Chapter 7

In my first life, the Ashfords and the Blackwoods had been rivals in the Ravenport political sphere. Not just competitors — enemies. People tracked every move their heirs made like it was a tennis match.

The only thing that marked Dominic out, besides the family name, was that he'd been born with a hearing impairment. He'd been deaf since birth.

It didn't matter. Everyone in every room he walked into treated him with respect.

Everyone except me.

Julian didn't like it when I spent time near Dominic, so I'd made a show of avoiding him. Worse — I'd gone out of my way to embarrass him. At a matchmaking dinner the Blackwoods had thrown in his honor, I'd thrown out, loud enough for the whole room: Who would ever sign up for a deaf husband?

And yet.

Years later, when Eleanor Ashford was dead and Julian had stopped acknowledging my existence, when I'd become the piece of meat every snake in Ravenport felt entitled to bite — Dominic Blackwood was the one who stepped in.

He'd taken me under the Blackwood name at public events. Introduced me as a guest of the family. Given me enough visible dignity that the pack backed off.

Both lives. Both times — he was the one who'd protected me in public when my own husband wouldn't.

My eyes stung, embarrassingly.

Dominic produced a USB drive from his jacket and handed it to one of Julian's men. The screen on the wall lit up.

It was Celeste.

The whole angle of the camera had caught her. Leaning, just so, into the waiter's approach. Bumping the tray. Letting the pot tip. The tiny, practiced motion of a woman who had done this before.

A few minutes of footage. That was all it took.

The room turned inside out.

When the video ended, Dominic raised one eyebrow.

"Miss Pemberton. Are you finished with the performance?"

Celeste's face went the color of wet paper.

So did Julian's.

Julian's face was a study in disaster.

He stared at Dominic for a long, silent moment. Then his eyes dropped to Dominic's hand — still resting, quietly, at the small of my back.

When he finally spoke, his voice was very low.

"Sparrow. Come here."

I didn't move.

Celeste did. She shot up from her chair the instant she realized the footage had caught her, and latched onto Julian's sleeve.

"Julian — I can explain — please, give me a chance, I can explain — "

He didn't even look at her.

He was looking at me.

"I was wrong, Sparrow. I wronged you. When we get home, I'll make it up to you however you want. Whatever apology you ask of me, you'll have."

Then he dragged a polite, formal smile onto his face.

"But right now — can we not let an outsider involve himself in our business?"

Meaning Dominic.

"You aren't my brother anymore, Julian," I said. "We have no business."

I let him hear the next part very clearly.

"And the outsider you're talking about is my boyfriend."

Outside the window, the Ravenport sky went a sudden shade darker.

Julian didn't say another word.

The medic finished splinting my arm before I finally turned to look at the man across from me.

"Thank you." I meant it.

And I'm sorry, I wanted to add. I'm sorry for every ugly thing I ever said about you in a life you don't remember.

Dominic didn't answer. He was still standing where I'd left him, staring at some point past my shoulder, not moving.

His assistant cleared his throat, barely hiding a grin.

"Mr. Blackwood. Earth to Mr. Blackwood." He leaned toward us. "Your girlfriend's talking to you, sir. It's rude to just stare."

My face went hot.

"No — no, that was — that was just something I said back there. Protection. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Please don't feel like you have to take it seriously."

I'd done it on instinct. I'd said it to cover him, to stop Julian from turning on him next.

The tips of Dominic's ears had gone pink. Watching them slowly cool back down was, I discovered, a small piece of heaven.

He lowered his eyes. Something in his face shuttered — went quiet, went a little sad.

"If I wanted to be Miss Harrington's boyfriend," he said carefully, "what would it take?"

My phone started buzzing.

Tess. Of course.

"Vera! I called Eleanor. I told her everything. That son of a bitch is not going to know what hit him. And that Pemberton girl — oh, Eleanor is going to — "

Tess's voice bled into the room, loud enough that I missed what Dominic said next.

I watched his mouth move.

I couldn't catch it.

When I looked up in confusion, he was already turning away.

Outside, beyond him, Ravenport Harbor was an endless, glittering blur of light and motion.