Page 109 of Reforging Onyx

He started to dress, glancing over at Dominic. “You never told me what you expect me to do,” he remarked. “I mean, behaving, sure. But I don’t know what that means.”

Dominic hummed thoughtfully. “In a word, you must act adoring. Eyes on me, unless they’re on the ground. When I touch you, lean into the touch, only slightly. Enough so that it appears that you desire more.”

Adoring.

Onyx wanted to throw up.

He didn’t want to be an adoring pet, one who looked to Dominic and hung on his every word, eager for every scrap of attention he could get. But he gritted his teeth and nodded, because he understood that things were shaky right then. If the Council was involving itself in this…

“I will indicate to you whether you are to kneel or stand. When we are walking, remain just a step behind on my left with your eyes down. I will feed you during the meal; you must not resist it. And ignore anything that is said, especially if it is said about or to you,” Dominic instructed further.

“Yeah, okay,” he said. “Dominic…” He paused, unsure. “I can’t promise perfection, okay? I’ll do what I can, but I don’t know what I’m doing. Not really.”

Dominic nodded. “There are times when you will be my fiery and barely-leashed tiger,” he said. “Unfortunately, this cannot be one of them. And these are things that we have not practiced. I had not expected them to be necessary for some time yet. I do not expect perfection, and you will not be corrected for errors, only deliberate missteps. I gave you my word on that before, and I give it again. I do not and will not punish you for things outside of your control.”

Onyx nodded reluctantly. He could appreciate that, at least, and realistically… He was spooked. That was enough to have him planning how to obey properly, even though it ran so counter to everything he knew and wanted.

Of course, this could’ve been a trick, a way to force him into doing something he didn’t want to do, but he didn’t think so. He was fairly certain Dominic’s agitation at the entire situation was genuine.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll do my best.”

Chapter 43

Dominic

Dominic smiled. “That is all I ask."

Well, it was all he was asking now, at any rate.

He did a last inventory of his attire, smiling again as Onyx finished dressing. He held his hand out for the hair adornment in order to fix it into Onyx’s hair.

Onyx made a face, but he let Dominic use it to pull his hair back. “I look ridiculous,” he complained.

“You look beautiful,” Dominic disagreed. And the Rayne witch certainly did. The gold brought out the color of Onyx’s eyes, and enhanced the color of his skin. With his well defined muscles, lean build, and almost delicate features, he was art brought to life.

Perhaps Dominic should have him painted this way.

Or sculpted.

“Come." He held his hand out in the familiar gesture. When Onyx came to his side, he gave the young witch a kiss. Not quite the chaste kiss from earlier, but not far from it.

He kept his hand on Onyx’s shoulder until they’d reached the bottom of the stairs, at which point he indicated that the Rayne witch was to take up the place that he’d mentioned earlier, a step behind on his left shoulder.

His guests had already arrived, waiting in one of the sitting rooms. Dominic went directly there to greet them, and the three witches rose to meet him when he walked in. The Council representative was an older witch, with a severe look to him. The other two were both younger, relatively speaking, the woman similar in age to himself, and the other man a shade younger, perhaps in his late twenties.

“Enzo." Dominic smiled. “A pleasure to see you again. Lilah as well. And I don’t believe I know…” he trailed off expectantly.

“Axel Warwick,” the younger man introduced himself.

“Axel,” Dominic repeated. “Welcome.”

At Axel’s feet, a young woman knelt with her head down, hands demurely in her lap. She was dressed in an almost-sheer simple dress that fanned out around her like a waterfall.

“I trust you are doing well?” Dominic directed the question back at Enzo as the three witches reseated themselves. He sat in a chair across from them and gave Onyx a slight “down” gesture.

“Quite,” Enzo replied, his eyes lingering on Onyx for another moment before he looked back at Dominic. “Thank you for hosting this evening. I’d have invited you over, but my house is currently being remodeled. Besides, then we wouldn’t have been able to be joined by your little gem, now would we?”

Onyx’s jaw tightened, and Dominic lightly touched his head.