Domiel by Dawn McClure

things in the aftermath of her nightmares. Desire hadn’t sparked at his nearness, not after reliving the horrid past, but a sense of relief had overcome her, as though she could lean on someone. Her only desire had been to snuggle deeper into his warmth. God, when was the last time she’d snuggled with a man? Had she before? She honestly couldn’t recall.
    “Uh, Kels? You might want to come look at this.”
    Taking a moment to compose herself, she buttered toast for him and her. No doubt they’d caught them on camera. She left the kitchen with her nerves jittering and her stomach lodged in her throat. In the middle of handing him the plate, she froze, seeing a picture of both Sven and Roger on a security camera. Sven held a large black canvas bag. A scrolling red news alert highlighted the bottom of the TV.
    The Ken-doll anchorman, stoic and humorless, was speaking French in a serious tone. “Two men suspected of carrying a bomb late last night are being held for questioning. Heathrow International Airport went on lockdown around eleven last night. No bombs were found, though sources say weapons were discovered. The two women who alerted security are wanted for questioning. One was described as a blonde wearing all leather, the other as a tall woman with auburn hair.” A fuzzy video snapshot of Lexie and Jade flashed on the screen from one of the many security cameras. “If you have any information on either, please contact your local police department.”
    “Good Lord. I should have known.” She sat on the couch next to him.
    “I told you Alexia doesn’t think before she acts.”
    “Well, she got out of there, didn’t she?” Alexia was a bit crazy, but it was the kind of crazy that worked as an assassin.
    Kelsey needed to get her ass in gear. She was used to having a name and an address to start with, but here she was flying blind. “Wait.” As her friends’ pictures flashed off the screen they brought her an idea. “If there were security cameras at that club we were at, it would have captured the shooter. I wonder why that’s not on the news?”
    “The police would have been called. The tape will be there. But there’s no need. I saw the male who took a shot at you.”
    He what? “Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
    He shrugged and looked away from her. “You needed your rest. It was a vampire, not a demon. He had on a black, nondescript baseball cap, blond hair peeking out of the bottom, and his energy level was low, as if he were newly transformed.”
    She bit her lip and tried to remember anyone that resembled that description. Blond hair. Male vampire. “I’m drawing a blank.” She looked back at Domiel as he averted his eyes.
    “Who have you pissed off lately?”
    He was lying through his teeth. He knew something. “It could be more than that. He might have been hired by someone else. Did you get a handle on his specific brand of energy?”
    “You don’t need to worry about him.”
    “Well, I can connect with Alexia, see what she knows.” It wasn’t quite square one, but it was damn close.
    “He’s dead, Kelsey, I killed him.”
    She absorbed what he’d said while quietly looking at him. He met her gaze, but didn’t elaborate. His first kill.
    Can’t think about that now. She sat forward on the couch and put her forehead in her palms. Damned if she didn’t, damned if she did; her days were numbered. She couldn’t run from the Alliance forever, and it was looking as though clearing her name was going to take longer than anticipated. The Alliance was moving fast, which meant they had concrete evidence of her guilt.
    She felt the pressure of Domiel’s warm palm against her lower back. He didn’t say anything, only offered comfort.
    And for the second time in mere minutes, she accepted it.
    She settled back into the crook of his arm and closed her eyes. The TV went quiet, and then Domiel’s arms wrapped around her.
    Being an assassin allowed her to take her anger out on