by Amelia Jade
“We’ve been had, I think,” he said with a look toward Mina and her mate, whom he assumed had been dancing with Rhynne.
“Yes, I do believe so,” she said, a smile creasing her face. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, but she accentuated her cheeks and eyes just enough that he couldn’t stop staring.
“Care to dance?” he asked nervously, his throat suddenly dry.
Rhynne looked around at the others all still dancing, and shrugged. “I never did like being the odd one out,” she responded, and took his outstretched hands.
Dom laughed and began to move again. They didn’t say anything more; instead they simply allowed themselves to get lost in the moment, becoming whirling dervishes as they moved in and out of each other’s arms. The thousands of others who surrounded them were all but forgotten for those several minutes, until the band wound down for a quick breather.
He guided her to the edge of the press of people, where they could talk slightly more comfortably.
“How did they all know?” he asked, referring to Mina and her mate.
“Mina is my best friend. She knows everything, so she must have plotted it all,” Rhynne admitted.
“Ah, I see. Well, thank you for not blaming me,” he teased.
Rhynne swatted at him lightly.
“Although I don’t know how Asher and Zeke went along with it. Unless they know too?”
Dom snared her hand and gently pulled it to his mouth, pressing his lips to the back of her palm.
“Hey, easy, okay?” she said. “It’s not that I don’t like it, but…” she trailed off.
“But there are lots of people around who might see it,” he said unhappily.
Rhynne nodded. “I’m sorry. I promise, I’m going to tell my parents. I just don’t know how to do it yet. Not without them absolutely losing their cool,” she told him lamely. “I don’t want them to hate me.”
“I don’t want them to hate you either,” he agreed. “Though I’m not sure how I feel knowing that they would hate you because of me. That part twists the knife a little bit.”
Rhynne looked unhappy, and he sighed, deciding to drop it for the moment.
“Can I get you a water or something?” he asked instead.
“That would be wonderful,” she told him with relief. “I’ll meet you over in the Mountain Box? Mina and I have a table there.”
He nodded and set off. There were three bars set into the wall below the boxes. The fourth housed washrooms and other such amenities. After a long wait in line for the two waters, he headed up for the Mountain Box. Each of the four boxes was so named after the surroundings of Cadia.
Mountains to the west. Plains to the north. Forest to the east, and Desert to the south. The boxes inside the Hall all aligned with their compass points as well. There were also images carved in bas-relief above each box, in case one didn’t know where to go. The entry to the boxes came from the wooden staircases. There was a landing level with the boxes, and he slowly ascended one, pushing against the flow of people as he carefully held the two glasses.
At one point a group of youngsters came marauding down the stairs, and Dom flattened his back to the wall of the box above him at the side of the stairs. Normally he would interfere, but he was busy just then.
From above, spurred by the momentary lull in music, he was actually able to pick out Rhynne’s voice.
“Come now, Mother. You can’t be serious. You didn’t really think I would be interested in him, would you?”
There was a pause. He couldn’t hear her mother; she must be talking too quiet. Even Rhynne’s voice was fairly faint.
“I’m sure he is nice. In a way. But the answer is no. Not interested, at all. In anything. I’m not going to give it a chance. As soon as it’s finished, he’s gone, and I’ll be happier for it. That’s just the way it is.”
Dom’s head thudded dully into the wall at her words.
She wasn’t interested in him. It was all fake. Rhynne was just waiting for his training at the Academy to be done, and then she could be happy again. Without him. She was going to raise the baby without him.
He couldn’t believe it. The world came crashing down around him.
“Here,” he said, angrily shoving the water glasses at a passerby, who took them in confusion. But before they could say anything, Dom was gone, losing himself in the crowd as he worked his way to the far side of the stairs, and then ascended all the way to the top.
The inviting darkness of the corner beckoned him, and he tried to melt into it, wishing it would swallow him whole just then. He didn’t want to deal with the world, or anymore of its bullshit. He was tired of being lied to, and treated like some sort of second-class citizen just because his parents weren’t part of the Cadian Council or something.
