Iniquitous (The Marked #3)(69)

“There’s something else.” She nearly jumped out of her skin as a clap of thunder rattled the windows outside. Rubbing her palms against her jeans, she said, “It may change your mind about doing this, but I urge you to reconsider. The Barrrier needs to go back up or we risk the world as we know it coming apart.”

“No offense, Arianna, but I’m well aware of what needs to be done.” She was giving me the lecture as though I were the one who brought the walls down, and not her and her sisters.

“Then please try to remember that when I tell you who she is.”

My face pinched as I blinked away my confusion. “Why would that make any difference to me?”

“Because,” she answered cautiously. “It’s your mother.”





30. DARK MATTER


I shot up from the sofa like a pop tart. The abrupt movement sent the piece of furniture skidding behind me. Arianna immediately stood up, her hands outstretched as though trying to calm me. As though she were afraid I was going to toss her out on her lying ass. In fact, that was exactly what I was going to do.

“I don’t know what game you and your demonic sisters are playing with me but you need to leave right now before I do something we both regret.”

“I know how it sounds but—”

“I really don’t think that you do, and I’m not about to sit here and listen to this nonsense. My mother is not dead and she is most certainly not a Revenant!” I shook my head frantically as I tried to wrap my brain around the thought of it. “I would know, my sister would know and she would’ve told me!”

There was no way that this Dark Caster from who-knows-where, who wasn’t even a part of The Order, would know more about my family than my own family did. It just wasn’t possible.

Was it? Oh, God…

“Get out!” I yelled, pointing to the door.

“Please tell her,” she said, though she wasn’t looking at me. Her gaze was directed over my shoulder.

I turned, following her eyes. Dominic stood in the doorway, his hands buried deep in his pockets as a battle of emotions warred inside his dark eyes.

The air was thinning in the room again.

“Tell me what, Dominic?” I marched over to him, demanding answers. “What is she talking about?”

Trace and Gabriel filed in behind him. They both had the same look in their eyes that Dominic did…like they knew something I didn’t know and they were too afraid to tell me.

My legs felt weak. “Please don’t tell me you knew about this,” I said to Trace, pleading with him for a ray of light.

He looked back at me regretfully. “I’ve only heard rumors.”

“What rumors?”

His chest rose sharply as he pulled in a breath. “That your mother Turned when you were a kid and that’s the reason she was gone.”

Something began scorching me beneath my lids, but it wasn’t tears. No. It was liquid rage.

“Nothing was ever confirmed,” said Gabriel. As if that made any of this better.

It wasn’t confirmed, but they’d heard stories, all three of them and neither one of them thought to clue me in on it. Even Engel had enough of a heart to say something about it, to try to tell me the truth, regardless of his deranged intentions.

And Dominic? He was there. He heard what Engel said to me and he knew about the rumors. He had to have put two and two together…

I turned to him as ice froze a trail down my spine. “You. Knew.”

“Angel—”

“You heard what he said about my mother and you knew he was telling me the truth, didn’t you!”

“Whatever information I may have omitted was purely for your own benefit. Had you even suspected that Engel was telling the truth about your mother, you would have jeopardized the entire plan to get information.”

“So, we’re back to everyone making decisions for me? Everyone gets to decide what I can and can’t handle and what I should and shouldn’t know? God damn it,” I shouted as I kicked the console table against the wall and sent it shattering to the ground in a barrage of noise. “I have never hated you all more than I do right now.”

Pushing my way between them, I stormed out the den and barreled for the front door.

“Where are you going?” asked Trace. He was right on my tail.

“Away from the three of you!” I grabbed the door knob and pulled the door open but it quickly shut in my face. Dominic was leaning with his back against it.

“Get out of my way, Dominic.”

“I can’t let you go out there alone, angel. It’s much too dangerous.”

“Everyone thinks I’m dead!”

“And if they don’t? What if someone from the Order spots you?”

“I can take care of myself now get out of my way before I rip your head off!”

Dominic didn’t budge.

I pulled my arm back, winding up to sock him in the head.

“Angel,” said Dominic in the voice that crawled through my brain and took it over. “You’re tired and upset. You need to lay down and rest.”

Suddenly overcome by exhaustion, I brought my arm down and yawned.

“Did you just compel her?” boomed Trace, his voice near hysterics. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”