Chapter Thirteen

WARNING: This chapter contains nothing bad!

Dominic takes me to a fancy restaurant. I guess it’s a little cliché, but I don’t mind. It’s been a while since I’ve been treated so well by a member of the opposite sex, even if we did hit the sheets (figuratively) first.

The ambiance of this restaurant is exquisite and sophisticated. Chandeliers line the ceiling and classical music plays softly in the background. A cello is set up on a small stage so that visiting musicians can perform live entertainment, though one isn’t present tonight. Everyone in the vicinity appears to be of great importance considering their matter of dress. I suddenly feel a little underdressed as I scrutinize the room.

“You look beautiful,” Dominic reassures me. “And don’t worry about it, anyway. None of the women in here can hold a candle to you.”

They technically couldn’t; I’d melt it away with my mind, or make it spontaneously combust.

I giggle quietly as I gaze across the table (which happens to be nestled in a private corner) at this remarkable man. I won’t pretend that I won’t miss having my powers. They do come in handy for some things. But still, now that my sister’s back, what do I have to lose? I don’t need my magic anymore. But again, the only real predicament will be if Dominic discovers that I’m a witch.

Our dinner arrives, a nice and hearty lobster cooked to a color as red as my lipstick. I can’t help it as I dig right in and indulge. I haven’t had lobster in so long thanks to not being able to afford it. And summoned food never tastes as good as the real stuff. Why, I can’t fathom, but that’s just another cross I have to bear.

“You really like that lobster, eh?” Dominic chortles. I look up and realize that I’m practically shoving it into my mouth as though I were starving to death.

After dinner, Dominic takes me for a spin on the dance floor. A fast song is playing, so we strut our stuff and show off our skills that would rival street dancers.

As we gyrate against each other to the rhythm of the music, it’s hard to remember that we’re on a date. In fact, it’s our first date, but it’s challenging to not give in and start grinding against each other seductively.

But I refuse to stoop to the low, slutty level of Miley Cyrus and start twerking.

We let the music carry us into a slow song. Then, Dominic wraps one arm around my waist and hooks the other in between my fingers. Our hearts are still thundering from the fast song, but we easily maintain our footing to sway along to the romantic tune.

“Are you glad we did this?” Dominic asks me.

“What?”

“Had a real date.”

“Oh. Yes, I’m very glad. I’m not the kind of person who usually jumps right into sex. I guess you had some sort of pull on me.”

“I don’t think so. I think you’re the one who bewitched me.”

“I did not!”

I’m appalled until I realize he means this as a joke. He momentarily stops dancing long enough to look at me.

“I was kidding, sheila.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It seemed like you took that pretty personal.”

“I...”

I don’t know what to say. This is exactly what I need to be cautious about if I don’t want to risk having to forsake my powers. A witch can relinquish her magic at any time (unless the curse is a factor), but it’s a rare occurrence. Most witches chose their magic over the one they loved. Perhaps they didn’t really love the ones they let perish. Were they truly that selfish?

Or am I looking too much into it? And I must ask myself, why am I comparing them to me? I don’t love Dominic. Not in that special way, anyway. Just because he makes my heart rate go up, makes me go weak in the knees, makes me feel beyond amazing in bed, and is a genuinely good person deep down who defended me against Abel and let me live in his home at no cost, doesn’t mean...

Oh, my God.

It’s official. The restless nights, the dreaming of him, the longing to always be with him, just to be in the same vicinity as him, even without sex...it all adds up.

It’s true. I’m in love with Dominic Taylor. He said I bewitched him (jokingly). But maybe I’m the one who’s truly been under a spell this whole time. A spell more powerful than anything that can be cast.

The power of love.

**********

I’m lying in bed, trying to sleep, but the dream world eludes me. I can’t believe that I’ve admitted to myself that I’m in love with Dominic. I haven’t known him that long, but the way he makes me feel, in all ways, is undeniable.

I must be extra wary now. I can’t risk him discovering that I’m a witch. The outcome won’t be good for either of us if he does. But I must admit, having my feelings actually make sense is a great weight off my shoulders. And so is the fact that I don’t have to fight them anymore now that I’ve admitted them to myself.

I haven’t told him how I feel, of course, but after tonight, even though it was only one date, we decided to go ahead and label ourselves an official couple. We’ve slept together plenty of times, have officially had a date, and are living together. This seems like the next logical, if not completely nonsequential, step.

Suddenly, I hear a loud thump from the other part of the upstairs hallway. Perplexed, I stumble out of bed and press my ear against my door. I hear silence at first, but them I’m greeted with the sound again. Furrowing my brow, I open the door and tiptoe out into the hall.

The source of the sound appears to be coming from...Dominic’s room?

And then I hear something even worse. I hear moaning, gasping, and...whimpers? What the hell?

I waste no time in bolting toward Dominic’s room and hurling the door open.

I don’t know what I expected to see, but what I do see catches me completely off-guard. I do the only thing I can think to do – I scream bloody murder.