Page 110 of Reforging Onyx

Dominic smiled. “It is ever my pleasure to host the Council or any of their representatives,” he said smoothly. “I know how disruptive such activities can be.” A well-practiced touch of sympathy entered his voice. “I have been considering making upgrades to my east wing, but things have been terribly busy of late, and I haven’t had the time to dedicate to it.”

“Ah, yes. You’ve been working with Bertrand Owens, haven’t you?” Enzo asked. “I imagine that is taking up a great deal of your time.”

Dominic stroked his fingers through Onyx’s hair as he and Enzo traded opening feints, the smile never leaving his lips. The question about Dominic’s business with Owens had been intended to put him on the defensive, but there was nowhere that remark could draw blood.

Dominic chuckled. “That is but one of many things taking up my time these days. The market wasn’t where we expected it to be, but that is the importance of adaptability after all. A simple matter to pivot to another. Whatever happened with the charity, the—“ he tapped his fingers together in thought “—the Westfield project, was it? It was in the news for a while, but then it disappeared.”

There was displeasure in the other witch’s voice when he replied, “That? It was wrapped up. Donations were made, the building was constructed, and all proceeds continue to go to the organization.”

“I am glad to hear that came to a satisfactory conclusion for all involved,” Dominic said without missing a beat.

The Westfield project had been rife with corruption. That, admittedly, was nothing new or unusual. Many such projects were little more than fronts for some form of laundering scheme, and thinly veiled ones at that. The only thing that made this one particularly relevant was that the names behind the project included a Councilor. Which was foolish.

“Am I correct in my understanding that Councilor Thorne may be looking to retire in the near future?” Dominic inquired rather than pushing further.

“I see rumors travel quickly amongst the masses,” Enzo replied with a chuckle that didn’t sound even the slightest bit amused.

“I like to stay informed of ongoing events,” Dominic said mildly. “And the potential opening of a Council seat is certainly an ongoing — if upcoming — event. The whispers of speculation as to whom will be the next in line have barely begun.” He paused. “Of course, it hasn’t been confirmed yet, has it?”

It hadn’t been, but it would be.

Enzo paused for a beat. “I would love to know where you find your gossip,” he replied. “The local tabloids, perhaps?”

Dominic chuckled. “I hear many things. Some of them even turn out to be true.”

And in a few sentences he’d alerted the other witch that he had information few others did. He’d also reminded him that as a Bancroft, and a powerful one at that, Dominic could potentially be in the running for that very seat.

Before Enzo could come up with a reply, the servant arrived, thoroughly giving the point to Dominic.

Dominic smiled. “Ah, dinner is ready." He rose and gestured for Onyx to do the same. “If you will join me,” he invited the others, who had been silent while Dominic and Enzo had played their game. He turned to follow the servant into the small formal dining room that had been made ready for the occasion.

His house had two — well, three — dining rooms, a larger formal one, this smaller one, and then a more casual one. Really, he and Onyx should be making more use of them, but that would involve more people and thus more gossip and speculation about his interactions with the Rayne witch.

He much preferred the privacy and convenience of dining in his room or office.

The other three witches followed to the dining room, and Dominic invited them to take their seats before taking his.

Onyx sank down to his knees next to Dominic’s chair on the cushion that had been left there without a word.

“He’s well-behaved,” Enzo remarked. “I had heard as much, but we both know that rumors are not necessarily true. Don’t we, Dominic?”

Dominic chuckled. “That particular rumor may or may not have been true, depending entirely on when you happened to hear it. Where was quite a stretch where ‘well-behaved’ would not have been an accurate description, now? Well. Now he is, as many things are, a work in progress.”

Enzo’s interest in Onyx had been evident from the very beginning. While Dominic had been able to avoid the subject of the Rayne witch initially, he’d known he wasn’t going to be able to do so forever. Especially if Onyx himself was a central point of interest in the reason for the visit.

Servants carried the first serving of the meal to the seated witches, a small garden salad. Dominic selected a small cherry tomato and offered it to Onyx.

Onyx bristled, but he only glanced up at Dominic as he caught his attention. He opened his mouth and took the tomato from Dominic’s fingertips. He chewed and swallowed it, then rested his head against Dominic’s thigh again.

“Indeed,” Enzo replied. “I confess, I’m surprised you’re allowing him to walk around freely, given his… origins.”

Dominic gave Onyx a brief smile of approval before turning his attention back to Enzo. “Which origins might those be?” he asked mildly. “His Rayne origins or his rebellion origins?” His tone of polite inquiry made it clear that whichever the answer was, he was unconcerned about that origin. Or either of them.

Enzo mulled over the food as he regarded Onyx. “The rebellion, naturally. Rayne witches tend to be more docile, wouldn’t you say?” He smiled, though it looked brittle. “Some say you’ve gone soft on the boy.”

Dominic laughed. “The rebellion is dead and gone, Enzo,” he said with amusement. “They surely are no threat now.” He took a bite of his salad. “And while ‘docile’ is a term I don’t believe anyone would make the mistake of using with my Rayne, there is only one hand to which he willingly comes. And,” he continued with another smile, “as you said, we both know that rumors are not necessarily true.”

“No, I don’t believe anyone will forget just how not docile that creature is,” Enzo said distastefully. “If you ask me, it should’ve been put down like the feral mutt it is.”