Page 98 of Enchant the Dawn

“Agreed,” Ava muttered.

Without another word, Dominic gathered Maddy in his arms and transported the two of them to Ava’s house in Portland.

* * *

Dominic looked up when Ava entered the bedroom a few hours later.

“Is she going to be all right?” Ava asked.

“I think so, but there’s no way to know for sure until tomorrow night. Did everything go as planned back at the stronghold?”

“Yes. I appointed a new Elder Knight, Jeremy 26, a young man not dead set in the old ways of the Brotherhood. In the future, they will hunt only Transylvanian vampires, but not in New Orleans,” she assured him. “You and the other Hungarian vampires will need to be careful for a while, because it will take some time for the new Elder Knight to inform all of his followers of their new directive.”

She pursed her lips, her anger hovering around her like a dark cloud. “I can’t believe you stopped me from destroying that despicable creature! What were you thinking?”

Dominic shook his head. “I don’t know.” He pictured Claret in his mind, an enigma in a red silk dress. She had killed indiscriminately. She had imprisoned Maddy and kept him locked in a cage like some wild animal. And yet he couldn’t abide the thought of another death. Right or wrong, he understood her in ways Ava never would. He knew what the craving for blood was like, how hard it could be to resist taking what you wanted when you had no family to help you overcome the yearning. Claret was a stubborn creature who knew what she wanted and was willing to do whatever it took to get it. He had to admire her for that—even when it was his blood she craved.

“Dom? You need to feed.” Ava shook his shoulder when he didn’t respond. “Dominic.”

“What?”

“You need to feed.”

He looked at her blankly for a moment and then nodded.

“I’ll stay with Maddy until you get back.”

Feeling dead inside because of what had happened, he willed himself into downtown Portland. Late as it was, there were still people on the streets—homeless people, couples exiting a late-night movie, a man and a woman giggling like teenagers as they staggered out of a nightclub.

He called them both to him, drank as much as he dared from each, and sent them on their way.

For a long moment, he stood in the shadows, thinking about what he’d done to Maddy. But there was no going back. And when he thought about it dispassionately, her new life wouldn’t really be so bad.

He just hoped she would agree.

* * *

It was dark when Maddy woke. Odd, she thought; it seemed she’d been asleep for days. Turning her head to the side, she saw Dominic propped on one elbow on the bed beside her. She frowned, wondering why he was looking at her so strangely. “What time is it?” she asked, sitting up.

“A little after seven.”

“Seven?” She glanced at the window. “But . . . it’s still dark out.”

“It usually is after the sun goes down.”

“I slept all day?” She frowned at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.”

“You probably won’t do it again.”

“Did I miss something?” She stared at him, confusion in her eyes.

“What do you remember of last night?”

“You went to the stronghold with Claret. There was a confrontation and you killed the Elder Knight. Ava dissolved the manacles that shackled you. I was so glad you were unhurt I ran toward you. . . .” Her voice trailed off as she lifted a hand to her throat. “I think you bit me.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember anything after that. Why don’t I? What happened?”

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