Dominic's Nemesis (26 page)

“Perhaps he has, and is choosing to use it
now out of desperation.” Stephan shrugged. “But, he’s not lying
about the blackmail.”

“How do you know?” Dom inquired.

“I received a note demanding a large sum from
an unspecified person.” Stephan
’
s eyes sparkled but his tone he kept flat and
informative, as if he were relaying his agenda for the day. “Any
student at the university would be too wealthy to bother with
blackmail, and possibly too frightened of me to do so even were
they poor enough to warrant it. Also, the person is not educated,
so that rules out Greyson. In any case, the handwriting on
Greyson
’
s message is not
the same as the one I received. It only occurred to me last evening
that Montgomery is the most-likely culprit, though I doubt he knows
of our kinship, otherwise you
’
d have already received a similar request for funds
upon threat of his doing some harm to me.”

Cael immediately came to his
brother
’
s side, an
agitated hand lost in dark gold hair. “And you don
’
t tell me this?”

“I am of age, and I prefer to handle my own
affairs.”

“How have you handled it?” Dom was disturbed.
He
’
d been right to worry
about Montgomery targeting Stephan.

“I burned the note.” He shrugged, his
continence not wavering from his eerie calm. “Montgomery cannot
harm me. More like, his provoking me would result in my
accidentally killing him. The fact that he does n
o
t realize this is why I believe his threat
to expose me is a bluff.”

“A lesser man would have panicked.” Dom
admired such clarity of thought.

“Something more will need to be done about
him.” Ethan, who had thus far been a mere observer, asserted
himself into the conversation.

“Let
’
s wait and see what the reform board will do with
him first.” Dominic could tell by his tone that Cael had become
uneasy. “With each new incident, the picture we are painting of
Montgomery grows more alarming. He is shrewd and that makes him
dangerous. We should avoid a direct battle with him if at all
possible.”

Ethan and Stephan deferred.

“Agreed, then.” Why borrow trouble, Dom
concluded, when they already had enough to go around. “In the
meantime, Gideon requires my presence in Italy. Gabriel
’
s condition has not improved and
Uncle Fausto continues to make a nuisance of himself. I will be
leaving at sunset. Also, I have invited Stephan to be my permanent
houseguest and he has agreed. Cael, I realize this may come as a
shock, but he is no longer a child. Stephan, I would ask that you
look after Eden in my absence. You must promise me to safeguard
her.”

“She will not accompany you to Italy then?”
To Dom
’
s surprise,
Stephan showed more emotion than Cael. He sat up, then stood, an
enigmatic expression on his face.

Cael merely nodded.

“No. I wish it, but Nonna and the donnas will
not be kind to her. The situation with Gideon and Gabriel does not
permit them to entertain guests. Plus, I may not be able to astral
the whole way if I bring Eden along, and Gideon is impatient. Under
the circumstances, there is no choice but for her to remain here.
But if I know that she is protected I will rest easy.”

“Rest easy then. I would be honored to
protect what is yours.” He came forward, and offered a hand.
Dominic used it to pull his brother into a brief embrace. He noted
that Stephan seemed flushed…over-warm. Afterward, he watched him
ambled back to the sofa, shaken.

He directed his next statement to Ethan and
Cael. “Ethan, you and Cael, stay close at hand if at all possible.
Eden is not the only woman here in need of protection. There is
Kathleen and the servants to think of. Montgomery is not above
targeting the maids and whatnot. I’ll have none of that here. Ethan
if you feel strongly enough I will understand if you extract
Kathleen and protect her from you own home in town.”

“I will stay close.” Ethan promised. “With
the three of us keeping diligent watch, I believe everyone will be
safe.”

“I do not have to return immediately to
town.” Cael stated.

“That
’
s settled then. I have one last request. Cael, if
you and Stephan would excuse us, I must speak with Ethan.”

When they were alone, Ethan was the first to
speak. “You told Cael.”

