Page 26 of The Fate of Black Hearts

Straightening, he didn’t show an ounce of pain or weakness as he left to do what she asked.

“Thank you.” The weight of her gaze on himweakened Dom’s resolve to say no to whatever made him unable to stop watching over her.

With a swallow, he realized this had progressed far beyond want and into an obsessive desire to fuck her so hard neither of them would even be tempted to leave the bed for days. Something in his chest squeezed with a familiar feeling that terrified him.

Out of habit, he pressed his hand into the cilice around his thigh to make it bite deep into his skin. The potion painted onto its links had to suppress this desire. It was a reminder and an atonement. As usual, it did nothing to dimmish what he felt for her.

This emotion was everything the Conclave warned him they monitored. Him being here put her at risk. This would cause too many ripples in the Source.

She quirked her lips into a lopsided grin. This was a new look from her. “Are you okay? You look like you swallowed a rotten apple.”

“Me?” he croaked out. No one cared about him. Nobody was ever there to save him. No one ever asked about his welfare. Except for her.

Escape. His energy waned after so much effort—travels to the in-between, healing her, and then relocating a demonic curse. This must be the reason he was going soft in his head.

He snapped, “Don’t visit me anymore. We’re even. You go your way. I’ll go mine. We’re done.” He forced himself to leave, disappearing to the in-between and then home.

He couldn’t follow her or watch her anymore.

Pain burned deep inside him.

He’d ignore it. He had to.

Chapter Eight

1902,TWELVE HOURS LATER…

“Who were you speaking to at the house? Who was it that I couldn’t see?” Efrem lay on his back next to her on top of the covers on his bed. They both stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, which had a few cracks in the plaster.

“Why don’t we focus on our next step?” They had each switched out driving the carriage on the long, rough ride from Poland across the border into Germany. A journey that should’ve taken four hours had taken six with the amount of snow on the ground. Tacitly, they agreed not to discuss anything in front of Roman other than the need to get home. She expected Roman to conk out the second they arrived, but he was busy packing “the essentials” since they planned to spend no more than a few hours here. They’d stay until the younger ones were awake. She anticipated the baby would be awake in an hour or two, hungry or wet. They struggled to feed him cow’s milk today. She wouldn’t be able to nurse for many months. Perhaps, they could find a wet nurse for him in the next few days.

“Are you capable of speaking with ghosts?” he pressed.

She threw a hand across her eyes.

“We don’t keep secrets, not ones like this.” He waved his hands above him to prompt more information. “I know you’re not insane. I also know something kicked Willem in the balls and knocked him out. It wasn’t you.”

“I got some help to get free of a demon spell that either my mother or Willem must’ve put on me. Maybe they did it together, but it reeks of my mother’s type of magic.”

“Is this a friendly someone you’re going to see again?”

I don’t know. I wish I could see him again.“Probably not.”

“This spell did what to you?”

“It put a permanent glamour on me. It also seemed to make me constantly feel bleak and helpless.”

He fisted his hands. “You should’ve let me kill Willem.”

“Next time we see him, if I don’t kill him first, you can. I couldn’t today. The curse might’ve bounced back onto me or onto you or Roman.” She needed to make plans for a next step, such as where to run to next. “Where do we go that he can’t find us?”

“I own a house.” He rolled to face her with a cocky smirk.

“You what? How’s that possible?” When she found him as an adolescent, Efrem had been shunned by his family, badly wounded, and starving. He’d come to her with nothing and certainly didn’t have any hidden wealth.

“I saved money and made a few investments toprepare for this moment. I’ve done quite well for us.”

“You’re a master chess player. I’m impressed.” She hit his shoulder with hers.