Dominic's Nemesis (39 page)

“I was not wholly successful in protecting
her.” Still breathing heavily, Stephan gestured to her person.

“Liar!” She spewed at Stephan before turning
pleading hazel eyes up to his face. “He fell on me with the intent
to rape, thinking I would be too ashamed and frightened afterward
to tell of it. He even went so far as to brag that even if I
attempted to expose him, no one would believe it. Dominic, you
believe me don
’
t
you?”

* * *

Dom hesitated, glancing from his
brother
’
s flush face and
the ransacked library to Eden
’
s sincere mien. His brother could be rash,
impulsive even, though his recent behavior was anything but.
Stephan
had
shown a certain predilection for Eden. Could it
be possible? His heart railed against the idea. He would have to
think on it logically, and at a less emotionally charged moment.
Seeing his pregnant fiancée, whom he loved dearly, penned beneath
his brother was not an image he wanted fresh in his mind when
trying to decide who to believe.

“Cael…I-”

“Tread carefully.” Came his
brother
’
s warning.
“Stephan is out-of-sorts.”

For the first time since he
’
d arrived on the estate his brother looked
like his old self: hair messed, eyes ablaze with defiance and
passion. Before the incident at the university, evenings had often
found Stephan engaging in a philanthropic t
ê
te-
à
-t
ê
te.
He loved politics and a spirited debate.

“If I
had
attacked her in a fit of
lust and rage, this estate would be a smothering pile of cinders.
Think on that.”

Dominic swung a disheveled Eden up in his
arms and turned to exit the library. “You said it yourself. Her
presence helps keep your gift in check.”

“That thing in your arms is not Eden.”
Stephan countered. “Can
’
t you feel the coldness, Dominic? The evil?”

Cael stepped forward, between the two
brothers. Dominic felt the heat of disapproval trained on him.
Heat?…come to think of it. The room had grown hot. With this
realization, Dominic dropped a protesting Eden out of his arms and
pivoted.

Cael put a hand to his chest to stop him.
“This conversation is dangerous. Go. Have Ethan look her over.
I
’
ll speak with
Stephan.”

Dominic ignored the warning, brotherly
concern winning out over his better judgment. “Stephan…”

His breathing was pronounced, erratic. Amber
eyes alit with a luminous glow were peeled and wild…darting about,
frantic almost. “Get out of here…Now!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, the
hearth erupted. Intense blue and white shards of heat shot out of
the opening, blowing the grate with such force that it sliced
through the air and clattered to the floor on the opposite side of
the library.

Heat hit him in intense waves. His lungs felt
like they were on fire with each arid intake. A cough overtook him.
He snapped his eyes shut but not before they
’
d begun to sting and burn. The only sounds
louder than the roar of flames and his own desperate attempts to
breathe were Eden
’
s
hysterical shrieks. Eden. He must protect her.

“Cara, shhhh, you must calm down. The heat,
it is intense but not unbearable.”

She lay huddled on the floor, too panicked
for his words to register. He collected his wits about him as best
he could under the onslaught and took a deep scorching breath. It
took some doing to get a secure enough grip to lift her writhing
body. “Cael! Where are you?”

“
Here.
” The answer was muffled but close.

“Where
’
s Stephan?”

“Behind me somewhere. I cannot see.”

“Try to calm him down.”

He piggybacked her to Ethan and Kathleen.
Normally, he would have looked before he leaped. He hoped that he
wouldn
’
t interrupt them
in flagrante delecto.

As luck would have it, they were sitting
alone in one of the parlors having afternoon tea. When he
materialized with his burden, Kathleen upset the teapot…or so he
thought from the reddish blur and swirl of fabric he could make
out. Likewise, he heard crockery breaking. And he could smell the
rich cinnamon-y aroma of Ethan
’s favorite chai.

“Dominic, what
’
s happened? Is she injured?”

