Page 54 of Dark Reign of Forever

“Mon Dieu,” Dominique murmured and pulled up another chair so he could sit facing Jackson. Cassidy settled into the sofa nearby, worry etched on her face.

The TV was on low, tuned to a local station and displaying an aerial view of a warehouse in flames. A banner along the bottom proclaimed: “Human Remains Found in Surrey Fire.” Knowing their fuck-up would be widely reported, he had called Cassidy to let her know he and Garrett had walked away—more or less—but spared her every grim detail.

“Looks like you saw how our morning went down.”

Dominique leaned his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands. All calm business. “What happened?”

“You were right. It was a trap. One that was rigged to take out whoever might come to rescue anyone caught in it. And…I’m the one who tripped it,” he finished. God, karma was a bitch.

The ghost of amused irony flickered across Dominique’s face, but thankfully, he didn’t mention the traps Jackson had set for him in the past. He still wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow the most powerful vampire on earth had become his closest friend. Dominique had been inside his head and knew him completely—scars, warts, demons, and all—and not only accepted him, but forgave him. His mind still boggled whenever he thought of it.

“Your uncle triggered the explosion?” Dominique prompted.

Jackson nodded. “Yes. He found one bomb and thought he disarmed it, but there was a backup firing mechanism. Thanks to that blood you gave him, he heard it trip a split second before all hell broke loose. Grabbed me and ran at pseudo-vamp speed to get us both out. The shock wave caught us and kicked our asses, though.” Time had slowed to a crawl in that silence where the world had flipped and rushed past until the ground came up to wallop them, sending them bouncing and sliding like tossed rag dolls.

“He took the brunt of the impact, and, damn, he was a mess. Broken bones, split open his head, bled all over the place. But, again, with your blood, he healed up quick enough. Or so we thought. We got out of there before anyone showed up to ask questions, and we were almost back in the city when he came down with a massive headache and lost all sense of balance. I took him to the Vancouver General ER where we gave them a story about a random accident.” He tried to shrug, and winced. “They’re saying he has a concussion and want to keep him overnight for observation.”

“Merde.”

“Right. He’s becoming a regular at medical facilities the world over.”

“Vampire blood doesn’t heal concussions?” Cassidy wondered.

“He said he felt the ‘magic juice’ drain out of him in a hurry. Is that possible?”

“The healing power of the blood he consumed could well have been depleted by his injuries,” Dominique said, thoughtful. “Who are the ‘remains’ the authorities claim to have found in the fire?”

“Ah, those. Well, they were remains already when we found them.” He braced himself, then plunged in. “There was a furnace full of charred bones, and walk-in coolers that looked like people had been forced to stay in them. Some bloody tools, but nothing fresh. There was other stuff there, too. Hooks and chains, saws…” He broke off when he saw Cassidy put the back of her hand to her mouth. She looked almost as pale as Dominique. “Well, it was a shop of horrors. Whatever the fire didn’t destroy should have investigators speculating for years.”

Cassidy tucked her legs underneath her, making herself smaller. “They have an entire city full of people to hunt and they don’t need to kill. Why would they do something like this?”

“Convenience,” Dominique said, grim-faced. “I suspect they bottled the blood. After it was suitably seasoned with fear.”

Cassidy closed her eyes.

Jackson’s stomach clenched. “You’re putting a stop to that, right?”

“I intend to. I will find Isao tonight and track down this Adilla. He will change his ways or pay the price.”

“What can I do?”

Dominique cocked one brow. “Not much, it appears.”

“My body’s banged up, but my head’s in the game. I promise you.”

“Hmm. You are useless like this.” Getting up with the grace of a prowling panther, Dominique retrieved a glass from the tray, and, as he had the night before, sliced open his own vein to fill it.

“I—I really don’t—” Jackson cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m not asking for blood.” But his gaze was riveted to the crimson stream as he remembered the taste of the single drop that had turned his world upside down.

Dominique licked his wrist clean and presented the blood to Jackson. “You don’t need to ask,mon ami.” When Jackson hesitated, he added, “I am not asking you to take it. I am telling you. I depend on you with my life and the lives of my loved ones. I will not tolerate you being less than your best.”

Jackson took the glass.

It was as he remembered—only worse. Like swallowing lightning. Heat hit his belly and exploded outward from there, melting away every ache and pain. He gasped and sputtered as his senses sharpened to an impossible degree. Fuck, he could even hear Dominique’s heartbeat, all calm and distinct. Cassidy sounded like a sloshing mess in comparison. His own felt like it was attempting a prison break out of his ribcage.

“Oh God,” he exclaimed. “How do you deal with this?”

A poignant smile was Dominique’s only response. “Better?”

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