Read Dom Wars - Round Four for Free Online

with Tara at my side, I had at least a fighting chance of dominating my demons.
    My phone vibrated in my pocket, reminding me the big demons weren't the only ones I'd be dominating this round. And well, any stuff in her head that kept her from being entirely mine at all times. A tad nervous, I slid the phone out of my pocket and read the text discreetly. Humiliate Tara at the restaurant you're stopping at. You will not be permitted to tell her this was your assignment until after the final demon domination. Good luck.
    I sat there dumbstruck for several seconds.
    "First assignment?" Tara asked.
    I slid the phone back into my pocket. "Uh, no. It was just an electronic copy of… what was in the letter Steve gave us. An email." A sick niggling in my gut made me wonder who came up with the small challenges. Because that one really looked like something Tara's favorite blonde, Danielle, might think up. She'd been pissed when Steve was given the chaperone position for Round Three instead of her. She must have been doubly so this time, since she wasn't even present for our departure.
    " Okay." Tara pulled out her phone and looked. "Surprised we don't have a sext yet." She peeked at me with a smile. "I was…maybe a little eager."
    I turned to stare out the window, unable to hear past the grinding dread of my assignment. Humiliate her at the restaurant? Not tell her? God. They 'd fucking done their homework on me, hadn't they? And by now, they knew I was fucking head over heels for her.
    How could I carry out the orders without undoing the fragile progress I'd made with her? Would they intentionally sabotage our future? I mentally sorted through all the people associated with the company we'd met so far. Of those, only the moderator, Danielle, seemed cold-blooded enough to do something so underhanded. But was she really? Or was that just me channeling Tara's dislike of the woman?
    " Lucian?" Tara watched me through her lashes, as if she didn't want to meet my direct gaze. "Yeah?"
    " What's wrong? You seem distracted. I've seen you like this before."
    Fuck. Of course she 'd notice. I had to get the nonsense out of my head and give her my attention. I couldn't have her thinking I didn't want to be with her. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little nervous about the demon dominations." What the hell else could I say?
    She reached up and brushed her finger along my lower lip. "Don't worry, baby, I'm right here beside you. We'll get through it together. Lean on me all you need."
    Her words tugged at my heart. Before I received that fucking text, I 'd have been jumping with joy to hear her say that. I smiled. "Thank you, Tara. You have no idea how much that fucking means to me." Now, I worried what I had to do would crush that. By the time we got to the demons, she'd be done with me. "I just hope you don't end up hating me."
    " Lucian, I could never hate you." The sincerity in her tone and expression almost made me believe her. Almost.
    I drew her hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I hope not."
    She slid a little closer and leaned up to brush her lips against mine. The gentle touch sent a flash of longing through me. Longing for a future with her, a future beyond this fucking game. That was all I needed. I had to keep that goal in sight.
    The little warning chime that preceded the lowering of the privacy panel sounded, and the divider slid down a moment later. "Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Bane, Miss Reese. We're coming up to a small town soon and I've been instructed to stop for lunch at a diner." He raised the partition without another word.
    Great. I 'd fucked that up, too. Steve had helped me, been a good friend. And I'd been a jerk.
    I kept my arm around Tara and drew her closer, trying my best to relax a little. The scenery sliding past consisted of a series of semi-rural homes separated by fallow fields and small pastures. No doubt, like everywhere else, one or more farms had been carved up into tra cts and sold for private lots. This just