Iniquitous: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Marked Book 3)

by Bianca Scardoni

  Right now, I needed that more than air.

  “I most certainly can.”

  My skin prickled with goosebumps as a chill licked its way up my back. “Are you saying we're bonded already?”

  “Yes, angel. That is precisely what I'm saying.” He tipped his head to the side, contemplating it. “It's not as strong as it could be though, but the link is certainly there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I can feel it.”

  “Really?” I felt myself swaying towards him, my curiosity getting the better of me. “What does it feel like?” I asked him, intrigued.

  “It feels like you’re mine.”

  My heart came to a definite stop and then kicked off into overdrive. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

  I wasn’t sure how to feel about anything anymore.

  On one hand, I knew I was safe from Engel being able to establish a bloodbond with me, and that was great news, but on the other hand, Dominic now had the power to compel me if he wanted to. And that was so not great news.

  “Does that scare you?” he asked me, his voice a sinister drawl that fluttered over my skin like a butterfly.

  “No.” I swallowed noisily.

  He laughed again. “You're lying, angel.”

  Hell yeah I was lying. “I don't know how I feel about it,” I said, not wanting to reveal all my cards to him. He already had way more power over me than I was comfortable with. “I'm not even sure I believe you. I sure as hell don't feel any different about you,” I added, lying again.

  “Is that right?”

  “Yup.” I looked up at him just as he sprouted a smile. I found myself staring at his mouth, momentarily distracted by the fascinating form of his pouty lips.

  “Come here,” he said.

  “Excuse me?” I blinked the distraction away and met his eyes.

  “Come closer, angel,” he repeated, though this time, there was a strange vibration in his voice that resonated through my body—through my bones. It was like a siren call that only I could hear.

  A call I had to answer.

  I shuffled forward, nudging myself towards him. Frankly, I had no idea why I was listening to him, but I was and it didn't occur to me to question it.

  “Kiss me,” he said with the same mesmerizing tone as earlier.

  I wanted to tell him no. Like hell no. But instead, I began inching my way closer to him, pulling myself further and further out of the safety of the tub to meet his waiting lips. Only when I was a whisper away from his mouth, close enough that I could smell the scent of whiskey and chocolate on his lips, did he put his hand on my shoulder and stop me.

  I blinked away my confusion.

  “Do you believe me now?” he asked smugly.

  I felt my cheeks redden as I narrowed my eyes at him. “You did that on purpose? You compelled me?”

  “I was proving a point.”

  “And what point is that, Dominic? That I can't trust you? That you can take advantage of me?” I spat, retreating into the warm water. My cheeks were still inflamed from embarrassment, and even though I was yelling at him, the truth was, I was angrier with myself for not being able to resist his compulsion.

  “If I wanted to take advantage of you, I would have let you kiss me,” he pointed out.

  “So what? You want a medal for it? It was still a jerk move!”

  I turned away from his condescending eyes and tried to simmer myself down. I suppose, at the end of the day, he did have a point. He could have made me follow through on that kiss. Heck, he could have made me do a lot worse than that. That had to stand for something, didn't it?

  It did, I decided, knowing that I desperately still needed him in my corner.

  “Don't do that again,” I warned him, meeting his eyes. This was hard enough without the added worry of wondering if he was making me do things against my will. Though, at this point, I wasn't even sure what my actual will was anymore.

  “You have nothing to worry about, love. I have no interest in doing that again.”

  My head ticked back a notch. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling strangely offended by his alleged disinterest in me. “What, am I some un-kissable toad now?

  “I beg your pardon?” He chuckled.

  “You heard me. Are my lips not good enough for your royal vampire mouth?” I went on, feeling far more offended than I was comfortable admitting. I seriously needed to get help.

  He laughed again, shaking his head at my little outburst of indignation. “No, love. It simply means that when you finally do kiss me again, it's not going to be because I compelled you to. It's going to be because you want to.”

  My stomach did a strange flip at his words, but I quickly shut the sucker down. “Well, good, because that’s obviously never going to happen again.”

  “Never say never, angel.”

  I wasn’t sure what scared me more; his smug demeanor about it, or the fact that he said it with such certainly. Like he was holding all the cards in his hands…like he knew something I didn’t.

  And unfortunately, with Dominic, I could never really be sure.

  7. EAT PRAY BLOOD

  After steeping in the bath for nearly an hour, my two wardens took me back downstairs to the main floor where I was led into a sprawling dining room big enough for a king and his army. Or just Engel and his leeches. I immediately tried to gauge my surroundings, noting the wood-beamed ceilings, and the dark, lengthy dining table at the center, but I had a hard time staying focused with all the ridiculously amazing aromas coming out of the kitchen.

  Saliva pooled in my mouth as I inhaled the smells and tried to picture the corresponding dish. I couldn’t help it. My stomach had been in a constant state of near-famine for the last…God knows how many days. Ten seconds in and I’d completely forgotten about my recon work and even stopped fidgeting with the hem of my two-sizes-too-small crop top.

