Chapter 7

CHAPTERSEVEN

Claudia lived in an apartment on the Fondamenta Gherardini, and with every step Stella took towards it, her anxiety ramped up.

Her eyes kept drifting to the roofs above them, half expecting another group of shifters to pounce on her.

Perhaps the massive male next to her would be enough to make them think twice.

Dom Aladoro was intimidating enough when he was wearing his Council face. Now, dressed in dark clothes and prowling the night-time streets, he was a different kind of menacing.

It was as if his shedu side had the reins, his energy tense and dangerous, his face closed and suspicious of every person they saw. He had placed himself between her and the canal, a protective gesture that baffled Stella even if she appreciated it.

Maybe it’s because predator shifters are territorial bastards.Part of her was surprised he’d even shown tonight.

"Luca has lost his spare key again, so we are going to have to improvise," Stella said as they stopped in front of the street door access. "Keep an eye out, will you?"

She pulled her lock picks out of her bra and looked up to see Dom’s eyes shining with amusement. She ignored him and made quick work of the lock.

It was hardly the first time she’d had to break into Claudia’s place. Like Luca, Claudia was notorious for losing keys and other belongings.

Stella tried to ignore Dom’s watchful presence behind her as they went up a steep flight of stairs to Claudia’s apartment door. It didn’t look like it had been tampered with since the previous night.

Small mercies. Whoever had been watching the other apartment hopefully had no idea this one existed. Dom’s smile was back as he leaned against the wall beside her.

"What?" she said, sliding her picks into the lock.

"So you like to break into houses as well as parties," he commented.

Stella smiled threateningly. "Watch yourself, Aladoro, or I might be tempted to break into yours."

"Just don’t take anything too expensive," he replied, making her laugh.

"Killjoy."

Stella opened the door and pulled out one of her stilettos. Dom’s warm hand gently pulled her behind him, and he went in first. Stella closed the door as Dom went to check the small apartment.

"We are alone," he called. Stella put her stiletto away and switched on the artificer lanterns. The apartment hadn’t been trashed, which was a good sign.

"I’ll start in her bedroom," she said. Dom was looking at a photo of her and Claudia when they were teenagers, their arms slung around each other and pulling faces at the camera. "Poor Claudia would have a heart attack at the idea of you going through her underwear drawer."

"I wouldn’t dare go anywhere near a lady’s lingerie unless invited," Dom replied. "I’d like to shift and see if I can pick up any clues that way, if that’s okay?"

"Sure, that’s a good idea. Just try not to knock anything over with those wings of yours," Stella said, her voice catching as he undid the buttons of his jacket and shirt, flashing a tantalizing stretch of brown skin as the panels fell open.

Magic shivered hot and golden around him, and he shifted into his shedu form.

God, he is magnificent. Stella quickly turned on her heel and went into Claudia’s bedroom. She didn’t trust herself not to do something dumb, like reach out and stroke his beautiful black, gold-tipped feathers.

Aladoro wings. Their unusual coloring had made them famous and instantly identifiable.

Stella went through each of the dresser drawers and searched under the bed’s mattress. The cupboard was arranged by color, and apart from a box of photos and birthday cards, there was nothing but clothes.

Maybe the bathroom?Claudia used to hide money in a tampon box, the only place her alcoholic father was too scared to search.

Stella went through the vanity cupboards, but the tampon boxes sadly held no hidden messages or treasure.

Claudia had given the folder of information to Luca the day she had gone missing; maybe she was worried that she was getting too close. Stella shut her eyes and tried not to choke on the worry clawing up her throat.

Why hadn’t she come to me?

Maybe she was trying to protect her like she always had. Claudia hadn’t had Stella’s good fortune of growing up in a house where she was loved and cared for. Because of that, she was fiercely protective of Stella and Luca and had punched out more than one person on Stella’s behalf when they were growing up.

It was another reason why Stella had kept up with her self-defense. Having the wild Claudia fighting her battles all the time became too embarrassing.

A scratching at the wooden floorboards got Stella’s attention, and she hurried to make sure Dom wasn’t trashing the place. She found him in the lounge room. Once again, she was struck dumb at the sight of how big he was, but she quickly recovered after seeing something under the mat had caught his interest.

"Here, let me," Stella said, resting her hand on his golden paw to move it out of the way. He leaned into the touch as her hand traveled up his leg to his mane. She realized what she was doing and pulled her hand away.

