Chapter Twenty-Nine #2
Cameron chuckled softly, the sound warm and a little self-deprecating. “I can’t shift for you,” he said, lifting both hands in surrender, “but I can show you some of my magic… if you’d like.”
Her answer was immediate. She nodded, eager and unguarded, eyes bright with the kind of wonder she hadn’t let herself feel in days.
He met her gaze and something changed. The rich brown of his eyes melted into molten gold, luminous and alive, like sunlight caught in honey. The air around them seemed to hum, a low thrumming she felt more than heard. Then:
Flowers bloomed. Not slowly. Not gently. They erupted.
Petals unfurled at her feet, spilling across the floor like a living tapestry.
Wildflowers, vines, soft green leaves curling and weaving together as if the earth itself had been waiting for permission.
The scent hit her next, fresh soil, rain, something green and ancient.
It wrapped around her senses until she forgot to breathe.
Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open.“How...how did you do that?”
Cameron’s eyes faded back to brown as the magic settled, the flowers remaining where they’d grown, real and tangible beneath her boots.
“I brought some plants up to my room earlier,” he explained calmly, like he hadn’t just rewritten her understanding of reality. “Just in case I needed access to my earth element. Once the element’s present, directing it is easy.”
He gestured lightly, the vines responding with a subtle ripple.
“On Earth, I can’t create matter from nothing.
I manipulate what already there, soil, roots, plant life.
Fire’s similar. But....if there’s no earth or fire, I have to shape it from compounds that already exist like carbon, nitrogen, trace elements but...
they have to come from somewhere. Creating it like that…
” he winced faintly, “…can be extremely taxing on my energy reserves.”
She swallowed hard, trying to wrap her head around it.
“In Faerie, though,” he continued, a quiet reverence entering his voice, “it’s different. There are ley lines are everywhere. You can access them from any point. Creating it from nothing is just as easy as manipulating what’s already there.”
She stared at him, then at the flowers again, crouching slightly to brush her fingers over a petal just to make sure it was real.
“That’s…” she breathed. “Wow. That’s so cool.”
Cameron laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose. But I only have dominion over those two.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “My High Leader, Alastair...he can manipulate all four.”
She wrinkled her nose immediately. “Eh. Air and water are overrated anyway.”
Cameron barked out a surprised laugh. “You’re sweet, but you’re also right in a way, balancing all four inside yourself is a massive responsibility.”
She nodded slowly, the weight of that settling in her chest.
Then she turned.
Dominik stood a few steps away, tall and still, shadows curling faintly at his edges like they were unsure whether they were allowed to exist. His posture was tense, not predatory, not aggressive, just… hesitant.
Her smile softened. “You don’t have to,” she said gently. “If you don’t want to.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s not that, Anabelle. I just...” He exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to scare you. It’s… I’m—”
“Dom,” she said quietly, meeting his eyes, “please just call me Ani. I think we’re past formalities, aren’t we?” She tilted her head, voice warm but steady. “And you won’t scare me. I know it’s you in there.”
The shadows around him stilled, like they were listening.
“You’d never hurt me,” she added, certain.
For a moment, Dominik just stared at her, no one had ever spoken to him that way before. He let the silence stretch between them for a long moment. He didn’t move, didn’t speak. He just searched her face, slowly, carefully, as if committing every expression to memory.
Anabelle held his gaze the entire time, a soft, encouraging smile curving her lips. She didn’t rush him. She simply waited.
Gods help him.
His demon was chanting inside him, restless and insistent.
Let me out. Touch her. Claim her. Protect her.
The need was overwhelming, bone-deep even.
He wanted to pull her into his arms, bury his face in her hair, mark her as his in every way that mattered.
For days now, he’d been shifting alone in his room, gripping tight control, keeping his demon leashed.
But here she was, just standing there. Open. Wanting. Trusting him.
How was he supposed to deny her anything?
With a slow exhale, Dominik released his hold. The change was instantaneous.
Anabelle was watching him closely when the temperature dipped sharply, raising goosebumps along her skin. Dominik’s eyes, those hypnotic, familiar blue eyes turned into something deeper, darker. Red. Not violent. Not cruel. Just… other.
Horns emerged from his head, smooth and dark, curling back elegantly until they nearly brushed the base of his neck.
A black mist unfurled around him, rolling along his arms and coiling from the waist down like living shadow.
She could still see him through it, still recognize him, but his outline blurred, his presence heavier.
And he grew. Taller. Broader. As if the room itself had to stretch to accommodate him.
Anabelle gaped.
Gods, he wasn’t as massive as Mareken, but certainly bigger than the demon who had cornered her by the car. He was undeniably powerful. Imposing. Beautiful in a dark, dangerous way that made her heart thud instead of race in fear.
She took a second to check herself.
Fear? No.Curiosity? Yes.Something warmer curling low in her belly? …Also yes.
She went to move, and twin whines sounded from the floor as the wolves lifted their heads, but Anabelle pushed herself up anyway. She approached Dominik slowly, deliberately, giving him time to react if he needed it.
He didn’t move. He was ramrod still, breath shallow, like he was holding himself together by sheer will alone.
When she reached him, when there was barely an inch between them, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.
Dominik growled softly, instinct taking over, his arms coming around her immediately, strong and sure. He bent slightly, shielding her with his body before he even realized he was doing it.
“You’re not scared,” he said, voice deeper now, rough with disbelief.
She leaned closer and whispered, “Not one bit.”
Pulling back just enough to look at him, she hesitated, then asked quietly, “Can I… try something?”
His brows furrowed, confusion flashing across his face, but he nodded. What he didn’t expect was for her to reach up and gently stroke one of his horns.
The reaction was instant. A full-body shudder ripped through him, a low grunt tearing from his chest before he could stop it.
He jerked as he came and the shadows around him rippled, responding to the sensation like they’d been touched too.
His eyes widened in disbelief, at what just happened to him.
Right in front of her, and her other mates.
She froze. “Oh...are you okay? I shouldn’t have—” She didn’t get to finish.
Cameron’s bark of laughter rang out, unrestrained and utterly amused, while twin growls echoed from the floor.
Anabelle whipped around, eyes wide.
“I think you’re fine, Ani,” Cameron said between chuckles. “I think he enjoyed that.”
She turned back to Dominik, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was glaring absolute daggers at Cameron.
She cleared her throat. “Right,” she said quickly. “I think I’m going to eat now.”
She glanced down at the two wolves sprawled on the floor. “Do you want to shift back so you can join us?”
Cameron winced. “Uh… they’ll have to go back to their rooms first.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“…Because they shredded their clothes earlier to shift,” he said delicately. “Unless, you know, they could shift back right here if you wanted?”
Realization hit her like a freight train.
Her eyes widened. She slapped her hands over her face, which was now burning.“Oh gods...no. That’s fine. They can absolutely go get dressed first.”
Cameron laughed. “Come on, sit. I’ll help with the food while they change.”
She turned toward Dominik, but he was already heading for his room.
Her brows knitted together. “Why is Dom going too? He didn’t rip any clothes…”
Cameron scratched the back of his neck, suddenly fascinated by the wall. “Um. He’s… changing too. Sometimes the shift makes his clothes itchy.” He nodded like that explained everything.
Anabelle stared at him, trying, and failing, to figure out why he looked so uncomfortable.
Before she could ask, the others returned. Plates were filled, seats taken. The room settled into an easy, companionable quiet.
As Anabelle ate, warmth curling through her chest, she realized something.
This, this, had brought them closer.
She wasn’t comfortable because of the Program. Or the suite. Or even the safety. She was comfortable because of them.