Page 28 of A Touch of Brimstone

“Let’s get you home,” he said, extending his hand for me to take.

The shimmering wall appeared to his left, and we slipped through it.

We entered my world in the alleyway behind Books and Brew, where I’d first encountered Zareb. I checked my phone. It was two in the morning and I had to be at work at ten. There were several messages. One from Jackson, which I deleted without reading, and two from Emoni, that I would answer once home. Expecting Dominic to leave once I waved goodbye and started for my apartment, I was surprised when he fell into step next to me. He seemed content with the silence as we walked, but I decided it was an opportunity to find out more about him.

“You can get home from anywhere?” I asked, turning down my street. It was still discomforting to discuss the Underworld so glibly. Calling it his home made it feel somewhat normal.

He nodded but didn’t elaborate. It was like pulling teeth to get any information from this guy.

“So why choose the alleyway next to Books and Brew and not closer to my home?”

“It’s dark, not a high traffic area. Less chance to be seen.”

“If you are seen?”

He shrugged. “Most people will convince themselves they didn’t see what they did. If I think it’s a problem, I’ll manipulate their memories so they forget it.”

Great, more horrific discoveries. There was truth to his comment. I had convinced myself that my eyes were just playing tricks on me, that it was the sun, a burst of sunlight, behind Zareb the hellhound, and not the shimmering diaphanous wall that I’d actually seen.

“I don’t like to do it. The manipulation works on other memories as well. It’s required infrequently. Humans want to believe they are the only ones who exist in this vast world. They’re very imperialistic and self-centered that way. Unaware that they are the inferior of the species.”

I scoffed. “I admire your modesty.”

“Do statements of fact require some modicum of modesty?”

I shrugged. “No, but it seems like the polite thing to do.”

“Politeness is overrated.”

“Yeah, to rude people,” I muttered under my breath.

He responded with a wry frown. “Our anonymity is not just for our benefit but that of humans as well. Knowledge of us would change the dynamics of the world. Something humans aren’t ready for. The ones who believe that supernaturals exist have a rather puerile appreciation for it. Not truly understanding the depth and nuances.”

“It’s violent and dark.”

I could feel his assessing eyes on me. “It can be.”

“It seems like that’s all there is to it,” I challenged, turning to face him once we were in front of my building. “This is my place.”

He looked at the modest building. The entire complex wasn’t as spacious as his home. It wasn’t surprising when he followed me up the three flights of stairs to my door.

Despite me leaving the door open, he stayed at the threshold, awaiting an invitation.

He was rather selective in practicing good manners. Attempts to burn me alive, direct threats, and abduction attempts—no problem. But entering my home without an invitation was where he drew the line of impropriety? Maybe he couldn’t. Like vampires in movies, he couldn’t enter without an invitation. But once he was invited, could the invitation be rescinded?

“No, I don’t require a formal invitation,” he said with a grin.

My mother always commented about my expression speaking volumes. It made communication easy most of the time but rarely gave me the advantage.

“Nor do vampires,” he added. “Something else that The Discovery of Magic got wrong.” It seemed like the only information correct in the book was the existence of the supernatural beings. It was definitely a work of fiction.

“You can come in if you’d like.”

He nodded, entered the apartment and surveyed it.

“It’s you,” he said in a neutral tone. His attention quickly moved to the book. He picked it up, flipped through it, examining each blank page as if it’d reveal something. Even my blood had been absorbed into the book. His long fingers traced the markings on the spine of the book.

“Do you know what it means?” I asked.

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