Chapter 23

T rixie

I stared at my phone that evening, waiting to see if Dom was going to text me back.

After I'd given him the update about Levian's wonky aura lingering in my apartment, I hadn't heard back from him all day. I'd texted Dom twice, once just a few minutes ago, to see if he'd be back to watch the evening broadcast with me. The broadcast where Dom and I declared our love for one another in a very public forum.

A glance at the clock told me the broadcast was due to start in five minutes. Emmy perched next to me, a glass of wine in hand that she hadn't touched.

For most of the day, we'd snuggled up on the couch and binged reality TV shows because it hadn't required any brainpower. Neither of us had talked about anything of real importance. There'd been a few moments—a squeeze of the hand, a tear down the cheek, a cringe at a loud noise outside the window—that brought everything back. But for now, we just needed to sit. To not think.

"Are you ready for this?" Emmy asked as the announcer came onto the TV, letting us know that an important election update would be coming through shortly.

"No. I hate being in the public eye."

"If it's any solace, I know Dom means every word of what he's about to say." Emmy gave me a watery smile. "That man loves you beyond anything I've ever seen before. Plus, the election's tomorrow. Then you and Dom can be together—publicly, privately, whatever you want."

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I hope you're right."

My blood ran cold when the footage began rolling.

"Emmy. This isn't what we recorded." I shot upward. "Where am I? This wasn't even shot in Dom's apartment. What's going on?"

On screen, Dominic Kent sat alone in the middle of a spacious white room that definitely wasn't his penthouse. Judging by the brutal darkness in his eyes, this new material had been recorded after the mess in my apartment this morning. Dom looked so dangerously riled that I suspected most people watching this would experience a bolt of fear in their bellies at the sight of him.

"My name is Dominic Kent, and I'm technically a candidate for the wildcard election happening tomorrow. I'm here to address rumors from last night's debate—a debate in which neither Trixie Gardens nor I were present to defend ourselves."

Dom cleared his throat on the pre-recorded segment.

"Trixie Gardens and I are not, in fact, dating," Dom said. "The truth is that she hates my guts, and for good reason. I will never understand why The Fates selected me as a nominee, but it's easy to see why Trixie was selected."

"What do you mean by that?" Merci asked onscreen. "Why is Trixie worthy of the nomination?"

"The fact that Trixie Gardens won 38% of the popular vote after skipping a debate—and publicly announcing multiple times that she didn't want to be associated with the election—says just about everything. "

"I admit, it's an unprecedented and shocking result from the polls," Merci agreed. "But it sounds like there's more?"

Dominic's voice grew raspy. "Trixie Gardens is the most powerful witch I've ever encountered, yet the last thing Trixie wants is power. She's a good person, genuinely. She hates being in the spotlight because she just wants to live her life and contribute to society in the quiet way that she does, bringing a smile to the face of anyone she meets."

"What about the rumors that the two of you were dating?"

"It's the easiest thing in the world to fall in love with that woman." Dom's voice was hard, gravelly. "I can't think of a person who'd blame me for having feelings for her. But they're not reciprocated and never will be. I'm not the person for Trixie. I'm a vampire, she's a witch. It would never work."

"So what are you saying, Mr. Kent?" Merci prompted .

"I'm saying to disqualify me if you want, but Trixie and I are not—and will not ever be—romantically attached. Trixie doesn't want to be elected, but she's the most deserving of any one of us. Do with that information what you will, and then leave her the hell alone."

The tape cut out then, and I was left shocked into silence. My first thought was to wonder how much Dom had bribed the TV station into airing that clip. The next emotion was fury, then hurt, then confusion.

"Oh, man," Emmy whispered, finally taking a sip of her drink. "That man has got it bad for you."

"What was he thinking?" I threw my phone on the couch next to me. "That's not what we recorded."

"Obviously," Emmy said. "Dominic is trying to look out for you. Probably trying to distance himself from you, especially if he thinks his stupid brother might come after you. I saw the look in his eyes this morning, Trix. He was scared. He blames himself for letting anyone get close to you. Or me, but technically they were looking for you."

"I don't care. I understand the logic of it, but it's not fair." I stood up. "Dom doesn't get to make those decisions for me. We were supposed to be in this together, and now he's going behind my back trying to fix everything."

"And that's a problem because...?"

"Because I trusted him to treat me as an equal. As a partner," I said, feeling my chest tightening at the look in Dom's eyes as he'd said that it would never work between us.

I knew that what Dom had said on tape was just fanfare; I knew he didn't mean most of it. I equally knew that he hated the fact that my association with him had put my life in jeopardy. It wasn't hard to believe that he'd distance himself from any relationship with me because he'd thought it would keep me safe. It was downright stupid.

"I need a breath of fresh air," I said. "I'm going for a walk."

"Trix, you can't do that," Emmy urged, a look of alarm in her eyes. "People are looking for you."

I glanced at my phone, saw a blinking light.

Dominic: I'm sorry, Trix. It's for the best. Stay in the penthouse as long as you want. I won't return until I hear from you. Until you're ready to talk. I do love you, but I think it's important I keep my distance from you until we find my brother .

I pushed out the door of the penthouse. The security guard raised his brows.

"You can't go anywhere, ma'am," he said. "I need to—"

I raised a hand. Even I could see the magic sparkling around my fist. It was tinged with a murky red color that dripped from my fingers. Heartbreak aura , my gut told me. I could feel raw power behind it. Love was a powerful thing. Add to that the combination of a frustration and heartbreak, and it had put me over the top. The effects were leaking dangerously into my magic.

"Try to stop me," I muttered to him. "Just try."

I could hear the guard making a call to Dominic as I stepped into the elevator.

I knew it was a little idiotic for me to be taking a walk outside, but I needed space and air, and only The Fates could save any reporter who tried to approach me tonight. I could feel the magic coursing through me, and so long as I stayed on well-lit streets, I wasn't in danger of anything happening to me.

Let them try.

I felt all sorts of buzzy as I walked down the street, feeling jazzed on multiple levels as I tried to clear my head. My magic ached within me, begging for a release. There was such a jumble of emotions inside me that it had ignited the latent magic that'd been slowly starting to drip through my blood like enchanted molasses.

I knew Dom loved me. I trusted him implicitly, and I knew that he hadn't lied to me last night. I could still feel the prick of his incisors on my neck, the most beautiful, wonderful pain I'd ever endured. Neither of us had faked the intimacy between us. The bond that existed was impossible to ignore.

But to go behind my back hurt, even if he'd had my best interests at heart. I'd been so confident that I'd finally found a person with the potential to truly be my partner. To be the person who respected me as an individual. Who didn't use me for my magic or manipulate me like a puppet.

Yet that's where he'd let me down. Dom had decided singlehandedly what was best for me and my magic and my safety without actually conferring with me. I wasn't ready to give up that much control of my life again—ever—even to a man I loved with all my heart.

I stepped past an abandoned food market. A ray of especially bright streetlight lit the way before me, and I glanced up, checking around for the security guard that I was sure was tailing me at a bit of a distance. There was no way Dom would let me out of his reach tonight.

Before I could isolate the security guard, the sensation began. It took me a beat to fathom what was happening when a pull behind my belly button told me I was in trouble. I blinked, and the darkness swallowed me whole.

The streetlight—glowing a little too brightly—was a portal.

And I'd walked right into it.