His ears still rang. It took him a few
seconds to make out the words. He inhaled several gulps of cool
refreshing air. Blinking maniacally to clear his bone-dry eyes, he
succumbed to a fit of coughs. Ethan caught him as he stumbled.

Eden must have fainted. Her shrieks and
struggles had ceased. He shoved her into Ethan
’
s arms. “
Take her, I haven
’
t the time to explain. Kathleen, help Ethan. And
keep away from the library until you hear from me. Is that
clear?”

“Yes, of course, but…wait-”

He was back in the library an instant later,
purposefully astraling adjacent to his younger brother. The heat
was still intense, but not so much as before. The air scorched his
nasal passages and throat, but he seemed able to keep his eyes
open. Blinking often to keep them lubricated, he stepped
forward.

“Stephan…” Though his vision was still blurry
he was able to follow the tall figure with the shock of dark
mahogany hair. It moved to and fro, near visible emissions coming
off his body.

“Dom, no, you mustn
’t touch him.
” Cael
’
s warning froze his movement.
“He
’
s lucid but for some
reason he hasn
’
t spoken.
The effort may be too much.”

“How can you tell?”

“When you left the heat crescendo-ed. He
seemed to notice my distress and blew out some of the windows so I
could breathe. Plus, if you
’
ll look to the hearth, the flames have subsided
some. I think my voice, even just our being here helps him focus.
He
’
s easing down but
it’s going to take some time.”

“Talking helps then.” Dominic nodded.
“We
’
ll talk to him.”

Ethan left the bedside and met him before he
could set a full three feet into his chamber. “How is Stephan?”

Dom ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
Singed bits disintegrated in his fingers and floated away. “He
stalks about like an animal. He can
’
t sit down, stand still, or even cover himself.
Anything put against his skin is reduced to ash in a matter of
seconds…including the floorboards, if he stops pacing.” Dom closed
his eyes, gesturing as a testament to his own uselessness. “I don’t
know, Ethan…he claims its normal. We’ve put him in the still room
below levels as a precaution.”

“What
’
s so special about the still room?”

“It has a stone floor that he cannot burn
through. After an hour Cael suggested we just let him walk it off.
The room remains cool, so he must have his talent under
some
control.”

Dom watched Ethan
’
s thoughtful expression as he processed the
information. “I
’
ll take
a look at him in the morning. What did you tell the servants about
what happened in the library?”

“That Miss Prescott stumbled near the hearth
with an oil lantern in her hand.”

“Do you think that explanation will hold?
This estate is equipped with gaslight. Why would anyone be using a
portable oil lamp?”

Dominic shot him a caustic look. “No one is
likely to question the eccentric Conte Ambrosi. Half the staff
thinks I’m blind.”

“
True.
” The doctor turned his attention back to his
patient. “She rests well.”

Dominic followed his brother
’
s gaze to the bed. The expression
was anything but reassuring. “What is it?” He demanded,
anxious.

Dominic watched Kathleen carefully arranging
the sheet up to cover a dosing Eden. Ethan then pulled him over by
the window, further out of earshot.

“I am unable to heal the newer wounds: the
scorch marks on her palm and wrists, the scratches and bruising
along her torso.”

“How is that possible…” The doctor
’
s worry mirrored his own.

“
I
don’
t know, but Dom, that
’
s not even the strangest part. There are more scars
than before, as from long-ago healed gashes. This is the first of
my seeing them and I examined her not one week ago. The wound
signature is completely different.”

“Wound signature?”

“I determine a history of past diseases and
injuries by touch. For instance, by touching a patient
’
s foot, I can ascertain if that
person had ever broken a bone in that area. By touching a scar I am
able to ascertain the type and cause of the wound that resulted. As
of right now Eden
’
s
wound signature is different. The Eden that I examined just now has
never suffered a skeletal injury in her life. The Eden that I
examined on all previous occasions dislocated her shoulder when she
was five or six years old, and fractured her ankle in her early
teen years.”

