As we stood outside the restaurant, I barely registered the laughing girl who ran past us, her monarch butterfly wings bouncing as she screamed, "I'm a fairy! I'm a fairy!" Her parents hurried behind her, jostling a man holding a grande-sized coffee in the process. The scalding liquid sloshed out of his cup, nearly hitting me, but before I could react, Dominic swooped in. He picked me up, spinning me out of the way just in time.
The man cursed as he wiped his scalded hand on his jogging suit, glaring at the parents as they hurried on. Meanwhile, Dominic still held me suspended in the air, his hands firm around my waist. "Are you okay?" His voice was tight with concern, and his stormy gray eyes widened behind his chunky glasses.
I blinked, disoriented not only by the near miss but by how he was holding me, like I was a child on his hips. I had never seen Dom from this angle. His gray eyes were the color of a calm sky before a storm, soft and concerned. My heart skipped a beat, caught off guard by how close we were.
"I'm fine," I managed, nodding, and he finally let me down, running a hand through his spiky auburn hair. I still felt the warmth of his hands around my waist.
Dom's expression turned more serious as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "What just happened in there, Matt? Did you... do that?"
I bit my bottom lip, unsure of how much I should tell him. My gaze dropped to the sidewalk, avoiding the weight of his question. "I should check on Franco," I muttered, deflecting, and turned toward the red door.
Luis growled softly at the door, sitting on his haunches like a guardian. His posture made it clear he wasn't letting me go back inside. I must have looked ridiculous arguing with a dog, but I started anyway. "I was one of the last people to see Franco. If something happened to him, people will blame me."
Dominic misunderstood, clutching my arm gently. "Why would anyone blame you, Matt? You didn't make my dad accuse you or pull a gun. None of this was your fault."
I hesitated, glancing back at him. "Do you really trust me?" I searched his face, looking for confirmation. Dominic had just seen a flicker of my abilities back there. Did he really trust me, after all that?
I wanted to trust him. Dominic had defended me, stood by me even when his own father had turned against me. No one had ever done that for me before. But if Mike, who had been like a father to me, could betray me after years of loyalty, how could I be sure Dominic wouldn't eventually do the same?
And yet, in this moment, he had chosen me. I wasn't used to thatâto someone standing up for me, choosing me over their own self-interest. It felt like a fragile thing, something that could break at any moment.
Dominic's soft gray eyes blinked in hurt behind his glasses. "Why do you even ask? Matt, you're the one that doesn't trust me."
Guilt tightened my chest. I had no explanation ready. I was going to make a break for it that night, when I was sure the change would happen. A pang of realization hit me. Today, the first day of spring, was the day everything was supposed to change, and here I was, with everything unraveling.
"I was planning to leave," I muttered, trying to come up with something more to say, but the sight of three women passing by in bright spring dresses distracted me. They were laughing, holding shopping bags, their bright colors reminding me that this was supposed to be my fresh start.
I sighed. "Meet me at Bertha's Diner, Dom. It's too busy to talk here." I needed to grab my things from Aisa's before I could meet him, before everything spiraled further out of control.
Dominic tugged on the ends of his neatly trimmed beard, a telltale sign that he was feeling insecure. Then, with a sigh, he pulled me into a hug. It wasn't unusual for Domâhe hugged when he was upset, and today had given him plenty of reason. "Promise me you'll show up. If you disappear on me, I'll spend all my money finding you."
The warmth of his arms around me felt good, grounding me in a way I desperately needed. He smelled like fresh bread, and I could feel the tension in my body melting into his solid frame. My arms awkwardly hung at my sides before I hugged him back, inhaling deeply. For a moment, I let myself take comfort in it.
Luis wedged himself between us, growling softly as he pushed Dominic back. His sharp bark broke the moment.
"Stop it, Luis," I snapped, though there was a knot of frustration building in my chest. Why did Luis always act like this? He'd made it clear long ago that I was nothing more than a friend to him, yet he seemed determined to step in whenever anyone got close.
