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Chapter Twenty Two
Dominic requested I wear a dress, which was something I didn't own, but he surprised me by producing one from his closet. "I had some things requested in your size," he explained. "I was saving this dress for a special occasion though."
He gazed hungrily at me once I came into the room in the dress. It was solid black, with a voluminous skirt. The top was sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline that was snug to my chest, which flashed a bit of cleavage. The dress went down to about halfway down my thighs.
"That's beautiful on you, sugar," Dominic hummed, eyes darkening.
"I'll need something to cover up with," I said, embarrassed.
Dominic nodded in agreement. "I don't want anyone else seeing so much of you. There's a nice cardigan or two in the closet you can pick out."
So I grabbed a maroon sweater-knit cardigan, which wasn't the best pairing, but it was comfy and warm. When I pulled it on, Dominic's normally strong and serious gaze softened a bit, his jaw unclenching.
"It makes the dress not as fancy," I said negatively, looking at myself in the mirror with a frown. "Maybe a different dress, I saw one with long sleeves in there-"
"No. No, I like it like this. Leave it." He went quiet, just looking at me with guarded but gentle eyes. I was trying to calculate what it was he was thinking about, but his gaze never lingered in one place long enough for me to figure out and his facial expression remained neutral.
I turned to face him, self-consciously folding my arms over my chest. "What? What are you thinking about?"
"I am thinking about all the mistakes I have made and what I wished I had done differently," he answered. "At first, all I wanted was you. I liked how feisty you were and how you battled me and I wanted to break that. You were a challenge, one I was determined to conquer. But now what I want more than anything is for you to rely on me, to trust me, and to see that I will be a good mate and man for you."
I adjusted the cardigan sleeves anxiously. "And you think forcing me to do that ceremony in a few days is the best way to show me? Or forcing me to have an emotional breakdown? Dominic, look at what you've done. None of this is working in your favor. If you would just... Just act like a normal guy trying to make a relationship with a girl, maybe this would be different," I explained.
"Like taking you out on a nice date?" Dominic asked hopefully.
Tucking my hair behind my ears, I shrugged. "That's a start, I suppose."
Dominic gave me a small smile, reaching to take my hand before kissing the back of it softly. "Good enough for me, I'll take it."
~ ~ ~
Much to my surprise and distaste, it was more than just a trip to a nice restaurant. The place Dominic took me was at a resort/golf course type building, where we were fed outside and there as a designated dance floor. I shot Dominic a look when I spotted it and he responded with a smug smirk.
"If I can't seduce you with my charm over dinner, I will seduce you with my dance moves," he claimed.
I laughed at that, shaking my head. "Whatever, Romeo. I'm starving."
"Right this way, my love," Dominic hummed in my ear, placing my hand in the crook of his elbow to guide me to a small table in the middle of the floor, which had a small plaque with our names written in fancy cursive on it. One on of the plates had a white rose on it and Dominic picked it up delicately, bouncing it against my nose. "For you, sugar."
"Thank you." I took it, hating how my cheeks were growing warm under his scrutiny. "You are trying really hard, aren't you?"
"I am prepared to give this my all if it would mean you giving me a real chance," Dominic stated, pulling my chair out for me. I thanked him and sat down, biting my lip as he scooted me into place. Then he bent down and kissed the skin in front of my ear slowly, making the mark on my neck tingle and shiver, chills spilling down my spine. "You feel it, don't you, Caroline?"
Taking a deep breath, I gave a short shake of my head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dom."
He chuckled and took his seat, going silent for several moments as he gazed at me. I ran my fingers through my hair, praying he would stop looking at me like that. I could handle him being angry and being a dick. That I was used to. But for Dominic to act sweet and be looking at me with something other than annoyance or some other negative emotions was making my stomach flip.
Realistically, there was no reason that I should be sitting here with him. After everything we have done to each other and everything that has gone down, neither of us should be here. We both deserved better. "Caroline." I looked up at him through my lashes curiously. "I can't tell exactly what you are thinking, but I know that you should stop. Will you just be in this moment with me, not anywhere in the past?"
"Dominic. Do either of us deserve this?" I asked seriously. "And think about it."
