The Werewolf Prince and I (35 page)

“Misty?” His voice – even though it sounded ragged now – was tortuously familiar.

She took a deep breath before turning around. Without looking straight at him, she murmured, “Domenico.”

Domenico stared, heart hammering in his chest, unable to believe that after sixteen long months of estrangement he was finally seeing Misty again.

Yet she was
different.

It…unnerved him, but at the same time, it attracted him. Everything about Misty made his heart constrict in complete desire.

Damn it, he had missed her so much in the months she had been gone and yet now, she didn’t look as if she cared one whit about their estrangement. Had he truly lost her for good?

She seemed taller, more beautiful, and more ethereal. Something about how Misty looked right now nagged at him. He studied her more carefully, or at least he tried to do so when every instinct he possessed urged Domenico to haul her into his arms and never let go. Misty wore a white voluminous one-shouldered dress that fell just a little past her knees in an asymmetrical hemline. The Misty he knew would never have worn something so elegant before, but
this
Misty carried it easily, as if she was born dressed like---

A Faerie.

She looked like a goddamn Faerie.

His fists clenched. If the Faeries think Misty was theirs, they were in for a goddamn surprise. Domenico had given her time to heal from the scars he had stupidly inflicted, but he knew in his heart he would take her back. If she didn’t want to, that was too fucking bad. Because he would have her back in his life, and he would do whatever it took to make that come true.

“Misty, may we talk privately?” He spared the older man a glance. “Aurelius?”

When the old man left, he turned back to his wife.

 “Look at me, Misty.”

The command in Domenico’s voice struck something inside her, making it impossible for Misty to resist his order. Reluctantly, she lifted her gaze to meet his and almost gasped at what she saw.

Domenico was staring at her as if he wanted to eat her alive, his gaze roaming all over her body as if he was already undressing her, as if he was already thinking of all the ways he could sink his cock into her.

One part of her was glad – that meant he desired her, didn’t he? But the larger part of her was cynical. In the end, he had never desired her enough, never loved her as much as he thirsted for revenge against his father.

“How are you?” His voice was guttural, as if he was having a hard time holding his emotions back.

Misty frowned. That was
not
like the Domenico Moretti she knew. The old Domenico had been cold and aloof, perfectly in control, manipulating everything to the very end. Swallowing, she answered only when she could be sure her voice would be steady. “I’m okay. I hope everything’s okay with you, too.”

Her voice was cold and sweet, just like a Faerie, too. It made Domenico bristle. The Faeries were not going to have her. She was his, for better or for worse. She was the princess meant for him…for Lyccans.

Misty remembered one of the reasons why she was here and her heart immediately softened in concern. “How is Estrella?”

“She’s…coping.”

“I hope I may see her later.”

He frowned. “Of course you can. She’s your sister-in-law.”

Her head jerked up. “Domenico---”

He could feel himself going cold. “No,” he said flatly.

She shook her head. The old Misty wouldn’t have argued. But she wasn’t that foolish and submissive anymore. “I mean it. I want the cutting of ties to take place now that I’m here.”

“Well, you’re not going to get it,” he snapped.

She acted like she didn’t hear him. “I’ve thought this through. You’re worried about what others would say, right? You can tell them that I begged to come back. I won’t argue. I just want things to be over in any way---”

“No!”

He had shouted.

Misty was stunned. Domenico never shouted. He wasn’t the type.

Domenico tried to keep his fury under control, but God, hearing Misty personally demand a separation made him want to kill someone. “It’s not over between us,” he gritted out.

Saddened eyes met his. “Of course it is.”

His usual impatience got to him, and Domenico strode toward her. Misty tried to back away, but she was too slow and he was too fast. In a second, he was gripping her hands, forcing her to look at him. “Misty, I want another chance.”

“There’s no need,” she said tonelessly. “I gave you what you wanted---”

“I don’t care about anything but you!” he shouted.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

This time, she had shocked him.

Because she wasn’t the type to shout either and here she was, doing just that.

Taking advantage of his apparent shock, Misty wrenched herself away from Domenico. “I want the cutting of ties,” she told him tightly. “This time, if you’re not going to present it to the Council then I will.”

An hour later, Misty was still trembling as she entered the private hospital suite where Estrella Moretti had been confined for two nights already. Memories of her earlier confrontation with Domenico was messing her up internally, making her feel things she no longer wanted to feel. Domenico had stalked off after their argument and she couldn’t believe how painful it was to see him go. It just proved one horrible truth. She was still so, so stupidly in love with him it was embarrassing.

But…she had to be strong. She had to.

