Chapter 15 | Bloodlines
Dominic
B anging pounds at my bedroom door, and half groggy, my eyes fly open. My shoulders tense, and the hand hanging over the side of the bed brews with magic ready to defend myself. “Dom! You said I must wake you up. So get up. Are you alive?”
Oh yes, Remi . I told her to wake me up in case I overslept, which I ended up doing. Shows me how well I know myself when there is a celebration. Bottles litter my room, and my head is pounding as flashbacks from last night go through my head. The drug shipment was a success.
“Yes! I’m awake. You can go now.” I shout back at her through the door. Pulling my other arm out from one of the girls sleeping in my king-sized bed, I pad across my bedroom floor and jump into the shower of my en suite bathroom. Even if I feel like a truck has run over my head, last night was fun, and I have no regrets.
I turn the water as hot as it will go, which does the trick, and after a few minutes of standing under it, my headache subsides. I could use my magic to get rid of it, but it feels like a waste of energy when options like this are available to me. Conserving my magic for when I really need it is crucial. Turning off the water and grabbing one of my fluffy towels, I dry off and walk into my bedroom naked while quickly getting changed into one of my signature three-piece suits.
Looking towards the bed and the satin sheets covering the girls, I see they’re finally awake, both beckoning me to them. “Come join us again, Dom! Let's have a bit of morning fun.”
One girl, I forgot her name, pouts, and I imagine she thinks it's sexy. Even if the aftermath of all her makeup from last night gives the opposite effect. Approaching her and leaning over the edge of the bed, I grab her by the jaw and give her the sexiest kiss I can muster up without my morning coffee. “Tempting but I’ve got a busy day ahead. You can show yourself out.” I don’t need to stay to see their gasps at how rude they think I am. They’ve served their purpose, and I just don’t care.
My first stop is the kitchen for a coffee, and then I make my way to my study for the day ahead. I should stop at some of our business locations soon, but only when I’ve got a handle on things here. Leaning over the kitchen counter, I sip my cappuccino and mentally flip through everything that needs to happen today.
“There you are!” Remi walks into the kitchen, clearly with something big on her mind. With a quizzical look on my face, I respond with a hint of sarcasm, “Yes, I’m having my cappuccino if that’s okay with you?”
“I need your help with my magical studies, Dom. You’re the best Sorcerer I know, and I know you can help me figure it out.” Between the twins, she’s my tougher critic. I remember when she was a baby, how much quieter she was than Reece, like she was observing you to see if you deserved her love. When Remi lets you into her heart, she loves you fiercely and will protect you to the death. She’s been nicer to me recently, and I appreciate it, even if I can’t tell her that. She is never thrilled with the idea of over the top displays of emotion.
Even if she doesn’t want me to make a big deal of it, my little sister needs me, and that makes my heart swell with love for her. I respond, “Of course I will help you, Remi. Do you want to look at it now?” She shakes her head. “No, Sebastian’s waiting in your office. Come see me when you’re done with all the important stuff.”
Making my way to my study, I still can’t believe I pulled the latest drug shipment off. Sure, drugs are bad, and I’ve seen them destroy other families. But it’s the very backbone of what protects my family, and it’s all that matters to me. I do have a hard line at taking drugs, though, a rule that extends to the twins, and that’s precisely because of what I’ve seen these drugs do. Between this shipment and having the heart to heart with the twins, things are getting better for our family. Our plan is working.
Entering my study, I find Sebastian sitting in a guest chair, waiting for me, staring out the window at the grounds. Turning to look out the window with him, I don’t see anything and clear my throat to let him know I’m there. Walking towards him, Sebastian gets up, clasps my hand, and claps my back in greeting. Except, something is off about him, and I’m struggling to put my finger on what. My normally very put together friend is messy. His hair is rumpled, his shirt creased, and there is a haunted look in his eyes that isn’t normally there. I don’t know what he sees on my face, but I know I’m worried.
“Everything okay, my friend?” I ask him. His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he responds. “Yesterday was bad. One of the worst I’ve had in a long time. So I spent the night at Jude’s, and I’ve just come from her place. I just needed to be somewhere safe while I work through everything that’s happened, and what I’ve lost. But I will survive.”
Accepting that, I share something that has been on my mind for a while, yet I’ve been hesitant to voice. “Do you ever wonder what would happen if the humans found out about us, and we lost everything? I’m responsible for so much, but sometimes, I can’t pretend I don’t miss my freedom.”
Something dark flashes across my friend's face as he considers my question and responds, “Yes, but let’s talk about why I’m here instead.” Subtle change of subject noted but not forgotten. Grabbing a manila file on my desk, I hand it to him. “What do you know about the religious group, The Children of Christ?”
Looking down while he pages through the file and scans the contents of it, Sebastian tells me, “I’ve heard about them; they’ve been giving the Rhodes grief. Jude was telling me about an incident at school with Brooklyn and the leader's daughter?”
I nod, leaning back in my chair. “Rumour has it one of their sect saw a Rhodes shift, and now they’re convinced the Rhodes are demons. While they don’t have proof, they are making too much noise about it, and we need to do something. You know how these religious groups are.”
