Blood Ties (Dinero de Sangre #2) - Lana Sky Page 0,74

I swallow, he stares me down so intently my heart races, my palms sweating. It’s like he’s waiting for something. A reaction?

When he’s seemingly waited long enough, he sits back, satisfied.

“I hope you weren’t fooled by Ines’ subservient act. She’s a wonderful actress, but she is no shrinking violet. In fact, I’m sure she’s been filling our Dom-Dom’s head with devious little ideas from the start. I wouldn’t put poison past him—” He nods to the wine. “How he loves to spike drinks, I’m sure he’s been drugging you while you’ve been here, dulling your senses to make you more susceptible to whatever he demands. We do the same at the Guarida, mind you,” he adds, “but at least you’ll be well accustomed to it.”

It’s getting harder to hide my disgust. The worst part is that he’s right. All those times I woke up dazed, feeling high. I assumed he’d injected me somehow whenever I was asleep, but now I can see how he could have drugged my wine all along.

“Drink up,” Jaguar commands, tilting the glass toward me again.

I have no choice but to take another sip, analyzing every drop that floods my tongue for a trace of anything out of the ordinary. All I taste is a damn fine vintage, and when he seems convinced that I’m not poisoned, Jaguar takes his own sip.

“Dom-Dom isn’t like the rest of us,” he continues, laughing softly. “He has a much higher tolerance to most benzos, opiates, and the like. It would take a hefty amount to down someone like him. I’m sure he told you all about his tragic backstory.”

He waits as if prompting me to agree. When I don’t, he laughs. “Well, it seems our little Dom-Dom is more shy than I would have thought. Especially with someone I would assume might be a kindred spirit.”

Every muscle in my body goes rigid. Is this his way of hinting that he knows about my attempt to inject Domino with a taste of his own medicine? I can’t tell if he’s merely speaking to hear himself talk, or testing me purposefully to gauge my responses—and I don’t dare ask him to clarify.

In the resulting silence, he takes another sip and sets the glass aside. Then he sighs.

“Alas, our private fun has been cut short,” he says. “Though, now more than ever, I’m looking forward to seeing exactly what you have to offer. You’ll make a fine addition to the club, isn’t that right little brother?” He raises his voice, seemingly for the benefit of the figure who comes storming across the terrace from the direction of the house.

I turn just in time to see him reach our level of the terrace, dark hair flying out behind him, hands in fists.

Chapter Nineteen

“Brother!” With a jovial laugh, Jaguar nudges me from his lap and raises his arms. “Nice of you to join us—”

“You show up unannounced, twice,” Domino growls. His expression is iron, every single muscle rigid. Only his eyes reveal any emotion, flashing angrily. “I suggest you try not to make a habit of it. One might think that you didn’t trust me, brother.”

“And one might think that you’ve been having way too much fun with Miss Ada-Maria here.”

As I scramble from the couch, Jaguar’s hand flies up, smacking my ass. Hard.

I can’t silence a gasp, but by the time it leaves my lips, my wrist is seized in an iron grip. Brutally, I’m wrenched to my feet and shoved behind Domino.

“Relax,” Jaguar taunts, his smile unshaken. “We were just having a nice little conversation before you interrupted. About the rules of my Guarida and what will be expected of her there.”

“You hit her.” He must spy the blood on Jaguar’s shirt, because he turns, grabbing my jaw, tilting it for his inspection. His nostrils flare as he eyes my lip, and I can’t even begin to process the reaction flitting across his gaze.

“I was teaching her,” Jaguar corrects, his tone playful. “And I can tell that, despite as much as you’ve been fucking her, you haven’t been training her much. It’s a good thing, then, that I’m more than willing to take over from here.”

Domino’s brows knit together as he releases me. “I have until Tuesday,” he says. “That gives me three more days.”

“If I were feeling generous, that is,” Jaguar says. In the blink of an eye, he transforms. Gone is the mocking grin as he lurches to his feet. Practically toe to toe with Domino, it’s apparent that they’re