Page 23 of Fae-King It (Mystical Matchmakers #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Dominique wasn’t sure what to expect when they returned to the human realm.

The past few days felt surreal, as though it had occurred in another dimension.

As Ronan drove back toward the city, he reached over and took her hand, interlacing their fingers. The back of her hand rested against his thigh. It was a small thing—holding hands this way—but it was something she’d always wanted. It was the comfort of a simple touch from the man she loved.

“We’ll stay at your apartment this week and work on getting your things packed up. Then, we’ll move to my house,” he stated.

Dominique shot him a sidelong glance. “What if I don’t want to leave my apartment?”

“Then, I’ll pack my shit and move in with you.”

She pressed her lips together hard to keep from laughing at his matter-of-fact delivery. It was clear that he didn’t care where they lived as long as they were together.

Ronan sensed her amusement and looked over at her. “Do you want to stay in your apartment?”

“Not really, but I wondered if you would hold me to my agreement to move in with you after we were married.”

She immediately regretted her words because his grin faded, and his expression closed down. Dominique tightened her grip on his hand and gave it a little shake.

“Hey, I’m not saying that to make you feel badly. I was trying to tease you.”

His bright blue eyes flashed to hers and she saw the regret there. Dominique decided she wouldn’t joke about how their relationship began again until he did so first. It was clear that being reminded of his behavior was painful.

The muscles in his shoulders slowly relaxed as he continued driving. “I know. It’s just difficult to let go of the guilt.”

“I understand,” Dominique said. “It took nearly twenty years for me to forgive myself for getting us cursed.” She laughed a little. “I guess I didn’t do such a great job of forgiving myself since I felt guilty again as soon as I realized who you were when you came to my office.”

Ronan lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “I tell you what—I’ll keep working on letting it go if you do the same. Let’s focus on moving forward.”

The backs of her eyes stung at the affectionate gesture. Dominique blinked back tears as she answered, “I can do that.”

When they arrived at her apartment, Ronan refused to let her carry her bag, insisting that she go unlock the door. He also insisted that she wait to go get Oscar from Aksel’s apartment until he was with her.

She didn’t bother to fight with him because she knew it was a battle she wouldn’t win. At least not today. And if his desire to take care of her made her chest warm and the ice inside her to melt, well, no one else needed to know.

She did give him a sharp nudge with her elbow when they walked up to Aksel’s door, and he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her firmly into his side.

“Controlling much?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

Ronan had the grace to look chagrined and he lowered his arm so that it wrapped around her waist and his palm rested on the front of her opposite hip.

Dominique rolled her eyes because the move was still extremely possessive but knocked on Aksel’s door anyway. The quicker they got this over with, the faster he would see that Aksel had no romantic designs on her whatsoever.

Aksel opened the door a few moments later and Oscar darted out to twine his body around her ankles and then Ronan’s.

“Hi, Aksel,” she said. “Thanks for watching Oscar for me.”

“It was no problem,” he said, his deep voice barely more than a low rumble, like stone grinding against stone. His eyes dropped to her left hand and a small smile pulled at his mouth. “You got married?”

“We did,” Dominique said.

Aksel stepped forward and held out a hand to Ronan. “Congratulations. I hope you realize how lucky you are to have a woman like Dominique.”

Ronan took his hand, and Dominique saw the faint outline of his shadow magic creep below the cuff of his shirt. “Thank you. And I absolutely do know how lucky I am.”

When Aksel released his hand, he took a step toward Dominique as though he was going to hug her. The outlines of Ronan’s magic became writhing tendrils that wrapped around her protectively.

Aksel eyed them and chuckled. He settled for leaning over and kissing Dominique on the cheek. When one of the shadows darted toward him, Dominique stomped her foot down on Ronan’s toe.

“Behave,” she admonished in a whisper as Aksel stepped back.

Ronan shot her a look that said she would be paying for that later, but his magic retreated, dissipating like smoke.

“I assume you’ll be moving out?” Aksel asked.

Dominique nodded. “Yes. Probably next week or the week after.”

“Well, I’ll miss you and Oscar,” the Frostgiant said. “You and your cat were excellent neighbors.”

Dominique opened her mouth to tell him that she was sure they would see each other again, but Ronan’s arm tightened around her.

“You were an excellent neighbor, too,” she replied. “And, when you’re ready, you’re more than welcome to come down to my office so I can find you a match.”

It was an offer she’d made the Frostgiant several times, but it was the first time that he seemed to truly consider it.

“I think I will,” he answered.

Before she could reply, Ronan released her hip, reaching for her hand instead. “Best of luck with that,” he said, tugging her away from Aksel’s door.

Dominique dug her heels in and stopped long enough to scoop up Oscar. “See you soon, Aksel.”

