Dominic
Well, it was all he was asking now, at any rate.
He did a last inventory of his attire, smiling again as Onyx finished dressing. He held his hand out for the hair adornment in order to fix it into Onyx’s hair.
Or sculpted.
“Come." He held his hand out in the familiar gesture. When Onyx came to his side, he gave the young witch a kiss. Not quite the chaste kiss from earlier, but not far from it.
He kept his hand on Onyx’s shoulder until they’d reached the bottom of the stairs, at which point he indicated that the Rayne witch was to take up the place that he’d mentioned earlier, a step behind on his left shoulder.
His guests had already arrived, waiting in one of the sitting rooms. Dominic went directly there to greet them, and the three witches rose to meet him when he walked in.
The Council representative was an older witch, with a severe look to him.
The other two were both younger, relatively speaking, the woman similar in age to himself, and the other man a shade younger, perhaps in his late twenties.
“Enzo." Dominic smiled. “A pleasure to see you again. Lilah as well. And I don’t believe I know…” he trailed off expectantly.
“Axel Warwick,” the younger man introduced himself.
“Axel,” Dominic repeated. “Welcome.”
At Axel’s feet, a young woman knelt with her head down, hands demurely in her lap. She was dressed in an almost-sheer simple dress that fanned out around her like a waterfall.
“I trust you are doing well?” Dominic directed the question back at Enzo as the three witches reseated themselves. He sat in a chair across from them and gave Onyx a slight “down” gesture.
“Quite,” Enzo replied, his eyes lingering on Onyx for another moment before he looked back at Dominic. “Thank you for hosting this evening. I’d have invited you over, but my house is currently being remodeled. Besides, then we wouldn’t have been able to be joined by your little gem, now would we?”
Onyx’s jaw tightened, and Dominic lightly touched his head.
Dominic smiled. “It is ever my pleasure to host the Council or any of their representatives,” he said smoothly.
“I know how disruptive such activities can be.” A well-practiced touch of sympathy entered his voice.
“I have been considering making upgrades to my east wing, but things have been terribly busy of late, and I haven’t had the time to dedicate to it. ”
“Ah, yes. You’ve been working with Bertrand Owens, haven’t you?” Enzo asked. “I imagine that is taking up a great deal of your time.”
Dominic stroked his fingers through Onyx’s hair as he and Enzo traded opening feints, the smile never leaving his lips. The question about Dominic’s business with Owens had been intended to put him on the defensive, but there was nowhere that remark could draw blood.
Dominic chuckled. “That is but one of many things taking up my time these days. The market wasn’t where we expected it to be, but that is the importance of adaptability after all.
A simple matter to pivot to another. Whatever happened with the charity, the—“ he tapped his fingers together in thought “—the Westfield project, was it? It was in the news for a while, but then it disappeared.”
There was displeasure in the other witch’s voice when he replied, “That? It was wrapped up. Donations were made, the building was constructed, and all proceeds continue to go to the organization.”
“I am glad to hear that came to a satisfactory conclusion for all involved,” Dominic said without missing a beat.
The Westfield project had been rife with corruption.
That, admittedly, was nothing new or unusual.
Many such projects were little more than fronts for some form of laundering scheme, and thinly veiled ones at that.
The only thing that made this one particularly relevant was that the names behind the project included a Councilor. Which was foolish.
“Am I correct in my understanding that Councilor Thorne may be looking to retire in the near future?” Dominic inquired rather than pushing further.
“I see rumors travel quickly amongst the masses,” Enzo replied with a chuckle that didn’t sound even the slightest bit amused.
“I like to stay informed of ongoing events,” Dominic said mildly.
“And the potential opening of a Council seat is certainly an ongoing — if upcoming — event. The whispers of speculation as to whom will be the next in line have barely begun.” He paused.
“Of course, it hasn’t been confirmed yet, has it? ”
It hadn’t been, but it would be.
