Iniquitous (The Marked #3)(44)
His hand stilled as he met my eyes again. “I knew it,” he said tersely, shaking his head in disgust. “I knew they had something to do with it.”
“I’d be dead if it wasn’t for the Amulet.” I picked up the enchanted red stone and rolled it between my fingers. “Thank God they didn’t know about it.”
His features fell as realization set in. “Then they know about your blood.”
“It looks that way,” I nodded regretfully.
A colorful array of expletives shot out of his mouth.
“Come on,” I said, pressing my palm against his chest to calm him. “We knew they’d find out the truth eventually. It just happened a little sooner than we thought.” I wasn’t sure where my sudden composure came from, but it felt good to finally have some. Probably because the whole ordeal with the Order didn’t scare me nearly as much as having to tell him the rest of the story did. I hadn’t even gotten to the bad part yet…
“Then tell me,” he said as he picked up my chin and nodded for me to continue. “I can handle it.”
I went on to tell him everything that happened after the moment Nikki handed my lifeless body to Engel. I told him that I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out, or where they’d taken me, but when I finally did…come back, I’d woken up alone in some kind of dungeon-like prison cell. I told him about the horrid conditions down there, about how no one came down to see me for days… “I thought I would starve to death before I ever got to see another living soul.”
Trace pumped his jaw, working hard to contain the wrath that was beginning to surface in his eyes.
“He was trying to weaken me, to break me before the real fun began.” My mind flashed to the horrific beatings, the daily feedings that he forced on me over and over again as he tried to form a bloodbond and compel the Amulet away from me. My stomach soured as bile crawled up the back of my throat again.
“Jesus Christ,” said Trace, staring at me with a horrified expression on his face. He’d read my thoughts—seen it all happening to me without me having to say a word.
“If it wasn’t for Dominic double-agenting that shit and sneaking me down food, God knows what would have happened.” I lifted myself off him. I needed to walk, to get some air in my lungs if I was going to be able to finish this without getting sick again. “Engel knew I’d never willingly hand over the Amulet so he had to get creative. His words.”
“I’m so goddamn sorry,” he said as he stood up and ran a hand through his ebony hair. “I should’ve been there to protect you. I should never have left you alone at that party—”
“Don’t do that.” I shook my head and walked over to him. Flattening my palms against his chest, I wrangled his focus back down to me. “If it didn’t happen at the party, it would’ve happened the next day or the week after that. It was going to happen one way or another. Engel wasn’t ever going to give up. We both know that.”
He had to know that—he was a Reaper for God’s sake. Yet, it was as though he couldn’t accept it. Like he should have found a way around fate and destiny and the limitations of his own powers.
“I tried, Jemma. I swear to God I tried.” He cupped my face in his hands and looked down at me with more conviction than I’d ever felt in my entire life. “I tried to go back to that moment, to follow you into the woods and figure out what happened to you, but the Timeline was Bound. I couldn’t get there no matter how many times I tried.” His eyes darkened. “And now I know why.”
The Order had sealed the Timeline to make sure no one could see what they’d done. To make sure no one could undo what happened and bring me back. Little did they know, they’d failed miserably. I was alive and well, and I was ready to make them pay for what they did to me. Every last one of them.
“They never had any intention of training me or taking me under their wings. The only thing they cared about was if my blood was dormant or not, and how quickly they needed to eradicate me.” Saying the words out loud stung, but not as much as having to wonder whether my own uncle was in on it.
“Karl?” asked Trace, reading my thoughts. “You think he was in on it too?”
I turned my face into his hand and kissed his palm before bringing his hand down. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure about any of it to be honest. The only thing I know for sure is that he was there. He was acting strange and he said some weird crap to me right before I took off into the woods. It kind of sounded like a threat; some kind of warning.” I shook my head, unable to really make sense of it. “The point is, I don’t know, and until I do, I can’t trust any of them.”
“They’re going to pay for this, Jemma. I swear to God, I’ll make them pay.” His fists were balled at his sides and his eyes were bouncing around the room as though he were searching for something to smash.
He was going to need to save that for later. “There’s more, Trace.”
He ran a hand down his face.
“If you want to stop—”
“No. I’m good,” he quickly cut in. Pushing his fingers through his hair, he sat down on the coffee table and leaned forward, his arms resting over his bent knees. “Okay. Let’s hear it.” He was ready for it. At least he thought he was.