Iniquitous (The Marked #3)(25)

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked, lowering the book.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, all dreamy and weird.”

He laughed at my words. “That’s hardly what I was doing, angel.”

“It sure looked that way from where I’m sitting.”

Always one to have the last word, he was about to say something back to me when Maz rejoined us, carrying a magazine in his hands.

“Of all the priceless books in this place, you grabbed a gossip rag?” I shook my head at him.

“It’s not a gossip rag, it’s a Men’s Health Magazine.”

“Uh-huh. Sure, it is.” I made a mocking face at Dominic and we both laughed.

“I ain’t plannin’ on reading it anyway,” snapped Maz. “I’m just flipping through the pictures to kill some time.”

“Okay. Cool beans.” Honestly, I hardly cared.

His eyebrows furrowed. “What’s it to you anyway, hell-girl?”

Well, that escalated quickly.

“Watch it,” warned Dominic, his voice unusually stern.

“You should prolly be thinking about your roast tonight instead of worrying about what I’m reading,” he continued, clearly enraged by my innocent razzing. “Them three little witches are gonna fry you into next Tuesday.”

“Three little witches?” I glanced at Dominic and then back to Maz. “What are you talking about?”

“That’s enough,” said Dominic, rising to his feet. “Do me a favor and get out of here, you bumbling buffoon.”

“Chill, man. It’s not like it’s a secret,” said Maz, running a pale hand through his dark hair. “What’s your problem anyway? You got a soft spot for her or something?”

Dominic’s eyes were shooting fireballs at him. “Get. Out. Now.”

“Whatever.” Maz tossed the magazine on the chair and then bustled out of the library.

My crazed eyes snapped back to Dominic who was still watching the door. Obviously avoiding me.

“What the hell is he talking about, Dominic? And don’t you dare lie to me!”

“It’s nothing for you to concern yourself with, love.” His tone was soft and unhurried as though trying to keep me calm—contained. “We’ll be long-gone before then.”

“Before then? Before when exactly?” He wasn’t getting off that easy. He knew something about the alleged festivities tonight and I wasn’t going to drop this until he gave me every last detail. “Who the hell are the three little witches?”

Dominic shot another surly look towards the door, cursing Maz under his breath. Rolling his shoulders, he met my panicked eyes. “Remember when I told you Engel was working with Dark Casters?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“Well, they were invited to the party tonight…to meet you.”

“Me? Why?”

“To exchange beauty tips,” he blurted out impatiently. “What do you think they’re coming here for?”

The Uprising spell.

Shit.

My stomach dropped to the ground. “But he doesn’t even have the Amulet yet!”

“Perhaps that’s their first order of business,” he suggested, clearly not in the know.

“Dammit, Dominic!” I stood up from my chair and glared down at him. My anxiety was running marathons all through my body. “When were you going to tell me about this?”

“Well, to be perfectly honest, love, I wasn’t.” He relaxed back in his chair, calm and unaffected. “The last thing we needed was for you become unhinged and riddled with nerves before the big showdown.”

How dare he presume to know what’s best for me. “You don’t have the right! You don’t know anything about me, Dominic, least of all how I would react to something like this.”

God, where did he even get off?

“Oh? I don’t know anything about you?” He stood up and took a daunting step towards me. “I know you better than you know yourself right now. I know what you need. I know what you want even before you beg me for it,” he said, his tone drenched with impish accusations, “I know what will make you stronger, and I damn well know what will slow you down. You can sit here like a petulant child and deny it, but it doesn’t change the facts one bit.”

I smacked him in the face. Hard.

Aside from clenching his jaw, there was zero reaction from him. But it pleased me nonetheless.

“Didn’t see that one coming, did you, Mr. Know-it-all?” My chest was rising and falling so fast, it was making me dizzy, but I refused to back down from him.

Dominic, never one to back down either, took another step towards me, erasing the tiny gap between us as if to intimidate me—to threaten me. It was almost as though he were daring me to hit him again.

So I did, only this time, he caught my wrist before I could made contact with his cheek.

“I do not take kindly to being assaulted, angel. Do not do that again.” Still holding my wrist, he used it to pull me in. “Are you reading me?”

“Well, I don’t take kindly to liars! And I definitely don’t take kindly to threats!” I spat back through gritted teeth.

His eyes skittered down to my mouth. “It was a cautioning, not a threat.”