Well fuck that. He was a good person, and had a lot to offer. There had to be someone out there who would appreciate him for him.
But that person wasn’t Rhynne. Not the Rhynne that he normally saw. But the one that existed somewhere inside of her. The one he had seen the night they had lain together, or when she came to him yesterday, vulnerable and afraid, with momentous news. He wasn’t sure why Rhynne was so carefully hidden.
He should ask her about it.
No, she’d just deny it, he was sure.
Footsteps interrupted his reverie.
“There he is. I told you I saw him coming up here.”
His head snapped up at the accusatory tone.
Four men detached themselves from the crowd heading downstairs that continued to flow in and made their way around the top level to where he was standing. His back was against one of the outer walls, under one of the stained-glass windows. By then the sun had gone down, and the only light came from below. It was his enhanced eyesight that let him see them clearly.
“Who are you?” he asked warily.
They were all clad in formal suits, though the style and cut were different from most that he had seen during the night. It was like they didn’t quite fit in for some reason. There was no emblem on their chest, so they weren’t Guardians. Who were they then, and what did they want with him?
“You should be more concerned with what we want,” another one said at last.
Dominick eyed him up. He was perhaps an inch taller, but otherwise of similar build. Dragon then, he judged. Dark hair was coiffed perfectly on his head, slightly wavy and pulled off to one side in a manner that never went out of style. His jacket fit him impeccably, as if it had been tailored from the start, instead of altered to fit. Interesting.
“Should I?” Dominick said, standing up straight as the four fanned out around him.
“No need for the dick-waving,” the leader said again. “I’m simply here to tell you to stay away from Rhynne. She’s spoken for.”
Dominick blinked, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m sorry, did you just try and lay claim to her?” he asked, not quite sure he’d heard correctly.
“Stay away from her,” the leader told him, pointing a finger in Dom’s direction.
“You have no idea,” Dom laughed. “If you think you can claim Rhynne Nova, you are in for one wild ride,” he said, trying to hold back his laughter.
“You think this is funny?”
“Kick his ass, Garv,” one of the others said with a sneer.
Ah. Garviel. The shifter from Fenris. The picture becomes clearer.
“So does Rhynne know you’re laying a claim to her?” he asked. “I’m not really sure you know her if you think this is a good idea. Trust me.”
“Are you going to keep your distance, Treadblood?”
Dom scoffed. “Here in Cadia, we don’t really put much stock on bloodlines and all that old ancestral bullshit. We’ve moved past it, because we gained the brains to realize that it means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s a shame to hear that Fenris hasn’t. It must be such a backwater place.”
For once, Dominick felt like he actually believed it when he said it. The term Trea
dblood meant that he was of such low class birth, his only use was as a stepping stone to walk over, leaving behind tread-marks as they went. It was crude, and in some of the strongholds, would evoke a powerful reaction.
Dominick, and most Cadians in general, just no longer cared.
The fist flashed out of nowhere with impressive speed, but Dominick had been ready since they approached. His arm shot up and deflected the blow, even as he planted a foot and kicked out hard with the other, delivering a shot right to his opponent’s knee.
But Garviel was fast, and his leg danced away, only taking a grazing shot in the process.
The others charged in. Dom took a blow to his side that sent torment up his ribcage, muscles screaming in protest from the abuse. Another fist landed on his jaw, spinning him around.
“Oh no, I’m not done with you yet,” Garviel said, grabbing Dom by the shoulders and hoisting him upright as his friends pinned his arms.
Dom snarled and lashed out with his legs, but Garviel moved aside. As he darted back in, he delivered a lightning-quick double-blow to his core, driving the air from his lungs. Dominick gasped and struggled for breath as Garviel laughed with his friends.
“Stay away from Rhynne.”
“Fuck you,” Dom spat, blood flying from his mashed mouth.
