Chapter 4
Chapter four
Dominick
He needed a drink. Stronger than the brew at Mystic’s, something that would burn, make his mind pleasantly numb, and put him into all sorts of trouble. Dominick needed it because Sera was lying.
Rain pelted the green covering that surrounded him.
His and the one he kept in place above Sera.
He could sense where she was, turning onto her street now, all the way in dirty Jedan.
Dominick understood why she chose to reside there and commended the help she was giving.
But when would she start living for herself?
A strain on his magic had his skin heating, and Dom let the covering above his head fall away, focusing squarely on hers, making sure it stayed put until she reached her door.
That single room with a tiny fireplace and bed, the bathing chamber shared with the rest of the tenants, in one of the only boardinghouses in the quarter.
Shadow, she could be living so much better.
Fat droplets of water ran down his cheeks.
He didn’t mind the rain, not today at least. The news he’d received from his brother had been concerning, and this incessant drizzle matched his mindset.
Add in the fact that it was now dark, and the clouds had fully shrouded the moons Nitheon and Nubenia in the sky…
Well, at least he knew fate had a sense of humor.
The letter he had received seemed rushed, and although Colton wasn’t the most elegant with his writing, his penmanship had a tilt to it. They were moving outside of Valburn, and the question was… why?
The Solarni coven had been at war with Gehenna for two thousand years, and in a ceasefire for only twenty.
Dominick had been five when everything went from worried brows to genuine smiles.
Colton had seen more, though. Four years older, he understood more, too, and Dom still remembered that determined look on Colton’s face when he decided he’d present his magic in a way that would guarantee placement in the Legion.
He and Alistair had practiced for what seemed like years.
It was no surprise they both quickly moved up through the ranks.
There was nothing he could do for Colton, regardless of his opinions on the Council and how their coven was run.
Dominick was an oracle. Not a general, not a Council member.
His voice wasn’t enough to enact any type of change.
Moons, he’d been trying to get switched out of his pool for months now and still couldn’t convince the master to let him.
No, there was nothing he could do for his brother; Sera, however, he could do something about.
Shadow, the bags under her eyes. Her twitches.
The way she’d stare off into space. Her usually vibrant brown skin would pale during those episodes.
She was fucking lying about something, and he didn’t know what to do about it, because the more he pressed… the more she pulled away.
They hadn’t hung out nearly as much in the past three months, and that wasn’t like them. He and Sera had been inseparable from the time they were young. Sitting together in their classes while they were novices, running the streets of Daedeth, constantly getting into mischief.
Dominick sighed and shook out his shoulders. He pushed his hair back in one sweep and approached the only acceptable tavern in this part of the Citadel.
Mage lights hovered below the ceiling and lined the walls, casting a warm glow throughout the space. The brew at Mystic’s hadn’t been nearly enough, and as he scanned the room, his eyes roaming over the iron chairs and posh tables decorated with golden candelabras, he found what he was looking for.
Or whom.
A glass full of brown liquor was already sitting on the bar beside the handsome warlock. Sam had ordered for Dom, it seemed. Impatient to get on with it, was he?
Dominick threw on his most flirtatious grin and strode forward.
“Shadow, you’re soaked. What, were you hanging out with that keeper again?” Sam handed him his drink.
Dominick slammed back the whiskey and motioned for another to take its place.
He supposed he could explain himself, but what would be the point?
Truly, few people in the coven understood his relationship with Sera.
He didn’t care that she was below him in the eyes of the coven.
Sera was his. Not in any physical sense, but their lonely souls had found each other, and that was enough for him.
Dom had a feeling he would be holding on to Sam for only a few more nights anyway.
The warlock was getting clingy and, to be honest, too comfortable.
He’d left one of his red guardian robes just lying across his bed last week.
No. It wasn’t going to work, but it’d be enough for tonight. Sam would help keep his worries buried.
Dom lowered his voice. “You know, the last time we were together, you used some very colorful language when I stepped out of the tub. I just figured you had a thing for me being wet.” He took a large gulp of the second drink, happy for the burn all the way down to his gullet.
Sam leaned an elbow on the bar, his brown eyes heavy lidded and his smile easy. “You want to get out of here?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”