Page 196 of Magic of the Damned

We left without looking back. I wouldn’t look back. It felt like I was leaving it all behind. The human wall Anand and the guards had formed. The violence. The death. The drama and politics. The agreements. And perhaps Dominic.

Did I want to leave him, too? For the first time, I wasn’t completely sure.

CHAPTER 21

Forest shoved his hand through his hair, apologies and strings of curse words pouring from him like flowing water.

“They would kill to remain concealed?”

Relaxed back on the sofa, I massaged my temples, warding off the headache in order to summon the discipline to keep the sarcasm and desire to scold him at bay.

“I thought I’d made that quite clear. But obviously you didn’t believe me.”

He stopped his trek through my apartment. “That vampire was going to bite the witch,” he eked out in a strained voice.

“No, she was probably going to do more than that,” I corrected.

“I’m sorry.” That was his seventh or eighth apology. “I knew it was serious but not that serious.”

Why did he have degrees of seriousness? A group of powerful magic wielders wanted to remain concealed, and another group wanted to be revealed so they could subjugate humans.

As if he’d read my thoughts, he said, “I didn’t have all the information.” He shot me a wayward grin that comforted me more than it should have. “So technically, it’s kind of your fault.”

“I will punch you.”

“Eh, the violence is rubbing off on you, too,” he teased.

Despite his light-hearted banter he was still worried and frightened. But I didn’t press it. We fell into an easy conversation about everything other than what had happened just hours before. But eventually, we had to leave the oblivion and denial.

“We’re safe, aren’t we?”

“Yeah.” It was the most confident I’d ever felt because Dominic had honored his agreement.

Forest seemed reluctant to leave my side. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was afraid or afraid for me. But he did answer the knock at the door.

“Dominic,” he said, extending his hand and giving Dominic’s a brusque shake.

“Forest, we finally meet.” He looked down at his hand that Forest hadn’t released. Holding it, Forest studied Dominic and the peculiar bank of flame that stayed in his eyes, although light enough at times to go unnoticed. They had Forest’s attention.

I waited, wondering if he’d try to pull some protective brother BS. Instead, he said, “Thank you for saving our lives.”

“Always.” His assurance relaxed Forest even more. Dominic pulled him closer, his tone serious. “You must honor the request to never reveal anything to anyone. Can you do that?”

That didn’t have to be said. Forest had been terrified into silence. I would have preferred it to have happened another way. But that’s how it was. Forest turned to look between me and Dominic. The concern he had earlier when discussing Dominic wasn’t there, or he’d discovered how to mask it.

Once Forest had gone, Dominic stood at the door. His sharp eyes held mine. An inquiring look asking a question that he seemed reluctant to express.

“It shouldn’t have gotten to that point. I’m sorry.”

“You came.”

“I always will.” His eyes cast down with his sigh. “I hope I’ve made it possible for you to feel safe. To get back to your world the way you want it.” He lifted his eyes and they met mine. His held a decisive look of contrition that made me unsettled. “When it comes to you, it’s hard to be pragmatic. But not being so may do more harm than good. I don’t see how they won’t collide occasionally with me in it.”

My heart pounded and the room felt too small. Before he could get the words out, I was standing in front of him. I kissed him. Sinking my fingers in his hair, I deepened it, removing any doubts that either of us had. I loved him. I wanted to be with him.

In our first encounter, he’d cared so little for the safety of humans, but now he’d made them a priority. He’d made compromises on my behalf. He loved me and showed it in so many ways. It was hard to despise having been pulled into his world when it had given me the opportunity to meet him.

His lips remained against mine when our kiss ended. “Are we okay?” he asked.

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