Page 68 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

“Shouldn’t have to. I’m special. The prototype. The first of my kind.”

“I guess you’ll have to rely on me. Besides, as I recall, I feed you all the time.” Dom leaned against the kitchen counter, one ankle crossed over the other.

“I like Madeline better than I do you. She’s softer. She smiles more. You’re mostly grumpy.” Freki snarled, flopping to his stomach and stretching onto his forepaws.

Dom glared. “Yeah? Well, adjust. Life isn’t always about what you want.”

Madeline strolled back in, dressed in a cropped tee and jeans which made her ass look spectacular. She wore sexy ankle boots. “What are you talking about?”

“You,” said the wolver. “I don’t want you to go, and Mr. Personality doesn’t give a shit.”

When she looked dejected, Dom blurted out, “Not true.”

The beast stalked to Maddy, rubbing against her legs. Her hand caressed his head before he trotted off, tail in the air, grumbling about how if she loved him she wouldn’t leave.

Madeline brushed away a tear while watching a proud but downhearted wolver leave the room.

“Weepy for the damn mutt?”

“You and Freki. I’m a sap.” She ran into his arms, nuzzling his chest.

Though they stood clutching each other for a long time, he refused to admit aloud that he’d miss Maddy. The words were too painful. He desired the impossible, and the impossible was best left unsaid.

Maddy seemed to sense that as if she knew him too well.

After they strolled wordlessly hand in hand into the salon, her chest expanded with a deep breath, followed by a sigh. “I’d like to fly over the snowy mountaintops. A little detour on the way home?”

“Sure.” He swallowed hard. Their time together would end as it had begun. Maddy would be in his arms flying over Angor. He had let her get close when he’d sworn never to repeat the past.

With a wave of his hand, he clothed her in a down jacket, gloves, and a warm hat. Placing an arm under her knees and the other around her back, he clasped Madeline to him as before.

She smiled and echoed her first demand. “Don’t drop me.”

In spite of himself, he grinned. “I’m very strong. I don’t drop hitchhikers.”

Dom’s onyx-tipped wings whipped out before pounding down to lift them off the floor and soar out of his home. He skimmed the tops of the snow-capped mountains. The weather honored her farewell trip with clear skies.

She swiped moisture from her cheek. “It’s amazing. I’ll never forget.”

Dom’s heart broke with each tear. Not wanting her to remember sadness, he swooped low, skimming the ocean. When he flew close enough that spray from the wind-tossed waves peppered them, Madeline squealed, laughter erupting from her lips. A roller coaster, he shot straight into the sky, dipped, and looped to the sounds of her delight.

With Maddy happy again and a storm on the horizon, he ended the tour. Dom swung toward the rocky-peaked Razor Mountains. North of that range, they’d take the pathway to Vast. From there, he’d travel to Earth.

As they neared the gateway, six Scourges flew at them from behind a low, dark cloud. They encircled Dom and Madeline.

Without thinking, Dom clutched Madeline tighter, pointed his head down, and arrowed toward a canyon below.

When he touched ground, he shoved her behind him, a mountain at their backs. The Scourges landed, spreading out in a line.

Flesh Eaters. All of them.

To secure Maddy, Dom fanned out his massive black wings. He unsheathed feathers tipped with onyx, sharp-honed blades. Then before the attackers were fully in place, he released two, beheading an equal number of Scourges.

Four assholes left.

He’d make this fast. Recognizing the leader, he asked, “What the fuck are you doing, Farce? You don’t stand a chance.”

The Scourge’s skin peeled from his exposed arms, revealing spots of blackened flesh, just like his buddies. This is what he’d saved Gareth from experiencing.

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