Dakotah's Reading

CHAPTER 6

Dakotah woke up with Domino pressed tightly against her back, his arm draped over her side, insurance that she’d stay put.

Or maybe she woke up pressed tightly against his chest, snuggled close as though needing Domino’s warmth and intimacy.

Either way, it was a first. To wake up in someone’s arms.

She lay still for long moments, savoring it, thinking about it, wondering if it was an illusion. Wondering if the night before had really been about more than sex.

It was daytime now. She could feel it even though heavy drapes covered the windows.

Dakotah turned in Domino’s arms, surprise filling her when she realized that she could see him as clearly as if the room had been flooded with sunlight. The knowledge that she’d gained another edge, one she might need to survive, pleased her, but it also made her wonder what other changes had occurred from taking his blood.

Uneasiness skittered along her spine when she thought about how difficult it had been for her to leave him and go to the campground. How she’d almost felt relieved when it became obvious that Fane and Cable intended to take her back to Domino, whether she was willing or not.

And yet despite her misgivings, her doubts, Dakotah’s womb fluttered as she looked at Domino’s ultramasculine features. Her body grew heavy as need and lust gathered, pulsing through her veins in thick, slow waves, like blood-red water pulled from a deep internal well.

She had so many questions. Questions she needed answers to.

Dakotah shivered, remembering the nightmare days after surviving Anthony Hale’s attack. The lost memories. The lost periods of time. Waking up naked and covered in blood. The terror she’d experienced, wondering if she’d learn that the wolf had killed a child or an innocent. The relief each time there’d been no whisper of lives lost.

There was so much blood on her hands. But none of it coated her conscience.

There were so many things she’d had to do in order to survive. Choices forced on her and she could live with them, burying them in the darkness of the past as she kept moving into the future.

She’d made the decision to return to the clearing, to help Domino back to the house. And yet she still had no idea what that decision had cost her.

She needed to know. Needed to deal with it.

The smell of bacon and coffee drifted in, diverting her thoughts, drawing her attention away from the man next her. Her sense of smell and her hearing expanded so that she knew there was only one person in the kitchen. Kiziah. The footsteps were light, and there was a faint, feminine smell underneath that of the bacon and coffee.

Dakotah slipped from the bed and dressed, taking her backpack with her as she left the bedroom. Kiziah looked up from the stove when she walked in, her face turning pink with embarrassment before she ducked her head and mumbled, “There’s enough for two if you want something to eat.”

It took Dakotah a second to realize what was causing the other woman’s face to flame with color. She almost laughed. Though the sound of it would have held more pain than amusement.

Fuck. There’d been no room in her life for shyness or sensibilities when it came to sex. No room for shame unless she wanted it to destroy her.

Dakotah moved to the counter and retrieved a coffee mug from the cabinet, feeling suddenly awkward, her mind scrambling for something to say to put Kiziah at ease. Finally deciding to part with a measure of truth, even if the words tasted bitter on her tongue. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. At least what you’ve got with them is real. Most of what I’ve seen and done isn’t.”

Kiziah’s head jerked up, her face flushing again, though her eyes widened with surprise and a measure of confusion. “You’re Domino’s…you’re going to be his kadine. I think it doesn’t get any more real than that.”

Dakotah’s heart raced at the words but she shrugged. “I don’t know what I am to him yet. I helped him out when he was in a jam and he almost killed me in return.”

“You’re not terrified of him, or of Fane,” Kiziah said and there was a wealth of curiosity in her voice.

“I’ve seen a lot scarier things.”

Kiziah’s mouth gaped slightly. She reached for a couple of plates, filling them both with bacon, eggs and toast before handing one of them to Dakotah. “I know it’s closer to dinnertime. I’m still adjusting to being up during the night and sleeping during the day.”

They moved to the kitchen table. Dakotah said, “So they sleep during the day?”

“If they stay in their human form.” Kiziah buttered her toast, hesitating. “They…evaporate…for lack of a better word in sunlight, though I guess Domino has a choice between changing into a wolf or turning into tiny particles.”

Dakotah stilled, surprised Kiziah knew Domino could shift his form, though she probably shouldn’t have been. “What about Fane?”

