Chapter 8

CHAPTEREIGHT

At 8:30 p.m. the following evening, Dom had to accept the reality that he had been stood up. He knocked on the doors of the Vianello palazzo, half tempted to kick them in.

Eventually, a side door opened, and a young man poked his head out.

"Oh shit!" Luca squeaked and closed the door again, sliding the bolt shut as Dom banged on it.

"Where is she?" Dom shouted through the wood.

"She said she was going to meet you at Silver Doves."

"Cazzo! What time was that?"

"I don’t know. About an hour ago?"

Dom’s hands clenched into fists. "And you let her go alone?"

"She said she was going with you!" Luca shouted back.

"Where on Giudecca is the brothel, Luca?"

"Go to the Giudecca Palanca docks. Silver Doves is on the waterfront. Trust me, Signor Aladoro, you can’t miss it."

"I better not, Luca, or I’ll be back for you," Dom promised, before he headed back to where he had docked his boat.

Cazzo! He couldn’t shift without ruining the suit he was wearing, so he had no choice but to still go by sea.

Why would she risk herself like this?Does she have a death wish?

If Claudia’s kidnappers didn’t get to her first, Dom might lock her up for her own good...and for his sanity. He untied his boat and stepped back into the warm cabin.

He should have known that Stella would risk going without him. He had been so caught up in her lovely green eyes the night before that he’d forgotten who he was dealing with.

She had no sense of self-preservation, especially if she thought pissing him off was a good idea.

Luca had been right about not being able to miss Silver Doves. With his shedu eyes, Dom picked out the blue and silver facade while he was still crossing the lagoon.

A small fortune of colored artificer lights illuminated the place in elegant starbursts, showing the way to the private dock and the oversized bouncers prowling around the entrance. Two girls dressed in silver and blue capes were greeting patrons on their way in.

Dom straightened his shoulders. Time to be an arrogant, entitled prick. Whatever would get him in the door unsuspected.

He needed to find Stella, and quickly. A small ball of panic had started growing inside him at the thought of her being taken before he could reach her. Fury ignited his veins into burning fire. He would literally tear Venice apart until he found her and turn her kidnappers into tiny bloody smears.

What the fuck is wrong with you?

Dom had never felt such a surge of protective rage for anyone else but his mother. For all he knew, Stella wasn’t even missing. She could’ve been fine.

He held on to that thought, schooled his face, and maneuvered the boat into the dock. He tossed the rope to a waiting attendant. The young man tied it off before offering him a hand.

"Master Aladoro, welcome," he said politely. Dom tossed him a silver soldo and gave him a nod.

Almost instantly, the people waiting in line to get in, the bouncers, and the greeters, all paused to stare at him.

Dom ignored the line and kept walking as the bouncers unclipped the silver rope to let him in.

He had spent his entire life avoiding places like this in order to protect his reputation and not get into any compromising positions to protect himself from blackmail.

And now he was risking all of that to find a girl who had stood him up.

You must be losing your mind.

He had felt that way since he had met her, and it was getting worse.

Inside, the elegant foyer presented dark blue walls muraled with silver doves. Women dressed in the house colors were waiting with trays of champagne. The doors opened and an older woman, immaculately dressed in a scarlet gown, moved to take his coat and pass it to the nearest attending girl.

"Master Aladoro, what an honor," she said in a silky voice. "I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of hosting you at my establishment."

"I’ve heard such good things, signora, I had to come and see for myself." Dom took the madame’s hand, kissing her knuckles.

She looped her arm around his. "Please, call me Ursula. What can I find to interest you tonight? I have the best range of girls in the whole Republic, including some mage-altered exotics if that is more to your liking."

Exotics in a brothel. Mio Dio.

Exotics were people who usually started out as non-magical humans and paid a mage or sorcerer to give them wings or cat ears or a tail, whatever alteration they wanted.

What had started out as illegal magical experimentation was now a sought-after beauty surgery.

"I’m actually here for the gambling and not the girls, though I am sure they are all lovely, Ursula," Dom replied, not wanting to offend.

"Well, you can always change your mind as the night progresses."

Ursula led him past a thick velvet curtain, where they were soon surrounded by gaming tables with people spending too much money and drinking too much imported booze.

On a stage to his right, beautiful girls in outfits made out of peacock feathers were performing a suspended acrobatics dance and wowing the crowd beneath them.

"You can exchange coin for chips from any table you like, Master Aladoro. I’ll make sure they’re all ready to accommodate you," Ursula said with a charming smile. "Do let any of my girls know if you need anything at all."

"Grazie, mia bella donna,"he replied, giving her back his best smile. She flicked out a lace fan to cool herself.

"The girls will be ever so sad that you’re not here for them," she teased dramatically, and with a wink in farewell, left to continue working the crowd.

Dom headed for the nearest bar for a drink to give the appearance of relaxing. He let his expression flatten into pleasant boredom, his go-to for social affairs where he knew no one.

He was accepting a glass of amber scotch when he heard Stella laugh. He hadn’t heard that sound since Carnevale, but his ears just about twitched in recognition.

Dom’s head snapped up and zeroed in on a woman laced into one of the silver-and-blue corset dresses the wait staff and attendees all wore. Silver clips held up her golden hair, and a small pair of blue wings had been painted on her cheek. Even with so much makeup, he knew it was her.

She was carrying a tray in one hand, handing out drinks and flirting with a group of men at the poker tables.

As if Stella sensed him watching, she looked up in his direction. Her painted eyes went from wide surprise to heavy-lidded seduction.

He couldn’t believe it when her lovely pink lips rose in a smirk, eyelashes fluttering in a come-hither glance.

She had stood him up, endangered her life, and now was outright provoking him?