"Sorry," she mumbled and lifted up the corner of the carpet. There was receipt paper stuck underneath it where it had blown off the small table Claudia used for her card readings. Dom shifted back until he was crouched beside her.

"It has the freshest scent on it out of anything in the apartment," he explained, and Stella flipped the paper over.

"Shit," she murmured, recognizing the symbol of the twin doves. There was a time and date written in pen on the back of it. It was the night Claudia had gone missing.

"What is it?" Dom asked.

"Her contact was from the Silver Doves. Bloody hell, Claudia."

Dom gave her a puzzled glance. "What is it? A club?"

"Like a rich boy like you doesn’t know." Stella snorted as she stood. Dom still looked so clueless she tried not to laugh. "It’s a brothel in Giudecca. An expensive one. You honestly don’t know?"

Dom raised a brow. "You seriously think I’ve ever needed to pay for sex?"

"Good point. I forgot who I was talking to." Stella rolled her eyes. "It’s also a good place to drink, gamble, and conduct shady business. If Claudia’s contact was from there, we might have a big problem on our hands. Silver Doves is famous for its discretion, and they protect their client’s secrets."

"Well, someone was willing to divulge a few to Claudia," Dom said, standing as well. "Maybe they will talk to us too."

"Us?" Stella laughed. "You can’t be serious. I’m not taking you to Silver Doves. The place would have a meltdown if you walked through their doors."

"That might be a good thing. It may make them willing to be as accommodating as possible," Dom argued with a smile that heated the back of her neck. Her eyes drifted to the open panels of his shirt, his red-and-black tattoo of interlocking shedus on display again. Her fingers reached out for it and, at the last second, moved to rebutton the panels of his shirt.

"Cover up, we’re leaving," she said, folding the paper up and tucking it into her bra. Dom’s eyes glittered with amusement again. "What? It’s the safest place for it."

"What else do you have hiding in there?" he asked as he fixed his clothes.

Stella batted her eyelashes. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"

"Yes," he replied, the barest hint of his dimples showing as he tried not to smile.

"Too bad." Stella turned off the lantern and locked the front door. She needed to get back out in public with him; closed doors were dangerous, especially when he looked at her like that. She was in such deep, deep shit.

"You’ve been really helpful tonight, but I can take it from here, Dom," Stella said when they were back in the winter air.

She started walking toward home. She needed to figure out how she was going to discover the owner of the handwriting.

Dom’s hand reached out and took hers, wrapping it around his forearm.

"What?"

"I’m escorting you home. Please don’t try and argue with me, Stella," he replied, his warm hand covering hers and holding it in place.

"I don’t need escorting."

"Indulge me. It will help me sleep better knowing you got home safely," Dom replied, something in his tone making her look up. "Is walking with me such a burden, misteriosa?"

No. It really wasn’t. And that was the problem.

"Well, I would hate to be the cause of you losing sleep," she said, giving him a small smile because she was weak.

"If only you knew how much sleep I’ve lost over you already," he replied, and her smile widened.

They walked in easy silence back through the square and towards the ferry dock on the Grand Canal. They stopped at the gate that led to the Vianello’s courtyard.

"So what time should I meet you tomorrow night?" Dom asked as he released her hand.

"I can go by myself, Dom. I’m a big girl," Stella said stubbornly.

"There is no way I am letting you walk in there by yourself, especially if it’s the last place Claudia was seen. Believe it or not, having me there might open doors that would be closed to you."

Dom leaned towards her, making her press back into the gate so she could keep eye contact.

"I won’t let you put yourself in unnecessary danger over this, Stella. We do this together, or I give it over to my own inquisitors. Something I should do anyway."

"Then why don’t you?" she asked in frustration.

"The inquisitors would ask questions that would expose you, that’s why. I won’t involve them until I absolutely have to. I really am trying to protect you, Stella."

"Why bother? I barely know you. I’m nothing to you."

Dom’s fierce expression shifted to something softer but no less intense as his fingers reached out to brush one of her stray curls behind her ear. "You’re not nothing, misteriosa."

Stella did everything she could not to press her cheek against his warm palm. Her mouth saved her before her body could betray her.

"Pick me up at 8 p.m., Aladoro, or I’ll leave without you."

Dom dropped his hand away and grinned. "It’s a date." Before she could react, he shifted and launched himself into the sky.

She ran out into the street and called out after him. "It’s not a date!"