Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
Dominick
The days were getting longer, the air warmer, the breezes carrying sticky salt across the Citadel. Dominick took in the setting sun as he sat on the pool house steps and waited for Theo. The air, the humidity, all of it reminded Dom that summer was coming.
He was looking forward to the solstice festivals and the after-parties. The late-night dancing, with early-morning trysts. He and Sera stumbling around the streets of Dobro singing too loudly, too drunk, but together and whole.
Yes, summer was coming, and things would be better.
Dominick nodded to a few of the departing oracles as the pools began to empty for the night.
Just as the clouds above turned a molten orange, he smiled to himself.
He had been looking forward to taking Theo to dinner all day.
While thinking of the warlock, he’d caught himself smiling more times than he’d ever admit to anyone, even though their findings were becoming more and more troubling.
It was annoying—in the best sort of way, he supposed.
Normally, using Theo to pull threads wouldn’t bother him.
Maybe that’s why he dove headfirst into this mission of finding discrepancies between the lives that perished versus those being reported.
It relieved some of the guilt he was feeling.
But no matter how many times he asked Theo to pull Nora’s thread, Theo never seemed to mind, and as long as Theo kept going along with it, Dominick thought it might be good to have a little fun too.
Dominick stood, brushed off his robes, and peered between a group of oracles scraping their feet against the beige stone as they exited. Beyond them was the warlock he was looking for.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Dominick said, taking in Theo’s slightly crooked smile and strong chin. The oracle’s eyes were red rimmed and glassy; he’d done too much today.
“Hey.” Theo approached him and kissed Dom on the cheek.
Dom reared back. Heat climbed his neck to his cheeks as he looked around to see if anyone had seen, before clearing his throat.
Theo turned rigid. “I thought after this week…”
“I just wasn’t expecting it, is all.” He could feel the embarrassment creeping from his cheeks to his ears. He must look like an utter fool. Dom couldn’t help but itch the spot below his ear in the nervous tic that Sera constantly made fun of him for.
Public affection was never his thing. His reputation was built on the cool mask he kept in place, which—at least he thought—made him seem mysterious and appealing. Cheek kissing didn’t really fall into that category.
“Point taken.” Theo’s voice was stone. His bloodshot eyes furrowed before he rubbed them.
Great.
Dominick grabbed Theo’s wrist and pulled him away from the flow of foot traffic. This was not how he wanted the day to end. He couldn’t fuck this up, and the last thing he needed was for Theodore to tell the other lifeline readers that Dom was desperate for someone to pull the lives of his friends.
Plus, besides the time they spent on their little mission, Dominick was actually starting to like the warlock. That in itself should have been a red flag, but alas, here he was, dragging a warlock through the streets, trying to figure out how in Eraphon he was going to fix this.
“Dominick, let me go. I’m tired.”
Dom pulled Theo into the gardens between the Ogdelo and Council chambers. Safe behind a cluster of trees, he finally let Theo go.
“You’re upset.” Dom brushed his hair back and stood with his hands on his hips. Shadow help him.
“What do you need, Dominick?”
“I don’t need anything. I wanted to know how your day went and if you still wanted to grab dinner.
Based on how bloodshot your eyeballs are right now, it doesn’t seem like it went well.
” Why was he so bad at this today? Usually, he just fucked them and moved on.
But keeping someone interested in him until Sera got back was going to take work. Work he wasn’t exactly qualified for.
Theo crossed his arms. His gray robes whipped around him, and the way the sunlight moved over the planes of his face…
“I guess I see clearly now what you really want… for me to pull threads for Nora, and a good lay after? Excuse me for thinking this was a little bit more than that.”
Coven founders…
“Just… stop, okay. Stop. It is. I do.” Dominick groaned in frustration, wiping his hand down his face.
He lowered his voice. “Theo, I do like you. I’ve been looking forward to taking you out all day.
I was just surprised, is all…” Dom ran his hand through his hair again. “I’m not good at this shit, okay?”
Theo raised a brow at him, and Shadow help him, he’d beg Theo if he had to. For Sera, for Nora… for him.
Dom’s groveling was interrupted by the sound of boots on stone.
Chair Renata passed the gardens, leading four human men. Their pockmarked and wrinkled skin, along with their strange clothing, gave them away—tights with heeled shoes, thick velveteen jackets, and fluffy collars tight around the neck. Only one wore white robes, and he carried a tome.
Dominick gasped at what was behind them.
Massive winged beings, men bigger than any Legion warriors he’d seen, with white wings edged with gold held high above their shoulders.
The gilded tips, like their armor, glinted in the sunlight.
Their wings were large enough for flight, which must be a feat, since the bodies attached were thickly wrapped in muscle.
Giant swords fastened to the warriors’ hips, some down the center of their backs, didn’t look light either.
The weapons shimmered with magic—wisps of white and iridescence escaped the scabbards and sheaths.
A dozen of the winged warriors followed the humans and Chair Renata while every coven member in the vicinity gawked.
Not even the birds dared to chirp in the presence of their harsh faces.
Chair Renata led the parade to the front steps of the Council chambers, and after a few moments, they all disappeared inside.
“What are they?” Theo whispered.
“I have no idea.”