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. “Ineededyou 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 tosave 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 youdeserve 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 neededsomeonewho 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.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Two weekslater
Dominique fidgeted with the items on her desk.