Her neighbor didn’t seem offended by Ronan’s abrupt insistence that they go back to her apartment. If anything, Aksel seemed amused.

Dominique saw his grinning face as Ronan pulled her into the apartment and shut the door behind them.

“That was rude,” she said to her husband as she bent to put Oscar on the floor.

“I thought you said he didn’t have romantic designs on you?” Ronan shot back.

“He didn’t. He doesn’t,” she replied.

“Then, why didn’t he agree to let you set him up with someone until now that you’re married?”

Dominique lifted her hands and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he realized when he saw us that he wanted someone to love. Maybe he’s been thinking about it and waiting for me to make an offer again. If he would have been a potential match for me, my magic would have reacted to him, and it never did. He’s never flirted with me or even done more than give me a one-armed hug until today.”

Her husband stared at her in consternation, and she knew it was because he’d realized she had a good point.

“Fine,” he said. “Maybe he doesn’t want you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still suspicious of him.”

Dominique sighed and shook her head. “You do realize we’re soulmates, right? That I’m not going to look at another man again. Our love will survive even in death.”

He took several steps until he was right in front of her, his hands clasping her arms. “Say that again,” he demanded.

“Our love will survive even in death,” she repeated.

He leaned forward as though he intended to kiss her but stopped when a knock came at the door.

“Expecting anyone?” he asked.

Dominique shook her head, but before she could say anything else, Ronan released her and walked to the front door. He gently nudged Oscar away with his toe as he opened it.

Then, he said, “You have got to be shitting me.”

“Is that any way to speak to the woman who saved you from your wicked in-laws?”

Dominique’s spine straightened at the sound of Zephira’s dry words, and she immediately headed toward the door.

“What are you doing here?” Ronan asked, his tone belligerent.

Dominique joined him, standing next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. He shifted so that he stood between her and the enchantress.

“I’d like to speak to you both.”

“Like he?—”

Dominique slipped beneath Ronan’s arm and nudged him to the side. “Please come in, Zephira.”

While she understood why Ronan was upset, Dominique was curious as to what the sorceress had to say. As the woman entered the apartment, her appearance shifted subtly, making Dominique gasp.

“It’s you!” she said.

Ronan did a double take as well. “What the fuck?” he asked.

Zephira smiled, but it wasn’t an expression of amusement. It was sadder than anything else. She smoothed a hand over her dark auburn bob. Her black eyes lacked the joyful sparkle that Dominique remembered from the first time she met the woman.

“You were Zelda?” Dominique asked.

The sorceress nodded. “Yes, I was. I am.”

Blinking rapidly, Dominique gestured toward the couch and chairs in the center of her living area. “Let’s sit down because I have a feeling I’m going to need to while you explain this to me.”

The other woman nodded and took a deep breath, smoothing her hands down the front of her black blouse and slacks.

Dominique settled on the couch, Ronan sitting right next to her and stretching an arm across the back of the sofa. Zephira took the chair that faced them.

“Why?” Dominique asked when the enchantress didn’t immediately speak.

“Why did I come to you as Zelda? Or why did I curse you to begin with?”

“Both,” Ronan answered before Dominique could.

Since she was curious about both of those, Dominique just nodded in agreement.

Zephira clasped her hands together on her knees. “Let me start at the beginning,” she said. Her dark eyes landed on Dominique. “A long time ago, I wasn’t a sorceress. I was a fairy godmother.”

Dominique’s eyes widened at the confession. She’d heard of fairy godmothers gathering more magic and becoming spell casters rather than just magic users, but Zephira was the first she’d met personally.

Zephira’s mouth quirked. “Yes, I know it’s difficult to believe, but it’s true. I also had a son. He was my only child and the light of my life. Somehow, he became involved with a married fae woman. Another fairy godmother.”

Ronan reached over and curled his fingers around Dominique’s. She clutched them tightly, knowing exactly what was coming.

“When the woman fell pregnant, he was overjoyed, thinking that she would leave her husband, and they would raise the baby together.” Zephira cleared her throat. “Instead, when she confessed what she’d done to her husband, he grew angry and insisted that they kill my son. Together.”

Dominique’s eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t speak.

“I didn’t find out exactly what happened until the fairy godmother gave birth to a daughter. I had been travelling at the behest of one of the other monarchs in Magic. When I confronted them, they threatened to kill my grandchild. At the time, I didn’t have the power to fight them. I was only a fairy godmother myself.”

Zephira shifted in her chair, her hands moving to clutch her knees. “I spent the next twelve years amassing magic, gathering enough power to be able to fight them. When I was finally strong enough, I tracked them down, only to discover that they intended to use my granddaughter as a pawn in their political machinations. Not to arrange an advantageous marriage for her, but to sell her off to the highest bidder when she reached the age of sixteen.

