Dominic turns and walks toward the door. "I will not be long," he says, glancing back at me with his hand on the latch.
"Wait." I interrupt. "I'm coming with you." I practically fly off the bed, scanning the room for my clothes or anything other than this long, white night gown.
"No!" Dominic snaps, startling me out of my frantic search. "It is too dangerous."
"Too dangerous?" I repeat, allowing my sarcasm to flood out. "I think we both just proved we can kick his ass."
He cocks his head, as if slightly impressed by my bravery but then his face drops, like he suddenly remembers something. "I cannot allow it. You are not ready." he pauses as if trying to find the right words to change my mind.
"Oh, I'm ready." I bite out. "That asshole just tried to kill me!"
"You do not understand!" Dominic shouts. "Demons will stop at nothing to manipulate." he shakes his head like he's experienced it first hand. "They will reveal things about you that they cannot possibly know."
Blood rushes to my face and I'm not sure if it's because I've just been attacked or I'm starting to get pissed but I'm pretty sure it's a combination of both.
"I'm going." I spit out, pushing an arm through an extremely expensive looking red, velvet robe I found hanging in the armoire as I slip my other arm through. Dominic's breath catches at that very moment and I look up. He crosses one leg behind him, bending at the waist as he turns his head down. He's in a full bow unlike I've ever seen before and for a millisecond, I'm thrust back into the awareness of my position here. Suddenly, I have leverage. Suddenly, I have a trump card.
"You may be my Watchman, but last time I checked, I am your Queen." I say, squaring my shoulders as he looks up, his powerful eyes locking with mine. He knows he can't say no despite the danger and despite my stubbornness. The expression on his face is pure resentment but I ignore it, trying to hide the fact that I can feel it, too.
Fastening the last button, I walk toward him, gathering up my now wavy, auburn hair as I free it from underneath the high, stiff collar. I stop at the door and glance up at him, hoping the discontent in his eyes is no longer there. But he's not going to give in; he's livid with me. And now, I've just belittled the man I love.
Closing my eyes, I pull in a deep breath, managing to keep my head up as I try to disguise my instant regret. I take a step past him, reaching for the latch but Dominic's hand pushes it away and he opens the door. I don't dare look up, the daggers in my gut are already too sharp. I can fix this, I know I can—but until then, Uncle John's day is about to get a whole lot worse.
"C'mon. Let's go have a chat with the son-of-a-bitch."