Page 37 of Sweets and Sycamores
Her hands trembled, and with each breath her body shuddered harder, pain searing through her muscles and bones.
“Mr. Ranford!” Allie screamed without another thought, suffocated by sheer panic. Not only had she promised to tell him if this happened again, but the fear that she could ruin something or harm someone shoved its ugly claws into her heart, sending her into a frenzy.
Dominic came out of the kitchen like a hurricane and was next to her in a second, another type of panic shining through his green eyes.
“What’s—” He stopped when he saw Allie’s upturned palms, the strings of live fire digging into her flesh. Dominic grabbed her wrists, and she hissed when the movement intensified the pulsating pain. Even her own breathing made the pain worse.He dropped her hands, his eyes moving from her to her palms, brows furrowed. “Come with me.”
Allie followed him blindly to the kitchen, her vision clouded by unshed tears gathered there from the sizzling pain. Dominic pushed his palms out and sent a strong current of air to the sink that turned on the cold water while he grabbed ice from the freezer and poured it into a bowl.
“Put your hands here,” he said in a painfully gentle voice. She placed her hands in the ice bowl, cold water pouring over them. A whimper escaped through her clenched teeth, her tears now free to streak her cheeks. Allie hid her face into her shoulder, embarrassment making its way through the stream of emotions drowning her.
A warm, wide palm came to rest on her back, and Allie hoped she had suppressed her flinch of shock in time. Dominic kept his hand there and drew lazy circles between her shoulder blades. His touch was strong and comforting, and she leaned into it, shifting her focus away from the excruciating pain and into the steady movement of his hand.
She had no idea how much time passed before she was able to take a breath in and not feel like her flesh would split. Slowly turning her hands, she saw the fiery threads on her palms had faded, leaving behind reddened and swollen skin. She pulled her hands out of the bowl, and Dominic leaned in to turn off the water, his hand still on her back.
He watched her with raw intensity, his green eyes roving around her face, waiting, searching. She wondered if he was Reading her, magic that was just another thought for a Mage, and she hoped he did. Allie found it impossible to put into words what was going on with her or what was in her heart.
“I know you’ve been practicing. What did you learn?” he asked. Allie scoffed.
“Not much. I only got to the part where I’m looking for the source of the power in my body, but I couldn’t even do that,” she confessed.
Dominic went quiet. His green eyes trembled, a hidden conflict brewing behind them. Allie let him gather his thoughts, wondering what sent him into a spiral.
“Do you trust me?” His voice was hoarse, like the words were thorns in his throat.
“Yes,” Allie answered on instinct, not surprised to discover it was true. “I trust you.”
Dominic’s eyes softened and his features relaxed as he exhaled a long breath.
“Let me take a look.”
Allie had no idea what he was talking about. She nodded, too exhausted to question him. He took a step closer, his cedarwood scent wrapping around her like a soft blanket, grounding her. Dominic had saved her life and helped her now without the slightest hint of hesitation, so whatever he wanted to take a look at, he was more than welcome to do so.
Allie tipped her chin up to watch her boss, one of his hands still on her back, the other one coming to rest on her belly. His long fingers splayed around her core, and Allie held her breath. Dominic’s hands were on her, still and wide and warm. Her heartbeat jumped to a frantic rhythm, and she hoped her boss couldn’t feel it under her skin.
His eyes closed, and he frowned deeper and deeper, while doing…whatever he was doing. Allie had no idea about the limitations of a Mage’s power, but she was confident she was in good hands.
Literally.
Dominic’s eyes snapped open, and he rushed out the words, “I’ll be right back,” before fleeing from the kitchen, leaving Alliewith a dumbfounded look on her face, running hot for various, unrelated reasons.
Dominic stormed out of the bakery and crossed the street in long strides, ignoring the “Closed” sign and barging into his sister’s bookstore. The door flew open and hit the wall, sending some of the chatting books back into their place.
Mia stood at the register, flipping through a catalogue, unfazed by his intrusion. She raised her big brown eyes to her brother, not even slightly bothered by his state of uneasiness.
“Yes?” she said in a calm voice that irked him, half a smile tilting her cheek up.
“I need a book on power seals,” he barked. Mia studied him for a moment, taking in his rushed breathing and the look of concern that twisted his features. She rounded the counter and went looking through the shelves without a question.
Dominic waited by the door, calming his breathing and his galloping heart. He wished he was wrong more than anything, but his Assessments had never failed him before, and he doubted they would start now.
Mia’s hissing at the naughty, loud books filled the space while she looked for the one he needed. It was lucky the bookstore was still closed to customers, not that Dom would have cared enough to alter his behavior.
“This is the only one I could find on the floor,” Mia said and handed him a book titledSealing: The Line Between Right and Wrong.Dom kept the comment about sealing never being right to himself and nodded at his sister. “Let me know if you can’t find what you need, and I’ll look through the storage, too.”
“Thanks, Mia.” He turned to leave but stopped with his hand on the doorknob at the sound of his sister’s voice.
“Is this about Allie?”
