Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

Ella

I spin around to face my mate, my hands on my hips, ready to defend myself. But he closes the distance in an instant, taking my face in his hands.

“Are you all right?” he growls, looking down into my face, his eyes quickly moving over my features. My mouth falls open a bit and I blink in surprise. “I’m fine, Dominic.”

“Thank god,” he breathes, wrapping his arms around me and gathering me to him in a tight hug. “I mean, I’m mad as hell, Ella I can’t believe you did that, but -”

“Dominic!” I protest, pulling back a little and frowning up at him. “How could I not have done that!?”

“Are you seriously asking me how you could have not jumped out of the window and attacked a man under the explicit protection of a nation about to take us to war? How you could have just let the palace guards that we hired to protect our people handle it, like they were about to do?”

I narrow my eyes at him, but…well. I also see his point.

Still. I stand by it – every moment of it.

“His life was mine to take,” I say, my voice more of a growl than I intended it to be. “Mine, Dominic. And no – I didn’t do it for vengeance, but he crossed a line tonight, trying to take Sarah and Jessica like he did. Would you have let him live, after he did that?”

Sinclair’s mouth tightens into a thin line. “No,” he says, answering honestly. “I’d have had the guards shoot him, take the shot as soon as they safely could.”

“His death was mine,” I repeat. “If someone was going to take it, I wanted the blood on my hands. And you, of all people, know why.”

Sinclair steps back from me a second, looking down at the man’s blood quite literally all over me. And then he sighs, and shakes his head, and surprises me by starting to tug at my shirt.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“What, would you like to sleep in your blood-soaked clothing, Ella?” He asks, glaring at me a little. “You need a shower, and to get changed.”

“Oh,” I reply, realizing that he’s helping me. And so I take a step back, raising my hands and letting my mate pull my shirt over my head.

cut along my side, but I roll my eyes before closing them and accessing my gift. It just takes a second – it’s a scratch, honestly and when I open my eyes I’m

then moves to the shower, turning the water on so

me again. “I’m not sad

strips his own tuxedo, now likewise stained with my uncle’s blood. “I’m…Queen now. I should have

us both a fresh set of clothes. When he comes back, I’m nearly finished. I rinse myself off as I look at my

got pictures, Dominic,” I say quietly, my voice apologetic. “There may

I turn off the water and step out of the shower. He hands me a towel, looking at me with a

door as I towel off. “All the good

an arm around my naked waist and again pulling me flush against him. ” We’ll handle it, Ella,” he murmurs, brushing his knuckles down

“You think it’s fixable?”

head with a little shrug. ” No

up at him. ”

“Now,” he raises his head more and swats me on the ass, maybe a little harder than necessary, but it just makes me

I know that he’s madder than he’s letting on,

know that he’s

in for me, twisting my hair up into a quick bun before stepping into some slippers. When I’m ready, I nod, and

Jessica by her side, a tablet in her hands. Roger stands next to her, Rafe asleep

asks, nodding down at the

us. ” It’s…not good,” Cora says softly, shaking her head as she concentrates on

are you all right? Did

side and reaching for

been getting reports, and the aids are desperate to come in and start making plans

Sinclair says, crossing his arms

support,” Roger says in an instant. “You did the right thing, Ella,” he says, locking eyes with me and nodding. “I mean, I personally wouldn’t have leapt from the window to do it?” He cocks his head to the side a little here, a smirk pulling at his lips.

line – he was going to get taken out. It was just a question of who did

all agreed?” I ask, looking particularly at Cora

blinks up at me. “Wait, why

I say, shrugging a little. ”

says, raising an

anything, because honestly, that’s