Page 108 of For the Love of the Gods

“Are you sure?” Marcus asked carefully. This was a massive change from my previous decision to actively lie to Dominic about the more torrid consequences of my reputation.

“Yes,” I said, barrelling forward before I could chicken out. I turned to Dominic and looked into his dark eyes. “I’m sorry that I kept this from you.”

Dominic just grunted, which was his way of saying to move forward but that he already wasn’t happy. I’d admitted to at least one of the secrets he kept claiming I was hiding from him, so I gave it a pass. For now.

I looked back at Marcus who stepped toward us and leaned on the kitchen island.

“The herbs were sold to Lucan.” One of the guards who had been knocked out. “And before you ask, he was actually knocked out. He had nothing to do with Odell.”

I let out a bitter laugh then said, “Well, at least there’s that.” Even though I didn’t believe it for a second. I’d be following up on that one.

Marcus seemed inclined to agree. He asked, “So what do you want to do with him?” The tone of his voice made it clear that he already had something in mind.

“Erase his memories?” I suggested. The less abrasive path to the involuntary, indefinite confinement Marcus definitely pictured. He nodded as if it pained him. He always did have a stubborn streak.

“Hold on,” Dominic cut in, his voice low and scraping roughly against my skin. I’d never heard him sound so dangerous. “This is one of my guards. I need to know what happened.”

I breathed in, then turned to look at him. I placed a hand on his knee reflexively. He moved under the contact, but I couldn’t tell if he stiffened or softened. “Someone put poisoned herbs in one of my dresses. It…burned me.”

“The night of Corinna’s party?” Dominic asked, drawing every letter out of the words.

I could do nothing but nod and watch Dominic justify what he remembered from that with what he was learning now. It was like watching dominos fall in someone’s head. I could also see it, his eyes darkening into a deeper shade of brown, turning nearly black, with each tile that fell.

Dominic breathed in sharply then pressed his finger to the space in between his eyebrows.

“And Mary?”

Marcus let out a laugh of disbelief. I was tempted to match it. He made that jump with almost no information. I had half the mind to wonder what else he had pieced together if I wasn’t staring at him dumbfounded. I picked my jaw up off the floor and said, “She tried to quit. I offered to cook for myself and she agreed to stay.”

The chair to Dominic’s left snapped in half and I flinched. The wood clattered to the ground, ruined. Dominic looked at me and took in my horrified expression. “Be glad it's the chair and not Lucan’s neck.”

“Dominic!” I said, shocked at his brutality. I knew he took revenge seriously. But on my behalf? I didn’t deserve it.

“What, Rose?” Dominic snapped back. “You expect me to becalmwhen you kept this from me for weeks? Lied to my face about that dress when I knew something was wrong. And again about Mary.”

“I had a good reason to!” I argued, the defensive fire I used to feel around him reigniting in my chest. I lied, sure, but why did he think I would have told him shit before now? “You probably would have fired them and then I would have been blamed for them losing their jobs. That would only make it worse!”

Dominic laughed. He clearly thought that was a ridiculous excuse. “You are theirgod. Youmake sure they have a place to go when they die. You can't let them treat you like that.”

I jerked back slightly at the anger in his voice. And then I fought back. That’s how it always was between us. "I’m not going to retaliate and reinforce what they think of me! They already hate me and I wasn't going to compromise your reputation too."

“Why? Figured you’d like that,” Dominic shot back sarcastically.

I pushed my chair back, cutting off any contact between our bodies. “I don’t find joy in hurting people.”

Dominic pulled my chair back to him with his foot. “Only letting yourself get hurt.”

“I can take care of myself,” I argued, crossing my arms across my chest. As if that would do anything to protect me.

“You don’t have to!” Dominic yelled, then quieted. “Not anymore.”

“Okay.” My voice was a little weak, a little shaky from the shock. My throat felt tight. The fighting wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for us, so why was it now making me feel like I wanted to cry?

“Now,” Dominic said, turning back to Marcus who was watching us scream at each other with the same investment that he would in a soccer match. “Where is Lucan?”

I tensed again at the obvious threat in his tone. “Dominic, we will just erase his memories.”

Dominic did not like that option. Not one bit. His eyes went a little crazed as he said, “Like hell we will! You had burns on your skin. He’ll answer for that.”

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