  “Go on and have Lucy send in the first course,” said Dominic to Maz. “And keep watch in the north hall when you’re done. No one enters this wing.”

  Maz nodded and took off towards the swinging doors that were presumably attached to the kitchen.

  “This way, Princess,” smiled Dominic.

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I nearly ran him over in my rush to get to that damn table. Pulling out my chair, he motioned with his hand for me to sit down. And I did. Frankly, I never plopped my butt down faster in my entire life.

  Dominic took the next chair over and sat down beside me. Unlike my seat, there was nothing set out in front of him. No place setting or dishes with fancy cutlery. No crystal wine glass or embroidered napkin. Revenants didn’t eat food after all, and since there weren’t any cognizant humans around, there was no reason to keep up the pretense. Not that he would anyway. Dominic wasn’t the type of vampire that concerned himself with the human world, unlike his brother Gabriel who pretty much lived for protecting it.

  Gabriel, I sighed.

  I could only imagine what he was going through right now. He was probably blaming himself for my disappearance, blaming himself for not being there to protect me. He was such a martyr that way.

  I prayed he wasn’t being too hard on himself. It’s not like he would’ve been able to do anything anyway. The protective barrier Nikki and Caleb set up around Taylor’s property ensured that no Revenants could get in. And that included the good ones like Gabriel. It chilled me to my bones to know that in the end, it wasn’t a vampire that did me in. It was a human. Someone from the party. Maybe even someone I knew and cared for.

  I shuddered at the disturbing thought.

  “Why the long face, love? Are you not enjoying my company?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. He wanted to appear casual, relaxed—detached, but his eyes were giving him away more and more lately.

  “I was just thinking about the night of the party,” I said quietly, so only the two of us could hear. It was unnecessary of course, the house was made entirely of bri
ck and stone, making every room sound proof.

  “Ah, yes. The infamous party. Any theories on that?”

  I shook my head. “The only thing I know for sure is that it wasn’t a Rev. It couldn’t be.” Not with the Magical Barrier keeping out all things undead and Dark Legion related.

  “Which brings your suspect list down to just about everyone else in town.”

  “Exactly,” I said, rubbing my temples. Just thinking about it gave me a migraine. “I should’ve listened to you.”

  His eyebrows perked up at my admission.

  As sour as the words tasted, they needed to be said. “I should have never gone after her alone.”

  “Well, yes, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty, love.”

  “I knew she was sketchy, but I never thought she’d go that far,” I confessed. “I should have known better.” If I’d learned anything from my time in Hollows Hills, it was that I couldn’t trust anyone. Who knew how long she’d been working with Engel, or worse, what other lengths she would go to get rid of me. It dawned on me that I would probably never really be safe as long as she was still around—pining for Trace in the background.

  That is, if I ever made it back home.

  He leaned in closer, erasing some of the space between us. “This,” he said, motioning to our surroundings, “was bound to happen one way or the other. A pirate will always hunt his treasure, and you, temptress, are the fairest treasure of them all. It was just a matter of time.”

  I suppose he had a point. Engel’s been gunning for me since the day he discovered my existence. As long as he was still walking this earth, he would always be a threat to me. If it didn’t happen the night of the party, it would’ve happened the next week, or the week after that. My face-off with him was pretty much inevitable.

  Then again, it would have been nice to do it on my own terms, and not his.

  “In any event, there’s nothing you can do about it now so you might as well quit crying over spilled milk.”

  “Easy for you to say. You don’t drink milk.”

  “Indeed, another perk of being a Revenant.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows rising and falling with arrogance.

  “Yeah, you’re totally living the dream…you know, if it wasn’t for that whole demon thing.”

  “Surrendering your humanity is much more of a blessing than a curse, love. No attachments. No pain. No worry.”

  “No soul,” I muttered under my breath.

  “See, that would have hurt a lot more had I been in possession of my humanity.”

  I met his gaze again and found him staring at me in a strange way. I could have sworn there was something lingering in those dark eyes of his; a quiet churning of emotions beneath the surface. They certainly didn’t look like the eyes of someone who’d shut off their humanity and stopped caring about everyone and everything in the world. After everything he’d done for me, sometimes at his own peril, I had a hard time believing that.

  “No humanity, huh?”

  His cheek hitched up. “Not a lick.”

  Shaking my head, I searched his face for the truth. “You’re a real enigma, you know that?”

  “Amongst other more splendid things.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “In case I forget to tell you later, thank you.”

  “For what, love?”

  “For this. For everything, really.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” His lips pulled up into a lopsided grin. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Don’t get used to it.” I adjusted my top and sank back in my chair. “And we’re still not friends.”

  He laughed, the sound of it completely thrilling and exhilarating to me.

  I looked back up at him, more serious this time. “All kidding aside, I don’t think I could’ve survived this place if it wasn’t for you.” I shook my head and corrected myself. “I know I wouldn’t have survived this place without you.”

  “You would’ve found a way, angel. You always do. Besides, don’t thank me yet.” He leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table. “There’s still the business of breaking you out of here to contend with.”

