He knew I’d planned to stay on the west coast after graduation, and my plans were only solidified after meeting and falling in love with Adam. As fate would have it, however, it was my parents who dragged me back to New York City even after being the driving force that had pushed me across the country.
When they died, I moved back home for Nathan.
Although I’d intended to return to California and Adam, it was no surprise that I hadn’t been able to make the long distance work, and by the time Adam came to New York to drag me back home with him, I’d buried myself in my career to forget the grief and pain of lost time and memories.
I would have given anything for the opportunity to call my parents just one last time, to tell them everything I’d been too busy and selfish to bother communicating while at school. Now I’d give anything for the opportunity to call Nathan, to hear his voice and make him laugh. To listen to the creak of his floorboards to know if he was lying.
I’d never thought to relive the nightmare of losing my loved ones, but now Nathan was beyond my reach, too.
Of all the people I’d give anything to speak to again, I’d give anything not to speak to Dominic, but he was the one impatiently waiting on my call. This time, I’d better make long distance work even if it killed me, because if I didn’t, he just might.
I twisted the knob and shut the bathroom door quietly after Walker left. If Walker was right about anything, it was that the bathroom was the best place to achieve a modicum of privacy in a houseful of strangers. The toilet lid chilled my thighs through my thin dress pants as I lowered myself carefully. I tried to enjoy the relief of weight off my hip and let the icy hot patch perform its magic, but if I was honest with myself, sitting didn’t particularly feel any better than standing.
The phone only rang once before Dominic’s deep, gravelly voice answered. “You’re late.”
I winced. “No, ‘hello’? No, ‘How are you’? You might want to work on your phone etiquette.”
“Is it not etiquette to call promptly when one schedules a phone meeting?”
Even over the phone, my hair stood on end at his tone. The agreement had been two calls a night, one directly after sunset and the second before sunrise. According to Dominic, this schedule would assure him of my safety in his absence, but as most things according to Dominic, it was never quite that simple. I suspected his calls were also a tactic to keep me focused on the true purpose of my visit. Dominic couldn’t bully me in person without risking war with Bex’s coven, so bullying me over the phone was his next best option. The fact that he was able to obtain a phone and a service provider when he technically didn’t exist to the human population was beyond me, but so were so many things Dominic was capable of that I didn’t further question the anomaly.
This was going to be a long conversation if he was already referring to me in the third person. “It’s been a long, stressful, busy day, and I got caught up. I’m sorry that I called later than you demand—er, requested, but I’m here, calling you now.” And regretting it, I thought. I shifted my weight on the toilet seat, and the blazing grind of my hip encompassed my body like a vice.
“Are you well?”
I clenched my teeth against the pain and spoke when I thought I could enunciate clearly and without cursing. “I’m fine.”
Dominic was so silent on his end that I couldn’t even hear him breathing. Assuming he was choosing to breathe.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
“Did Bex herself harm you or one of her coven?” Dominic asked casually, but I could hear the dangerous undercurrent in his voice.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning,” I teased. Vampires slept in beds, not coffins, but apparently, he didn’t find my jab at vampire lore as funny as I did.
“You have yet to answer my question, Cassidy,” Dominic pressed. “Are you well?”
I doubted that he could exert his mind tricks over the phone and without eye contact, but I swore that even without the in-person influence, his voice had a weighty pull as he spoke my name. “I’m as well as I ever am.”
“Elaborate.”
“Bex didn’t hurt me and neither did any of her coven.” Slicing a lock of my hair hadn’t hurt, so that was true enough. “Like I said, it was just a long day.”
Dominic was silent. Normally, I could hold my silence just fine, but with the threat of him blaming Bex or Walker looming between us, I gave in.
“A long day on my feet. My hip quit on me hours ago.”
Dominic was silent a moment longer, but his voice lost its edge when he spoke. “Your pain must be quite severe for you to admit its presence.”
I pursed my lips. “I don’t know if I’d categorize it as ‘severe,’ but yes, it’s worse than usual.” I sighed heavily. “Worse than ever, actually. It’s beginning to affect my daily activities, more than I can ignore for much longer.” I laughed to lighten the mood. “Too bad you can’t just lick my hip and heal me, huh?”
“You think I wouldn’t if I could?” Dominic said, his voice low and thick.
I didn’t know what to say, stunned by the emotion in his words. “I, well—”
“They have surgery now for your condition,” he interrupted. “It can reduce the bone spurs and scar tissue associated with advanced early arthritis after an injury. I’m told that it can delay further symptoms and temporarily relieve pain, especially in young, otherwise healthy patients.”
I gaped for a moment before I could gather my wits enough to respond. I’d never thought of Dominic considering human medicine or of me in that way. “What do you know about my condition?”
“Although painful, your condition is no longer an injury. But there are other options to consider. You don’t have to live with the pain.”
“Bex approached me today,” I said, switching gears. Scary, when vampires become the choice topic of conversation.
Dominic let it go. “As I suspected she would. She enjoys exerting her control. How was her approach?”
I frowned. “How do you mean?”
“Did she threaten you? Did she issue any demands for me through you? I wasn’t sure how receptive she would be to your presence.”
“Bex was friendly compared to the reception I received from your coven,” I said. “No broken bones or bloodshed.”
Dominic snorted.
“She invited me to dinner tomorrow night.”
Silence.
“Hello? Domin—”
“She what?” he asked sharply.
“Um,” I delayed, trying to fathom how my statement could have angered him. “She invited me to dinner?”
“Pack and return home now,” he ordered.
“What? Home to the city?”
“Yes.”
I blinked. “What are you talking about? I just got here.”
“I don’t trust that she has invited you willingly