Page 30 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

The human lacked the artifice of females in Vast or the overt sexuality of those in Angor. Dom enjoyed the gender. Hence, Mora. They scratched an itch, but he didn’t allow their claws to sink into his flesh. He didn’t even spend the night, and neither did they. No kissing. No cuddling. No talking about the future. No getting to know each other. Get serviced. Get the hell away.

Lost in the blazing light of the fire, he thought through everything Madeline had told him. Who wanted a human librarian in this dimension? Who was capable of traveling to Earth and returning to Angor? Who was the female in cahoots with Praevus?

Using telepathy, he reached out to Ely.Got anything on our Mind Rat?

Rumor says he’s been excused from the Ordeals.

Dom propped his feet on a pillow, still eying Madeline.Do ya know why that would be?

Not at all.

After a mental hang-up, he contacted Remi.Any news on Praevus?

Just a source saying he was exempt from Ordeals.

Heard that from Ely. The OC is not taking my calls. I’m gonna visit in the flesh.

After touching all the bases, he rose from the floor and scooped Madeline off the pillows, cradling her in his arms.

She mumbled something incoherent as her head rolled onto his chest, where her small hand stroked him.

He strode into his bedroom, pulling back the covers on his bed. He could have taken her to the guest room but didn’t. Instead, he gentled her onto his silky sheets and spread a light blanket over her legs.

Despite his caution, she awoke. She jerked upright, her eyes wide with fear. “Dom, what are you doing?”

“Nothing. I have a task, but I won’t be long. You can walk around the house, though I advise sleep. If you do wake up, stay inside. You’re safe here because my home is warded against intruders. No one will get in. Do I have your word?”

“You’re certain nobody can enter?”

He nodded.

“Not even Mora?”

“Correct. Will you stay inside?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Now, sleep. If you wake, the house or anything in it is yours.”

She grinned. “Including you?”

His heart beat faster. “Why would you want a hardened asshole like me?”

Madeline blushed. “Ignore me. I must be exhausted. When I’m sleepy, my mouth crosses the finish line before my good sense. My sisters always said I was smart but needed to slow my words until my brain caught up.”

Dom ignored her explanation. “I won’t be long.”

She yawned. “I’ll probably still be snoozing by the time you return.”

He almost threaded his fingers through her silky hair.

What the fuck am I doing?

Instead of leaving the room, he leaned against the bedroom door jamb to stare at Madeline. She had rolled over and curled into a ball, nodding off to sleep once more. Emotions bubbled up inside him. He didn’t like them. He’d suppressed feelings for so long. Detachment was his comfort zone.

While he watched, his dispassionate self retreated. That’s how he thought of it. His alter ego. The him-but-not-him.

He’d allowed this indifferent alter ego to run his life after Gareth. It refused to make new friends, even keeping his brother Feard at arms’ length. He figured the farther away they were, the less likely he would suffer if they turned Scourge and he had to extinct them. The him-but-not-him was the better killer. It wasn’t the prankster. It didn’t laugh much, and it followed orders without question.

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