Page 58 of Magic of the Damned

“What drew you to a man whom you clearly don’t seem to like? The ending of your relationship is new, your dislike of him, but there are hints of residual feelings. He’s pursuing you, but you lack interest and don’t show any signs of rekindling the relationship. That speaks to a betrayal, and he’s seeking forgiveness.”

“He’s not seeking forgiveness. It’s acquiescence that he wants.”

His eyes narrowed on me. “You’re too nice to be aggressively rude enough to force him away,” he surmised.

“I’m plenty rude, he just has a high tolerance for it.”

Dominic continued to scrutinize me. He ruminated over my response to the point I felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

“Did Rei try to persuade you to go with her?”

Keeping the conversation between us seemed moot now that she was dead. I eyed Dominic’s bloodstained shirt again.

“Yes. The irony of her wanting to protect me from you—a lowly human she wanted to subjugate once the supernaturals were revealed.”

“You seem to want humans to know of our existence.”

He waited patiently as I considered his statement, still acutely aware of his light touch on my hand. His magic seemed subdued enough to ignore.

“No, I don’t,” I finally said. “I just don’t want us to be victims of your whims. Your anonymity makes us easy targets.”

“Do you think knowing would give you an advantage?”

It was a rhetorical question, but I still felt the need to answer it.

“Not an advantage, but it would arm us adequately.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, if you wake up a little foggy headed, it might be a vampire, so you won’t think it’s you. Laws can be put in place to better regulate the supernaturals’ use of magic.”

“You think human laws will be obeyed by people far more powerful than them? A vampire could compel your politicians. Spells could manipulate outcomes. Shifter and vampire strength could dominate any human. But humans will attempt to regulate how we deal with things, muddling our system.”

Frustrated by his interrogation pointing out the holes in my solution, I moved back from him, shoving my hand through my hair.

“Your system doesn’t work either,” I snapped. “Kane tried to compel me to injure myself and he’s part of the Conventicle. He blatantly ignored?—”

“Kane was handled,” he reminded me.

“I know, but he still went against the wishes of the Conventicle. And what about the people who killed Rei and company?”

As he pointed out the holes in my suggestion, he needed to see the flaws in theirs, as well.

“That, I’m not sure. They wanted you dead.”

“You, too.”

“Many people want me dead. I’m not sure if my death was a bonus or an objective. You were definitely a target. I have no idea what their part is in this. It needs to be investigated.”

Did he just flex about people wanting him dead? Hey, Prince, that’s not a good thing!

“Why didn’t you go with Rei?” Satisfaction lifted one side of his lips. “Despite your apprehension, you’ve chosen a side.”

I shook my head. “No,” I admitted. “I’m an unwilling participant. Our goals align. You want the prisoners back and to find the Dark Caster. I want the markings removed and out of this world. That’s the crux of the matter.”

“Ah, so you haven’t determined I’m the good guy.”

My mouth dropped open and I snapped it shut. Perhaps it was the fatigue and the assassination attempt, or the fact that I was firmly in “I don’t give a fuck territory,” but I said, “I definitely don’t think you’re the good guys. I’m not sure you’re even the somewhat okay guys. It’s debatable whether you’re even the barely humane guys. You take lives effortlessly.”

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