Dominic made a face at Luis, an almost comical look of irritation that made me want to smile despite the situation. "I'll be there in an hour," he said, giving me a lingering look, his gray eyes darkening. It was then I realized he'd been staring at my eyesâmy real, undisguised eyes.
"Are those new contacts?" Dominic asked, his expression turning mystified.
"No," I said quietly, the truth heavy on my shoulders. "There's a lot about me that will shock you. We'll need at least three peach pies to talk through it."
He nodded slowly, looking more intrigued than frightened, which surprised me. "I think you're right. I'll see you at Bertha's."
After Dom returned to the restaurant, I wandered in shock down the street, forgetting my bike was still against the wall at Franco's. When we passed another alleyway, Luis grabbed a hunk of my shirt with his teeth and pulled me into it. Then, he turned into a man. His dark brown eyes were glittering with fire, and his upturned lips that always suggested that he was planning mischief were tight with aggravation.
I'd been careless. He didn't have to say more, but I knew Luis would anyway. Luis had a gift for making me feel like a naughty five-year-old.
"God, Matt, look at this mess. Should I call the feds now so they can ship you to the closest lab? How do you think this is going to play out?"
"Stop, Luis. I know." I knew I sounded sulky, but I hated when he nagged me. When he thought I was endangering myself, he'd get bossy.
"First, you lost your contacts, then you went to Franco's, even though you knew Mike was setting you up. Now, you're going to tell Dominic you're fae!" He flung his arms out and curled his hands like he wanted to strangle me.
"Yes." I folded my arms as I stood my ground on the last point, ignoring the other valid points that proved how stupid I'd been that day.
Luis knew that I was going to be stubborn and made a tortured squawk as he shook a fist at me. I looked at him blandly. Luis had never hit me, and I knew he wouldn't now.
"I don't trust him, Matt. He could ruin the work we've done, I've done, to keep you safe! Why are you always so willing to risk everything?" His sharp jaw clenched as he glared at me.
An angry Luis had an appeal wattage that increased by a thousand. If it weren't for the knowledge that he thought of me only as his younger sibling, I might have given in to my urge to kiss him into silence. It always worked in the movies. But I kept my crush a secret and returned his anger with more of my own.
"He defended me, Luis." I thought of that barrel being pointed at me again and grimaced. Dominic deserved to know - everything. And didn't I deserve to explore a relationship with someone that liked me back?
No. I didn't. If Dom liked men, then by this evening I wouldn't be one. I had to let him know today. And, I didn't have the right to explore anything until he knew. While I secretly agreed that I was being reckless, I pretended to make Luis see reason. "I need to tell him. He cares about me."
Luis leaned against the dirty, graffiti-covered wall and folded his arms. "So what? You don't know him as well as you know me! Who's been there this whole time taking care of you? Not Dom, me!"
Because his tone sounded less worried and more Jealous with a capital J, I blinked.
Nah. Not possible. He'd rejected me last year, so how could it be? "You don't get to choose what I do, Luis."
You had your chance at that.
"With everything we've been for each other, I think I do!" he roared.
He might have been right, but I was too angry to admit it. From the first day I met him, he'd stuck by me when he had no reason to. He was the one who'd saved me in the alley, who protected me on the streets, and who'd even found Aisa's treehouse so we could have a place to stay.
"Luis, arguing won't change my mind."
"I know that. I know you're a stubborn little idiot, and you'll do what you want. What I didn't know was that you were going to leave me as well." He punched the wall he was leaning on, and I flinched at the impact. "You were going to sneak off! Why?"
Because you don't love me, Luis, was my thought. I decided to avoid saying the real reason. "I'm not having this conversation with you in a dank alley. You know how I feel about serious conversations and alleyways."
But Luis wasn't willing to back down. "Haven't I always been there for you? Why don't you rely on me more?"
