Page 51 of Enchant the Dawn

He fed on the first lone mortal he found, wiped the memory from her mind, and sent her on her way. Still troubled, he headed for home.

Ava smiled when she saw him, but the smile quickly faded when she saw the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“What kind of spell did you use?”

“Why? Is it no longer working? Are you in pain?”

“I’m fine. What did you do to Maddy?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying. I felt something when I kissed her. Something dark.”

“It’s nothing. Just a little residual magic. It should be gone in a day or two.”

“You’d better hope so.”

Ava’s eyes grew wide. “Are you threatening me?”

“Sounds that way, doesn’t it?” He didn’t wait for an answer. With a wave of his hand, he transported himself back to Maddy’s.

He found her asleep on the sofa, her face pale.

The signature of potent magic hung heavy in the air. She looked like a fairy-tale princess lying there, her hair spread across the sofa pillow, her lips slightly parted. Sitting on the couch beside her, he brushed a kiss across her lips.

And tasted the darkness within her.

“Maddy? Maddy! Wake up.”

She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. “Dominic.” She smiled at him. “What are you doing here?” She glanced at the clock. “It’s late. What are you doing here?” she asked again. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I just came back to check on you. Make sure you were feeling all right after all you’ve been through tonight.”

She frowned as she sat up. “Did something happen?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. What the hell? Had that potion erased her memory? “You drank something that didn’t agree with you,” he lied. “That’s all. I came by to check up on you. Make sure there were no aftereffects.”

“Oh. Well, I feel fine. Just kind of tired. I think I’ll go up to bed.”

“Okay if I stick around until you fall asleep?”

“Thank you, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Are you sure?” Whether she liked it or not, he’d be back later to make sure she was all right.

“I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine.”

“If you need anything, call me.”

“I will, I promise. Will I see you tomorrow?”

“You bet.” He kissed her lightly. And tasted the same darkness he had tasted before.

It worried the hell out of him.

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