Kiziah shook her head. “Fane’s just Fane. Cable told me there are certain lines of vampires and dhampirs who have other shapes. You’re either born with the ability or you’re not.”

Dakotah remembered Fane’s words. She remembered the pull he had on her knives. She’d already guessed what Domino’s special ability was, but she wanted to hear it confirmed. “Fane’s talent is knives. Domino’s is hypnotism, isn’t it?”

Kiziah shuddered. “Oh yeah.”

“He’s done it to you?”

“The first time I encountered him. Then a second time, the night I met Fane.”

Dakotah picked up a piece of bacon. After she’d finally gained control of the wolf, she’d haunted libraries and bookstores, reading everything she could about the supernatural, though not believing most of it. “I thought dhampirs were supposed to be vampire hunters.”

“They can be. But mainly they’re soldiers for the vampire race until they go through The Transformation and become vampires themselves. Fane and Domino were both dhampir. Cable was—is—well, I’m not sure what his status is now. Before Fane made him a companion, Cable was a padrall, a member of an order that has served vampires since the very beginning. He was born into it.” Kiziah took a sip of coffee. “I guess it’s no surprise that if vampires and dhampirs and padralls exist then there are also secret societies like the Believers that try and kill them—or anyone associated with them.” She shuddered. “But you already know that. While I was visiting some of my friends at the campground, Cable and Fane were getting rid of the bodies of the two men who attacked you in the woods.”

Dakotah frowned as worry filled her. Even though she’d heard them use the word Believers, she’d thought they were ordinary scum trying to earn fast money by turning her over to Victor Hale. But if there were more of them… She clamped down on her fear before it could grow and paralyze her. “You’re sure they were members of some secret society?”

“Did they have elaborate crosses tattooed on their necks?”

Dakota nodded and remembered the other men she’d seen hanging around the carnival, not just in Ashberg but in the town before, Kenton, men who’d had the same tattoo.

“Fane says that the Believers in the United States favor the cross tattoos.” Kiziah smiled tentatively. “You don’t have to worry about them, at least for a while. Supposedly those are the last of them in the area.”

Dakotah shrugged. The last of the Believers maybe. But she had a feeling the place would soon be overrun with werewolves.

Her nostrils flared slightly, taking in Kiziah’s scent. Human and something else. Just as Cable’s was now. She had no way of knowing whether they were strong enough to survive a werewolf attack, and yet if her trail led to them, Victor Hale or his men wouldn’t think twice about killing them or trying to use them to find her.

“You should leave Ashberg and stay away from the carnival,” Dakotah said. “I’ve got enemies hunting me.”

Kiziah’s coffee cup wobbled slightly. “What kind of enemies?”

Dakotah hesitated, not used to sharing information about herself. But she didn’t know yet what she was going to do. Whether she was going to stay or go. If she left, she wanted a clear conscience, or as much of one as she could manage. “Werewolves.”

“They exist too?” Kiziah put the coffee cup down quickly, as though she was worried about dropping it, then laughed softly. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I guess I’ve still got a lot to get used to.” Heat rushed to her face. “Fane and Cable have been a big adjustment.”

Curiosity got the better of Dakotah. The need to understand her own situation along with the sense that Kiziah was willing to talk opened a door Dakotah rarely allowed herself to acknowledge, much less touch. Even before she’d killed Anthony Hale and started running, she’d learned the hard way not to ask others about their lives or to share the details of her own.

“Fane and Cable hung out at the carnival for a while,” Dakotah said. “I was surprised to see them with a woman.”

Kiziah’s color heightened. “I was a surprise to them too. Especially to Fane.” She met Dakotah’s eyes. “Has Madame Helki ever given you a reading?”

Dakotah grimaced and Kiziah laughed. “Did she predict Domino? I think she saw Cable and Fane in my cards. And the reading she did for Cable led him to me.”

“She’s a meddlesome old woman,” Dakotah said without heat, uncomfortable at how accurate the fortune-teller’s predictions had become.

Kiziah cocked her head and grinned. “So she gave you a reading?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t want to talk about it.”

Dakotah couldn’t help but laugh. Kiziah reminded her of Sarael. Both of them openhearted, willing to talk or listen but also willing to back off.

She relented, touching the bite mark on her neck. “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that Helki predicted Domino.”

