Iniquitous (The Marked #3)(7)

“You have to do something, Dominic. You have to help me get out of this cage.”

“I’m already working on it, love, but it’s going to take some time. It took me days just to get access to the dungeons—”

“I don’t have any more time, Dominic.” I stood up and moved closer to him. He needed to see the desperation in my eyes. He needed to see I wasn’t playing around anymore. “I’m starving and I’m tired. I won’t survive another week like this—let alone with him draining me at every meal.”

His pitch eyes softened as he took me in. “What would you have me do, angel? Do you want to Bonnie and Clyde our way out of here? Make a run for it or die trying?” There was something lacking in his joking tone; something that made me think he would do it if I asked him to.

I wasn’t sure if it was my delirium kicking in, but the whole thing didn’t seem like a half bad idea. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t make it very far in my condition. Dominic made a face as his gaze swept over my body.

He was thinking the same thing I was.

“You need to eat first. We need to build your strength back up before we can attempt any sort of coup.”

“Is there any food in this place?” I asked doubtfully.

He nodded. “He feeds his donors very well. I’m sure I could sneak something down to you.”

My stomach rumbled at the thought of food, but I ignored it. I was too busy frowning at the mention of Engel’s donors. I knew exactly what that meant: humans he was compelling to feed from. And God knows what else.

“One thing at a time, angel,” answered Dominic, knowing where my thoughts had gone. “You need to save yourself before you start worrying about anyone else.”

And I intended to do just that.

“What about the bloodbond? How long do we have until I’m completely under his spell?”

“Depends,” he said, running his lean fingers along his smooth jawline.

“On what?”

“On how powerful he is. How much he takes—how often.”

“Are we talking weeks or days?” My voice cracked at the tail end of the question.

“In your current state?” He raised a critical brow as he appraised me. “Days.”

This was getting grimmer by the minute. Every time we solved one issue, another one popped up to quickly take its place. It was like some demonic game of domino’s I never signed up to play.

The thought of being compelled by Engel sickened me to no end. I would become his puppet. His willing and devoted servant. I was certain that getting me to hand over the Amulet, and in essence, my entire life, was just the very tip of the iceberg of what he had planned for me.

And I thought being bonded to Dominic was bad. Ha! I’d choose a bloodbond with Dominic a hundred times over that decrepit—

“Oh my God.” An idea smacked me right upside the head. “That's it!”

Dominic was still going on about the rate in which bloodbonds were formed when I slammed my hand against the bars. “Dominic! Are you listening to me? I have an idea!”

He blinked lazily, unimpressed with my interruption. “I'm listening.”

“If Engel’s entire plan is resting on forming a bloodbond with me, all we need to do is make sure that doesn't happen.”

“That's quite an astute observation, angel, but it hardly qualifies as an actual plan.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “You didn't let me finish.”

“You don't need to, love. There's no way to stop a bloodbond. It's inevitable if he feeds on you long enough.”

“That's why I'm going to form one with you first.”

“Come again?”

“You heard me.” I leaned in closer, my eyes landing hard on his. “Every time he feeds on me, you feed on me twice. Whatever he takes from me, you take more. He won't be able to compel me if I'm already bonded to you, right?”

“Do you have any idea what you're asking?”

No. “This can work, Dominic. I know it can. We already have a connection and as long as we stay one step ahead of him—”

“You wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of blood loss,” he interrupted, his voice a defeated drawl. “Not to mention there's no guarantee what the outcome would be.”

“I have the Amulet. I can't die, remember?”

He started shaking his head, but I quickly continued before he could voice his protest.

“We have to try something, Dominic. I can't be bonded to him or I'm as good as dead. This is the only way. And while he's busy trying to figure out why he can't compel me, we can build up my strength and work on a plan to get me out of here.”

He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was taking it all in.

“Look, if you have a better plan, I'm all ears,” I offered, knowing that he didn't.

“This is dangerous, angel.”

“I know.”

“I'm not sure that you do. You're not just playing with fire anymore. This is the whole damn inferno.”

“That's why I need your help, Dominic. I need to know that you're on my side. I need to know you're with me.”

His eyes took a long, unhurried look at me, starting from my eyes and then dropping down as far as they could go before making their way back up again. “Yours is the only team I play for, angel,” he said, a boyish half-smile creeping across his face. “Of that, you can be sure.”