“Misty!” Her sister-in-law’s face brightened upon seeing her.

Pushing her dark thoughts away, Misty summoned a smile as she rushed to Estrella’s bed and hugged the younger woman. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay.”

“More or less,” Estrella said.

When Misty pulled away, she was sad to see that although the girl was smiling, it didn’t reach her eyes. Misty stroked Estrella’s dark hair. “I swear, if I ever come face to face with the monster who hurt you, I’m going to cut him to pieces.”

The whole room became silent.

She colored.

“War freak?” Alessandro, one of Domenico’s younger brothers, finally asked. “The Faeries, the gentlest race of all, turned you into a war freak?”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Misty made a face. “Hahaha.”

“Seriously, what happened?” Alejandro, twin to Alessandro, asked.

She beamed proudly. “I’m now a Level 2 swordswoman!”

The twins whistled in appreciation.

“Really?” Emilia, the baby of the Moretti family, gasped.

Esmeralda interrupted, “But don’t you have to be, like, graceful to do that?”

Misty’s eyes narrowed. “Are you implying something?”

Everyone became silent again.

“Well…” Esmeralda hedged, and the whole room erupted into laughter once more.

The door opened and Domenico came walking in, and the room fell silent for the third time. Try as she might, Misty couldn’t stop staring at him. He had changed into a white cotton sweater, sleeves pushed up to his elbows to reveal his muscular arms. His tan-colored corduroy slacks had a semi-loose fit, like his sweater, but even so they failed to detract from Domenico’s sheer sexiness.

Something inside her responded, making Misty squeeze her thighs uncomfortably.

Domenico didn’t appear to notice the tense silence in the room, his stride relaxed as he nodded at Misty before bending down to kiss Estrella on the cheek. “Hello, little sister. Feeling better?”

“Now that Misty’s here, I’m doing a lot better,” his sister replied innocently.

Misty choked.

Domenico grinned. “I swear I didn’t teach her that.”

Everyone relaxed at the teasing tone of Domenico. She wanted to relax, too, but she was too busy trying not to show how dazzled she was at Domenico’s grin. The old Domenico Moretti she knew never grinned that easily. Back then, she had to crack a hundred jokes just to have Domenico Moretti flash teeth and
not
fangs.

Misty knew she had changed, but it was beginning to be clear to her that she wasn’t the only one who had changed.

Domenico remained carefree throughout their visit, which made Misty feel confused and wary. Hurt, too, because it made her wonder if Domenico had been faking all along. Perhaps he really hadn’t wanted her back?

Either way, it didn’t
matter
, she told herself furiously. Things were over between them.

When Estrella’s nurse bid them to leave, the twins begged her to join them for dinner.

Her smile tight because it pained her to think about all the dinners she had with the Morettis and the dinners she would no longer have a right to join, Misty shook her head, mumbling, “I’m sorry. I can’t right now. I have lots of stuff to do.”

“Then next time,” Alessandro pressed. “We haven’t seen you for almost two years, Misty. Don’t blow us off like this.”

She glanced at Domenico helplessly.

“Of course,” he said gently. “Whatever happens, we’re still family.”

Domenico insisted that he take her back to her hotel, where Daryl was waiting for her. She acquiesced, seeing no reason why she shouldn’t, when he was being oh-so-agreeable. Inside his also painfully familiar limousine, Domenico made no move to engage her in small talk and even took the seat across her.

Misty told herself that it only meant he was seeing things the way she did, that he finally understood what he had done to her was unforgivable.

Miserably, she wondered why she was bothering to convince herself of something so pathetically untrue.

“Misty.” Domenico suddenly broke the silence, making Misty look at him, startled.

But he was still gazing outside the window, and his next words would make Misty thankful that he wasn’t looking at her.

“I’ve presented our papers to the Council.”

Misty’s heart stopped beating for a second when the words sank in her mind.

They really were going to separate.

She had asked for this, demanded for it even, but now that it was truly happening, Misty suddenly felt lost and helpless. What was she going to do now?

Domenico finally glanced at her, his green eyes quietly probing.  “This is what you wanted, yes?”

She nodded, mutely.      

“You’re not going to change your mind?”

Misty’s brows furrowed as she sought to read behind the blandness of Domenico’s voice. Was he teasing her? Right now, she couldn’t tell at all. “What happened?” she asked finally. “You suddenly…changed.”

He shrugged.

His refusal to answer deflated her, and the heaviness in her heart grew as she saw her hotel in the distance. Just a few minutes more, and he would be gone from her life. Again. For good.

An unexpected sob escaped her.