Page 33 of Irreverent (The Marked Saga #7)

The afternoon rain pattered against the blacked-out basement windows as I neared Dominic’s cell later that day. He was sitting on the concrete in the same exact spot I’d left him in last night with that same dark, cunning look on his face, like he was somehow still holding all the cards and not shackled up in my makeshift basement prison.

Honestly, it unnerved me to no end.

“Good afternoon, angel. You’re looking rather studious today.”

His voice was like warm honey on my skin as his eyes trailed down the length of my body, ogling me in my school uniform like I was his for the taking.

I was about to ask him how he knew what time it was being that he had no view to the outside world, and then I remarked the expensive gold watch hanging from around his wrist. I made a mental note to take that from him too.

“And you’re looking very gaunt,”

I replied. Okay, so that was a lie. He looked as sinfully delicious as he always did, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “Had anything good to eat lately?” I asked condescendingly as I unlocked the cell door and walked inside, making sure not to cross the marker on the floor as I came to a stop in front of him.

“I can’t say that I have,”

he said as he crossed his outstretched legs at his ankles and corrupted me with his eyes. “But I can certainly think of one thing I’d love to sink my mouth into right now.”

Heat flared up my neck and into my cheeks. Not a good start. He was already toying with me—trying to take control of our new little game. Deciding to ignore his remark altogether, I asked, “So, do you plan on playing nice with me today or would you like to go another day without feeding?”

That ought to teach him who’s in charge here.

“I always play nice, angel. As I’m sure you remember.”

“Yeah, I remember all right,”

I snapped, my blush quickly changing into a searing rage. “I remember you dragging me into the woods and trying to have your way with me like the dirtbag you are.” The memory sent a shudder through my body that was impossible to ignore.

He tipped his head back and laughed.

My rage intensified as my hands curled themselves into tight little fists. “I’m glad you think it’s funny, you sick fuck.”

I had no idea why I’d even brought that up to him to begin with. This wasn’t the real Dominic I was talking to. This was the emotionless bastard who couldn’t care less about what he did to me or anyone else for that matter.

This was clearly not the time or place.

“What’s funny is that you actually think I’d need to violate you to get what I want. Give me some credit please. Even sick fucks like myself have standards.”

I scoffed at him. “Apparently not.”

All amusement disappeared from his expression, as though he were growing bored with this conversation. “What happened in those woods was purely for show,”

he said and then clicked his tongue at me. “You of all people should have figured that out by now.”

Purely for show? What the hell did he even mean by—wait a minute. The video. “Are you saying it was a setup?”

My thoughts were spinning violently around my mind as I tried to piece it all together. It made perfect sense seeing as there just so happened to be someone there, ready to film the whole thing and then pass it off to Trace as though I was some willing participant in the make out session from hell.

“I normally prefer to work alone, but the witch gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Nikki Freaking Asshole Parker. Of course, she was behind it. That bitch was behind every miserable thing that had ever happened in my life.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. “So, what did she offer you?”

“Ah, well, see if I told you that then I’d have to kill you, and I’d much rather spend my time playing with you,”

he purred and then licked his bottom lip like a promise.

A slash of fear and something else shot through my stomach. I hated that he still had an effect on me, even in the sorry state he was in. I couldn’t help it though. Not when he was talking to me the way he was or looking at me the way he used to. It was hard not to look at him and see the man I fell in love with.

He eyed me closely. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”

Stepping back, I swallowed down my nerves and then leaned my back against the steel bars. “Like what?”

“For me to play with you the way I used to.”

Bloody hell on a tampon. My blood surged through my veins as though it were running from a fire. “Actually, I’d rather chew my arm off.”

He chuckled lowly. “We both know that isn’t remotely close to the truth. You never meant it then and you most certainly don’t mean in now.”

Steeling myself, I asked, “And how would you know?”

“I have my ways.”

He drew in a deep breath through his nose and made a rumbling sound at the back of his throat. “I sure do love that scent.”

My brows furrowed. “And what scent is that?”

I asked, despite myself. I knew he was playing with me—tugging me around on that gossamer string of his words, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

His gaze latched onto mine. “The intoxicating scent you give off when you’re afraid and turned on at the same time.”

The blush on my face morphed into a full-blown inferno. I forced out a laugh, but it was too small and weak to be believable. “I’m not turned on.”

A dark, knowing grin curled along his face. “The heat between your legs says otherwise.”

Fucking vampire and his super-senses. “Just shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you say so,”

he said and then ran a hand along his smooth, chiseled jaw. “But I can feel your pent-up energy from a mile away, angel lips. I take it Romeo isn’t satisfying your needs quite as well as I used to.” He paused and pretended to look around. “Where is the Reaper anyway?”

“That’s actually none of your business,”

I fired back, angry with him for even bringing Trace up at a time when everything was so royally messed up. He didn’t deserve to utter his name. Not in the sorry state he was in.

“I only wanted to thank him for saving me, though I can’t fathom for the life of me why he would’ve done such a thing.”

Well, that made two of us. I’d never actually gotten around to asking Trace. Not that he would know why his future self decided to come back and save Dominic of all people. The whole thing made zero sense to me.

“I’ll pass on the message.”

“Ah, then he is still around,”

he surmised.

“Of course, he is. Why wouldn’t he be?”

I asked, hiding the very pivotal fact that that was only half true. Technically, he was around, but certainly not in a position to receive any messages. Obviously, Dominic didn’t need to know that.

“Frankly, I was convinced his mind would’ve imploded by now.”

My spine stiffened as my legs simultaneously became leaden and jellylike.

“It seems the pretty boy is quite a bit stronger than I gave him credit for,”

he went on, none the wiser to the meltdown my body was having.

“What made you so sure his mind would’ve imploded by now?”

I asked as all the moisture left my mouth. “What do you know about that?”

He studied me for a moment. “Only what I picked up along the way.”

“Yeah? And what would that be?”

I asked, doing my best to hide the desperation from my voice.

His eyes darkened. “A little of this. A little of that.”

The bastard was toying with me again. “This is the wrong day to mess with me, Dominic.”

“I’m doing no such thing, angel. My memory, you see, is a little hazy on account of being starved to death.”

“Is that right?”

Uncrossing my arms, I marched out of the cell and over to the mini fridge, throwing the door open and yanking out a blood bag. I slammed the door shut and then strode back over to him as I ripped the plastic clamp off the needle port. “How about now? Is your memory coming back yet?”

He pretended to think about. “I can’t say that it is.”

I gnashed my teeth together. “This is your one chance to feed today. Either you start talking or you’re going to go hungry for yet another day.”

His lips formed a snarl as he tugged at his chains and then settled his hands in his lap. “I like my meals a little fresher and closer to the vein.”

“And I liked you better when you weren’t an emotionless dick. I guess we’re both not going to get what we want.”

He smiled at that.

“Last chance,”

I warned. “Take it or leave it.”

“See you tomorrow, angel.”