Page 102 of Marked
The pain is immediate and I gag past the nausea already filling me. Some of the anxiety begins to fade under the pain, I force it back in place, remembering Lilah’s resolution, her fighter’s spirit.
Markus pulls away with a gasp. “She is at Carnage.”
Shaking, I look at him and clamp my fingers over my neck. “How do you know?”
He just shakes his head and starts walking.
I wrench from Gage and Horan’s hold.
Grabbing the king’s arm, I pull him to a stop. “Answer me, Markus. How do you know where Lilah is?”
He stills, blond head hung almost low. Defeated. He peers at me over his shoulder. “I don’t,” he says. “But she is your Consort. And you do.”
Chapter 45
Lilah
“Rise and shine, dove.”
The words echo in my ear and I jolt completely awake.
Bright lights shine down on me from horribly familiar rafters. I try to turn, to peer past them. Bindings hold my arms tight to my side, while manacles clank as I try to raise my legs. I manage an inch before the resistance is too much. Something soft brushes my bare feet and hands. Like silk.
I glance over.
The mahogany and white plush side of a coffin greets me. I scream.
“Now, now, dove. Theatrics are my thing.” Draven appears out of my peripheral, gold eyes bright, and his face in a burnt ruin. He strokes a blistered hand down the wood. “It seemed only fitting to put you in here.”
My eyes flash. “Ruin is going to kill you,” I say.
He snorts. “The bastard is on the far side of Lock Lake. My informant was careful to guarantee a real delivery. Though not the one that I am sure the colony was after.” His smile is insane. Manic. “But by now, the newest shipment of Brightex will be halfway to Georgia.”
“Why?” I ask, railing against the bindings. “Why Georgia? Hell, why do this at all? You’re killing people.”
“And?” His eyes widen and he leans down. “My contacts in Georgia know the risks, the damage. But there is so much more going on, dove. So many actors in this scene that you can’t see them all.” He beams.“You know of Act One, but I have read the whole play.”
“You’re insane,” I breathe.
“Am I?” he asks. “For years, supernaturals have been condemned and ridiculed for circumstances we cannot control. We are born this way, even your bastard can understand that.”
“But Brightex will level the playing field. It affects both sides equally, humans and supes. We can start over.” His arms spread wide. “A new beginning on Earth.”
“Draven, don’t do this,” I plead. “It’s murder.”
He tuts. “Oh, Lilah. I really wish I could,” he says, pressing one hand to the other side of the box before leaning over me. His fangs flash. “But, you see, I can’t.”
His eyes trail from my hair down my body. “I’m a selfish man, dove. And spoiled. Everything I want, I get.” He plucks at my shirt and the material slides up over my midsection. I try to squirm away, to move away from that touch. He pinches me. Hard. “And I’ve had my eyes on you since I got into town.”
Something hot flows down my cheeks as the pain continues to build in my stomach. “Draven, don’t.” I choke as he twists his fingers. “Don’t do this. Please.”
His gold eyes rise. “But this is nothing, Lilah. Nothing to what you have done to me.”
“I haven’t hurt you, Draven. At all. Let me go,” I sob.
He releases me. “I’ve wanted you, Lilah,” he snaps again, “for months. I offered time and again to ease your position. To take you and let you stand at my side during all of this. But I’m a vampire.” His voice goes high on the last.
“And what do you do?” His eyes flash. “You fuck the colony Captain.”