Closing the file and putting it on the desk, he looks up at me with those crystal blue eyes of his and responds, “You want to do Eric a favor, don’t you?” I nod and cross my arms over my chest. “I want you to assassinate their leader. You know they don’t know how to organize if you cut the head off the snake. The hypocrite is having an affair, and in the file you will find some of his movements with his mistress. We could chalk it up to she murdered him in a jealous fit of rage because he wouldn’t leave his wife. You know how often it happens. ”
Getting up from the chair, Sebastian goes over to the alcohol cabinet and pours us both a drink, even if it's a little early for my liking. Waiting for him to say something, anything about this plan, he walks back to me with a drink in each hand, turning to give me one. “I can’t say I’m not intrigued. I would like to get rid of something causing Jude grief. But first, I want to know. Why don’t you do it? And why come to me, not my mother?”
Pausing, I take a sip of my drink. “I could use death magic, but that’s always more complicated, even if the twins were to help me. It would drain us for days. Your mom is a piece of work. I prefer avoiding her for business if I can. Even if you and I are friends, we both know having a favor from the head of the Sorcerer empire is a good thing to have, which you would get if you did this for me.”
Sebastian goes quiet as he considers my request before leaning over the desk and shaking my hand. “I would do it anyway because you’re my friend, but I will take you up on needing that favor.” My face breaks out into a smile as I thank him.
With the matter settled, Sebastian turns to leave, but I stop him. “One more thing. I’ve been suspecting one of the Sorcerers of selling spells behind my back. It took me a while to figure it out, but I found the culprit. She should be waiting for us outside. While I don’t need help, I would appreciate your moral support while I deal with it.”
Sebastian nods and motions for me to lead the way as I exit my study. Following me, I can see he’s curious about what will happen next. My friend has never seen this side of me, because before, my dad, Dimitri Hart dealt with these things. Now, as the head of the Sorcerer empire, it's on me. Walking down one of the many passages, my footsteps echoing like some ominous sound track of what’s to come, I find both Katalina and another woman waiting for me in one of our lounge areas with the twins.
Katalina may present as a respectable businesswoman in her suit, with her red hair done up in a chignon, making her look older than her years. But that doesn’t fool me. Glaring at her until she squirms under my gaze, I turn to the other woman. “Amelia right?”
She nods, looking a bit intimidated. “You’re here for the assistant job if I understand correctly?” At that point, she gets up and offers her hand to me in greeting. There is a strength in her I’m struggling to place as I shake her offered hand. Her outfit is less fancy than Katalina’s, but she stands up straight and holds her head high; her emerald eyes never leave mine.
“Right, Amelia,” I say, “here’s your first test. This is Katalina. She’s a member of one of the Sorcerer families, and she’s grown up with our ways. She has everything she could have ever dreamed of. Instead of coming to me, her leader, and asking for help or guidance, she got greedy and started selling spells behind my back.”
The blood drains from Katalina’s face as she realizes her gig is up as I continue telling Amelia the situation we’re dealing with. “Katalina stole from the Sorcerer empire. She jeopardized our operations. Not because she needed anything, but just because she wanted to.”
Turning my glare back to Katalina, she tries to recover from being caught and pops her hip out while putting her hand on her hip like she’s trying to defend herself. “Do you have anything to say to yourself?” I challenge.
Katalina splutters like she can’t believe I’ve accused her of something so outrageous, even if she and I both know it's the truth. Our audience watches on as I say, “Your parents know the rules as do you. I’ve notified them about what will happen to you now, and they will not seek retribution. Goodbye.”
Blue magic weaves from my hands, the magic cutting off the air supply to Katalina’s brain, and she struggles to lift her hand to do magic against me. But her movements are sluggish with the lack of air to her brain. She’s too late. Her choking is the only sound that echoes through the room before her body slumps to the floor. Finally, the bitch is dead.
Turning to Amelia, I tell her, “If I accept you as our assistant, the only way you will leave this life is through death. Is that something you want? Are you sure? And what about Luca, aren’t you two…something?”
Her eyes flash, “I quit. I wanted something more. Luca couldn’t give it to me because I’m not on ‘ the approved list of humans’ , so I want to work my way up and prove I can be.” I don’t know if getting caught up in Luca’s love life is something I want to entertain right now, but it's worth a shot, and it's not like I have another option.
Amelia seems to note my indecision, jumping in with that seductive persuasion. “While I have no official assistant experience, I was the top earner at Tao with no previous waitress experience. I’m a fast learner and can handle anything you throw at me. My feelings won’t get in the way. I need this job, and I’m the right person for it.”
Now I see it. What Luca is attracted to. I hide a smirk. “Alright, pop quiz time. We need to make a show of power for this empire. How would you do it? I’m assuming you know enough about us and our history if you’re here.”
Her voice is smug. “Oh, that’s easy. I’ve been around the families enough to know that they love nothing more than showing off their power to each other. A masquerade ball here at your home to showcase your power should do the trick.”
Sizing her up one last time, I have to admit it’s a solid idea, and I tell her she needs to plan it. She can consider herself on a trial run, and the twins will show her where she can find what she needs.
“Oh,” I think to add as I walk away, “Why don’t you notify Katalina’s family to come collect her body? Once you’re done, feel free to join us for lunch.”