Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
A s I’d predicted, Dominic didn’t return soon. I’d showered and fallen asleep and was awoken by the earthy aroma of cedarwood and the hints of bergamot that lingered from his bodywash as his damp chest pressed against the back of the shirt I’d borrowed from his closet. Turning to face him, my fingers traced over his sharp jawline. I kissed him and when I pulled away, he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me as he deepened the kiss. He moved away with a sigh and a sharp, scrutinizing look. His hand found its way under my shirt, delivering soft tranquil strokes over my back and the curve of my ass. Dominic’s eyes were a contrast to his touch.
“I don’t know if you are incredibly brave or naively optimistic,” he said gently.
“I’m a healthy dose of both,” I teased. My response rounded off the edges in his keen eyes, but the look of consideration remained.
“I didn’t think your father would betray you,” I admitted. I did but wanted to believe he wouldn’t. After Dominic conceding to never challenge him and seeing Dominic sacrifice some of his magic to save Helena and rid the world of the Dark Casters’ magic, I thought Areleus would be satisfied. Not opt to betray his son and try to steal his magic and that of the Casters. It was a response to what I believed he had to be thinking. How could he not?
“The shades. What are your plans for them? Can’t they be…I don’t know, rehabbed or something? Anand can control them?—”
“Within limitations and only when he is in their presence. If they escape again…” He sighed. “You may not agree with my mother’s tactics most of the time, but sometimes being uncompromisingly pitiless is the answer.”
I was constantly hit with the reality that things were darker and more violent in this world, and it reminded me again of how much I wanted to escape it.
“Helena.”
His eyes followed mine to the door, where she stood, seemingly reluctant to enter the bedroom. Subdued humility was a poor fit for her. Her mouth opened and closed without a word spoken. Suspecting it was my presence, I started to move away to leave. She shook her head.
“Stay,” she encouraged. “Siding with the Dark Casters for power was an inappropriate thing to do,” she said softly.
What type of apology was that? My bad, betraying you just wasn’t proper.
Securing a towel around him, Dominic rolled from the bed and pulled out a pair of jogging pants and slipped them on. He moved to stand in front of her, a tick in his jaw. “That is not an apology, Helena.”
Her humility short lived, her chin tilted in rebellion. “I’m sorry that you displayed a weakness that made me feel an alliance with the Dark Caster would ensure true power,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Before Dominic could respond, I snapped. “That isn’t one, either. How about I’m sorry I betrayed you when you were willing to sacrifice so much for my safety? Or, I’m a shitty sister and you deserve better? Maybe, I’m the worst, can you ever forgive me? Any of those are acceptable.”
I grinned at Dominic’s failing effort to suppress his laughter. After being with this family, I wanted to give my own family the biggest hug and bask in their special type of weird and unshakeable bond forged on unconditional love, grateful that it wasn’t tainted by betrayal, attempted murder, and extreme measures to obtain domination.
Ignoring any of my suggestions, she shelved the self-indulgent look for a moment, although uncertainty peeked through. “What will happen to Father?”
“He will be banished. Without magic, he can’t negotiate the various realms.”
“They’ll kill him.”
At Dominic’s cool indifference, she took his hand. “Will you not return his magic?”
“I can’t even if I wanted to. It was destroyed. I suspect he’ll spend the rest of his existence looking for a way to do so.”
Helena displayed a stoicism that I hadn’t managed. When he looked at me, I attempted to usher one. I couldn’t. Agreeing with Helena made it more difficult.
“I will not leave him unprotected, a courtesy I wouldn’t have received from him.” He directed the answer to Helena, but his eyes searched my face. He returned the small smile I gave him.
Helena gathered his hands in hers and bowed her head. “I’m sorry.” It was an unexpected earnest apology. My pessimism reared its head. I suspected the apology came from fear of ending up like her father rather than authentic redemption. Dominic never revealed his hand, which left him at an advantage. She had to assume that he had a way to deliver the same retaliation to her; after all, he’d discovered a means to restrict her magic.
“What will happen to me?”
Several moments ticked by, and worry creased Helena’s brow.
“I don’t know.” His response left no room for further discussion and they looked at each other, expressionless. Helena nodded and left the room.
“Can you live here with Helena?” he whispered.
I didn’t fear her, I just didn’t like her. “I could live here with her, if I wanted to live here.”
He turned to me and drew me close. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t want this to be my world,” I said. “We have to find another way for us to be together.”
The air grew thick with tension. His features were blanketed with an emotion I couldn’t place. His frustration and disappointment resonated within me, stirring a need to ease it.