Enzo paused for a beat. “I would love to know where you find your gossip,” he replied. “The local tabloids, perhaps?”
Dominic chuckled. “I hear many things. Some of them even turn out to be true.”
And in a few sentences he’d alerted the other witch that he had information few others did. He’d also reminded him that as a Bancroft, and a powerful one at that, Dominic could potentially be in the running for that very seat.
Before Enzo could come up with a reply, the servant arrived, thoroughly giving the point to Dominic.
Dominic smiled. “Ah, dinner is ready." He rose and gestured for Onyx to do the same.
“If you will join me,” he invited the others, who had been silent while Dominic and Enzo had played their game.
He turned to follow the servant into the small formal dining room that had been made ready for the occasion.
His house had two — well, three — dining rooms, a larger formal one, this smaller one, and then a more casual one. Really, he and Onyx should be making more use of them, but that would involve more people and thus more gossip and speculation about his interactions with the Rayne witch.
He much preferred the privacy and convenience of dining in his room or office.
The other three witches followed to the dining room, and Dominic invited them to take their seats before taking his.
Onyx sank down to his knees next to Dominic’s chair on the cushion that had been left there without a word.
“He’s well-behaved,” Enzo remarked. “I had heard as much, but we both know that rumors are not necessarily true. Don’t we, Dominic?”
Dominic chuckled. “That particular rumor may or may not have been true, depending entirely on when you happened to hear it. Where was quite a stretch where ‘well-behaved’ would not have been an accurate description, now? Well. Now he is, as many things are, a work in progress.”
Enzo’s interest in Onyx had been evident from the very beginning. While Dominic had been able to avoid the subject of the Rayne witch initially, he’d known he wasn’t going to be able to do so forever. Especially if Onyx himself was a central point of interest in the reason for the visit.
Servants carried the first serving of the meal to the seated witches, a small garden salad. Dominic selected a small cherry tomato and offered it to Onyx.
Onyx bristled, but he only glanced up at Dominic as he caught his attention. He opened his mouth and took the tomato from Dominic’s fingertips. He chewed and swallowed it, then rested his head against Dominic’s thigh again.
“Indeed,” Enzo replied. “I confess, I’m surprised you’re allowing him to walk around freely, given his… origins.”
Dominic gave Onyx a brief smile of approval before turning his attention back to Enzo.
“Which origins might those be?” he asked mildly.
“His Rayne origins or his rebellion origins?” His tone of polite inquiry made it clear that whichever the answer was, he was unconcerned about that origin. Or either of them.
Enzo mulled over the food as he regarded Onyx. “The rebellion, naturally. Rayne witches tend to be more docile, wouldn’t you say?” He smiled, though it looked brittle. “Some say you’ve gone soft on the boy.”
Dominic laughed. “The rebellion is dead and gone, Enzo,” he said with amusement.
“They surely are no threat now.” He took a bite of his salad.
“And while ‘docile’ is a term I don’t believe anyone would make the mistake of using with my Rayne, there is only one hand to which he willingly comes.
And,” he continued with another smile, “as you said, we both know that rumors are not necessarily true.”
“No, I don’t believe anyone will forget just how not docile that creature is,” Enzo said distastefully. “If you ask me, it should’ve been put down like the feral mutt it is.”
Onyx didn’t lift his head, but he was practically shaking as he pressed harder against Dominic.
“Instead,” Enzo continued, “you treat it like a pampered pet.”
Dominic’s fingers stroked through Onyx’s hair, attempting to soothe as well as relay his approval for not reacting to anything that the other witch was saying. Whether Enzo knew it or not, those comments had found blood, but Dominic would not — could not — show how much they’d gotten to him.
He let the smile linger on his lips instead. “I am hardly the first witch to have a pet at my feet, pampered or otherwise.” His eyes went pointedly to Axel’s pet.
“A pet is what you see before you there.” Enzo gestured to the young woman.
