Page 137 of Sweet Dominion

I opened my mouth in shock.

Dima winked. “I’ve killed many.”

Tension gathered in my shoulders. “Alright. I think we need to put the daggers back in the trunk and get to the cookout. There’s the grill off and—”

"Please, Moni.” TT widened those eyes in fear. “Just give me ten more minutes to see something.”

I sighed. “Well. . .no more talking about killing people.”

Dramatically sighing just like Chloe would, TT picked up her pace with carefully putting out the daggers.

Dima gave her a supportive nod. “And if you ever need help figuring out your superpowers, I’m here for you.”

TT’s lips twitched into a small smile, but she remained quiet.

And then Dima jotted something down in his notebook. Next, Dima held the pen up from the page. “Now back to the daggers. Why so many and what are they used for?”

I put my view back on all of them.

There must have been now thirty daggers on the ground.

This is crazy.

And to think Lei had been outside Chanel’s place at night talking to ghosts and digging these up. I couldn’t truly wrap my mind around the insanity of it all.

I would never say this to Lei, but I could see why Leo would kill her. This sort of thing would be the direct opposite of his desires for Lei to focus on the East.

Letting out a long breath, I walked over to the daggers.

Hold on. That’s strange.

Some of the daggers had dots embedded into the wood and the dots were small and precise.

Others had lines drawn on them.

Dima wrote something else down. “There’s hidden meanings here, but what are they?”

Rubbing behind the cat’s ear, Rose looked up at Dima. “Would the Bandit and her rebels have fought with these daggers?”

Lei spoke for him, “I doubt it. I always took them as. . .ceremonial.”

Rose raised her eyebrows. “You mean like you think the daggers were meant for rituals or offerings rather than combat?”

“Perhaps.” Lei shrugged. “I just know they were not for battle.”

Chen chose that moment to speak, “I always thought that the blades were maybe good luck items for the rebels. Or maybe something that was given to a rebel once they joined. Something to remember their initiations.”

“Good thoughts,” Dima said. “But then why would the Bandit want Lei to have these, if they were just relics or ritual artifacts?”

Rose looked back at the daggers. “Could they be clues to something she wants Lei to solve?”

Chen adjusted his glasses. “I considered them clues too. . .when she talked to Lei, she always seemed like she wanted everyone to know something.”

Dima looked at him. “Know what?”

Chen shrugged. “She was too creepy to ask more and she never talked to me. Her focus was always on Lei.”

Everyone turned to Lei.

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