Chapter 5 Dominic
CHAPTER FIVE
DOMINIC
Another giggle burst from my throat mid-sentence, derailing whatever I’d been about to say. My chest tightened with dismay. Not again. Not now, when we were finally connecting, when Sasha had actually laughed with me instead of frowning. When the walls between us had started to crack.
It was as if some curse ensured I’d falter just when she might start seeing me as more than a partner in solving problems. I was doomed to disappoint, to prove I wasn’t the steady presence she deserved once these issues had faded.
I pressed my fist against my mouth, trying to contain the laughter that kept bubbling up like a torturous spring. My shoulders shook with the effort, but it was useless. Another giggle escaped, then another.
Sasha’s expression shuttered. The warmth that had been building in her dark eyes dimmed, hurt flashing across her face before something else replaced it.
Not the careful blankness from yesterday, but concentration.
Her gaze sharpened, studying me with the same focus she’d used with the dying plants.
Part of me withered under that look. Her expression didn’t show hurt, but seemed analytical, as if she’d found relief in retreating to the familiar study of puzzles and strategies.
Of course she’d prefer that to whatever warmth we’d shared.
She was interested in solving these problems, not getting to know the man beneath them.
The dining room door swung open.
“Good morning,” my mother’s voice rang out. She swept into the room with the grace of someone who’d ruled for decades, her silver-streaked hair arranged in an elaborate style that looked both elegant and effortless.
Lady Kenneth strode in behind her, dressed in her usual leather tunic and pants, followed by Lady Edwina, her midnight blue gown jingling with amulets.
As always, Edwina clutched her velvet bag holding her divination stones.
I’d rarely seen her make an accurate prediction, but she made up for it with her enthusiasm for ongoing predictions.
Lord Turren trailed at the rear, stumbling while staring into the small silver mirror in his hand.
“Dominic, dear.” My mother paused mid-stride, her sharp eyes taking in my giggling state and Sasha’s composed observation. “Are you all right?”
I tried to answer, I truly did, but another laugh burst out instead. Warmth crawled up my neck.
“Mother,” I said between chuckles. “This is Sasha. My wife. Sasha? This is Iberia.”
“I gathered as much from the wedding yesterday.” My mother’s tone remained warm despite the dry humor threading through it.
She turned her full attention to Sasha, and I watched my new wife straighten under that assessing gaze.
“Welcome to our family, dear. I hope you’re beginning to feel settled here.
Your accommodations suit?” She glanced my way, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Sasha said. “The accommodations are lovely, thank you. Dominic has been showing me around the court.”
My mother’s expression softened. “I’m so glad to hear it. Did you sleep well? If there’s anything you need, you have only to ask.”
“Everything has been wonderful, thank you.”
I quickly made introductions.
Lady Kenneth settled in a chair across from Sasha and I, her brown hair catching the morning light. She gave Sasha a direct, appraising look.
“Lady Sasha,” she said, inclining her head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you properly. I understand you’re skilled in strategy magic?”
“I am.”
I caught the hint of satisfaction in Sasha’s voice.
Lady Kenneth flashed a brief smile. “Have you worked with many weapons, or do you stick strictly to planning?”
“Both,” Sasha said. “I’m fairly decent with a sword as well as short blades, though I haven’t had much practice with close combat.”
“Excellent. We should spar sometime, if you’re interested. Swords, perhaps? I’d be interested to see how a witch’s approach compares with that of the fae.”
“I would enjoy that very much,” Sasha said, her posture loosening.
“The cosmic energies surrounding this union are absolutely extraordinary,” Lady Edwina announced from where she sat on Lady Kenneth’s right, her divination stones scattered on the tablecloth in front of her.
She took two more stones from her pouch and tossed them into the mix, leaning over them to study their positions.
“The alignment of morning forces suggests profound transformation ahead. Though there’s a curious dissonance in the astral currents.
” She frowned at us all. “Or perhaps the indigo hex is indicating unexpected joy?”
“The only thing I’m experiencing is unexpected wrinkles,” Lord Turren said, finally looking away from his mirror with an expression of horror.
He’d slumped in a seat on Sasha’s left. “This constant giggling is terrible for one’s complexion.
The strain on the facial muscles and the way it disrupts one’s carefully maintained composure is absolutely devastating.
” He turned to Sasha. “You seem remarkably unaffected, Your Majesty. What’s your secret?
Is severity truly the solution? Should I practice looking more serious? ”
Sasha blinked, clearly uncertain how to respond, and I would’ve laughed if I wasn’t already doing so uncontrollably.
My mother had taken the chair on the other side of Lord Turren. “So wonderful that we’re all having breakfast together.” She gestured to the servants who’d appeared in the doorway. “Additional settings, please.”
I watched Sasha as the room filled with movement and conversation, noting how she handled each distinct personality.
With my mother, she was respectful but not cowed.
With Lady Kenneth, genuine and engaged. She showed polite interested without mockery when Lady Edwina made another pronouncement.
