Page 91 of Firedrake Betrayal
“Have you tried maybe not saying anything at all?” I suggest, raising my eyebrow.
Dominik’s green eyes flare flame yellow.
“Yes,” I say dryly. “Set me on fire. Jade isn’t quite upset enough. Shep, she needs one of us.”
“She’s okay,” Isaiah says.
I look at him. “You sound pretty sure about that.”
“I am.” Isaiah’s smile is faint. “She’s standing up for herself. Considering the first time she met us she bit me and crawled between your legs, I’d say that was a big deal. Let her figure out the next step on her own.”
“What do you mean, she bit you?” Dominik’s lips flatten.
“None of your damn business. You weren’t lying, were you?” I cross over to the kitchen, wishing there was a beer in the refrigerator. “You do say the wrong thing.”
Isaiah is right.
Back in Chicago, Jade wouldn’t have stood her ground like that, and I’m proud of her. It took me far too long to stand up to my da. And in the end, I never really did. I packed up a bag, and I left London for the States.
Dominik messed up, and Jade is not letting him off the hook for it.
Jade is upstairs and we’re all downstairs, which has opened up an opportunity for us to talk. Given what I know of my da, it’s only a matter of time before he makes his move, and I know exactly what he intends to do.
“My da is going to grab Jade,” I say.
Shep observes me for a beat, thinking. The gold fur disappears from his arms as he steps away from Dominik, his anger burned out. “I thought the same. It’s the only reason he’s held off on telling Atticus where we are.”
“And the reason we can’t find him and tear his head from his body?” Dominik asks.
“He’s good at dodging the consequences of his actions,” I say. “Trouble finds him and it slips right by him.”
By silent agreement, we migrate to the kitchen island. We stand around it, facing each other. Me and Shep on one side, Dominik and Isaiah on the other.
“He could be with Atticus?” Isaiah suggests.
I shake my head. “Doubt it. Da will have arranged some kind of deal with Atticus. He’ll have promised to grab Jade for him. Before handing her over, he’ll feed on her. Jade isn’t powerless now, her blue ribbon friend as shown him what she’s capable of, so he has to be even more manipulative.”
“Since Atticus is doing such a good job of hiding himself in this town, and your father is working with him, we could track him right to Atticus,” Dominik says.
“But that would involve handing him Jade.” I glare.
“It might involve letting himthinkhe had Jade,” Dominik quietly corrects me. “Jade will never be safe unless they’re dead. The sooner we do that, the better.”
So occasionally he knows how to say the right thing.
Keeping Jade safe is the important thing here.
“Have you thought of going after Atticus yourself?” I ask Dominik. “You know, taking one for the team?”
“Patten…” Shep rumbles warningly.
“What? It was worth a shot.” That’s another thing. Jade wants nothing to do with Dominik, but he’s still sticking around, showing no signs of going anywhere.
Will he eventually win her over or will he get frustrated enough that he kidnaps her again?
Dominik observes me for a beat. “I considered it.”
“And?” I prompt, hiding my surprise.
