for me. Let’s do it for Nevare.”
Her voice threads through the psychic chaos, a clear course, a set of actions.
Nevare’s body trembles with rage, every breath making him shake. My hearts ache. This isn’t fury, it’s pain. Grief twisted into something monstrous.
He isn’t angry. “He’s hurting,” I say.
I approach, close enough to feel the blistering heat radiating off his skin. “I’m here,” I tell him. “You’re not alone. You never were.”
His mind lashes out, a red-hot streak of agony whipping over my entire body. I scream, but I stay open. Present. The way I am with Law-rah when she panics.
Law-rah stays beside me, bracing with me. Nevare’s attention swings to her and I block his attack, taking the blow. He doesn’t try to blast past me to get to her.
“He’s not… actually trying to… hurt you,” I tell her, voice shaking.
“Alright,” she murmurs. “Tell me what you want me to do, I’ll support you.”
Her trust bolsters me. “Find the heart of it,” I tell her.
Reaching through the white-hot torrent of Nevare’s mind, I seize him, gathering up as much of the powerful Apex as I can.
My mental arms are insignificant against the blaze of power, but I send soothing reassurance from the peace Law-rah brings me.
She fuels my steady endurance, and I lean into her touch to endure the pain.
‘Here,’ she says, reaching into the torrent with her golden aura. I wrap myself around the threads of gold so she isn’t hurt, and with our thoughts intertwined, I see it. Under all the fire, all the rage—
—blue spikes of fear.
Just like hers.
‘He’s afraid.’ My hearts crack anew.
‘Yeah.’ Her voice stays firm. ‘So am I, when I’m like this. But you help, Dom. I don’t know what you do, but you help.’
I do.
I know how to help my Apex.
Grabbing hold of what I can, I lift. I raise Nevare above the flood of anger and pain, letting the current smash against me. It can try breaking me, but I won’t. Not when I have Law-rah by my side.
A memory: ‘Look after Shade! Law-rah needs them more than I did. Just like you need each other.’
Nevare knew. He knew she would shore me up, be the support I needed to be a good Base for him.
Tears sting my eyes, and her fingers brush my cheek. ‘We’ve got this, Dom. I’ll help.’
We take a step forward. Another. Nevare twists, screams, lashes out, but none of his attacks connect. We press our palms against his chest and I send calm, strength, love through the mind-sync. Law-rah adds hers, wrapping us in gold.
Nevare screams again. “I did it, I did it to stop the sound, the sound! The screaming wouldn’t stop, and then the fire… Dom, I couldn’t—”
His knees buckle, and we catch him, both of us collapsing to the gravel with Nevare in our arms. I hold my Apexes tight, rocking with them. “Shh,” I murmur. “Shh.”
“I can’t go on like this,” Nevare whispers. “It hurts. Everything hurts. Please… end it.”
My hand trembles as I lift it, fingers grazing Nevare’s throat.
I know what I’ve been conditioned to do. A Base has to execute their Apex if they lose control of their powers.
Law-rah’s hand stays mine. “Don’t. It’s okay, Nevare. We’ll work it out. Together.”
I lower my fist. Clutch my Apex tighter. “We can do this, Nevare. Whatever happens, we’re together.” I look up at Law-rah. “All of us.”
The landscape shimmers again. Nevare melts away with a sigh, and I cast out my mind, looking for him.
Law-rah grabs me with her mental arms, yanking me into the purple connection between us. As she does so, clarity comes to me: we’re on Oloria. Another Apex is subjecting me to the Base loyalty test, where I have to kill my Apex in order to demonstrate I can do what I need to do if he goes nova.
But we didn’t. I cling onto Law-rah, hearts bursting with warmth. We didn’t hurt the simulated Nevare; in fact, Law-rah’s presence in the bond helped us. Helped me save him.
When I open my eyes, we’re in Law-rah’s secret room. It lies in ruins, broken walls, wide beams soaring above with emptiness beyond.
But this doesn’t feel like despair. It feels… like home.
Law-rah stands in the middle, a radiant smile on her face. ‘My mental landscape had an upgrade. Do you recognize it? It’s the Roadhouse. I’m going to have my offices here, and you’re going to build it. And then serve me coffee every day, on your knees.’
My soaring hearts pang. I smile for her and feed her my strength. ‘You’re brilliant. I hope you know that. You've worked so hard, too hard for someone like me.’
‘Classic Dom, building me up while also undervaluing yourself.’ She strokes my hair back from my temple, cupping my cheek. ‘Congratulate me when we get out of this. I'm thinking a celebratory sixty-nine, followed by sleeping for a week.’
‘Sixty-nine?’
An image of Law-rah sitting on my face and reaching down to my crotch, her hands tied by my tentacles and her throat so full of my cock she gags as she comes.
‘I love sixty-nine,’ I choke out. ‘My new favorite number.’
‘Right? It’s a date.’
Law-rah presses a kiss to my sweaty forehead. ‘You did so well.’
‘Thank you, my love.’
She stills, and I curse myself. ‘Drok na, I didn't mean to… I'm sorry.’
Because when the Prif orders my death anyway, I don't want Law-rah to feel any worse than she might already.
I look up at her as fire wraps around my throat. I claw at my neck but there’s nothing there.
Still, I know.
In the real world, I’m being euthanized.