Then, when I went in search of the child to rescue her, I found her with her soulmate and surrounded by a spell that would prevent me from taking her away. My only option was to make her undesirable in the eyes of the fae. The only thing that would work was a curse. A curse that threatened not only her future, but the future of anyone that became involved with her. I had to make it so no male would want to touch her. Which meant I had to make her a pariah in Magic. I hated to do it, but it was the only way I could protect her.”

Tears trickled down Dominique’s cheeks as Zephira continued her story.

“So, I cursed her and the fae prince she was with, ensuring that they would both remain alone and shunned until they were old enough for the spell on my granddaughter to fade. When it did, I made sure that her path would cross her soulmate’s again, hoping that the magic of their connection would outweigh the curse. That they would be able to break it.”

“And if we couldn’t?” Ronan asked, his voice gruff.

Zephira looked at him. “I intended to take the curse upon myself.”

Dominique’s hand clutched Ronan’s harder. For a caster to take a curse upon themselves…it meant they would face the curse, thrice increased. Zephira would likely have died if she’d taken their curse, no matter how powerful she was.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Dominique asked before Ronan could speak again. “Why did you tell me who you were?”

“Would you have listened? Believed me?” Zephira asked.

A sob breaking free from her chest, Dominique shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not right away, but after I left my parents? Yes, I would have believed you. I would have talked to you.” Her breath stuttered in her lungs. “I needed you then.”

Her grandmother’s black eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry for all you faced without me, child. I would have given anything to be able to protect you from all that you suffered. I gave up bits and pieces of my soul to gather the power I thought I needed to save you, but it still wasn’t enough. I wasn’t strong enough then. It wasn’t until now that I could do more than watch from afar and try to be a positive influence in your life.”

“Is that why you came to me as Zelda?” Dominique asked.

She shook her head. “I never intended to tell you who I was. I just…” Zephira trailed off, the tears in her eyes trickling down her cheeks. “I just wanted to see you. Talk to you. Just once.”

Dominique wiped her cheeks. “I don’t understand what you want from me. Or what you expect me to do.”

Her grandmother gave her another sad smile. “All I want for you— all I’ve ever wanted for you —is for you to be happy.”

“And that’s it? You don’t want to see me again?” Dominique asked.

“Of course I want to see you,” her grandmother replied. “But I don’t want to pressure you. What you want is more important.”

Dominique fell silent, her hands clutching at Ronan’s. Surprisingly, her husband remained silent as she and her grandmother spoke.

Until now.

“Why didn’t you just kill them?” he asked. “If you removed them from the equation, none of this would have happened.”

Zephira’s bloodshot eyes flicked to him. “The cowards knew the only way to protect themselves was to use Dominique. They used her blood to cast a spell. Anything I did to her mother would be visited thrice on her. If I harmed Graciella, I harmed my granddaughter worse. Because she and I shared blood and Dominique also shared blood with her mother, it created the perfect balance to protect Gracielle.”

Dominique’s body rocked as she absorbed that statement. Ronan released her hands to wrap his arm around her, and she leaned into him, letting him take her weight.

Zephira got to her feet, her eyes still wet and red. “I just wanted you to know the whole story, Dominique. Because you deserve to know that I do love you and I want to protect you, even if it’s from me.”

The enchantress started toward the door and Dominique found herself on her feet. “Wait,” she said.

Zephira stopped, turning back to face her.

Dominique took a hesitant step forward. Ronan was right behind her, his hand on her waist. “I’m not sure how I feel right now, but, once I figure it out, will I be able to reach you?”

A tremulous smile formed on her grandmother’s mouth. “If you want to talk to me, you only have to call. You have my number. It’s on my job application.”

Another sob caught in Dominique’s throat. “Okay.”

She leaned back against her husband as she watched the sorceress leave her apartment, shutting the door behind her. Oscar scurried over, bumping his head against her leg. Dominique bent to lift him in her arms, holding him close.

Then, she burst into tears.

A moment later, her husband turned her, wrapping his arms around her and cradling her against his chest. Oscar curled up between them, content to be squished by their embrace.

“Let it out, sweetheart,” he murmured. “That was a lot to hear.”

Dominique sobbed against his shoulder, memories of her life and the loneliness that she’d faced over the past few decades swamping her. Gods, she’d needed her grandmother. She’d needed someone who cared about her.

And just like anything else good in her life, her mother and stepfather had done everything they could to ruin it.

“I’m here, sweetheart. I’ll always be here,” Ronan murmured.

Through their bond, Dominique felt the truth in those words. All the way down to her soul.