Blood Ties (Dinero de Sangre #2) - Lana Sky Page 0,37

body on edge—it’s the deep, masculine tone that accompanies it.

Jealously is the last emotion I should feel at a time like this. If anything, I should be relieved that someone has his attention other than me.

Until I hear him speak. “You know I don’t play fair,” he says, sounding so prideful of that fact, his voice devoid of any of the rage he displayed earlier this morning.

Because it was all an act, of course, him claiming that he needed me to play along with his game. He was lying then, I realize with a sense of dread that guts me.

I was the idiot who fell for it. All along, he’s been scheming with Alexi, manipulating me for their own gain. They’re in this together.

“Just this once,” Alexi taunts in that sexy little purr. “Make an exception for me.”

I don’t strain to listen to Domino’s reply, if he answers her at all. Instead, I climb to my feet, groaning as pain shoots through my skull. Disoriented, I sway, forced to grab the edge of the mattress for balance, and I don’t know how much time passes before I can stand without shaking.

Enough time, it seems, for Alexi to get her way, because a series of giggles taunts me next, sounding fainter, from the direction of the terrace.

Ignoring them, I stagger into the closet and grab the first item I can reach, pulling it on without inspecting it in full. Then I return to the mirror and brace myself for what I might find.

Nothing I imagined comes even close to the specter awaiting me from the glass’ surface.

She’s so pale, her eyes bloodshot, her arms and legs speckled with bruises. My nose is unmarked, at least, though sensitive to the touch.

If Domino wanted to pretend that I was here willingly, he’d have to have a damn good explanation for why I’d submit myself to this kind of abuse. What was that he mocked me with?

You like it rough…

For a second, I reconsider everything. Forget trusting him—I should run. Now. I even start toward the hall with every intention of racing for the front door, his ruse be damned.

But then I hear them, both laughing as though they don’t have a care in the world. Domino’s voice rings out, unabashedly booming in a cadence that sounds so damn…genuine.

Curiosity alone is what spurs me to turn around and creep past the circular foyer and out onto the terrace.

It’s a blindingly bright day, with a beautiful blue sky above and a gentle warmth emanating from a blazing sun. Gone are the storm clouds from earlier. It’s a perfect hour to lounge around the fire pit on the terrace’s mid-level. Domino claims one of the seats facing me, his head inclined against the back of it.

Alexi sits across from him, practically spilling out of her own chair to face him, her laughter easily reaching across the terrace.

“My round,” she taunts. “Think you can beat me at least once?”

Domino flashes a grin that has me stopping short. It’s fleeting, but bright enough to transform his entire face into that of a stranger’s, relaxing his afternoon away.

Until he sees me.

He sits forward, palming his knees with both hands, his eyes cutting to slits. It’s as if he has some internal switch designed to instantly wipe all emotion from his face. Alexi says something to him though I can’t make out exactly what it is.

His frown deepens, his jaw clenching as if he remembered his own rules. We’re supposed to be here under slightly different roles. He’s my rescuer, and I’m his very grateful victim.

It strikes me now how I could send his ruse toppling with very little effort on my part. I could scream. Demand he let me go. Cause a scene.

And he’s afraid I’ll do just that. I can see the lethality in how he tracks every step I take once I remember how to move again. He’s hunting me, desperate for any excuse to lunge and drag me back into that room.

A strange feeling unfurls in my chest, and I don’t know how to identify it at first. Not until I finally reach the lower level and draw even with the playful couple.

This feeling? It’s power.

“Look who decided to join us,” Alexi says, though I notice that most of the playfulness is gone from her voice, leaving it hollow. I sense her eyes trace me up and down, not that I pay her any notice.

My sole focus is Domino. He sizes me up with a cautious