formulating in my mind of how to use his own proposals against him. I was more than determined that he would not take away the two things dearest to me. Dom and my freedom. Unfortunately, almost everything else was about to go up as collateral. Including my relationship. And the identity I’d been able to maintain for more than a decade.
I made a fresh cup of hot decaf green tea and sat down to drink it, and think. My hands shook every time I brought the cup to my mouth for a drink. I was wound up so tight that, for the first time, maybe ever, I considered having a glass of wine. I’d heard many people found a glass of wine relaxing. Perhaps, in spite of the danger, it would have that effect on me. My kind wisely stayed far away from alcoholic beverages. Bad, bad things happened when we imbibed.
I finally decided against it, opting instead to hit the gym. It was my safest stress reliever. Maybe after a few hours of intense cardio my body would stop shaking. I determined to do just that as soon as I finished my cup of tea.
My body tensed as I heard a key turning the lock on the front door. Dom wasn’t due home for several hours, and I had no wish for him to see me so shaken.
My profile was facing the door, so it was out of the corner of my eye that I saw Dom enter, and head straight for the kitchen. I heard him pour himself something on ice. Whiskey, I thought. He was having a bad day, too.
“We need to talk,” he began.
I tried to stifle a laugh. Why did that strike me as funny? I didn’t know. We’d been going through a rocky patch for the last couple of months. One thing after another seemed to be putting distance between us. Too many people wanted us apart. Team that up with some very unfortunate misunderstandings and we’d had some big fights that weren’t easily resolving themselves, as they always had so easily in the past.
He tried to ignore my rude outburst, starting again. “Declan is sending me out of town for about a week. The timing is bad, but unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of ignoring a direct order. My flight’s in a few hours, but we need to discuss a few things before I go.”
My breath caught at the news of his trip. Of course Declan was sending him away. It was his best chance to snare me in his trap. No wonder he’d gotten so aggressive of late. What Declan wasn’t counting on was that it would also create the best circumstances for me to implement my own plan. A few hours , I thought. So this was what it came down to for Dom and I. My mind seemed to be moving like molasses, but I understood that part right away. This was goodbye for us, and Dom couldn’t know it. I didn’t know what to do with the tightness in my chest, the thickness in my throat that felt like it could turn to tears if I let it. I’d never allowed myself to get this close to someone before, so close that they could tear me apart. I’d never even wanted to before Dom.
“Your behavior lately is baffling to me,” he was continuing in a hard voice. I tried to pay attention. “Is it too much to ask that you show a little civility, a little decorum, when dealing with my people? If you had set out on a deliberate campaign to systematically alienate yourself from the druids as a people, you couldn’t have done a better job. You’ve put me in an untenable position.“
Wow, he thinks I’m trying to ruin his life , I was thinking to myself as he spoke. I hadn’t expected him to make this easier for me, to give a speech that would actually strengthen my resolve to get out of his life.
“First, you throw a jealous tantrum and chuck Siobhan out of a twelve story window.”
I laughed out loud.
“You may think that’s funny, but I don’t think you understand how difficult this has made it for me to protect you and our relationship. Where is your self-control?”
I
I made a fresh cup of hot decaf green tea and sat down to drink it, and think. My hands shook every time I brought the cup to my mouth for a drink. I was wound up so tight that, for the first time, maybe ever, I considered having a glass of wine. I’d heard many people found a glass of wine relaxing. Perhaps, in spite of the danger, it would have that effect on me. My kind wisely stayed far away from alcoholic beverages. Bad, bad things happened when we imbibed.
I finally decided against it, opting instead to hit the gym. It was my safest stress reliever. Maybe after a few hours of intense cardio my body would stop shaking. I determined to do just that as soon as I finished my cup of tea.
My body tensed as I heard a key turning the lock on the front door. Dom wasn’t due home for several hours, and I had no wish for him to see me so shaken.
My profile was facing the door, so it was out of the corner of my eye that I saw Dom enter, and head straight for the kitchen. I heard him pour himself something on ice. Whiskey, I thought. He was having a bad day, too.
“We need to talk,” he began.
I tried to stifle a laugh. Why did that strike me as funny? I didn’t know. We’d been going through a rocky patch for the last couple of months. One thing after another seemed to be putting distance between us. Too many people wanted us apart. Team that up with some very unfortunate misunderstandings and we’d had some big fights that weren’t easily resolving themselves, as they always had so easily in the past.
He tried to ignore my rude outburst, starting again. “Declan is sending me out of town for about a week. The timing is bad, but unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of ignoring a direct order. My flight’s in a few hours, but we need to discuss a few things before I go.”
My breath caught at the news of his trip. Of course Declan was sending him away. It was his best chance to snare me in his trap. No wonder he’d gotten so aggressive of late. What Declan wasn’t counting on was that it would also create the best circumstances for me to implement my own plan. A few hours , I thought. So this was what it came down to for Dom and I. My mind seemed to be moving like molasses, but I understood that part right away. This was goodbye for us, and Dom couldn’t know it. I didn’t know what to do with the tightness in my chest, the thickness in my throat that felt like it could turn to tears if I let it. I’d never allowed myself to get this close to someone before, so close that they could tear me apart. I’d never even wanted to before Dom.
“Your behavior lately is baffling to me,” he was continuing in a hard voice. I tried to pay attention. “Is it too much to ask that you show a little civility, a little decorum, when dealing with my people? If you had set out on a deliberate campaign to systematically alienate yourself from the druids as a people, you couldn’t have done a better job. You’ve put me in an untenable position.“
Wow, he thinks I’m trying to ruin his life , I was thinking to myself as he spoke. I hadn’t expected him to make this easier for me, to give a speech that would actually strengthen my resolve to get out of his life.
“First, you throw a jealous tantrum and chuck Siobhan out of a twelve story window.”
I laughed out loud.
“You may think that’s funny, but I don’t think you understand how difficult this has made it for me to protect you and our relationship. Where is your self-control?”
I
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