He nodded sleepily and burrowed in closer. “Don’t move.”
His mate hugged him tightly and rested his head on top of Sammy’s head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter sixteen
Sometime after sunset, Sammy drifted awake to the soft percussion of rain on the window and the distant rumble of thunder. The darkness outside pressed close, thick and impenetrable, clouds swallowing any trace of the moon or stars.
Dominic’s arm was slung across his hip, an anchor of warmth and security. The steady rise and fall of his chest against Sammy’s back felt like a lullaby, soothing him back to sleep, but while his mind begged for more rest, his bladder had other ideas.
With a nearly silent groan, he eased out of his mate’s arms, careful not to wake him, and untangled his legs where they had become wrapped in the quilt. His body felt heavy and sluggish, his limbs uncooperative as he plodded toward the en suite, finding his way through blurry eyes.
Hazy amber light glowed from the underside of the bathroom vanity, barely bright enough to illuminate his path. He shuffled toward it, his head foggy with sleep.
Just as he reached the threshold, though, a wave of dizziness crashed over him, sending him stumbling into the doorframe.
Gasping, he gripped the wood and squeezed his eyes shut, pulling in deep breaths through his nose as he fought off a wave of nausea. His head swam, and his pulse pounded in his ears.
For a heartbeat, he worried he might pass out, but then, as quickly as it had come, the sensation faded, leaving him shaken but still standing.
Dominic had warned him there might be side-effects while his body recalibrated. It made sense. He was bound to a powerful mystic, and although he couldn’t access Dominic’s magic, ribbons of it flowed through him now.
He just hadn’t expected the transition to be quite so severe.
Once he felt stable, he pushed off the doorframe and continued into the bathroom.
Only, instead of the transition from plush carpet to smooth, heated tiles, he stepped forward onto cold, uneven stones. Then bright light flooded his vision without warning, forcing him to recoil as he hissed like a startled kitten.
His stomach swooped and his chest tightened with the unmistakable sensation of a jump. Normally, he didn’t mind being magically relocated, but this time, a little warning would have been nice.
“Damn it, Dom!” The words slipped out, half annoyance, half accusation, as he shielded his eyes and tried to orient himself. “What the hell?”
“Now, now, sweetheart. Language.”
He froze.
He knew that voice—soft, syrupy, and threaded with malice that feigned charm—but he hadn’t heard it in almost a decade. His heart stuttered painfully. The hairs on his arms stood on end, a warning prickling his skin.
On instinct, he reached for Dominic through their bond, calling his mate’s name inside his head.
Nothing.
No static, no gentle reassurance, not even the distant echo of Dominic’s presence. Only emptiness, a void where his mate should have been. He was cut off, and that realization brought a new spike of fear.
He was, for now, utterly alone.
Lowering his hand, he blinked rapidly against the harsh light, his vision blurring with tears. He caught only glimpses of his surroundings, the vast room coming into focus in pieces.
Arched windows that stretched toward soaring ceilings. Porcelain tiles meant to look like natural stone.
Crisp reds and glossy blacks. Velvet and gold. A rug so rich in color it looked almost like spilled blood in the glare.
A fireplace stretched up the far wall in carved black wood and antique gold, the opening tall enough to step through. Fire danced within its belly, the flames enclosed by a curved gate that gave the hearth the unsettling appearance of a gilded cage.
Yet, apart from a blood-red sectional adrift in the middle of the room, and a lone chair near the fireplace, the space was eerily empty.
Finally, his gaze landed on a female with fiery red hair that fell in loose waves to her waist. Petite, almost frail, it would be easy to dismiss her as harmless, but he knew better. Even now, he could see the glint of impatience in her sapphire eyes, could practically smell the casual cruelty she wore like cheap perfume.
“Mother,” he said coolly. “Where am I?”