“Well, good luck with him. I’m just glad I have Cable to help me with Fane. If you haven’t already guessed, vampires are hard-wired to…control their women. And it doesn’t help that they can read your thoughts, shuffle through your memories and freeze you in place with a command.” Kiziah laughed, flushing with color, before adding, “But there are compensations.”

Dakotah reached for her coffee cup as she tried to still the riot of emotion and thought swirling inside her. Her gut churned at the idea of Domino—or anyone—seeing her memories, seeing the things she’d had to do to survive. “Can you read Fane’s thoughts?”

“Yes. And Cable’s. We’re all connected now.” She hesitated then added, “It happens after the third exchange.”

Dakotah frowned, myth and reality at odds in her mind. Her senses told her Kiziah and Cable were still partially human while Fane and Domino weren’t human at all. “You’re not a vampire.”

“No. I’m different than I was. Fane’s blood changed me. But I’ll never be vampire. Neither will Cable. They can’t fully convert humans, though they can adapt us.” Kiziah grimaced. “And they can give us a major headache. At least that’s what a certain vampire who claims it’s Domino’s responsibility to tell you what you need to know is doing right now.”

“Fane’s wrong. I’m not Domino’s responsibility. He helped me out, I helped him out. We’re even and free to go our separate ways.”

Kiziah’s eyebrows drew together. “It’s not safe to do that. He’s sexually bonded to you. And you’ll attract a lot of unwanted attention until you’ve made the second exchange and can control the pheromones. Even then they can get out of hand. At least with the third it becomes more natural, so you don’t have to think about it.” Kiziah sighed. “Not that I ever go anywhere alone anymore.” She stood and gathered her dishes, carrying them to the sink.

Dakotah did the same, thinking about what she’d learned, mad at herself for feeling…hollow inside at the prospect of Domino wanting her only because he’d sexually bonded himself to her. He hadn’t meant to—she wasn’t going to lie to herself about it. He didn’t know her. Though he would—all too well if he could see her memories. And then what? She guessed there was no such thing as an amicable divorce from a vampire. “I’m going to head out for a while,” she said, and felt both the wolf’s and Domino’s protest.

The silverware Kiziah was washing clattered to the bottom of the sink. “Don’t. I mean, if you need to get out of the house for awhile, at least let Cable and I go with you.”

Dakotah pushed away from the counter. “Thanks for the offer, but I need some space.” She could feel Domino struggling, concentrating, and she guessed he was trying to take his wolf form. If he succeeded, he’d have her pinned before she could get out of the front door. If she left on foot, he’d just track her down.

She grabbed her backpack and delayed long enough to take his car keys. The wolf howling in protest as she drove away, the first hints of Domino’s will pressing in on her, demanding that she return.

She fought the wolf. She fought him. She fought herself and kept going, driving to the beach. Glad for the cold and the fog that was already starting to form as it got closer to sunset. It was weather guaranteed to keep people inside.

She hadn’t been lying. She needed space, time.

For a long while she just sat in Domino’s car, surrounded by his scent. Taking comfort in it though she saw it as a weakness in herself—a weakness she didn’t have the energy to fight.

In her mind’s eye she replayed events and conversations, analyzed them. Once again saw the spread of tarot cards. Death. Strength. The Emperor. Heard her challenge to Domino in the woods. I don’t care what the tarot cards say. And she hadn’t.

They only give one possibility, she’d once told Sarael. You can change that truth. And she’d believed her own words. Ignored both the promise and the warning that The Emperor card presented.

And in the end she had not only walked right into the future Helki predicted but escaped it and then willingly returned—twice.

Dakotah rubbed her heart. The tight knot returning when she thought about Kiziah’s revelations. About Domino having access to her memories. Memories she never visited.

A cold shiver slid up her spine at the idea of his gaining control to the point he could freeze her in place with a thought. That was more threatening than his ability to hypnotize—something she’d avoided thinking about.

Dakotah forced herself from the car. Forced herself to leave the warmth and security, the comfort. To step out into the cold. The act a physical reminder of her reality.

She walked. Not far. Just far enough to come to a decision.

Both Cable and Kiziah had told her she’d be fighting men off wherever she went. She had no reason to doubt them and every reason to believe them. Her blood burned, her body felt different, was different. And yet there had to be a way to turn it to her advantage—just as she’d done with the wolf. To use what she’d gained from Domino to help her survive. To help her do more than just survive.