I am actually going to kill her, Dom thought as he watched her glide confidently around the patrons, not breaking eye contact with him.

When she got nearer, her gaze slid over him so hotly that his beast stirred inside of him. She moved up to the bar and placed her tray beside him.

"So you finally found me," she said.

"I thought we had agreed to meet at eight?" Dom replied under his breath so that only she could hear.

Stella’s beautiful bare shoulder lifted in a half shrug. "I changed my mind and came up with a better plan."

"To get a job here?" Dom barely kept the growl out of his voice.

"I’m only filling in, and no one’s questioned it. They will, however, if you keep looking at me like…like you are."

Dom angled towards her and whispered in her ear, "And how am I looking at you?"

Stella’s breath hitched. "Like you’re not sure whether you want to fuck me or kill me."

"How very perceptive of you. I wonder which impulse will win. I’ve got half a mind to throw you over my shoulder and walk out of here right now."

Stella’s green eyes narrowed. "You wouldn’t dare."

Dom lifted his glass to his lips. "Keep testing my patience and fondness for you, and you’ll find out exactly what I am capable of."

"Trust me, Dom, I know what I’m doing. I’ll find out who met with Claudia. I just need you to not blow my cover with your predator shifter bullshit. Let me do this my way. You’re too damn noticeable."

Dom was about to reach out for her when Arkon appeared through the crowd. "Aladoro! My, my, this is a surprise."

"See? I told you," Stella said, picking up her tray. "Trust me, Dom, I got this."

Stella moved off as soon as Arkon reached him. Dom couldn’t tear his eyes away from her perfect ass as it swayed back into the press of people. Arkon followed the look and laughed.

"Let me fill you in one of the house rules, lion cub. Ursula has many fine fillies in her stable, but the ones in silver and blue are off-limits. Get caught propositioning them, and it will earn you a black eye. I had to go through three black eyes to learn that."

Dom grinned. "Three black eyes? You didn’t stop after the first one?"

"What can I say? If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again," Arkon replied, making Dom laugh out loud.

"Thanks for the warning, Grand Sorcerer, but I am more interested in the cards tonight than the girls."

"Yes, and I’m sure she had a straight flush pinned to her ass to make you so interested in it." Arkon accepted his fresh drink from the barman. "What are you really doing here, Dom?"

"Your advice the other day about needing some fun to get over my misery really resonated with me. This place came highly recommended, so here I am."

"Santa Maria, have mercy if you ever think taking my advice is a good idea!" Arkon said.

"Why wouldn’t I? You are meant to be the Doge’s top adviser."

"I may advise Gio, but even he knows when to take me seriously and when not to." Arkon’s grey eyes studied him, and Dom did his best not to squirm. "You’re worried about something. What is it?"

"Nothing that should concern you, sorcerer," Dom replied.

"You’re right. Cards and more drinks. And then you can tell me after I take all your money," Arkon said and led him to a table.

* * *

An hour later,they sat drinking in a quiet booth after Arkon had won nearly all of Dom’s money, as predicted.

He didn’t resent him for winning. Dom was enjoying the sorcerer’s company too much, and he welcomed the distraction of their games—anything to keep him from worrying over Stella.

The booth showed a full view of the room, and while he had glimpsed her a few times, he had promptly looked away each time to avoid getting caught in another staring competition. One that would give their association away and make his heart do strange things.

Like you’re not sure if you want to fuck me or kill me, Stella had said. Wasn’t that the truth? God, she could read him far too well already.

"All right, Dom, dazzle me with your problems," Arkon said, snapping Dom out of his daydream.

Could he trust Arkon enough to tell him the truth? Even a little?

"Have you received any petitions or letters lately concerning people getting kidnapped in the city?" Dom asked, diving right in.

"I’m not sure. I tend not to read my mail. A lot of people write to me thinking I have the time or inclination to fix their problems. Why do you ask?"

"I do read my mail, and a message about it passed my desk," Dom lied. "I’ve started looking into it, and it turns out there may be something here. All of the disappearances have happened in the past eighteen months, under similar circumstances. And yet there has been no official investigation. I think the Coins inquisitors are getting bribed."

"A hefty accusation. Have you talked to Rodrigo about it?" Arkon asked.

"No. I don’t want to involve him until I have something more concrete. I know House of Coins people like to go to you when they don’t get what they want out of their Council members, so I thought I’d ask if you knew anything about it." Dom leaned back into the soft velvet chairs. "If you don’t know, don’t worry about it."

Arkon rolled a playing chip over his fingers thoughtfully. "I can have a look if you think it’s something really worth worrying about."

"It is. I just want to do it right, so no one thinks I’m overstepping."

"Wouldn’t want that, would we? Rodrigo looks ready to have a panic attack every time you do something he hasn’t approved of."

Dom shrugged, but his stomach lurched. Rodrigo’s temper was something he tried to avoid, even as a grown man.

If his father found out Dom was at a brothel with Arkon, he would never hear the end of it. To say nothing of his secret partnership with Stella. "That’s Rodrigo for you. Always a control freak."

"I’ll keep my ear to the ground," Arkon assured him. "Oh look, there’s that pretty girl again that can’t keep her eyes off you," he added with a wry smile.

Dom looked up and saw Stella on the other side of the room near the doors leading outside. She gave him a wink and a triumphant smile before ducking out.

"Shit. I have to go," Dom said, draining his drink.

"Of course you do." Arkon laughed. "Enjoy that black eye. I’m sure she’ll be worth the pain."

"Every second," Dom agreed and hurried after her. It took him longer to get through the crowded gaming floor than expected, and by the time he got outside, Stella was already gone.

And so, he realized, was his boat.