Page 37 of Enchant the Dawn

Despite his inner conflict, a quarter of an hour later he found himself standing in front of Maddy’s house. After several moments of arguing with himself, he rang the bell.

He heard the sound of muffled footsteps, then her voice. “Who is it?”

“Dominic.”

She opened the door as far as the safety chain would allow. “What are you doing here?”

“I miss you.”

“I’m sorry. Good night.”

“Maddy, wait.”

“Dominic, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”

“I never meant to deceive you, but you must understand why I didn’t tell you.”

“I guess so. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to date a vampire. Tell Ava I’m sorry her predictions about us won’t come true.”

“Maddy, please . . .”

But he was talking to a closed door. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, he descended the stairs. Dammit, maybe he should have told her the truth from the start. And maybe he would have lost her that much sooner, he thought glumly. And wished he’d wiped the whole incident from her mind.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late.

Lost in thought, Dominic paid little attention to his surroundings. There had to be a way to get her back. She cared for him, of that he was certain. If he could just make her see that he wasn’t a monster and that his people weren’t like Claret and her ilk. Hungarian vampires didn’t go around bleeding people dry or keep humans as pets. If not for his need for blood, he was pretty much like any other man on the planet.

He stopped at the end of the block and looked back at her house. He would go back tomorrow night and beg her to listen to him. And if that didn’t work . . .

Dominic let out a startled cry as four vampires materialized from the darkness, attacking him with claws and fangs, driving him to the ground, their fangs tearing at his flesh. One of them carried a silver-bladed knife that he drove into Dominic’s stomach and chest, careful to avoid his heart. Despite the racking pain, a small part of Dominic’s mind told him they didn’t want him dead.

Which gave him a bit of an edge. Summoning every ounce of supernatural power he possessed, he fought his way free, dissolved into mist, and used his remaining strength to transport himself into the middle of Maddy’s living room.

* * *

Maddy was sitting on the sofa, staring into the cold fireplace, when a strange gray mist suddenly materialized in front of her. Muttering, “What the hell?” she scrambled to her feet and backed away from the couch as the mist solidified and Dominic lay sprawled on his back on the floor.

She stared at him in horror. His clothes were shredded. He was bleeding from multiple cuts on his arms, legs, face, stomach, and chest. How was he even alive?

He groaned deep in his throat as he sat up.

Maddy’s stomach clenched when he looked up at her through eyes tinged with red.

Her fear was palpable. Not wanting to frighten her further, he didn’t move. “I’m not going to hurt you, Maddy. Trust me.”

She took another step back, sat down hard when she hit the edge of the overstuffed chair in the corner. “What . . . what happened to you?”

“I was attacked by vampires.”

“But why?” She frowned at him. “You’re one of them.”

“Not exactly.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There are Transylvanian vampires and Hungarian vampires. The ones from Transylvania are the type described in the Dracula legend. My people are not like them. We don’t kill people.”

“I’d like to believe that,” she muttered.

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