Free Dominion by Marissa Farrar Page A

then you don’t remember killing someone. ”
    The mention of the restaurant caused his heart to tighten with pain, but he forced the emotion back down. “That’s not all.”
    Her face crumpled in worry. “Oh , God, what now?”
    “It’s probably the least important of everything, but I had the strangest dream.”
    “ I didn’t think vampires dream ed .”
    “We don’t. I don’t even know how to explain what I experienced. I felt like I was awake—as awake as I am now—but I was somewhere else.”
    “A different city? Country?”
    He shook his head. “No, I was right here in Los Angel es, but no one else was around. At least, no one human. Also, since I had the dream, I’ve b een slower, some of my strength reduced. ”
    She must have seen the fear and confusion in his face because she reached out and took his hand. “I wish you’d spoken to me sooner.”
    “Me too, but we were fighting. Things weren’t right between us.”
    The tension between them thickened as they were both taken back to the awkward moment he’d proposed. She stepped closer and he thought she would put her arms around him, but then she stopped, peering at a spot right beneath his ear.
    “What’s that?”
    He lifted his fingers to touch the place where her eyes focused . His skin felt rough and flakes fell a way beneath his fingertips.
    Serenity caught his wrist and pulled his hand away so she could get a better look. “It’s just a small patch of dry skin,” she s aid. “I’m sure it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
    He pulled away so he could stare her directly in the face. “Serenity, I’m a vampire. I don’t get dry skin. I heal fast. If someone stuck a knife in my ribs, it would have healed completely within a couple of hours. This isn’t normal.”
    Her dark eyes studied his face. “Okay,” she said, slowly. “So someone is messing with us.”
    He nodded. “I think we need help.”
    “Bridget?” she said.
    “Yes, Bridget. This isn’t just vampires at work.”
    “Do you think we can trust her?”
    “I don’t think we have many other options.”
    Serenity glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind Sebastian’s head. It was still far too early to be calling someone.
    “I’ll call her as soon as morning comes,” she said. “Hopefully, she’ll be willing to help us and will come over and check things out. By the time you wake up this evening, we might even understand what’s going on.”
    He nodded. “Okay.” He hesitated, not wanting to ask the question but needing to know the answer. “Things are all right between us now, aren’t they?”
    Serenity looked up at him. A smile tugged at her lips and lit her dark eyes. “I never want things to be bad between us. I love you. I always have.”
    With her words, the tension between them seemed to melt away. He stepped in toward her, closing the small gap remaining between their bodies. He felt her relax against him, her arms sliding around his waist until her hands found the hard muscles of his back.
    His fingers locked in the back of her hair. Her lips pressed against the skin of his throat, her nose nestled against the dip of his collar bone. Her mouth traced up toward his jaw, feather-like kisses that became more urgent, her lips nipping his skin.
    “I’m frightened, Sebastian,” she whispered.
    He gently tugged on the back of her hair, forcing her face up to his. “We’ll get through this. We always get through these things.”
    “We don’t even know what ‘these things’ are.”
    His eyes flicked over hers, drinking in the sight of her, simultaneously strong , and yet so vulnerable. He wanted to protect her more than ever before, but the worry about his own state hung over him. He’d almost fallen in the forest. He’d missed catching the glass. He was missing small portions of time.
    He might no longer be in a position where he’d be able to protect her.
    “I love you,” he said. “I love you so much.”
    Tears pooled in the