“Yours is a mongrel. Not only do you allow it to walk around, but you give it privileges. Training.” His nostrils flared, and he didn’t bother to keep his disdain from his expression.
“There are those who wonder where your loyalty lies, Dominic.”
Dominic laughed. “I have no quarrel with any witch who has their enjoyment of a tame house pet at their feet. I find it so much more rewarding when it is a tiger at mine. Why settle for something so plebeian? I am a Bancroft after all.” He smirked.
“I admit I find great pleasure in the physical form, toned muscles, virile and young. He is a work of art, is he not? Unfortunately, such form does require maintenance.”
“Being a Bancroft does not exempt you from consequences, should that tiger of yours decide to act out,” Enzo said sharply. “I can see the expression on its face. You barely have it under control.”
“What consequences have I sought to be exempted from?” Dominic asked. “If my tiger acts out, then I will contain him. He knows what he has to fear from my wrath, and it is a remarkable leash.”
Servants cleared the plates away, bringing out the main dinner course.
Dominic used the opportunity to cup Onyx’s face in his hand, tipping his face up to meet his gaze.
Patience. Breathe.
Onyx nodded at the wordless commands, almost imperceptibly, but he was still shaking from what Dominic knew to be rage. He hadn’t expected anything less from his tiger.
Once the plates were placed, his attention turned back to Enzo again. “Are you attempting to see me discipline my pet, Enzo? Is that the reason for tonight’s gathering, then?”
“I wished to see this spoiled, rabid beast myself,” Enzo replied coolly. “Not everyone has forgotten what it did, and not everyone is comfortable with it in your grasp. The Council wonders if it would be best served with the creature contained with someone whose loyalty can be assured.”
“Loyalty?” Dominic arched an eyebrow. “Loyalty to whom, to the Council? If there is any cause to doubt my loyalty, please bring it forth so that I can laugh at how patently fabricated it is.” He shook his head.
“No, you will not find anything like that, Enzo, because there is nothing to find. He is well contained and will remain that way.”
He’d meant his earlier comments about the upcoming Council seat vacancy only as a test of strength, but if this was the direction the Council was considering, maybe he would have to evaluate his options there after all.
“There have been accusations,” Enzo stated bluntly. “Of course they have no merit; we know as much. But take care with where you bring your tiger, Dominic.”
“Am I to understand that the Council is seeking to put limitations on what I do with my pet, Enzo?” Dominic asked, tone turning icy.
“Of course not.” Enzo gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “But when it turns and bites the hand that feeds it, it will be put down.”
Dominic chuckled, picking up a piece of meat with his fingers and offering it to Onyx, eyes never leaving Enzo’s. “You cannot have my Rayne,” he chided lightly. “Find your own.”
Enzo’s lips thinned into a line as he watched Onyx eat the meat from Dominic’s fingers.
“I assure you, I do not want your… tiger.” He stabbed his own meat, taking a bite before turning his attention from Onyx to Dominic.
“But I cannot say I don’t understand why some think it should be taken from you. ”
Dominic’s smile was predatory. “Well, let us hope that no poor fool attempts to fabricate cause for my ownership to be called into question. I might find myself most displeased.”
“I’m sure if anyone made such accusations, you would be informed,” Enzo replied stiffly. “In the meantime, you are free to enjoy your little pet in any manner you wish.”
“Your permission, as superfluous as it is, is noted.” Dominic smiled, offering Onyx another bite of meat. “And by all means, I shall.”
The visit had been a test, and a warning. Dominic took both seriously.
“Now that that is out of the way,” he said, voice laced with amusement. “For what other reasons are we meeting?”
“I believe that concludes the conversation,” Enzo replied.
“A pity,” Dominic murmured. “Just when it was getting fun.”
Enzo cast a disgusted look in his direction. “I believe we’ll pass on dessert. You can have the joy of your pet in private.”
“Very well." Dominic got to his feet immediately, which prompted the other three witches to do so as well. “My servants shall see you out.”