Page 101 of A Bond with the Dark

“I did a locator spell on him,” I hedge. “He’s a bad man, Dom. He’s wanted for extremely violent crimes. I know where he is, and I want you to kill him.”

The muscles in his arm tense, and I feel him go ridged in my touch.

“So, you’re like my pimp now? Except instead of finding people for me to fuck, you find people for me to kill?” I can hear that mocking smile.

I punch him. “Dom, I’m dead ass. You have a duty to kill this man.”

“A duty? Wow, Sayah, you’re really getting into this.”

“Dom. I’ve thought about this. You need human blood to sustain. And there are bad people in this world. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. No pun intended.”

“It was a good pun, though,” he says, pulling me closer. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“Nope,” I answer, my tone edged with sass.

“I love you so much. I am so lucky to have such a beautiful and caring witch as a girlfriend who helps me be the best vampire I can be.”

I laugh. “I love you too. But I’m serious. I will help you in any way I can. You live, they die. Sounds like a good plan to me.”

“Me too, babe. Me too. I’m gonna get some sleep now. I’m tired.”

“You should switch to the day shift now. Now that you can go in the sun.”

“I’m already two steps ahead of you.”

I look up at his face, only a suggestion of shadows and planes because of the dusky dawn glow in the room, but his eyes are almost dark black. I can always tell how hungry he is by the color of his eyes, and the last time I’d seen him, they were a mud brown. “Really?”

“Yes. I start next week.”

“Oh, that makes my heart so happy. So. When can we go over our plan?”

His weight shifts; his muscles tense. “Our plan?”

“Yeah. To get this guy I found?”

“You’re not having anything to do with it,” he retorts, his tone imperious. “You’re ruled by three-fold. I can’t have that coming back on you.”

“Dom, it won’t. And you need me. I have to help you find him.”

“You said you found him already. Say, you’re not coming.”

“I am. I don’t have to go inside. But I want to come with you when you do it.”

This time his weight shifts, and he sits up a bit. “Why? Why do you have to come with me when I go to kill someone? Sayah, I don’t want you to ever see that side of me.”

“I get that. I do. But I don’t want anything to happen to you. I want to put a protection spell on you.”

“Then do, but you’re not coming. That’s final.”

“Oh.” This time, I shift my weight and turn my back to him. “Final, huh?”

“Sayah, don’t do that. I don’t want you to see that side of me.” There’s a compunction in his voice and that weighted sadness that had left him when he found the sun comes back again.

I know that’s a side of him he isn’t proud of and doesn’t want to show me. But someday, he will have to.

“Dom,” I say softly, turning back around. “I know it’s a side of you that you don’t want me to see. But you are my love, and I love every part of you. Including the killer part. I’ll see that side of you one day.”

“No, you won’t,” he says quickly, defensively.

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