Chapter 17 THE WARNING
Ava's POV
I couldn't move as my entire body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together wrong, every muscle boneless and trembling, I was sprawled across Dominic's bed with the sheets tangled around my legs.
He'd made a good use of his promise as I'd screamed his name so many times I'd lost count somewhere after the third or fourth orgasm, my voice going hoarse, and I was pretty sure the neighbors three floors down had heard every sound.
Now he was in the bathroom and I could hear the shower running, and I knew I should probably get up and join him or at least put some clothes on, but I legitimately didn't think my legs would support my weight if I tried to stand.
My phone buzzed from somewhere on the floor where my jeans had ended up in Dominic's rush to get me naked.
I leaned over the edge of the bed carefully and fished it out of the pocket, only to find a message from an unknown number saying "You don't know what he is."
I stared at the message as my post-orgasm haze evaporated like it had never existed, my heart suddenly pounding for an entirely different reason as another message came through before I could process the first one.
"He's dangerous. You need to leave him before it's too late."
My hands started shaking badly enough that I almost dropped the phone, and I sat up fully despite my protesting muscles, pulling the sheet around myself even though I was alone in the room.
"Everything okay out there?"
I jumped at Dominic's voice and looked up to find him standing in the bathroom doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping from his hair down his chest, and he was watching me with those intense blue eyes.
"Yeah, just Maya checking in on me." I lied.
His eyes narrowed slightly like he didn't quite believe me, and I wondered if he could feel my panic through whatever bond he claimed connected us.
"You should shower before the water gets cold. I'll order us some food." He disappeared back into the bedroom area and I heard him moving around, probably getting dressed.
I deleted the messages with shaking fingers before he could see them, my mind racing.
Who the hell was texting me? And what did they mean about Dominic being dangerous? I mean, I knew he was intense and possessive and clearly had some kind of supernatural thing going on with this bond he kept mentioning, but dangerous?
I took the fastest shower of my life, and when I came out wrapped in one of his shirts that only got to my mid-thigh, he was on the couch with his laptop, already dressed in sweatpants and nothing else.
"Is pasta okay?" he asked without looking up from whatever he was working on.
"Sure. Sounds good." I responded and I sat down next to him and tried to act normal, but I kept thinking about those messages and what they could possibly mean.
We ate in comfortable silence when the food arrived, and I was just stealing glances at him while he typed away on his laptop, and I was almost convinced I'd imagined the whole thing when my phone buzzed again on the coffee table.
I grabbed for it quickly but not quickly enough.
Dominic's hand shot out and caught my wrist in a grip that was gentle but i couldn't remove my hand at all.
"Who keeps texting you?" His voice was calm but it scared me.
"No one important. Just spam probably." I tried to pull my hand back but he held firm.
"Show me." He said.
"Dominic, it's nothing..."
"Show me, Ava." His voice had that tone that meant he wasn't going to let this go.
I pulled up my phone with my free hand and handed it over, watching his face as he read the messages.
His entire body went rigid,
"How long has this been happening?" His voice was deadly quiet.
"That's the first time tonight. I swear." My words came out rushed.
"I've never gotten messages like that before."
He was already dialing a number, and when someone picked up he stood and walked to the window, his back to me.
"We have a problem. Someone's contacting Ava with threatening messages about me." He took pause while whoever was on the other end responded.
"I don't know who yet but I want you to find out Tonight. And increase security on her immediately. I want someone watching her building, her mother's hospital, everywhere she goes." He added.
He hung up and turned back to me,
"Pack a bag. You're staying here until we figure out who's doing this and what they want."
"What? No. I have work tomorrow and I need to check on my mom..."
"Your mother is in a secure hospital with round-the-clock care and professional staff. Your job at that club can wait a few days. You're not safe, Ava, and I'm not risking you." His voice left no room for argument.
"Safe from what? It's just some random person trying to scare me with cryptic messages." I stood up, pulling his shirt down self-consciously.
"This is overreacting."
"It's not random." He crossed back to me in three long strides and crouched down so we were eye level, his hands gripping my shoulders.
"There are people who would hurt you to get to me. People who don't want us together for reasons I can't fully explain right now."
"What people? Dominic, what the hell aren't you telling me?" My voice rose with frustration and fear.
"You keep talking about bonds and supernatural things and now mysterious enemies. What are you?"
He looked away and I could see him struggling with how much to say.