Iniquitous (The Marked #3)(21)

His eyes skimmed over me briefly. “As much as I would enjoy spending the night plotting with you, or otherwise, that would only raise suspicion where suspicion is not needed.” He gave me a pointed look. “I’ll be right outside should you need me.”

“I’m sure I won’t,” I mumbled under my breath as I turned in a circle and inspected the room.

More ugly wallpaper and gold plated everything. You’d think Engel would have acquired some taste over the last couple of centuries, but no.

I made a gagging noise. “Major yuck.”

“Is the room not to your liking, Princess?” asked Dominic, still hovering around the door with his arms crossed behind his back. He had his signature lopsided grin plastered across his face.

“It looks like the 1840’s threw up in here.” I said and then shuddered.

Then again, anything was better than that cage.

“Indeed, it does.” He chuckled as he rested his hand on the doorknob. “Try to get some rest, angel. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.”

That was the understatement of the year. Tomorrow was D day. The day we attempted to break out of this hellhole and take out Engel for good. I doubted I would get any sleep at all.

“Wait!” I whispered-yelled as he started to leave the room.

He poked his head around the door and waited for me to say something. When I didn’t, he stepped back in the room and shut the door behind himself again. “Yes, angel?”

“I just…” I rubbed my palms against the dirty jeans that had become my latest uniform, and then turned around to think of some kind of excuse to make him stay longer. I glanced at the Victorian dresser in the corner of the room and then shuffled over to it. “You think there’s any clean clothes in this thing?”

“There should be.”

I pulled open the first drawer and found a satin nightgown from the same era as the decor. “Double yuck.”

“I can have Nora bring you something else,” he said, suddenly very close to my ear.

My breath caught as I spun around and found myself standing less than a whisper away from him. I didn’t hear him move in behind me and the sudden proximity was sending my heart rate into a tailspin. Not to mention he looked particularly luminescent in this weird castle light. What with his dark head-to-toe clothing and his smooth skin that always seemed to perfectly offset his luscious, blond hair.

Had he always looked this good? I wondered, staring at his pouty lips.

“Would that please you?” he asked, his gaze dropping down to my own mouth.

Please me? Did he just say he wanted to please me? My cheeks burned hot.

He blinked languidly, waiting for me to string a cohesive set of words together. “Are you alright?”

I wanted to answer him, but I couldn’t get my bottom lip to do anything more than flap up and down like a half-wit. Whatever the hell was going on with me right now was making me look like a complete moron.

“Angel?”

“I…”

“Yes?” He waited, arching an eyebrow at me.

I inwardly kicked myself and finally blurted out, “I’m fine—I’m totally fine. I’m just tired. Very tired. I think you were right. I should go to bed.” I pressed my rambling lips together and then tried to swirl around him, but he quickly snatched my elbow and pulled me to his side.

My heart galloped up into my throat.

“What about the clothes?”

I shook my head as I tried to force my heart back down into my chest. “I’m actually okay like this,” I lied.

He narrowed his eyes at me, scrutinizing me. “Why is your heart beating so fast?”

I swallowed loudly. “Well, because. I…and…you…and—why the hell do you think?” I snapped defensively and then tried to reign myself back in. “You just scared the crap out of me with your freakishly quiet walking! What do you expect?”

He didn’t say anything. He just continued to examine my face. It was as though he were listening in for clues, for answers. Like he could see into my soul. Needless to say, it made me even more uneasy around him than I already was.

“Can I go to bed now?” I asked, glancing down at his hand still wrapped around my arm.

“Certainly.” He still hadn’t released my arm. Instead his other hand came up to my face and gently brushed across my cheek, sending a tirade of shivers throughout my body.

He smiled again, but it wasn’t just any kind of smile. It was that, I-know-I’m-having-an-effect-on-you smile.

And I hated that smile.





9. KISS OF THE VAMPIRE


I awoke in a cold sweat just before dawn to a night terror filled with bloodied skies and the muddled faces of my enemies. My stomach clenched into a knot as I looked around the room, searching for something to anchor myself down with—something to calm my racing heart, but nothing about the room was familiar, and it only intensified my panic. My mouth opened to call out for Dominic, but I quickly sealed my lips back together as I remembered where I was and everything that was at stake here.

Still, I needed to find him. I needed him to ease my anxiety.

Before I could climb out of bed and go off in search of him, my door suddenly opened and Dominic stepped through the threshold. It was almost as though he knew I needed him, like he could feel my distress without even being near me. He shut the door behind himself and then stood there quietly, staring across the room at me. Waiting. Knowing…