“Yes.” He frowned. “I wouldn
’
t think he
’
d run to you and discuss it.”

“He didn
’
t. Nevertheless, it is obvious he knows. Another of
his headaches struck last night. Between his and
Kathleen
’
s malaise, I
scarcely slept a wink.”

“I should have known. When I let him see…he
retched.”

Ethan returned his frown. “But
that
’
s usually the sign
of an abating migraine.”

“This is one of the reasons I resisted
telling him. He feels too much.”

“Yes, empathy. It
’
s what makes him so effective with his patients. By
the way, what was it you wanted to ask of me?”

He hesitated, not sure his request
wasn
’
t a selfish one. If
Ethan had been awake the entire night attending to illness he was
tired and his ability, weakened. “Never mind. You need to
rest.”

“I
’
m fine. The migraine was easily remedied. Kathleen,
I could scarcely help except to hold her hair back. I spent most of
the night standing vigil. What is it?”

Ethan wore concern like a favorite suit.
Dominic almost smiled. He
’
d been doing a lot of that lately…resisting the
urge to smile,
having
the urge to begin with.

“Eden. I would like you to take away the
bruises on her throat and at her…” He did not avert his eyes,
knowing what his was about to reveal. Ethan would surely guess.
“…left hip and thigh.”

Concern drained, replaced by pleasant
surprise. “So that
’
s it,
then. You de-flowered her.”

It was as blunt a statement as he
’
d ever heard grace the lips of his
pristine brother. Perhaps Kathleen had managed to curdle
Ethan
’
s flawless manners
at last.

“We deflowered each other.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Nothing, everything…
I don’
t know. The feelings rage in one
direction and then the next. They don
’
t allow for common sense. I know I cannot
let her go.
” Just the
thought of losing her caused a pang. He looked down to find his
hand rubbed at the place over his heart. “She is mine now, a part
of me. It…it hurts to think of being without her.”

“Are you in love with her?” With his
question, hope sprang.

He let his hand fall to his side, trying to
get control of rioting insides. “Love is not a familiar emotion. Is
this how it was for you…with Kathleen?”

“Yes, at first. The feelings were confusing
and powerful.” He paused. Dominic waited as he searched for his
next words. “Kathleen was alluring, addictive. I had to have her,
always. The want is still there, but it has tempered with time. Do
not worry. If you love her, when you fall completely,
you
’
ll know.”

“But why must it be you?” She stamped her
slipper-clad foot against the be-rugged floor, hazel orbs ablaze.
“
You aren
’
t a doctor, you can do naught but
sympathize. Send Atherton or Dr. Raine.”

“Gabriel is not sick, nor is he insane.”

“Then what the devil is the matter with him
that only you can fix?!”

“Cara, please. He suffers. Do not force me to
choose between the two of you.”

He was beside himself. She saw the conflict
raging in him. If she continued on, she could probably break him.
He
’
d delay, at least
long enough to placate her, convince her that the trip could not be
avoided. But is that what she wanted? To nag at him like a shrew
until he surrendered. Somehow, it did not seem a wise precedent to
set for a marriage-minded lady, but she couldn
’
t help herself. In her head she knew her
demands were bratty, unreasonable, ruthless even…her
woman
’
s heart, however,
railed against his leaving. Had she a sibling to teach her the
concept of sharing, perhaps she could have resisted. At the moment,
there was but room for one person in her heart and he wanted to
leave her.

“Take me with you.”

“No.” The word slapped her in the face. He
wouldn
’
t bend on that
point, so she
’
d have to
work on keeping him here.

“Then, you have already chosen.”

“That is not true. I could not.”

She rounded on him, stalking forward,
narrowing her focus to just his bejeweled orbs. “You don’t want to
leave, I can see it in your eyes. You
’
re dreading it…being back in the very place where
those vile people hurt you. Stay here with me, where you
’
ll be safe from the memories. Tell
the one called Gideon to bring Gabriel to England. They are cruel
to make you go back there.”

