Tiffany Aaron - Fallen: Dominic

Fallen: Dominic

Tiffany Aaron

(c) 2005

Fallen: Dominic

Tiffany Aaron

Published 2005

ISBN 1-59578-115-3

Published by Liquid Silver Books,imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis,Indiana 46235. Copyright 2005, Tiffany Aaron. All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording orotherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United Statesof America

Liquid Silver Books

http://lsbooks.com

Email:

raven@lsbooks.com

Cover Art

by Fabiano Fabris

This isa work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are ofthe authors imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblanceto actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Dedication

Asalways, Chris, you are my inspiration and my joy.

Grandma,you are showing the way to live with joy and well miss you when youre gone.

Charand Tina, your help has been invaluable.

To themen and women everywhere fighting for equality and freedom from terror, I giveyou my eternal thanks.

Glossary Of Terms

Bk(baw-kaw): A Vodou priest who exclusively practices black magic and does notlead a socyete; also commonly spelled bokor.

Gd(gay-day): The large family of lwa that represents the dead.

Lwa(l-wah): The supernatural, immortal spirits who oversee different areas of thenatural world and human experience; Vodou devotees serve the lwa,providing offerings in exchange for their help and advice; also commonlyspelled loa.

Mambo(mahm-bo): A fully initiated priestess of Vodou whose responsibilities andauthority is equal to the oungans.

Mojo(mo-jo): In New Orleans, a charm that uses black magic.

Ounf(oon-faw): The entire Vodou temple, including the peristil and bagi;refers specifically to the inner sanctuary where altars to the lwa andritualistic objects are kept; also commonly spelled hounfor.

Oungan(oon-gon): A fully initiated Vodou priest who is authorized to lead rituals,oversee an ounf, commune with the lwa, heal the sick and adviseon the affairs of the people in a socyete; also commonly spelled houngan.

Voyelam (vo-yay lah-maw): Literally sending the dead; a spell cast by a bkin which he sends the spirits of the dead to inhabit the victim, causing a slowdeath.

Chapter One

Thehustle and noise of the French Quarter disappeared as Dominic LaFontaine stoodon the sidewalk outside of Ryders Bookstore staring through the plate glass windowat the dark haired woman standing behind the counter. It had been a long twoweeks away from New Orleans, but it wasnt the city that had called him home.It was Teresa Ryder, the woman he called his best friend and the one his heartcalled his love.

Sheglanced up at that moment and caught him staring at her. A joyous smile brokeacross her face and she waved him in. It was embarrassing how his heart jumpedat the sight of her racing across the floor to him. It was scary how at home hefelt when she wrapped her arms around him and her laughter filled his ears.

Crushingher tight to him, he whispered, God, Ive missed you.

Shepulled back from him, her violet eyes sparkling with happiness. Its only beentwo weeks, Dominic.

Aminute away from you feels like a lifetime, he stated truthfully.

Quityour flirting and help me close up. She led him back to the register. How wasyour trip?

Productive,he murmured as he eyed her bottom. He had to stop himself from reaching out andsqueezing those luscious cheeks. Great way to greet her after being gone fortwo weeks, he thought.

Didyou get all your business taken care of while you were out there? I didnt knowyou knew anyone out in Reno. She started counting the till.

He wasmore of an acquaintance when I went out there, but Id like to think werefriends now. As he started shutting off the lights, he thought about theroutine they had established years ago.

Imsure you are. Who wouldnt like you after they met you? She finished with themoney.

Helaughed. Teresa had always seen him as a sweet person. She didnt know that hewas one of the most feared men in New Orleans. He had never told her about hispast because he didnt want to destroy her innocence. William never does whatyou would expect him to do. Hes a good man. He took the cash bag from her andopened the door. Will you join me for dinner? Ive missed talking to you.

A blushstained her cheeks. I cant. I have a date.

Disappointmentrushed through him. Thats great, sweetheart. Whos the lucky man?

Hisname is Vincent Delacourte. He came into the store the day after you left andwe just hit it off. Weve gone to dinner a few times since then. Her face wasglowing with happiness.

Doeshe treat you like the lady you are? Dominic felt a shiver of fear race throughhim. He might be too late to be able to confess his love for her. He didntknow what he would do if he lost her.

Yes,he treats me almost as good as you do. She laughed up at him. She didnt seemto notice that his heart was in danger of being broken.

Thatsgood. I dont think anyone could care about you as much as I do, he saidsoftly. She studied him in puzzlement. Im going to the club. Why dont youbring Delacourte by after dinner?

Illsee if he wants to. If not, Ill see you tomorrow morning like usual, right?She gave him a kiss when he nodded.

Illdrop this off for you. He waved the cash bag and gestured to the limo waitingat the curb. Go enjoy your dinner. Looks like your ride is here.

She waved goodbye and slippedinto the car. He wasnt thrilled to see that no one held the door open for her.Where was the respect everyone should show her? He put a black mark againstDelacourte in his mind.

** * *

Heyman, your little hotties here, Randy said as he poked his head into Dominicsoffice.

Shesnot mine. Shes out on a date and I told her to stop by.

Yourhotties got a date and it isnt you, man? Thats shocking. Randys voicestill held a hint of the islands he came from.

Shoveit, Dominic said nicely. Take her to our regular table. Ill be there in aminute.

Randygrinned and headed out. Dominic followed a few minutes later. He was surprisedto see Randy standing next to the table he and Teresa usually used. If hisfriend had been a cat, his back would be up and hed be spitting. When helooked at the couple sitting in the booth, he saw a blonde man slightly shorterthan him sitting next to Teresa. She was flushed from something the man waswhispering to her. He felt his hands clench into fists as he saw the man slidehis hand up her thigh. She pulled away before he got too far.

Hetried to stifle the raging jealousy inside him. He couldnt believe the manwould try to grope her, especially in public. He managed to ignore the littlevoice in his head that said he would do it in a heartbeat if he had the chance.

Steppingup to the table, he saw Teresas eyes light up. Before he had a chance to sayanything, her date said, Finally. The service here is atrocious. Ill take aJack and coke. My date would like a glass of white wine.

Teresaopened her mouth to protest. He knew she hated wine. Turning, he flagged down awaiter and gave him the order. He didnt join them at the table yet.

Do youfind the club lacking? he asked.

Randyblended back into the crowd. Dominic knew if he needed help, his friend wouldbe available, but for now, he had things under control.

Yes, Ido. If I knew the owner, Id make some suggestions.

Inever talk about business when theres a beautiful lady I can enjoy. Dominicsmiled at Teresa.