She even kindly told Lord Turren that laughter might actually make someone appear more attractive.
“Are you sure?” he asked with a delicate frown. While holding up the mirror, he forced out a giggle. “I’m not sure. See the creases that appear when I laugh? There’s nothing attractive about that.”
Savory observed from her perch on the chair back, her eyes tracking each person in turn. Was she speaking to Sasha? I had no way of knowing.
The servants moved quickly through the room, taking orders while silverware, plates, and tea cups floated around behind them, darting close to settle in front of those dining.
My mother requested her usual breakfast of toast, fresh berries, soft-boiled eggs, and tea. Lady Kenneth ordered much the same, though with extra meat rashers.
“I’ll have whatever the universe deems appropriate this morning,” Lady Edwina said sweetly, still studying her stones.
Lord Turren smiled at the servant standing beside him and pushed out another laugh. “Toast will be perfect, though it must be perfectly golden. And butter on the side. It needs to laid in a certain way and by me. Tea, of course.” He glanced Lady Kenneth’s way. “Meat rashers as well if you please.”
My giggling finally subsided as everyone settled in, leaving me feeling wrung out and mortified. I took a deep breath, relieved that perhaps it was over, that I could participate in normal conversation for the rest of the meal.
“So, Sasha,” my mother said as trays laden with food floated in from the kitchen, dropping onto the table in front of each guest. “Dominic mentioned you have sisters? Tell me about your family.”
“I have two younger sisters,” Sasha said, thanking a servant for refreshing her cup of primwort, adding a dash of cream.
The servant poured more tea into my cup as well.
“Cyrene and Adele,” Sasha said. “They’re both recently married, Cyrene to Kieran, the vampire king, and Adele to Raoul, the dragon shifter king.”
“A vampire, you say?” Mother said. “How delightful. I do hope they’re happy.” She took a sip of her tea, placing her cup back in its saucer after. “I’ve already heard wonderful things about your magical abilities. Dominic said your magical abilities lean in the direction of strategy?”
“Yes, primarily. Though I have some affinity with plants as well.” Sasha’s fingers tightened on her cup. “It’s not something I’ve developed much.”
“That’s fascinating,” Lady Kenneth said, scooping up a bite of eggs. “Plant magic combined with strategic thinking could be formidable in the right applications.”
I took a sip of my tea and ate a few more bites of toast.
“The divination stones suggest that undeveloped gifts often bloom at precisely the right moment,” Lady Edwina said, lifting a pale pink piece of rose quartz up between us. “Though the timing is always mysterious until—” A giggle burst out of her, surprising everyone at the table, including herself.
Lady Edwina’s eyes widened, one hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my. That was quite involuntary, I assure you.”
Lord Turren snorted while examining his reflection, and the sound startled him so much he nearly dropped the mirror. His expression dissolved into horror as he covered his mouth with his free hand.
“No,” he whispered. “I’m not seeing a positive change in my complexion with excessive laughing.” A giggle burst through his fingers.
A chuckle escaped my mother. She set her cup down, shock crossing her face. “How very strange.”
Then she was laughing with a loss of control I hadn’t seen from her before in my entire life.
Lady Kenneth had been in the middle of discussing proper sword maintenance with Sasha, because apparently that was appropriate breakfast conversation, when her words dissolved into giggles. She stared at her hands as if they’d betrayed her. “This is highly irregular.”
My own laughter returned full force, doubling me over as wave after wave of it rolled through me.
This wasn’t only happening to me. How could it be a personal failing or weakness when everyone else was doing it too?
The giggling spread like wildfire. My mother tried to maintain her royal dignity, but within moments she was bent over her plate, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
Lady Edwina’s mystical pronouncements kept getting interrupted by fits of giggles that made her amulets jingle.
Lord Turren’s distress mounted as he laughed so hard his carefully arranged purple hair started coming undone from its clasp.
“This is—” Lady Kenneth tried to speak, bewilderment written across her face. “I don’t understand why I can’t—” Another laugh cut her off.
A humorous uproar filled the room, afflicting everyone but Sasha.
She sat perfectly still, a slice of toast in her hand, watching it all unfold. Her gorgeous blue eyes tracked each person.
Finally, she placed her toast back on her plate and stood, frowning my way. I did my best not to let laughter erupt from deep inside me. Savory lifted from the chair back and settled on Sasha’s shoulder in a whisper of black feathers.
My wife moved around the table, pausing to study each person for a long moment until she returned to my side.
I looked up at her through tears, expecting judgment or disappointment or that careful blankness she’d shown in response to this yesterday.
“Let’s test something,” she said instead. “Would you mind returning to the greenhouse with me?”
“I’d be happy to,” I managed to say between giggles, rising to my feet.
Her hand found mine, and her touch sent a warm tingle through me. I’d felt the same thing during our wedding ceremony, a connection I couldn’t name but desperately wanted to understand.
We left the dining room, the sounds of uncontrollable laughter echoing behind us.
My mother tried to say something, but it dissolved into giggles before I could make out the words.