Garviel wound up, and the last thing Dominick saw was a glint of metal as the ring on Garviel’s hand slammed into the side of his head. He fell to the floor, eyes rolling up momentarily, as the others walked away laughing to each other.
“Motherfucker,” he cursed to himself, rolling onto his stomach after several minutes and climbing to his feet. “Fuck this party.”
He stumbled toward the door. People gave him a wide berth as he snarled at them.
“Dom? Dom!”
He didn’t turn around as he heard Zeke coming up the stairs. Instead he pushed through the doors and out into the warm night air.
“Hey, Dom. Where you going?”
“Home,” he said, spitting out some more blood from his mouth.
“What? Why?” Zeke asked, catching up with him and laying a hand on Dom’s shoulder.
He shrugged it off violently and ignored his friend.
“Holy shit!” Zeke exclaimed as came up alongside him. “What the fuck happened?”
“I told you coming here was a bad idea,” he said. “Rhynne’s boy toy and his friends decided to deliver a message. I guess you could say I got it,” he raged, then stormed off, leaving his friend standing in the middle of the road, completely forgetting that he’d never told his friends about Rhynne.
I guess it’s all out in the open now! Not that it matters.
Rhynne didn’t want him, even though she was carrying his child, and now her upper-crust match had driven that point home.
Dom wasn’t going to abandon his child, but he knew when he wasn’t wanted.
Chapter Eight
Rhynne
Rhynne smiled thinly as her mother began blabbering on the second she got to the Mountain Box. Mina looked on helplessly, mouthing an apology as she and Marincin, her mate, took a seat farther down the table.
Her mother was supposed to be in the Desert Box with the rest of the Council. Unfortunately, she was not. Rhynne really hoped Dom took his time getting that water, so she could get rid of her mother.
“So, my dear, tell me, have you seen Garviel yet?”
“No, Mother. I’m sure as the guest of honor he’s busy.”
“But you should be at his side, shouldn’t you?”
Something inside of Rhynne snapped. She kept her voice as polite as possible, but she was so through with her mother’s interference in her life.
“Come now, Mother. You can’t be serious. You didn’t really think I would be interested in him, would you?”
“Rhynne!” Her mother looked at her, shocked. “What has gotten into you? Garviel is a nice man. He’s well-connected and comes from the same places as you. You two are prefect for each other.”
“I’m sure he is nice. In a way. But the answer is no. Not interested, at all. In anything. I’m not going to give it a chance. As soon as it’s finished, he’s gone, and I’ll be happier for it. That’s just the way it is.”
“I see.” Her mother gave her an angry, unimpressed look and grabbed her drink and left, heading off into the party.
“Thank goodness for that,” she said, sagging against the table in relief.
Then she straightened, looking around. Where was Dom? He’d been gone for some time now. She moved out into the Hall to look for him, constantly looking back over her shoulder at the Mountain Box, in case he appeared there, but he never did. Her search took her up to the third tier, the ring where people went to escape the press of the mass of shifters down below.
Inwardly she groaned as another voice sounded from nearby, interrupting her search.
“Well hello, beautiful. Don’t you look like something else tonight.”
“Hello Garviel,” she said, using the same tone on him as she had with her mother.
Turning around she watched him approach. He was wiping at something on his suit that looked like a stain, while flexing his other hand, as if it hurt.
“Oh come on, all my friends call me Garv,” he said, flashing her his best grin.
“I’m sure they do, Garviel,” she said, letting some ice slip into her voice.
“Ouch,” he laughed, but still he closed, coming to her side. “Come on, let’s dance,” he said, moving to take her arm.
Rhynne stepped back. “What the hell do I have to do to get the point through your thick skull that I’m not interested?” she snarled.
That got his attention. “Give us a moment,” he said to his followers, who melted back somewhat.
