Page 27 of A Touch of Brimstone

“Luna is fine. We don’t need commentary on my height.”

The woman holding the crossbow moved slightly to let Dominic pass. My sight fixed on the man in front of me, who seemed far more dangerous than the weapon-wielding people surrounding me.

His eyes traced my face with interest. “What do you know of vampires?” he asked softly.

“Probably not enough. Only the stuff in fantasy books and The Discovery of Magic. You already told me most of that is wrong.”

“Who they were as humans is intensified by vampirism. Roman, whom you released, has killed thousands of people. Destroyed small cities. And created three other vampires who share his lust for violence and death. I put his sired down in their infancy and only caught him ten years ago. The witches and I have spent his existence cleaning up his messes and making sure that knowledge of the supernaturals remains hidden.” He paused. “Tell me what you know of witches.”

His jawline hardened as I remained silent. I knew very little of this world and The Discovery of Magic had given me a diluted version and a great deal of misinformation. I would not be an active participant in the castigation of my lack of knowledge.

“Luna,” he urged me in a low voice, but I remained silent. “Some witches are stronger than others. Then there are those that are significantly worse.”

Really, if you think I’m shocked by this information, you haven’t been watching.

“The worst of their kind are Mors—witches with the ability to kill with a single touch.” His finger slid languidly over my collarbone to drive home the point. “One spell, one touch, and you’re dead. I’ve found and stopped all of them, except one. Celeste. By the time I got to her, she’d performed a spell that linked her to her bloodline. If she dies, so does everyone in her bloodline.”

“So?” I said, making my voice hard and callous. “Witches aren’t immortal. She’s going to die anyway.”

Amusement played over his sharply carved features. He wasn’t falling for my act of indifference. “It gives them time to undo the spell. Madeline is quite resourceful. I do believe she’ll find a way.” Something lingered after the last sentence. He may have had an appreciation for that quality in Madeline, but there was uneasiness entwined as well.

Dominic’s impassivity made it difficult to read his mood or decipher his thoughts. Unlike his sister Helena, who’d appeared from one of the rooms. Her dark, ethereal presence was alight with the anticipation of violence.

Anand was just as hard to read as Dominic. The guards hadn’t lowered their weapons. With a deadly sword strike, this could be over for Dominic. I was very aware of that as he pondered the situation far too long for my liking.

Everyone appeared disquieted by the tension-laden silence, standing in anticipation. I struggled to keep my patience.

“I want this to be over as much as you do, and I’m committed to doing whatever I can. But when it’s over, I still have a life. I still need my job. And my friends and family will want answers about my sudden disappearance if I don’t make a showing. This is not my world. I was dragged into this fight. It seems the most pressing concern you have is the anonymity of the supernaturals. Others know about the book and what happened to me. I go missing, there’ll be questions.”

I took liberties with “others.” One person, maybe more if Reginald consulted his coven, but I needed to press upon Dominic how me going missing would hurt the anonymity they desired.

His expression hadn’t changed and I was forced to rely on Helena, who looked pleased. That wasn’t good.

“We want the same thing,” I rushed out after seeing Helena’s expression. “What are you concerned about?”

“You are the sole link to me finding the Tenebras Obducit, and finding them is important to me.”

“Fine, you want to make sure nothing happens to me”—I waved my hand in Helena’s direction—“let her come with me to work, make sure I’m safe. She can serve as my bodyguard.”

The suggestion brought on a smirk. Helena appeared aghast with disgust.

Killing and dismembering a guest in your home is perfectly fine, but playing guard for a day is where she feels scandalized?

“I work tomorrow from ten to three and I’m off the following day. If we find nothing tomorrow, then I’ll stay the next day,” I offered, hoping this would make him more amenable. I wanted him to know this was a priority for me.

He regarded me in silence as time ticked by, and my hope that things would be handled amicably dwindled.

“You’ll return after work tomorrow and stay the next day if needed,” he confirmed. There was weight in his words, as if what I said was binding. Perhaps it was. My word. Possibly to test if I would honor my word.

I nodded in agreement.

“At ease,” Dominic finally told the guards. Once they had relaxed their weapons, he dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“Try not to die,” he said.

Who’s not choosing that option?

“Of course.”

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