For the first time since she’d learned that Victor Hale was determined to make her pay for killing his son, Dakotah let herself believe she could do more than just run and hide, do more than fight to the death when cornered. If she could gain control of the pheromones, use the vampire lure to get through the men Victor had guarding him, then she could end it once and for all.

One more death, just a little more blood on her hands and it’d be settled.

Or maybe she’d be dead.

Either way, she could stop running—at least from Victor Hale.

Domino was a different story. He may have ordered her to leave once and allowed her to leave a second time, inadvertently let her escape this time, but she doubted he would let her get away from him again.

Their wolves might claim to be mated. Domino himself may have come to accept it—but right now he was operating on the physical level, doing what nature had programmed him to do. She wished it was more than that. And for an instant, longing coiled around in her chest, wrapping her in hope—just as it had when Helki read the cards. But just like then, she tossed it off.

She wasn’t ready to trust in the cards. She wasn’t going to roll over and expose her belly and neck. To risk her heart.

Dakotah got in the car, grimacing at the thought of encountering Helki. But the carnival was the safest place to go, at least for what she had in mind. She couldn’t gain control over the pheromones by walking into a bar. The situation would be too unpredictable, too dangerous. Not that it would be fun fighting off carnies she’d come to think of as friends. But she thought she could subdue them without killing them. And though the prospect of asking Helki for help made Dakotah grind her teeth, she would ask for it if she had to.

If she could find the old fortune-teller and the carnival.

Dakotah got out of the car and looked around at the empty, moonlit field where only a day before the carnival had been set up.

The scent of it remained. Hot dogs and cotton candy. Metal and fuel. The unique smells of hundreds of strangers mixed with those of the carnies Dakotah had traveled with for the last year.

It got to her. Made her feel raw. The unexpectedness of seeing emptiness where her world had been solid and real was like a chilling glimpse into the future. And she turned away from it, had only a fleeting second to become aware of sound and movement before the sharp sting of a dart slammed into her chest, the tranquilizer taking effect, pulling her into darkness even as she ripped it from her body.

Domino came out of the bedroom growling, bristling, ready to bite when Fane shimmered into place in front of Kiziah, his eyes alight with amusement.

Cable walked in a second later. “We’ll help you find her,” he said, skirting Domino and Fane in order to kiss Kiziah.

Fane grinned. “We’ll help you after you drink your herbs. And while you do it, I’ll regale you with advice on the claiming and taming of a kadine so that you’ll be more successful the next time we return her to you.”

Kiziah reached over and pinched Fane’s naked ass cheek. “Or better yet, you’ll go get dressed before you make Domino mad enough to castrate you while I cheer him on. The claiming and taming of a kadine. That’s not a story you’re going to be telling anytime soon.”

Cable laughed, hugging Kiziah’s back to his chest as he curled his hand around Fane’s forearm, pulling him into the embrace, teasing Fane by saying, “We’re still on our honeymoon. It’s not a good thing to upset your wife when you’re on your honeymoon.” He glanced down at Fane’s erection. “Unless you plan on going back to same-sex-only encounters.”

Fane growled, kissing both Cable and Kiziah, then shimmered out of sight.

Kiziah sighed. “I’m sorry, Domino. I…”

Domino shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t say anything wrong. I’m grateful to you for telling her what you did. And for learning something about her enemies.”

Cable rubbed his cheek against Kiziah’s hair. “I can make enquiries. She’s got your mark on her neck. The Weres don’t want a war with the vampires. I can get the word out that she belongs to you.”

Domino grimaced. “No doubt the story of my failure to hold on to my bride will grow with each telling.”

Fane strolled in, zipping his jeans. “Or you could simply let her go and endure the herbs. You have long claimed you don’t want a kadine. Her lifespan is short against our own. With her death you’d be a free man again.”

Domino’s eyes flashed to red. His lips pulled back to reveal deadly fangs. “She is mine and she won’t escape that fate.”

Fane grinned, stopping next to Domino and offering his wrist in a gesture of trust. “Then perhaps you’d better feed so we won’t need a leash when we go out in public with you.”