Page 80 of Dominion

My memories were fragile, brittle pieces, and they came and went just like seasons, but the Casimir I remembered wasn’t like this. Then again, the Casimir I remembered was barely a teenager, with a constant smile on his face and love in his eyes.

But that Casimir also remembered when I disappeared, and I had no doubt that everything else that had happened after had led to him becoming this person. But he had love in him. He wouldn’t have come for me if he didn’t. He could’ve used me as bait if that was all I was to him, but he didn’t.

He was trying—in his own, fucked-up way—but it was the intent that counted.

“Where exactly are we going to be staying?” I asked when the silence in the car, after their little exchange, became too suffocating. “It’s not like we can waltz into that little motel at the edge of the town and check-in.”

“I mean, we could do that and cause some havoc tonight,” Hunter said, looking at Casimir. “But judging by the murderous look from His Majesty, I’m pretty sure that we won’t be doing that.”

Did he just... Did he just call him His Majesty?

“We’re staying at my house,” Casimir added. “I already told you that I moved all the operations back there. Judah has no idea about it, so let’s keep it that way,” he finished with a pointed look in Hunter’s direction.

“Hey,” the man in question exclaimed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I know what a nutjob you are, and I know that if you had a chance, you would kill Judah yourself.” Really?

I craned my neck to look at Hunter. I couldn’t miss the tightening of his hands around the steering wheel, or the tick in his cheek as he kept his face turned toward the road.

Did he already know Judah?

“Let’s not talk about it,” he murmured, shutting down the conversation immediately.

Had Judah done something to him?

I wanted to ask, I wanted to know, but the tension between them was almost palpable, woven with the strings of pain and anger that I couldn’t possibly understand. It took me a moment to realize that Casimir’s eyes softened as he looked at the man behind the steering wheel.

Huh. Who would’ve thought?

“What are you looking at?” Ash asked, whispering in my ear.

“Shhh,” I shushed him, keeping my eyes on the exchange in front of us. There were only two other people I knew who behaved like this with each other, and one of them was sitting in this very car. “I’m listening,” I added, rubbing my thumb over the top of Ash’s hand.

“You’re listening to what?” He chuckled, hiding his face in my hair. “Is it what I think it is?”

“Oh yeah,” I mumbled. “I think it’s exactly what we both think it is. But it’s also like watching a telenovela. You’re not exactly supposed to watch it, because some of the things don’t really make sense, but you can’t stop yourself.”

“Did you…” he chuckled, trying to keep his voice low. “Did you just compare your brother to some character from a telenovela?”

“I mean.” I shrugged. “He is kinda dramatic, no?”

“What the hell are you two whispering about?” Casimir asked, turning toward us. “I mean, I’m happy that you stopped crying, but I’m not so happy about the fact that you’re giggling like schoolgirls and I don’t know why.”

“You don’t have to know everything.” I smirked. “Just like I don’t know everything.” I, not so subtly, looked at Hunter and then back at him. If it wasn’t for the red tinting on the top of his ears, I never would’ve known that I guessed it.

Casimir and Hunter—something was going on there. Something I didn’t want to poke just yet, but he would have to tell me.

Maybe curiosity killed the cat, but I wanted to know. I firmly believed that Casimir deserved to be happy.

“Okay.” I smiled. “Keep your secrets, Cas.” He frowned, the lines on his forehead deepening, and I was certain that he didn’t want me to know. “But I’ll find out eventually.”

He had a million things to say, a million curses living in his eyes, but he flattened his lips and turned back around, ignoring me for the rest of the trip.

The silence cascaded over us slowly as we rounded the last curve on that terrible road, and there it was.

Winworth.

The prettiest little town with an ugly soul.

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