Void of guests and fountains of blood, the ballroom’s grandeur was unimpeded. The golden columns shone brightly, thanks to the fully lit chandeliers, and at its barren center, a single table littered with items waited for us.
“This is my training?” I asked, breaking our silence.
“Hide and seek,” he said flatly as he picked up a necklace with an oval blue gem in a golden setting. Dommik’s eyes slid from the table to meet my gaze. I couldn’t look away quickly enough. It had been two days since my welcome ball, which felt like an eternity on Rhazien’s blood, and I’d forgotten how piercing his gray-blue eyes could be. “Pick an item, I’ll hide it, you’ll practice seeking them out.”
I almost scoffed. The items were tangible. The memory of their location would be fresh. This would take barely any effort at all.
There was just one problem. To trigger the memory, I would have to touch Dommik, something that now felt wildly off-limits. There wouldn’t be a trace if I touched him over his clothing. Which meant he could touch me over mine... I banished the thoughts.
This wasn’t how I wanted this day to go. I knew seeing Dommik from time to time might be a reality for my life in the Hive, but I wanted to starve this thing between us, not feed it. And this would feed it. This pull. This infuriating attraction. I needed to extinguish it, and fast.
I flexed and clenched my hands at my sides. “What shall we start with?”
“Your choice,” he said as he absently waved a hand over the table.
As if given a command to put their best foot forward, the gems glimmered brilliantly, reflecting the illuminated chandeliers.
My gaze landed on my jade-handled hairbrush. “This.”
Dommik’s eyes bounced from the verdant item to me before nodding. “Okay.”
My hair flew as he rushed out of the room. I spun in an attempt to see which way he went but there were no clues to aid in my search. No flash of black leather. No echo of a slamming door. It was to be a true test of my abilities. It was a bit exhilarating.
I leaned on the table as I waited for him to return. A minute later, I was greeted by the wind from his supernatural speed.
When I pushed my loose hair from my face, I found him standing in front of me. Over me, really. Not that he could help it with his height. A piece of my confident façade crumbled at the sight. Dommik brought out a fluttering sense of excitement in me I hadn’t felt in years.
I needed to find this item, end this, and get back in bed with Rhazien.
Yes. I will fuck this naïve crush from my mind.
“Ready?” he asked, dark brows raised, eyes soft.
I swallowed and nodded slowly. A deep, steadying breath brought with it Dommik’s musky leather and pine.
Focus on the brush.
I lifted my hand and closed my eyes. When my palm met his chest, I was sent directly into the vision. My body stiffened, my breath stuttered, and through a whirling tunnel, I was Dommik running through the halls of the Hive. A right turn, through a hidden doorway, down a set of stairs into a…a…a room I hadn’t seen yet. All dark stone, candles, and…pews. There was a chapel within the Hive? Dommik chuckled within the memory. The sound echoed through the walls of my mind as he set the distinct jade hairbrush at the altar.
I lifted my hand from his chest and gasped as I let the memory collapse and plummeted back into my body.
Dommik’s arms gripped my shoulders. “Whoa. Easy. I’ve got you.”
He was trying to steady me, but the weight of his hands on my shoulders was turning my stomach.
“Thank you. I’m fine,” I said, shrugging him away. It wasn’t right, giving him a tone like he’d done something wrong, but I needed to keep pushing him away.
He didn’t seem wounded by it. In fact, he was distracted by something else entirely. A small basket.
“Here,” he said, offering it to me.
The smell of fresh bread made me salivate on the spot. My eyes flicked from the rolls to the commander. “What is this?”
Dommik shrugged. “I didn’t know how taxing this might be for you, so I brought you some snacks. There’s fruit and cheese as well, but you seem fond of bread?—”
“Don’t say, ‘I’m fond of bread’ like it’s unique. If someone says they aren’t fond of bread, they’re lying.” My words snapped as fast as my fingers claiming a roll. The sweet loaf practically melted on my tongue.
Dommik chuckled as he set down the basket. “You’re welcome.”
