and have to be broken and reset."
"And your father did that to you. What else did he do?"
Bali took a deep breath. They’d come to it, and there was no going around. No matter how he reacted to the story, she owed him answers. "He started experimenting on me when I was seven ... eight ... I don’t remember which. Those years kind of blur together." She frowned, remembering the pain, the tears ... and finally the numb horror. "It stopped when I was sent to boarding school. Things were starting to unravel for him." He’d gone on the run after killing off as many experiments as he could, but it had been hard to hide that many bodies. Traces had been left. Files had turned up.
Shaking off the darkest memories, she continued, "I’m highly sensitive to light and get migraines from sunlight, but I can see in the dark. I heal fast, though that comes at a price, too. There’s nightmares, and green water freaks me out. I’ve tried to get over it, but I flashback almost every time I get near it. I’ve been in that pool so many times...." Her breathing started to shallow, and she quickly closed her eyes and took deep breaths, fighting it off. To distract herself, she forced herself to continue, holding out her hand as an exhibit. "I’m falling apart. Icki can’t fix me, and the medicine doesn’t work anymore. He wants me to get bit."
"What?" Domino had rounded the table to reach her. Her words froze him in his tracks. "What do you mean, ‘get bit’?"
Lightheaded, she leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes. It was all too tiring. "Your fangs. The adaptogen. He thinks it will heal me, but I...." Fatigue was pulling her down. She thought she heard the door open, heard Domino demanding an answer, and then she was out.
Chapter 14
"Her color’s better." Domino glanced at Bali, who was sleeping on the couch again after she’d roused enough for a quick shower. Clad in one of his button down shirts and snuggled on the couch, a cover pulled to her chin, she looked fragile and helpless.
"But not good." Skye watched his brother pace, then shook his head and put away his scanner. "She needs rest and food. I can’t do much more for her than that."
Domino rounded on him. "Is Icki right about the adaptogen?"
Skye had been avoiding that question, and his scowl said he didn’t like it any better now. "Maybe. You know how powerful it can be, but you also know the cost. You can’t just bite her and walk away. Our people will see her as your wife. You’ll see her as your wife. She’s a mess waiting to happen, and you shouldn’t take the risk."
A muscle jumped in Domino’s jaw. "She set me free from that hellhole. I owe her."
Unable to argue, Skye let his breath out through his teeth. "Swear her to secrecy, then. No one needs to know who bit her. You’ll still be free."
"They’ll figure it out." Domino stared at Bali, trying to figure out how a sick, unconscious woman was going to inspire enough passion in him to activate the adaptogen. "She shakes so badly she can hardly hold her cup now. If I wait any longer, she’ll die."
"Her chances don’t look good as it is. Rumor has it that the vigilantes who tried to kill her are hard to dissuade. She’ll end up dead in a restroom somewhere, or drink poison at some restaurant. She’s the daughter of the most hated man in our generation. Can you live with that?"
"I can give her a chance to overcome that, but first I have to give her life." He looked at Bali’s body in frustration, fighting his instincts to leave her alone, to listen to reason and his own desire to remain free. He didn’t want a wife. What he felt for her wouldn’t last ... but it was the right thing to do.
Skye closed his eyes, then opened them forcefully. "I’m going to check on Icki. I’ll let myself out the back way." He stood there, looking as if he badly wanted to say more, then stiffly walked away.
Domino wished he could do the same.
Bali opened her eyes and looked at
"And your father did that to you. What else did he do?"
Bali took a deep breath. They’d come to it, and there was no going around. No matter how he reacted to the story, she owed him answers. "He started experimenting on me when I was seven ... eight ... I don’t remember which. Those years kind of blur together." She frowned, remembering the pain, the tears ... and finally the numb horror. "It stopped when I was sent to boarding school. Things were starting to unravel for him." He’d gone on the run after killing off as many experiments as he could, but it had been hard to hide that many bodies. Traces had been left. Files had turned up.
Shaking off the darkest memories, she continued, "I’m highly sensitive to light and get migraines from sunlight, but I can see in the dark. I heal fast, though that comes at a price, too. There’s nightmares, and green water freaks me out. I’ve tried to get over it, but I flashback almost every time I get near it. I’ve been in that pool so many times...." Her breathing started to shallow, and she quickly closed her eyes and took deep breaths, fighting it off. To distract herself, she forced herself to continue, holding out her hand as an exhibit. "I’m falling apart. Icki can’t fix me, and the medicine doesn’t work anymore. He wants me to get bit."
"What?" Domino had rounded the table to reach her. Her words froze him in his tracks. "What do you mean, ‘get bit’?"
Lightheaded, she leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes. It was all too tiring. "Your fangs. The adaptogen. He thinks it will heal me, but I...." Fatigue was pulling her down. She thought she heard the door open, heard Domino demanding an answer, and then she was out.
Chapter 14
"Her color’s better." Domino glanced at Bali, who was sleeping on the couch again after she’d roused enough for a quick shower. Clad in one of his button down shirts and snuggled on the couch, a cover pulled to her chin, she looked fragile and helpless.
"But not good." Skye watched his brother pace, then shook his head and put away his scanner. "She needs rest and food. I can’t do much more for her than that."
Domino rounded on him. "Is Icki right about the adaptogen?"
Skye had been avoiding that question, and his scowl said he didn’t like it any better now. "Maybe. You know how powerful it can be, but you also know the cost. You can’t just bite her and walk away. Our people will see her as your wife. You’ll see her as your wife. She’s a mess waiting to happen, and you shouldn’t take the risk."
A muscle jumped in Domino’s jaw. "She set me free from that hellhole. I owe her."
Unable to argue, Skye let his breath out through his teeth. "Swear her to secrecy, then. No one needs to know who bit her. You’ll still be free."
"They’ll figure it out." Domino stared at Bali, trying to figure out how a sick, unconscious woman was going to inspire enough passion in him to activate the adaptogen. "She shakes so badly she can hardly hold her cup now. If I wait any longer, she’ll die."
"Her chances don’t look good as it is. Rumor has it that the vigilantes who tried to kill her are hard to dissuade. She’ll end up dead in a restroom somewhere, or drink poison at some restaurant. She’s the daughter of the most hated man in our generation. Can you live with that?"
"I can give her a chance to overcome that, but first I have to give her life." He looked at Bali’s body in frustration, fighting his instincts to leave her alone, to listen to reason and his own desire to remain free. He didn’t want a wife. What he felt for her wouldn’t last ... but it was the right thing to do.
Skye closed his eyes, then opened them forcefully. "I’m going to check on Icki. I’ll let myself out the back way." He stood there, looking as if he badly wanted to say more, then stiffly walked away.
Domino wished he could do the same.
Bali opened her eyes and looked at
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