Page 75 of Enchant the Dawn

Rising, he transported himself into the city to satisfy his hunger, then returned to Ava’s. He found the women in the living room, bent over a leather-bound book laid open on the coffee table.

“Well, what a cozy coven,” he remarked, dropping down on the chair across from the sofa. “Got room for one more?”

“We always have room for you,” Ava said with a smile.

He jerked his chin toward the book. “What’s that?”

“It’s a Book of Shadows,” Ava replied. “Sort of like a witch’s diary.”

“I see. So, I broke in on a class in Witchcraft 101.” Maddy grinned at him. “It’s all so fascinating!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea anything like this even existed. I mean, Ava is amazing. She knows so much!”

“Yeah,” Dominic agreed. “Sometimes I think she knows too much.”

“I know your parents are worried about you,” Ava retorted. “Your mother wants you to come home.”

Dominic shook his head. “No way.”

“She knew you’d say that. Your father is thinking of coming here, because we don’t seem to be making any progress in finding the Knights’ new stronghold.”

Dominic muttered an oath under his breath.

“Don’t worry, I talked him out of it,” Ava said. “At least for now. We’ve been going about this all wrong. Jasper is working for the Knights. He’s a powerful wizard, but deep inside he’s a coward. We need to find Jasper and convince him that it’s in his best interest to tell us the location of the stronghold. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”

Dominic grunted softly. Ava was right, he thought with a wry grin. But then, she usually was.

* * *

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly enough. Dominic sat back in his chair, content to watch Ava instruct Maddy in a few simple spells. He was amazed at how quickly Maddy mastered them. Not as quickly as his sister, but then, Lily had been born a witch, so it was only natural that her magic came more readily. Still, he was impressed with Maddy’s ability. He watched her hands, so expressive, as she wove a simple spell. He liked the way her eyes glowed with excitement, her unabashed sense of accomplishment when she succeeded.

At ten o’clock, Ava closed the book. “I think that’s enough for tonight. I’ll see you two in the morning.” Bending down to kiss Dominic’s cheek, she whispered, “Behave yourself,” before going upstairs.

Dominic stared after her. She was something else, he thought.

“Did we bore you to death?” Maddy asked.

“What? No. It was pretty entertaining, actually. Especially when you tried to conjure a cat and got a rat instead.”

“Hey, it could have happened to anyone.”

“If you say so. Seriously, I’m impressed with your talent.”

“Really?”

“Really. Enough shop talk,” he said. Moving to sit on the sofa beside her, he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s talk about us.”

“What about us?”

“You know I love you. I know you love me.” He caressed her cheek with his fingertips. “I want you. You want me.” His gaze moved over her face. “If I asked you to marry me, what would you say?”

“Are you asking?”

“I think so.”

“Well, when you know for sure, ask me again.”

“Will you marry me, Maddy?”

With tears of joy shining in her eyes, she murmured, “Yes, Dominic, I’ll marry you.”

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