“So what are you saying, that she is not
Eden?”

“I am saying that her wound signature does
not match Eden
’
s. Beyond
that, I don
’
t know.”

“What of the child? Is it unharmed?”

Ethan gaped at him. “What child?”

“She is with child. Surely, you must have
recognized her condition.” When Ethan
’
s expression conveyed no such knowledge, his fear
doubled. “You can ascertain that she broke her foot a decade ago
but you cannot sense the life growing inside her. Don
’
t look at me like that, dammit! I
have seen a change in her lifeforce…something else intermingled
with hers, like with Kathleen.”

“
Dominic,
I don’
t know what you
’
re seeing, but
that
woman lying on the bed
over there is NOT with child. If you do not believe me, you
have
only a few days to
wait before her monthly visitor arrives to confirm her lack of
pregnancy. Although…” He hesitated. “There is evidence that she has
given birth before…numerous times.”

“That is a lie!”

“It is preposterous, I know.” He agreed,
hunching up his shoulders. “I
’
m at a loss to explain it. Her…ahem, hymen was
quite firmly in place when she arrived on the estate. A broken
hymen leaves a wound signature.”

“English Ethan.” He snapped.

“Her maidenhead was still in tact a month ago
when I first examined her. It is quite impossible that she bore
seven children since then, but nevertheless that is the echo I get
from her signature.”

“Will she…heal normally without your help?”
Dominic
’
s eyes tracked
back to the sleeping form across the room, a frown marring his
features.

The doctor waved away his concern. “Yes, yes,
most certainly. There is nothing to be worried about on that front.
I
’
ve put a salve on the
burns, plus given her a sedative to alleviate her nerves and help
her rest.”

“Have someone alert me when she awakens.”

“Of course.” The doctor answered
automatically even as he made his way back to his
patient
’
s bedside.
“Oh, one other
thing.”

Dominic shrugged, indifferent to any further
upset.

“
I
don’
t know if you
’
ve noticed but her hair is steadily darkening. I
don
’
t know how or why.
But in conjunction with the other changes and it
’
s almost as if she is… transforming into a
different person.”

* * *

Evening found Dominic swirling a snifter of
much-needed after-dinner brandy. He dug his free hand through
freshly cropped hair. He
’
d had Renfred snip off the ruined bits after he
showered and donned fresh clothes. He watched as his brother Cael
slipped into the study with a quiet calm that Dominic had come to
appreciate. He, too, had bathed and changed.

“Renfred?” Dominic inclined a brow to his
brother
’
s shorter
hair.

“Kathleen.”

“Ahh.” He nodded and went back to swirling
his drink. Dom gestured for him to pour himself a snifter, and
waited until he did before he ask, “What is it?”

“Stephan
’
s asleep. Kathleen is beside herself with worry
that he will catch a chill sleeping unclothed on the stone floor. I
tried to explain to her that that was not likely.”

Dom humph-ed and raised the glass to his
lips. “Ethan informed you about Eden?”

“Yes.”

He felt his brother’s eyes following him,
discreetly, of course. Cael was the master of convert observation.
“I’m fine, Cael. There is no need to hover like a wet-nurse.”

“I wasn’t aware that’s what I was doing.” He
countered as he took a sip of his brandy. “I thought we were having
an evening drink. You are my brother. Is it so odd that I should
seek your company?”

Dom sighed. The brandy had a rich flavor,
almost florid, but he hardly noticed. “You were right, of course.
This situation with Eden, and Stephan as well, is beyond us. I
intend to seek Greyson
’
s
expertise. Since you are already familiar with the man and he with
you, I would ask you to accompany me.”

The mind doctor
’
s only reaction was a lift of his brow. “When?”

His snifter resounded against the shiny
metallic tray as he sat it down. “
Tonight. And we will not
have the luxury of being
discreet…or polite.”