  “And taking out Engel,” I added pointedly, matching his advance. The abrupt movement made my welts want to scream out with pain, but I stuffed it back down, not wanting Dominic to see the agony on my face.

  “Running isn’t enough this time,” I said, inhaling sharply. “We need to put an end to this once and for all.”

  “Of course.” He nodded, knowing exactly what I meant. “All in due time, love.”

  “Due time? I don’t have due time, Dominic. I have no time. I’m ready now.” I knew we couldn’t rush this thing and it had to be done right, but I wanted out of this place. I wanted Engel dead, and for good this time.

  “You’re in no condition to go up against anyone right now, angel. You need to heal first. Take this as an opportunity to recover while we test out the strings of your newfound freedom. If everything goes well, we can plan our next move.”

  Before I could get another protest out, Dominic held up his hand and then slumped back in his chair just as the swinging doors opened.

  A lean brunette with short, curly hair walked into the room carrying a serving platter in her hands. Her emerald green eyes were fixed on the floor as she walked around the table to where we were seated. Without uttering a word to either of us, she placed a glass of thick, red liquid in front of Dominic and then set down a covered dish in front of me.

  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I knew she was a prisoner here, just like me. And just like me, I knew she was being held against her will.

  “Thank you, Lucy.”

  She bowed her head to Dominic and then exited the room the same way she came in.

  My heart and body sank. “How long has she been here?” I asked, wondering if she had family back home missing her.

  “I couldn’t say,” he said indifferently as though it didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

  “How can you just sit there like that?”

  He arched his eyebrow at me. “Like what?”

  “Like it doesn’t matter! Like she doesn’t matter.”

  “She doesn’t. Not to me,” he said crudely. “My only concern right now is you, and frankly, that should be your only concern too. You’re not exactly in the position to help anyone. You can barely help yourself.”

  Ouch.

  His expression softened at my reaction. “That may have come out—”

  “Don’t,” I said, stopping him from going any further. I spent most of my days being unconscious on the floor of a dungeon. Like seriously, what the hell was I going to do for her? “You’re right.”

  He looked like he wanted to say something else on the matter, but then decided against it. “Come now, angel. It’s time to eat,” he said as he lifted the lid from my plate and revealed a perfectly grilled fillet of sole and a side serving of perfectly steamed vegetables. “You need to rebuild your strength while you can.”

  Everything but the dish in front of me disappeared from my consciousness. My mouth watered as I inhaled the smell. I didn’t even like fish, but I was so hungry I probably would’ve eaten an entire whale had I been given the chance.

  I snatched up my fork and glanced over at Dominic just as he picked up his own dinner and took a sip.

  My fork froze mid-air. “Is that human blood?” I asked, glaring at him.

  “Well it certainly isn’t roadkill.”

  I dropped my fork on the table.

  “What?” he asked innocently.

  “Seriously? I’m not going to just sit here and eat while you drink that!”

  His brows pulled together in confusion. Or amusement. It was always hard to tell with Dominic. “I drink from you at least twice a day, love. What exactly is the difference?”

  “The difference is consent, Dominic. I’m a willing participant. Whoever’s blood is in that glass is not.” I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair.
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  “Surely you aren’t serious right now.”

  I stared at him, lips pursed.

  “But I’m hungry,” he said in a tone that sounded a lot like a whine.

  “Too. Freaking. Bad.” There was no way I was letting this one go. I might not have been able to help any of these donor girls at the moment, but I certainly wasn’t going to be complicit in their abuse.

  After a brief standstill that he knew he wouldn’t win, he finally lowered his glass to the table and growled through his teeth at me. “Are you happy now?”

  “No. But it’s a start.” Without casting another glance his way, I picked up my fork again and dug in. The minute the food touched my tongue, my eyes doubled in size as the savory fish melted in my mouth.

  “Good?” he asked, laughter twitching the corner of his lips.

  “Um, try insanely good,” I said as I took another bite and then pretty much didn’t stop taking bites until the entire plate was wiped clean.

  “Heavens, angel. I’ve never seen anyone eat that fast in my life.”

  My cheeks prickled with heat, but that didn’t stop me from contemplating licking the crumbs off the china. “I’m still hungry,” I admitted.

  “Fret not, love. A second course is on the way,” he said with a wink. “I suppose you should get it in while you can.”

  “Don’t worry. I plan on it.” I put my fork down and crossed my hands in my lap in an effort to restrain myself from doing anything else that would further embarrass the crap out of me.

  The swinging doors flapped open again, the sound of it sent a flutter of excitement through my stomach. That is, until I looked up and saw Engel instead of Lucy with my second course. Talk about a lunchbox let down.

  “Good evening, Princess. Dominic,” nodded Engel as he walked into the room with a handful of his dead cronies.

  “Engel.” Dominic nodded back to him as I scowled in silence beside him.

  “I trust you’re enjoying your dinner,” said Engel as he moved towards the opposite end of the table as though he were getting ready to host our little party. The one no one invited him to. He pulled out a chair and sat down.