Page 92 of Dark Reign of Forever

“Garrett? What is this?” Francesca asked.

“The selfish fucking truth,” he snapped hoarsely. To Dominique, he added, “Get on with it, then.”

Dominique did.

In full view of all that remained of his past life, he sank his teeth into Garrett’s wrist. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and let the blood come to drown out the silent horror on his mother’s face.

40

Crossing Lines

Strangehowyoudidn’tsee them coming, these moments, these lines, that divided life into what was and what is. Lines that once crossed, can never be uncrossed. Cassidy could only stand and watch, breathless and numb, as Dominique crossed such a line—and dragged everyone else in the room along with him.

If Garrett, legendary destroyer of vampires, had any doubts about transforming into one of the beings he had spent a lifetime hunting, by surrendering his vein a second time so soon after the first, he was leaving them behind. His nephew, who had spent his life keeping terrifying secrets, stood uncharacteristically slack-jawed as he witnessed Dominique not just share such a secret with someone he loved, but practically beat the woman over the head with it. And Cassidy…Cassidy sensed Dominique’s very essence shift. A new edge surfaced in his being, sharp as a samurai sword, slashing the doubts that defined him for as long as she had known him. More than that, Cassidy could feel that razor edge slice up against his humanity, and…and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

He was with her an instant later, his impossibly thin, yet impossibly strong arms around her, holding her upright, suspending her above the panic attack opening beneath her feet.No, Cassieamour. I survive because of you. I grow because of you. Iambecause of you. Nothing can ever change that.

She held on to him until the moment passed and her world stabilized. She had not lost him, and would not lose him, not to doubts, benevolent intentions, or to fate. They lived in a storm right now, both their lives changing, but through it all, they remained each others’ haven.

They would always be each others’ haven.

“Je vois,” Francesca said into the silence and Cassidy met her wide, still gaze. The woman had paled with shock, but color was already beginning to seep back into her face, her no-nonsense, practical nature fighting to reassert itself in this new reality. “I see.”

Garrett rubbed his wrist, straightened his sleeve, and moved to the credenza, where he opened the ice bucket and doled cubes into glasses before filling them with bottled water. Jackson joined him and took two of the tumblers, sipping from one and taking the other to Cassidy.

“Thanks,” she said, wishing it were wine, but also grateful it wasn’t. Her head was swimming quite enough already.

Garrett took the other two glasses, setting one next to Francesca, who watched him with an expression of horrified wonder. He gave her a small, tense smile and retreated. “Merci,” she murmured and picked up the glass with both hands. After drinking half, she cradled it in her lap.

Another full minute passed in suffocating silence. Cassidy watched the woman’s face harden even as her eyes brimmed. Finally, Francesca nodded to herself, drank the rest of the water, produced a handkerchief, and wiped her face. Then, she began asking pointed questions. How strong was he, really? How immortal? What were his limitations? Who was this vampire who dared to kidnap Geneviève? And what would Dominique do about getting her back?

“Everything I can,Maman.” He reached out to reassure her, but she flinched before she caught herself, and Dominique stayed his hand. Cassidy felt his stinging disappointment. His mother may appear to accept the situation, but she was far from comfortable with it. She still sat on the sofa, stick-straight and wary, Cassidy by her side, Dominique seated on the table, facing her.

“Staying in the area and waiting to try that stunt again at sunset was out of the question,” Jackson protested when his uncle questioned him on his tactics. “Dominique was barely awake. I wasn’t about to risk—”

Garrett raised a placating hand. “Easy, Jack. I wasn’t there. What counts is that you secured both of you. But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to get back there with some element of surprise.”

“Why are we not calling the police?” Francesca insisted. “Geneviève is being held captive. The authorities need to be informed.”

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then Cassidy, whom Francesca seemed to gravitate to now, said, “You’d be condemning them to death.”

“We would have to tell them they need to leave before sunset, of course.”

“Do you think they would believe you?” Cassidy asked gently and watched the woman’s composure waver.

“Cassidy is right,” Garrett said. “We can’t risk getting ignorant humans involved.”

She fidgeted with the handkerchief in her lap. “Then what will you do, Dominique?”

Her son leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He had taken off his jacket, and the navy blue T-shirt he wore did little to hide his wasted physique. Some lines were the usual hard muscle, but mostly they were bone. “I cannot risk traveling by day again. I need to be there and at full strength right at sunset, without alerting the human guards that anything is amiss.”

What he didn’t say, but what Cassidy felt slither in his thoughts, was that there would be no hope for Geneviève otherwise. Assuming Adilla hadn’t changed his mind about her and she wasn’t already dead.

“We can transport you,” Jackson suggested. “Fly you out while you’re sleeping.”

Both Dominique and Cassidy gave Jackson a long look.

“Fuck. You know you can trust me.”

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