Chapter 61 She's Dating The Most Dangerous Man In The City.
After Domenic's little performance that morning, the school was still in excitement. It was like we’d accidentally walked into an alternate universe where everyone suddenly loved me.
People smiled. Actual smiles. Even Jason's many exes who used to look through me were now greeting me like we were lifelong friends.
Quinn noticed it too. Of course she did.
She bumped my shoulder as we walked to our classes. “So,” she said, dragging the word out painfully slow, “you’re just casually dating the hottest and most dangerous man in the city and you didn’t think to mention it? You've literally been living with him those times you were missing. I can't believe you Kate!”
I sighed. “its not what you think Quinn. It's more complicated than it seems.” How would I make her understand that Domenic Darkshadow is not just a Russian Mafia leader, but the prince of the vampires? How can I even tell her that all those times I was missing, I was lost in a vampire world. She'll definitely think I'm crazy?
She stopped walking and turned to me, eyes shiny with betrayal. “Kate, no matter how complicated it is, you know I won't judge. You should have told me,” she said sadly, like I’d confessed to a crime, “I thought we were best friends.”
“We are.” I said as a matter of fact. But the words are just too heavy for me to say.
“Best friends do not hide men like Domenic,” she accused. Then her sadness evaporated and was instantly replaced with excitement. “Okay, no, actually forget the betrayal part. Tell me everything. How did it happen? Did he see you and just—boom—fall in love? Did you bump into him? Did he save you from something? Was there blood involved?” She gasped, "oh my God! Did he kidnap you and you ended up falling in love with him?"
“Quinn, don't be ridiculous.”
She grabbed my arm. “Kate.”
I was already exhausted and it wasn’t even lunch yet. “please let's talk about this later,” I muttered. “I’ll tell you after school. Everything. I promise.”
Her face scrunched up. “After school? That’s like… centuries away.”
“After school,” I repeated with a piercing stare.
She groaned dramatically. “Ugh. Fine. But you owe me details. Painfully detailed details.”
We finally reached class, and the second we stepped inside, every head turned.
Every single one.
Girls smiled at me, whispering behind their hands. A few boldly followed me to my seat with Quinn.
“So… is it true?” one of them asked.
“You’re so lucky,” another said dreamily. “I wish it was me.”
I smiled politely, nodded vaguely, and said absolutely nothing. If I opened my mouth, I might scream in frustration. These girls doesn't even like me. My only friend was Quinn. The rest of them are just sucking up to me because Domenic's said we're dating.
Why the hell did he say that?!
In that moment, Jason walked in.
The room went silent.
His eyes met mine, and the glare he sent me could’ve curdled milk. For a second, I thought he might actually say something, but instead he clenched his jaw, looked away, and walked stiffly to his seat.
Someone snickered.
Another whispered, “He looked like he was about to pee himself when he was talking to Domenic.”
"Kate definitely had a boyfriend better than him."
"Imagine the humiliation. Jason is no match!"
I shouldn’t have enjoyed that.
Okay, maybe I enjoyed it a little.
I felt a flicker of guilt—very tiny, very brief—but it disappeared just as fast. Jason deserved it.
The teacher came in, and the room finally settled. I spent the entire class pretending to take notes while my mind replayed Domenic’s words from that morning. He said he would prove his love to me. I can't help but be excited about how he plans to prove his love. I wonder what tricks he has up his sleeves.
After school, Quinn and I headed out together. People kept calling out goodbyes to me, and every single time it happened, Quinn’s eyes widened a little more.
She scoffed. "Suckers! When you went missing, they accused you of running away because you were humiliated, now they trying to act like they're friends with you." She scoffed and linked our arms. "You have to tell me,” she whispered urgently. “This is insane. I can't believe I even proposed that you date my brother.”
“I said after school,” I reminded her.
“This is after school.”
Before I could reply, we noticed a crowd gathered near the entrance. Whispers rippled through the air, phones already raised.
"What is happening?” Quinn mumbled as she dragged me along.
We pushed through the crowd just as Quinn let out a squeal.
“Oh. My. God.” she screamed in fascinated excitement.
Domenic stood there, leaning casually against a sleek, expensive black car. Actually—cars. Several of them lined up the parking lot. What the hell?!
Is he waiting for me?
My heart betrayed me immediately, speeding up the second his eyes found mine. Then he smiled, slow and confident, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
He walked straight toward me, and the whispers turned into gasps.
I forced my face into something neutral as he stopped in front of me and held out a bouquet of flowers.
“These are for you,” he said calmly.
My heart warmed despite myself. I hated that it did.
I took the flowers, making sure to look annoyed. “If you think you can win me over with simple flowers,” I said coolly, “you’re wasting your time.”
His grin widened.
He leaned closer to my ear, just enough for me to feel his presence, his voice dropping as he said, "believe me Kitty, I have a lot up my sleeves than you can imagine. This is just the beginning." He bit my ear lope and I gasped. My face grew hot and he pulled away smirking.
My breath hitched, traitorous thing that it was. Up close, Domenic was… unfair. His presence swallowed space, like the world instinctively made room for him. I could feel the heat of him, smell something clean and dangerous, and suddenly I was very aware of the fact that half the school was watching this exchange like it was their favorite drama series.
I scoffed, mostly to remind myself how to breathe. “You’re very confident Domenic. I won't make it easy for you."
He chuckled softly, straightening. “That's a challenge kitty, and I love a good challenge.”
Behind me, Quinn made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a dying gasp. Can she be any more embarrassing.
“Kate,” she whispered, clutching my arm, “he brought you flowers, and there are so many cars. Plural Kate! Cars!.”
“I noticed,” I muttered. I almost forgot the kind of power Domenic holds. Both in the human world and outside.
Domenic’s eyes flicked to her, and he nodded politely. “Hey Quinn, we meet again.”
Quinn froze. “I can't believe you remember my name,” she whispered, like she was about to ascend.
“I have a good memory.” he said smoothly, then looked back at me. “I’ll drive you guys home.”
Quinn was about to agree, but I quickly spoke to stop her from saying nonsense. "No need. We'll take the bus."
People were openly staring now. Phones were out. Someone gasped probably because I just said no to the most dangerous man in the city.
Domenic studied me for a moment, then nodded with a sigh. “alright fine.” He stepped back, giving me space, which somehow made it worse. “I guess I'll try again tomorrow.”
"Whatever." I said even though I didn't really mean it, and I dragged Quinn along.
The second we were away from Domenic, Quinn exploded, "KATE.”
I flinched. “My ears...”
“You are dating a literal walking fantasy,” she said, shaking me. She had no idea how accurate those words of hers are. “Do you understand that? He brought you flowers. I could literally feel the tension between you two. What happened that made you angry at him anyway?”
“I’m not...” I stopped and sighed. "It's complicated."
She rolled her eyes. “That's always your excuse. You’re telling me everything now.”
I looked down at the flowers, then back at the school parking lot. Domenic was already leaving.
“Fine,” I sighed. “After we get home.”
She grinned wickedly. “Good. Because I’m not sleeping tonight until I know how you managed to steal the heart of the most dangerous man in the city.”