“Now come on, Rhynne. Let’s be honest here. You aren’t going to be able to make it work with that Treadblood. Don’t kid yourself. He’s half the man I am. We’re a smart match. Trust me, we’ll make it work. I’m not so bad.”
Her jaw dropped open in surprise at his blatant statements.
“Wow. No,” she said, laughing. “Just no. You and I are not going to happen. Period, end of story.”
“Just give it a whirl,” he said and stepped closer before she could respond, pressing his lips against hers.
Rhynne froze in shock for a moment, completely surprised that he was being so forward after everything she’d just told him. After the delay she grabbed his shirt firmly and pushed him back.
“Try that again,” she said, her voice as fiery as her temper, “and I promise you will regret it. Now do me a favor and fuck off.” She smiled at him sweetly and stepped past him.
Where she saw Zeke standing at the top of the stairwell, looking at her. He grimaced and shook his head, turning to go.
“Zeke!” she shouted, rushing after him. “Wait.”
The Fire Dragon shifter kept walking down the stairs, ignoring her calls.
“Hey, Zeke. Have you seen Dominick?” she asked, trying to modulate her voice as neutral as possible.
Zeke didn’t turn, but she saw his shoulders roll, like someone does when they try not to get angry.
“Are you joking?” he asked over his shoulder, still not meeting her gaze.
“No?” she asked, confused.
“Maybe you should stop locking lips long enough to ask your boyfriend where he left him then.”
Zeke made to move off, but she grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around, her full fury roused now by the way everyone kept acting like she should be doing something other than exactly what she wanted to do, which was be with Dominick.
“Tell me. Now,” she snarled in his face, her eyes blazing with the fire that burned brightly in her soul.
Zeke wasn’t scared, but he did arch an eyebrow at the intensity of her response.
“Heading home,” he said with a flick of his finger at the door.
Rhynne turned and left, leaving him there without a further word.
***
Sh
e darted out through the doors into the night, her auburn hair bouncing crazily as she ran after Dom, thankful for having worn flats that night. Being so close to six feet she rarely did anyway, but tonight it was working in her favor. The ruby-red flats pounded across the cobblestones toward the landing fields out in front of the Hall.
The night was dark, but the moon glittered overhead, completely devoid of cloud cover. With her excellent night vision, she could easily see the figure standing in one of the stone circles. As she closed in on it, a swirl of darkness enveloped him before the darkness was lit by the flash of lightning. It cleared a moment later in a bright flash, followed by a rumble of thunder, and a majestic blue dragon was suddenly standing in the circle.
“Dominick!” she shouted. “Wait!”
The wings had spread wide, ready to propel him into the air, but the sound of her voice paused them. The huge head swiveled around on the long neck and brilliant yellow eyes regarded her suspiciously.
“Why?” he rumbled.
She was startled at the dullness of his voice. There was no anger there, no hate, just nothingness. It was empty of all emotion. As if he no longer cared.
And yet, he’d stayed his course, giving her time to speak. So she better make damn good use of that time then.
“Because I asked you to,” she said.
The dragon head shook slightly and he prepared to take off again.
Not good enough, he was saying.
“Because we need to talk,” she tried again.
The wings spread wide in answer.
“Because I want you to stay, okay? I want you close by.” Her voice caught as she shouted it across the still-shrinking distance, the depth of emotion in her words catching even her off guard.
Dom turned to face her.
“Why must you lie to me like that?” he asked sadly. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s okay. I get it. You’re just playing nice until I’m done at the Academy. Then you can move on with your perfect match. I promise I won’t interfere.”
His legs tensed.
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked in bewilderment.
“I overheard you,” he said. “You told your mother the truth about me, and how you didn’t actually like me.” He shifted, his head coming into the light, and she saw the swelling and split scales on his dragon face. “Although you didn’t have to have your goon squad come and tell me so directly. If you had the courage to do it yourself, I would have been respectful of you, and done my best to keep my distance, as long as you let me see our child. Yet you couldn’t even do that.”
