her, and relaxed slightly to see Dominic on the phone. He held up a finger, then motioned for them to sit.
He continued on for a moment in Italian. “Si, si. Buono.” He nodded a few times, shook his hand at the heavens, then finally, “Devo andare. Ciao, Luciano.” And hung up. “Scusi, but I had to take care of that.” He came out from behind the desk to take Chrysabelle’s hand between his. He leaned in and kissed her on both cheeks. “It is good to see you, cara mia. I know of your troubles. My heart aches for you. This woman, Rennata…” He scowled. “If you wish, I can have her dealt with.”
“As much as I appreciate the offer, no thank you.” Apparently she’d worried for nothing.
“You are feeling better now, though, eh?”
“I’m doing well enough.”
His gaze traveled to the cane at her side. “And this? What is this?”
“I still have a little pain.” Not a lie, except for the little part. Sometimes she could feel the knives cutting her skin as fresh as the moment it had happened. The phantom echoes of those blades woke her at night.
“Malkolm, I trust you are well also?”
“I’m fine.” Mal paused, like he was unsure why Dominic was being so cordial. She wondered that herself. “The club is busy. Business must be good.”
Dominic sat on the front edge of his caramel-swirled marble desktop. “It’s very good, actually. So good I’m bringing my nephew Luciano in. Many times removed, of course, but the blood is there. And with Ronan gone…” He shrugged.
Chrysabelle leaned forward. “Is Katsumi no longer here?”
“She’s here. There’s just so much to take care of. The comarré business alone takes most of her time.”
“That’s partly why I’m here.” Chrysabelle took a breath. “I would like to speak to your signumist.”
Dominic tilted his head. “May I ask why?”
Her thumb rubbed the cane’s pearl handle. “I need some new signum.”
He smiled gently. “New signum? Cara mia, you have no room.”
“I do. On my back.” The signumist would tell him anyway. “I need to replace the signum that was stripped from me.”
The smile vanished as he stood up. “What? Why? I know what it is to undergo such a thing. Your mother took the last of her signum the first year of our affair. The pain was more than I thought a human could bear.”
“Dominic, I know very well what the pain is like.” She opened her arms, twisting her hands to flash a few of the numerous signum she still bore. “I need to get back to the Aurelian.”
“What for?”
“I have unfinished business with her.”
He snorted, throwing a hand in the air. “You are just like your mother. Ostinato.”
“Sometimes stubborn is good. Will you let me talk to him?”
His mouth leveled into a thin, hard line. “No. It is not for the best.”
“Tell him,” Mal urged her.
She responded with a look she hoped said no.
“Tell me what?” Dominic asked.
She exhaled. “Maris had a son. My brother. I need to see the Aurelian to find out everything I can about him. So I can locate him.”
Dominic’s mouth slowly parted. “Another child?” He shook his head. “I still don’t like it, but I will think on it.” He checked his watch. “There is something I need of you as well.”
Which might explain why he’d been so nice. “What might that be?”
After a quick glance at Mal, he continued. “I have two comarré here. A comarré and a comar, actually. They cannot stay here.”
“Why not? You’ve got plenty of space. Where do the rest of your comarré stay?”
“Except for a few special cases, they live in their own homes. But these are not my comarré. They are Primoris Domus comarré.”
She sat back, surprise flooding her. “How on earth did you get ahold of them?”
“They came to me. Escaped from Tatiana.” He lifted his shoulders. “They saw one of mine in the street and followed her here. Begged asylum. What was I to do? Throw them out to the Nothos? Let the fringe devour them?” He walked around to his chair and sat. “I am not an unkind man, Chrysabelle. Despite what you may think of me.”
“I don’t think that.” She did, however, think he was prone to unreasonable decisions, hasty judgments, and bouts of temper. “Still, I don’t understand why they can’t stay here. I’m sure they’d be willing to exchange blood for room and board, that sort of thing.”
“Perhaps, but I have yet to broach that subject with them. They are… a bit timid