Page 105 of Conjure

I’ve been out all day and kept my phone switched off. I know even before I exit the car that Dominic will be beyond pissed.

I stare through the windshield at the house. The lights are out, but he’s awake.

“I thought the house looked creepy in the day, but at night…” Gwen drifts off.

“Yeah,” I agree, collecting my bag but leaving the file with Gwen. “It’s a shithole.”

“Want us to come in with you?”

I frown. “No, why?”

“In case he gives you shit.”

A weak smile plays on my lips. Reaching for the door handle, I turn slightly over my shoulder. “I can handle him. See you tomorrow?”

“You bet on it. We need to research exorcisms.”

“What if it can hear you?” Lily asks. “Should we discuss it…out loud.”

“I think if it can hear us, it can also read our thoughts.”

“Call me in the morning.” I exit the car, shouldering my bag and hurrying up the steps. I quickly unlock the door and enter the dark house, shrugging off the urge to turn on all the lights.

Unease clings to me like a second skin as I walk upstairs to my bedroom.

After switching on the light, I pause when I see Dominic seated on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his thighs and his head cradled in his hands. Bruno is asleep behind him.

Dominic looks up.

I take in his haunted gaze, mussed-up hair, and creased clothing. I expected him to be angry and shout at me. What I didn’t expect was the broken look in his eyes.

Sliding the bag off my shoulder, I toss it to the floor. Dominic watches me wearily. I walk closer, uncertain of myself—of us.

“Where have you been?” he asks, his voice raspy.

I draw to a halt. “I was out with the girls. We did some…research.”

A muscle clenches in his jaw before he cuts eye contact to stare out the window. When he stays silent, my chest tightens. This isn’t the Dominic I’ve come to expect.

“You turned off your phone,” he says quietly, his voice hardening as he looks back at me. “I couldn’t get ahold of you.”

“I’m sorry?—”

“I didn’t know if you were dead or alive.”

I draw back when he rises to his full height, seeming larger than life with his broad, tense shoulders and hulking build. Dominic has always been intense, but the way his gaze sears me now has my heart racing and my knees weakening.

“But now I know you were fine.” He walks up to me, and I hold my breath. He’s close enough to touch, but for the first time, I’m ashamed and unable to meet his gaze. Nonetheless, his minty breath teases my face when he says, “You just didn’t want to let me know you were okay.”

He sidesteps me, his footsteps retreating. I look over my shoulder. “Would you have let me out of your sight?”

Coming to a halt in the doorway, he keeps his back to me, and I turn fully. I can see from here how tense he is, but he doesn’t look at me, which hurts more than I want to admit.

“I care about you, Dominic. And it’s because I care about you that I have to keep you safe. That’s what I’ve tried to tell you ever since Brittany died, but you won’t listen to me.” When he remains silent, I blink back tears. “Please, say something.”

His chin touches his shoulder, jaw twitching before spinning around and striding up to me. “Do you know the difference between you and me?”

I stay silent. Whatever he’s about to say will cut me open. I know it will. I see it in his eyes.