Page 79 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

“Do you have a headache?” asked Madeline.

He seemed surprised by the question but continued to massage his head. “A bit of one.”

Before the OC waved them on their way, he muttered, “I suggested having a chat with Luce, too.”

Again with the rec to visit Lucian. Dom’s wings flicked out. “How does he fit the bill?”

“Just do it. Now fuck off.” Once more, he rubbed his temples, his chin resting on his chest, his lids sagging.

After leaving the meeting room, the group assembled in the courtyard. Deciding only Dom and Madeline would meet with Gabriel, they flew their separate ways.

With Madeline hoisted in his arms, Dom spread his wings and soared away from Outcast Tower. On his way home, he summoned Gabriel to his place since Maddy couldn’t get travel to Vast.

When the Immortal balked, Dom pathed,Get your ass here now.

Waiting for Gabriel at the kitchen counter, Madeline dropped her chin in her palms, her eyes closed.

Dom pulled up a stool across from her. Though he wasn’t eager to get into the whole feelings thing since thoughts about Maddy being a Scourge grated on him, he listened to her worries.

Her lids slid up, and she fixed on him. “I’m trying to organize my thoughts. Unfortunately, there are so many that they’re crashing into each other. No sooner do I analyze one problem than another shoves it out. I’m a mess. Who’s Gabriel?”

Dom rose from his stool and paced. Walking in one direction, he said, “The Immortal, Gahya, created Aeternals, like Indigo.” Heading back the other way, he explained, “Gabriel created humans after winning a bet in the OC’s gaming room. Both species share your Earth. Not OneWorld.”

Lifting her chin and letting her arms rest on the counter, Maddy mumbled, “I think I read about that when all hell broke loose on Earth.” Her shoulders bobbled when she inhaled and exhaled. “Against my nature, I’m going to let these muddled thoughts float around in my head and shift into their own patterns rather than try to organize them. I suppose chaos is its own design, though that idea isn’t very uplifting.”

Dom resisted brushing his lips across Madeline’s to reassure her things would be okay. “I know this is hard for you. It would kill most humans.”

“But I’m barely human now.” She paused with a sigh. “Who’s Luce?”

Dom dragged his fingers through his hair as he continued the back and forth.Pace. Pace.“Lucian. He was a favored Immortal in Vast until he led a rebellion. Now, he’s a Scourge in Angor. I’m not sure why we should consult him.”

The shush of wings sounded. When Dom looked up, he stopped pacing to face the visitor, a male with mottled gray feathers, arrogance streaming from his eyes and on the twist of his lips.

The guy started to talk. “Why...”

That was as far as he got before Dom shouted, “Shut the fuck up, Gabriel. I’ll do the chatting. You do the answering. Clear?”

The arrogance disappeared, replaced by fear. He swallowed and nodded.

“Sit the hell down.”

After Gabriel hustled to obey, Dom blurted out, “Can you make humans into Scourges?”

Gabriel’s eyes rolled from side to side. “Why would I want to do that?”

“That wasn’t the question.” Dom snarled.

“No. I cannot. Once I created the species, all connections to them were severed. I cannot feel them, control them, or alter them. Never could. The OC demanded they be independent, and I obeyed.” He glanced at Madeline.

In a whisper, Gabriel asked, “Are you aHomo sapiens?”

Madeline drummed her fingers on the countertop. “Kinda.”

The Immortal nodded as if he understood, which clearly he didn’t.

Dom hesitated, thinking. Then, to Gabriel, he said, “Get lost.”

The gray mottle-winged Immortal scampered off the stool, flicked out his dull wings, and soared out the roof just as a raincloud burst overhead.

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