He sighed, leaning across the table slightly. "I have thought about it, Caroline. It's been weeks, of course I thought about it. You may think that I am completely impulsive and have the brain the size of a peanut, but I promise you that a lot more thought has gone into this than you will ever know," Dominic explained. "I do think we deserve this. We deserve to be happy and be with our other half. You deserve to have someone that can support you, even if you think you don't need it. I deserve companionship and someone to share this role with. But I think you deserve to not be alone anymore. A family. And I want to give that to you."
~ ~ ~
Dominic and I finished off a bottle of wine together with our meal - which was incredibly delicious. By far the best meal I had ever eaten. The wine went with it well, even if it did make me a bit nervous that I was underage and drinking. Dominic promised that no one would know and even if they did, they wouldn't deny his mate of a little alcohol. That meant that this was an exclusive Shifters-only country club.
He got up and held a hand out to me, nodding to the dancefloor. Had I been completely sober, I would have refused, but I figured I could at least make Dominic do all the work. All of the songs they had been playing were slow, ones to waltz to, so I couldn't embarrass myself too badly.
Dominic placed a hand on my lower back, pulling me up against his chest. When I stood stiffly and uncomfortably, he laughed and guided my arm around his shoulders and entwined our other hands, holding them close as he started to move to the music. "You've never done this before, have you?"
"Dominic, I've never been on a real date before," I said with a laugh. "Let alone danced with someone."
His chest rumbled with chuckles as he kissed my forehead. "So I see. It's a wonder no one came onto you. You're absolutely stunning."
"The guys in my pack wanted to mate with other Shifters, they believed it was the right thing to do. Plus it freaked them out that I was orphaned," I told him. "I'm not the most approachable person either."
His hand lowered slightly, so his fingers rested just above my rear end. "So you're saying they were pussies?"
I giggled, rolling my eyes. "You said it, not me."
I let him guide us around the dancefloor a while before I felt the wine starting to make me a little sleepy. "Lay against me," he directed gently.
My forehead dropped onto his chest, my eyes closing as he held me closely, our entwined hands resting between the two of us. Dominic kissed my forehead gently before resting his chin on top of my head. "Good girl."
We danced for a while, but really it was more like Dominic rocking me back and forth as if to make me fall asleep. "Thank you, Caroline," Dominic murmured. "For giving me this."
I nodded slowly, not looking up at him. "You sleepy?" he asked. "One more dance and we'll go home, I promise."
My eyes opened momentarily and I saw a flash of red, which had me blinking rapidly. On Dominic's white button-up were several red splotches. The longer I stared at them, the more I came to realize my nose felt funny. The arm that was resting on his shoulders came down so I could touch my face. My fingers came away smeared with thick crimson. Much more than any regular nosebleed would produce.
The world titled suddenly, but I wasn't sure if I was feeling faint from sudden anxiety about this blood, or if something was wrong with me. Dominic's nose pressed into my hair and inhaled, oblivious to what I was doing.
"D-Dominic?" I whispered.
He leaned back to look at me and just as our eyes met, hot pain erupted in my chest, knocking the wind from my lungs and making my legs collapse under me. Dominic cursed and fell to the ground with me, holding me against him as all the strength left my limbs. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's just a little blood. Look at me, gorgeous, look at me," he said hurriedly, patting my cheek lightly.
I could hardly keep my eyes open. Each time that I tried, the pain in my head grew. It was too bright and there were too many faces and people beginning to lean over us. Dominic started yelling sharply at someone until I started to drift off.
The blood was spilling down each side of my face now, in steady streams. "Caroline, stay awake. You have to tell me what's wrong. Stay awake, baby," he gushed, the patting on my cheek increasing in pressure. "Sugar, please, look at me, yeah?"
I tried, I truly tried, but not an ounce of my strength would return to my body. My head, neck, and chest suddenly were constricted with an invisible pressure, so much so that I was unable to breathe. It was as if something was tying itself around my throat. Dominic was shouting at me now, but I was too far gone to go back, to be able to understand what he was trying to tell me.
Darkness consumed me like a wave, hitting me hard and rolling over my whole body with a force uncontrollable by man. I succumbed.
****A/N: I'm sorry for another cliff hanger. I'm evil. But I've been doing pretty well on sticking to my update every ten days plan! And i have a few chapters written ahead too :D
Are any of you guys done with school yet? I have finals coming up. Bleh.
Also I was sent an unsolicited dick pic yesterday so that's cool****