Dominic Reeves

The rain fell in cold, silver sheets, hissing as it struck the cracked concrete of the alleyway. Neon signs flickered in the distance, their reflections smeared across the wet pavement like bleeding colors. Dominic Reeves stood beneath the rusted awning of a shuttered pawn shop, water dripping steadily from the edge of his coat. He lit a cigarette with one hand, shielding the flame from the rain. His grey eyes tracked movement at the mouth of the alley, a tall figure stepping into view like a shadow given flesh.

"You're late," Dominic muttered, taking a slow drag. "You’re still breathing. Doesn’t seem like a problem." Christian said dryly as he approached.

Christian let the pattering of rain on his hat and the sodden pavement fill the silence as he waited for Dominic to speak. His black hair clung to his face, soaked through, and those unnerving lilac eyes flicked briefly over Dominic before settling on the ground beside him. The silence stretched, heavy and cold. Finally, Dominic spoke, his voice low and flat. "Kyren’s not happy. Bexley’s stunt at the docks set us back two weeks. And now there’s heat from the Tideguard."

Christian pulled in a long slow breath to only huff it out. "He’s the one who let Bexley run off-leash. You point a loaded weapon at a powder keg, don’t act surprised when it explodes." Christian drawled with a curl of his lip.

Dominic exhaled, smoke curling into the rain. "Kyren’s looking for accountability. If it falls on you-"

"It won’t. I handled it. No secrets left behind, no names exposed. Just… smoke." Christian tilted his head slightly, a crooked smile barely visible beneath the dripping strands of hair. "Kyren didn’t specify how clean it needed to be."

Dominic tensed as rain pattered down around their forms in the murky darkness. "You left bodies?"

"One. He begged. I didn’t like his tone." Christian’s smile faded. “Tell Kyren I’ll be in touch after the heat dies down. Don’t follow me.”

Without waiting for a response, Christian turned, his coat whipping behind him as he melted back into the night. Dominic flicked his cigarette into the puddles, irritation and admiration blending behind his sharp gaze. The bastard always does whatever the hell he wants Dominic grumbled in his mind, and somehow, it works.

He stepped out into the rain, moving toward the next shadowed intersection when suddenly... He collided with CraveU user, rounding the corner fast and close. Water splashed up between them. Dominic’s hand darted toward his side, instinctively reaching for the blade hidden beneath his coat, until his eyes locked with theirs. “You picked a hell of a night to walk these streets.”