Now that I was old enough to have a say in how my life ran, I wanted to run it. I didn't want some guy who thought I was a child running it. "Luis, you're not my dad; you're my friend - so far, you've been my only friend, and I need to change that."
While I allowed guilt to crash over me, Luis approached me and cupped my chin. "How can you think I could ever consider you as only a friend? And who in their mind could ever mistake me for your father or your brother?"
Plenty. With my disguise and my size, I looked very much like I could be Luis's little bro.
"Dank alleyway, Luis. Big conversation. Not happening." As I said this, my heart pounded in my chest. If I didn't know better, I might think he was telling me he wanted something more than friendship. But I knew better. Then he surprised me again as Luis's brown eyes shifted to crimson. He smelled my nervousness mixed with attraction.
But before he could bring it up, I tried to distract him. "I've got to talk to Mike, or at least punch him. How about you go get my stuff."
I pushed him back from me before I wound up clutching his t-shirt and making good on my desire to kiss him.
"No way. I don't want you near that man. " His eyes remained crimson as he studied my face. Stupid dog nose. He could tell that I was struggling, and knowing him, he'd take advantage of my confusion.
I huffed at him with irritation. "Would you stop treating me like a frail little flower? I may be small, but I'm as vicious as a rat terrier."
Luis's lips curled in amusement despite his anger. He seemed closer in proximity too. Why did he seem closer? His hand was back on my chin and he rubbed his thumb along my bottom lip. "A rat terrier is taller."
"True," I deadpanned as I pushed his hand down, but my beating heart made his pupils expand until the red was just a small rim around the black. He knew that I wasn't unaffected by him. "But that just makes me have to mean it more," I added as I pushed him back.
Luis's smile faded as he let his hand drop. "I feel like something is going to happen to us, and I won't ever see you again. I feel like we're on the brink of madness, and you'll hate me one day. Or I'll hate you. I can't have that happen."
I put my hand on Luis's chest as a silent request to stop that conversation. Hate Luis? How could that happen? Then he took that hand, held it to his lips, and kissed it.
My mind went blank, which allowed him to argue his point further. He'd kissed me. Luis never kissed me. Then he pulled me into a hug and whispered against my ear which caused a tantalizing thrill to travel up my spine. "Look at how you're practically a puddle just from a little flirting, Matt. Dom could use you." He punctuated his words by biting my ear and my knees gave out a little.
Shaking off my daze, I glared at him as he smirked at me. This was all just a demonstration! Punk! I punched his shoulder. "Luis, why would he want to use me? Use me for what?"
As I tried to pull away, Luis clinched me tighter into his embrace. "Ah, Matt. You have no idea. That's why I'm coming with you wherever you go. You need someone around who can tell you these things."
Oh, so I needed him to mansplain. I shook my head and pressed my hands against his chest but made no move to push him. Although I was furious, it was hard to leave the position I'd longed to be in for four years. "No. "
"As I said, you can't stop me." He sounded smug, and was he actually rubbing his fingers up and down my spine? I focused on his eyes. The pupils had consumed his irises, then he surprised me further and grabbed my belt loop on my jeans, pulling me even closer. With his left hand sliding up and down my back, and his right keeping me trapped to him, I struggled to keep hold of my reason. My thing for Luis was far from over.
But enough was enough. He was going too far to prove that Dom could use me. This was bordering on cruelty.
"Forget it. I'm going to Bertha's without you!" He'd leaned his face down slightly, and I had said those words against his lips. The brush of our lips together sent a shudder through my body, and I pushed away before I gave in to this crazy alleyway seduction.
"You won't. You'll wait for me," Luis said with an arrogant surety that made my eyes narrow.
Then he pulled me close once more and bit me on the neck. It wasn't hard, but it was a surprise enough that I gasped and arched. "You're still my prey, Matt," he whispered. "You may deny it, but your body doesn't."
Then he said, "I know Madeline. I know everything."
He released me, and I spun around, but he'd disappeared. He'd said my real name.
What did he mean, he knew everything?