Page 128 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

Chapter Thirty-Four

Back in their cellat Sanctuary Keep, Madeline and Dom brushed their teeth side by side, not talking. After spitting toothpaste into the sink, she walked out, slamming the door behind her, hoping it showed just how really pissed she was.

Maddy crawled into bed, curling onto her side to face the wall.

The mattress dipped as Dom got in beside her. “You’re still angry.”

Maddy tossed toward him, locking the sheet under her arms. “I’ll probably stay that way.”

“For an eternity?” he teased.

“No one really knows if we’ll have that long, but if we do, yes.”

“I had to try the petition, Maddy.”

“No. You didn’t. You promised never to abandon me. You broke your promise. I told you I wouldn’t give you a second chance.”

“What I did wasn’t the same.”

“Yes. It was. I can’t live without you.”

He grinned. “But you can spend eternity not talking to me.”

She drew her brows tight. “Yes. No. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I could accept any punishment as long as I knew you were safe. Remember, you tried to take the blame, but I’m still talking to you.”

She snarled. “My attempt was half-assed. I didn’t know I could submit a formal petition.”

“I had to do something to save you, Maddy.”

“And what if the OC had accepted your petition? Did you think about what that would do to me?”

“You’d be safe. You’re my mate. My heart beats for you. What happens to you, happens ten times worse to me. I could handle my stasis. Not yours. You have to be free to live for both of us.”

Dom seized her lips for a kiss, stifling any objection. He released her. “Please don’t be angry with me.”

“I can’t stay that way. I love you, Dom. But being apart would tear me up worse than any stasis.”

“You’re unique. We don’t know how you’d handle sleep. And I can’t even consider your extinction.”

She curved her fingers around the nape of his neck, tangling them in his long, dark hair. With her lips pressed to his, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. He sucked on it, making her dizzy from the passion.

When he released her, Maddy stroked a palm across his solid, bristly jaw. “Whatever happens, happens to both of us. If not, you’ve failed me. You’ve abandoned me like my birth parents. Like my father. Like my mother who lost herself in a bottle.”

“Madeline, if you could live one more day, I would gladly offer my life. You’ve given me more in weeks than I had for centuries. Millennia.”

“And I can say the same. Except the centuries and millennia part. But you must swear that our fate will be together. No matter what it is. Good or bad. If not, Dom, we mean nothing.”

“We mean everything.” He sighed, his breath catching before he said, “Together, then. In life. In death. In sleep.”

“Thank you.” She snuggled closer, nibbling his chin, jaw, and lips before she returned to his mouth. Her heart thundered against her chest. Her body warmed in his embrace. But before giving in completely, Maddy pushed Dom away. She curled to the side, rising on an elbow. “About Gareth.”

Dom was still panting from the kiss. “I’m not sure I want to talk about Gar right now.”

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