“Ethan and Cael will be close at hand. And I
have also asked Stephan to watch over you. Please do not be
frightened of him. Stephan is—”

“The Sphinx does not scare me. He
’
s a lamb in wolf
’
s clothing.” She snapped, again stalking
to and fro. “Odd to be sure, but not frightening. It
’
s…”

Panic seized her, stopped her dead in her
tracks. Her fears must have showed because he was at her side in an
instant, pulling her flush with his hard, masculine strength.
“What? Tell me, Eden.”

She lifted her face to his. “Dom, what if
it
comes back? The evil thing. Or the visions.”

He exhaled. “The visions are of real people,
real events. Cael showed me your drawings. The woman and her infant
are dead now, but they lived on this estate before I acquired it
from her widower. She drowned trying to save her child who had
fallen in the marsh.”

She gestured the issue aside. “Yes, yes,
Atherton explained all that. But the entity, do you still think I
imagined it?”

Anguished, he stared down at her.
“I…
I…
Cael seems to think
there is an explanation other than insanity and I am happy to
embrace his theory over mine.”

“That does not answer
my question, Dominic.
”

“We will confront this issue when I return.”
He tightened his hold on her when she tried to recoil out of his
hold. She glared up to find pewter-sapphire sparks exploding with
intensity. “No. Hear me, cara, and heed my words. I will attend to
Gabriel for as long as he requires me. Do not assume that means
that you can escape me. Why do you believe I can be without you so
easily? That I
’
d choose
to leave when there was any other option. I want to have you right
now, beneath me, here on the floor of your chamber without
preamble. Do you require proof, then? Shall I strip your clothes
off, spread your legs and sink myself into your body to ease the
ache I feel. Does the image frighten you, cara? It does me. I
wonder…would you let me take you that way?”

“Yes, Dom…” She tilted heavily against him.
The curious dampness plagued her drawers once again. Was it
depraved to be aroused by such rough talk…to give herself to him in
whatever way he wished despite Kathleen
’
s warning, and the inevitable outcome?

Her breath hitched when his hand snaked out
to grasp hers and brought it to his trouser front. He hissed
through his teeth when she closed her fingers around him. His other
hand cupped the nape of her neck. “You will sleep in my bed until I
return. At night, I will come to you as often as I can. If I
don
’
t find you there, I
will shimmer to wherever you are and the devil take who sees me. Do
you understand me, Eden?”

She could do nothing but nod and accept the
searing kiss he blazed on her mouth an instant later.

His brother’s essence shone strong, but the
sharpness of the edges and the over-bright current swirling in the
center denoted no small amount of distress. Not only that, Dom saw
a minute difference in Gabriel
’
s essence. Impossible, yet undeniable. A new
element existed
.

As he suspected, Gideon hovered nearby, his
distress less obvious. Dominic stepped from the astral and into the
corporeal world. He knew immediately that the room in which he
stood belonged to one of the over fifty boasted by his childhood
home, an unwanted legacy his by birthright, the Castello di
Ambrosi.

The exaggerated surroundings reminded him of
scenery in a stage drama. Simple paintings wouldn
’
t do, the walls writhed with gilt murals
of great and tragic events. The mile-high ceiling was cluttered
with mosaic frescos. Gideon, at six-four, leaned against the lip of
the fireplace that stood tall enough for him to walk into without
stooping. Windows stretched from floor to ceiling. His twin Gabriel
lay in a canopied bed fit for the Almighty himself, complete with
wine-red drapery of the finest textured satin. The Prescotts of
London, who took gaudy elegance to new heights, would be jealous.
The only thing out of place was the makeshift cot in the opposite
corner of the room.

“It
’
s good to see you, Dominic…
all
of you.” The
taller man inclined a brow at him.

“Likewise.” He turned from Gideon and
approached the bed. “How is he? Any change?”