Page 22 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

Chapter Seven

Madeline clung to Dom, her blanket on a frosty night. She wasn’t on Earth, a madman had abused her, and now she was in the arms of a self-proclaimed warrior good-guy.

Through a cloud break, she wide-eyed a structure below. Part of its foundation was embedded in a craggy mountainside. The rest of it dangled over the sea below. Its shape was rectangular with glass exterior walls held up by steel supports. Two side wood decks spilled onto green lawns with a third hanging out over the water. There was no roof. Nearer, she realized her mistake. There were no glass exterior walls either. The building was open to the air. Yet she could see interior walls that divided the home into rooms.

She squeezed her eyes tight, biting back a screech when they magically dropped through what should have been a roof and onto a stone-tile floor.

The room where they landed could have been a cold shrine, but scattered, colorful pillows and other decor saved it. In the middle was a fireplace, a marble giant rising from the floor to what should have been a ceiling. Rugs hung like artwork, decorating interior walls. Sculptures and pottery perched on stands and shelves. If this was Dominion’s place, it was incredible—magnificent. The feel was airy, modern, and elegant—a homey museum.

Her gaze continued its journey, interrupted when a figure landed near them in a rush of leathery bat wings.

Dom’s eyes flicked from Maddy to the new arrival and back again.

The woman cocked a fist on a hip and jutted out a fishnet-stockinged leg that ended in a short stiletto boot. A red bustier struggled to hold up her big boobs. She arched a brow as if Madeline were a surprise.

For some reason, Maddy felt a bit snippy. “Cleaning lady?”

“In a way,” said Dom.

Maddy studied the arrival, feeling a bit judgmental. In a comparison taste test, the woman won hands down. She had long, dark tresses, racetrack curves, and pouty lips.Yep. All in all, afemme fatale,most likely here to bag Dom for the evening. Instant dislike bloomed in every fiber of Maddy’s being.

Unsettling.

Strutting across the tiled floor, the woman loose-hipped her way toward Dom and Maddy. “You got us a threesome. How marvelous, love.”

“Not a good time, Mora.” Dom snarled as thefemmes’long, deep-red fingernails slithered down his arm. A possessive move.

Once he shook off his visitor’s touch, he set Madeline on the stone tiles. She winced from the painful cuts on the soles of her feet. Lifting one foot, she saw a bloody print on the floor.

So did the visitor. She licked her lips and smiled, flashing very sharp, bright white canines. “Yum,” she said, zeroing in on the blood. “Fresh.”

Maddy’s mouth slackened. Without thinking, she backed into Dom for protection from ... what? ... a vampire.

“Knock it off, Mora,” said Dom with a bit of force behind his warning.

The woman’s eyes swallowed Madeline, dirty toes to head. She blurted, “She’s breakable. A human. Couldn’t you find us a sturdier partner?”

Dom sighed. Holding up a palm, he gestured for his visitor in the red bustier to stay put. He scooped Madeline into his arms again, beelining through a door and into a bedroom. He continued to a connecting bathroom, where he set her on the counter, her legs dangling off the edge.

Still peeved, Maddy asked, “What about your guest?”

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