She arched her back to stare into his good eye. “That was too fast. Take a minute to think about it because I won’t give you a second chance.”

“I don’t need more time. And you’ve already forgiven me.” He leaned close, nibbling her neck, kissing her jaw, capturing her lips.

“Uh huh,” she mumbled as he worked hard to convince her he’d been an idiot.










Chapter Twenty-Six

The next morning, Maddysat at the kitchen counter, head in hands, when Dom walked in with his hair still damp from a shower. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Madeline was settling into her Scourge form. Unhappily. Her fully formed, fast-growing, uncontrollable wings were her nemesis.

Tilting her head up, she glared at Dom, as if her problem was his fault. “Nothing.”

“Really. I admit I’m not sensitive to moods, but a mopey expression means something’s wrong.”

“I tried to fix breakfast, but these damn wings have other ideas. They’re heavy. They drag and twitch, knocking shit onto the floor. I fell earlier because they’re unbalanced. Of course, I’ve got fangs, too, and they keep cutting my lip.”

Dom slipped on cracked eggs beneath his boots. Catching himself, he avoided flying ass-first to the tile.

“Watch out for the floor,” said Madeline, following his ungraceful movement. “I may have dropped a few things when I tried to fix breakfast.” She returned to moping, head-in-palms.

After a quick cleanup, Dom retrieved a carton of unbroken eggs from the fridge. He set the coffee pot to brew and snagged a skillet from a lower cabinet, plopping it on the range. Chopping, dicing, and mixing, he made omelets. Coffee brewed, he planted a mug in front of Madeline, returning to his task.

She curled a finger into the cup handle, lifting the drink to her lips. “Ahh. I still like caffeine. I don’t even want creamer and blood added.”

Toast ready, counter set, Dom served up two omelets. Before sitting, he pressed his warm lips to Maddy’s mouth. “Good morning.”

“I guess I forgot to say that, too.”

They ate in silence since Madeline was not in the mood to chat.

While she downed the last of her coffee, Dom cleaned the kitchen. When done, he said, “Follow me. Flight training.”

She jerked toward him. “I’m not ready.”

“You are.” He beckoned her to the hallway with a crooked finger.