Dominic’s thumb roved lightly over my lips, replaced by his lips. Soft, sensuous, and inviting. His kisses became deeper, coaxing me into a desperate need that he knew only he could sate. I pulled him closer. The heat from him enveloping us. Whatever doubt existed seemed to dissolve in that moment.
He pulled away and I found myself studying his carved features, stern eyes that softened when he looked at me, and disposition that managed to depict his duality: a being who controlled the darkest and worst of the magical kind who must act without any humanity, and a person who desperately clung to some fragments of that humanity in order not to be possessed by power and cruelty.
I was seconds from asking if he could walk away from it and live a normal existence, but the fear of his wrath stilled my tongue.
“I don’t want to lose you,” he admitted, “but it’s impossible for me to completely leave this.”
“I don’t expect you to. It won’t be easy, but we’ll make it work. Somehow.”
He studied my face. “Little Luna,” he whispered. His lips curled into a smirk. “Humans.” He still had a hint of disdain for the magicless. “They will never know how hard you fought for their safety.”
“Wasn’t just theirs. I don’t want to be subjugated.”
“I would never let that happen.”
“I know you wouldn’t. But why subject the world to more fighting and you to more challenges of trying to keep me safe? I prefer not to be the exception. I want safety to be the rule. Living alongside supernaturals, ignorant of their existence, is the best option. My motives weren’t that altruistic. You would have done whatever was necessary to achieve the same outcome.”
“No, I wouldn’t have,” he responded curtly.
Do I respect the candor or be appalled by it? He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose.
“I wish that I could. I wasn’t lying when I said we lose some of our humanity to continue to live. I need you because you are an anchor that will keep me tethered to it. I love you because of who you are but also because you have that unique ability to do that for me.”
I blinked back the tears, but a few managed to escape. He swept them away with his thumb.
“I love you, too. I want to be that person for you.” I was confident we would make it work and that it would be difficult at times, but it didn’t matter. I wanted it to work.
“Will you stay today?”
“Of course.”
His soft lips feathered over mine before he sighed into a chaste kiss that quickly heightened into a devouring kiss. His tongue parted my lips and teased and taunted me with the promise of more. I welcomed the enveloping heat of his magic and the sensual caresses that accompanied it. With each second gaining a new appreciation for the mastery and the magnetism of it as it drew me to him.
Easing me to my back, his body melded over mine as he nestled between my legs. Then he pulled away, leaving me breathless and panting.
He flashed me a devilishly alluring look that sent shivers cascading over me, then pulled his shirt off me and tossed it aside.
Mischief glinted in his gaze as with effortless sinuous movement, his nails lightly grazed my skin along the same path as his tender kisses. He took my nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue, the taunting grazes of his teeth coaxing a smile from me, then a moan. Continuing his tantalizing journey, he positioned himself between my legs, kissing my inner thighs before spreading them farther apart. His tongue flicked over my clit, sending shivers of pleasure through me as I fisted the sheets and moaned his name. The warmth of his breath when he chuckled sent a tremor through me. His tongue delved deeper, bringing me to an overwhelming climax. I couldn’t help but cry out as waves of ecstasy and pleasure pulsed through my body, leaving me completely pliant.
Dominic removed his pants and slithered into his dominant position over me. His kisses were filled with a desperate need and primal lust that pushed me again into the depths of desire. As my fingers slid down his back, my nails lightly grazed over his skin. My hand continued its trail until I held his cock. As I stroked his hardness, his groans of pleasure caused his chest to reverberate against mine. Dominic pulled from the kiss and held my gaze as I guided him into me. The rhythmic thrusts of his hips started off slow, gradually building up to a frenetic pace. I wrapped my legs tightly around him, matching his intense movements, both of us seeking our pleasure.
An unexpected gasp escaped my lips when Dominic lifted me, still kneeling, pushing himself even deeper inside me while he held me up. In response, I released a desperate moan of satisfaction into the passionate kiss we shared. The sensation of his dark magic danced over my skin, intensifying our connection. His movements were dark and feral, relentlessly chasing the climax that awaited us. I came first. The aftershock of my pleasure wracked my body. I pulsed and tightened against his hardness, coaxing him into an explosive release that elicited a low, primal growl.
His voice, laced with a rough edge of need and desire, alternated between whispering deliciously naughty details of what he longed to do to me and declaring his deep affection. It was an intoxicating combination that gave me a profound sense of contentment as I clung to him, reveling in the raw intensity of our union. Our bodies remained connected, locked in a fierce embrace. In that moment, our chaotic and complicated world faded away and it was just the two of us.