Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Dominick
The Ogdelo—or pool house, as most oracles called it—had once seemed to Dominick a wonder to behold.
The building was one of the reasons he had wanted to be an oracle.
The murals painted on the ceiling in the great hall depicted the sky—the sun, moons, stars—in such detail that he thought he would be able to caress the fabric of the universe if he could only reach the paint.
A shallow viewing pool greeted each oracle as they entered, with fountains of colorful threads spilling over each other in a synchronized dance.
Beyond it, rows of exquisitely carved pillars, each marble column emulating the same starry theme from the ceiling, led to the grand pool, where dozens of platforms abutted the water.
It was beautiful. But the longer Dominick worked there, the easier it was to see the cracks.
He marched through the corridors of the Ogdelo, pushing past some oracles lingering outside the main chamber, and headed toward the grand pool.
Helping Sera was his top priority, and right now, she needed to know if Nora was alive. Dominick wasn’t advanced enough to read lifelines himself. No, he was currently stuck reading upcoming crop yields and weather. Basically useless. So to help his best friend, he’d have to do what he did best.
Flirt.
There had to be someone he could convince or manipulate. It didn’t matter which, as long as he got what he needed, and he needed information. Sera had to know. Shadow, he had to know if Nora was all right, and knocking on Lavinia Wildrick’s door was a worst-case-scenario situation.
“Dominick?”
A face he recognized. One that he saw lingering around his usual haunts. Tanned skin, icy sea green eyes, and light blond hair. “Theo! It’s so funny seeing you here. I was waiting for one of my friends. I didn’t know you were promoted to lifelines. Congratulations.”
Theo’s tanned nose pinkened. “It was just a few weeks ago,” he said, his smile stretching wider.
“We must grab drinks tonight. You have to tell me how you excelled so quickly.” Dominick placed his most charming smile on his face and dropped his eyes to Theo’s lips. A strawberry hue climbed Theo’s throat.
Perfect.
“Okay,” Theo said, almost too eagerly.
This was going to be far easier than he’d planned.
“Perfect. I’ll meet you at Radost at seven. Promise not to leave me hanging?”
“I promise,” Theodore said.
Dominick winked at him and strolled to his pool chamber to learn whether the brown beans would be bountiful this year.
The brick wall in the alleyway behind Radost was wet. Moisture seeped into his palms, which he’d placed on either side of Theodore’s head. Dom kissed him, deep and full of tongue.
Theo wasn’t bad looking. Quiet—timid, even—but not ugly. Timidity usually turned Dom off, but Theo wasn’t a half-bad kisser.
The conversation over dinner had been dull.
Dominick made sure to look interested and hung on to each of Theo’s words between the clinks of crystal goblets and scrape of silverware on delicate dishes.
It was an exhausting task in light of the situation, but he’d accomplished what he needed to and had Theo in his trap.
Dominick wrapped his hand around the back of Theo’s neck, pulling him closer, and pushed his body into the front of Theo’s robes. He didn’t doubt the warlock would be putty in his hands. Shadow, he might even enjoy it if Theo fucked as well as he kissed.
But that wasn’t the primary mission. He wouldn’t let it get that far tonight. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I can’t do this right now.”
“What do you mean?” Theo tugged him back toward his lips.
“I have a lot going on. It’s not fair to you.”
“Last time I checked, I was consenting.” Theo’s hand squeezed Dom’s hip, and heat washed through him.
Dominick raised a brow at the warlock, taking note of the heavy lids over his sea-colored irises. His ruffled blond hair made an attractive contrast to the tan of his skin, and now Theodore was showing some spunk.
“I’ve just…” Dominick looked down the alleyway to the street. “I’ve lost a lot of people recently, and I’m scared.” He hadn’t meant for his tears to blur everything. He hadn’t meant to open that part of him up. He cleared his throat, trying his best to keep the emotion from bubbling to the surface.
Everything was happening so fast. Nora gone, Sera gone. Colton, who knew what… Dom hadn’t received a message back from his brother in days. And he was alone. Despite the trysts and late-night drinks with acquaintances, this was the first time in years he’d felt truly alone.
“What happened?” Theo asked.
“You remember my best friend, Seraphina? Her sister was the one taken by that demon last week. Sera and I are worried sick, and we can’t get the Council or her mother to tell us if she’s even alive.
” His airway constricted slightly. Saying it out loud sparked more of a reaction than he’d expected.
“I should go. I’m sorry I started this.” Dominick palmed Theo’s cheek. “It was nice to catch up.”
He turned to enter the side door of Radost.
“Wait.”
Dominick smiled to himself before turning to face the lifeline oracle.
“I can search for her,” Theo offered.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“I’m offering, you’re not asking,” Theo answered.
“It’s against protocol. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Dominick took a step toward him. He didn’t really care if the warlock got caught, though future pulls, if needed, would be easier if he wasn’t.
“I won’t get caught. I’ll look for her tomorrow.”
“Shadow, you’re amazing,” he muttered as he took Theo’s chin, pushed him back up against the wall, and devoured him once again.