Page 2 of Happily Ever Witch
He didn’t appreciate Marrok’s squeamishness. It was madness to worry about the means they employed in order to reach the necessary ends. All that mattered was results.
All that mattered wasTrevelyan.
“Well, for one thing, this plan could get me locked up for the rest of my life, if we’re caught.” Marrok was stretched out on his bed, one foot swinging over the edge of the mattress. “I can’t be locked up in here forever. I have to find my True Love.”
“Oh for God’s sake…” Trevelyan rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder he didn’t catch a glimpse of his own brain. “I’m sick of you talking about this imaginary girl and your fantasy romance.”
Just about everybody had a True Love. Allegedly. The one person they were destined to be with. Also allegedly, most Bad folk knew their True Love the moment they met them. No one was quite sure why Good folk took a longer time to figure it out, while Bad folk could just look at their other half andknowat first sight. They just blindly accepted the story.
Trevelyan thought it was all troll shit. He’d never experienced it and Trevelyan didn’t believe anything he hadn’t experienced for himself.
Marrok, on the other hand, believed in True Love without question. In his pitifully naive mind, some glamorous she-wolf was going to show up and propose at any moment. Marrok rhapsodized about the woman on a loop. Wolves were always fanatically dedicated to their True Loves, but Marrok rivaled Maid Marion’s large, gargoyle husband when it came to obsession. Nothing mattered to him more than his True Love. Nothing.
“My True Love is not imaginary.” Marrok insisted, right on cue. “I’ve felt her, for a long time. I know she’s real and that she’ll save me from my life. She’llgiveme a life. A family. A future. I won’t doanythingto risk her.”
Trevelyan didn’t understand why the man was so hung up on this ridiculous idea. Even if True Love had some basis in reality (and it probably didn’t.)… so what? With so few of their species left, most dragons’ relationships were rooted in practical, concrete, unsentimental concerns. They wanted a mate. A partner. You didn’t need tolikethe person you mated with. You just needed to breed more dragons, and fight your enemies, and expand your family’s power.
True Love matches were far more arbitrary. Assigned by fate and beyond a person’s control. Trevelyan didn’t acceptanythingwas beyond his control.
Why should he settle for some random woman? He wouldn’t. It was that simple. Dragons chose their own mates, based on logic and instinct. Love rarely entered into the equation. Even if they felt it, they would thendecidewhether or not to claim the person causing those feelings. They didn’t just blindly submit to them. It was all about survival and empire building, which was a far superior system. Anyone rational could see that.
(Honestly, why was Trevelyanalwaysthe only rational person in the room? It never failed. Everyone else was a moron.)
“How are you going to find this wonderful, perfect, destined love, if you’re stuck in here?” He tried, arching a brow at Marrok. Wolves were primitive. You couldn’t always use reason with them, because they were primarily motivated by emotions. “For all you know, she’s out there right now, fucking some other man. My plan gets you beyond these walls and looking for her.”
Yellowish eyes stayed fastened on Trevelyan, not falling for it. “I’m out in ten months, anyway. I can look for her, then. If she’s with someone else, I’m fairly certain I can coax her away.” He gave a smug smile.
Trevelyan frowned, conceding that point. Marrok was the best-looking man in the Four Kingdoms. Everyone knew that. Even Trevelyan knew it and he hated to give anybody else credit for anything.
There was a downside to being so handsome. Marrok was constantly harassed by the WUB Club’s chief administrator. Dr. White was a licentious bitch, who went after any male prisoner who caught her eye, whether they were willing or not. And Marrok haddefinitelycaught her eye. It was a small miracle the wolf had kept himself out of her clutches, but could he sustain his luck? She was always pawing at him, seeking him out, and making suggestive remarks. Marrok detested her. Everyone in the WUB Club detested her.
Especially Trevelyan.
He hated that Snow White had any power over him. Not only was she plotting to steal his spell and then kill him, but the overly-sweet smell of her turned his stomach. So far, Trevelyan had ignored her innuendos and eluded her touch. The thought ofnoteluding her made his whole body contract in horror.
No. He couldn’t do that. He just… couldn’t.
Not even imminent threats from Snow White’s depraved appetite would convince Marrok to escape. It would be no better for him out there. Wolfball players were sold by their coaches for sexual shit, all the time. It was no wonder Marrok hated the sport that he was forced to play. Bad folk had no place to feel safe. To belong.
Trevelyan thought for a beat, looking for some kind of deal he could strike with the wolf. Nothing came to mind. Having his unknown True Love was all Marrok cared about. Trevelyan could perhaps perform some spell to find her, as a bribe. But that was far lighter magic than he typically used. Good magic rarely worked for him. He was too Bad to access the power of it. And he couldn’t castanyspells inside the prison, so the entire idea was moot from the outset.
Shit.
Marrok raised his eyebrows in sardonic unconcern, seeing Trevelyan’s increasing frustration. The wolf was always nonchalantly sure of himself. He was also even better at pissing people off than Trevelyan and that was a high bar to clear. It was what made him so dangerous. Like all wolves, Marrok knew how to exploit a weakness. Trevelyan had seen him convince opponents to destroy themselves, using nothing more than a taunting smile and some lie that the sap desperately wanted to believe.
The wolf might be a closeted do-Gooder, but he was also insidious.
Trevelyan’s eyes narrowed, his thoughts going darker. He saw the man’s intentions, now. Marrok knew that he had Trevelyan over a barrel. The plan wouldn’t work without the cleansers from the laundry and only Marrok had access to them. The wolf thought he could stop him from escaping. Prevent him from killing anyone dumb enough to stand in his way. Stall him with all these pointless arguments.
It was a ludicrous notion. Nothing would deter Trevelyan from a goal. Once he decided something, it wasdone.
“You think you can outsmart me, wolf?” He asked quietly, danger in his tone. Deep inside of him, the dragon stirred.
“I think you need to rethink this plan.” Marrok temporized. “Take some time.”
Therewasno time.
“There’s nothing to rethink. It’s me or them.” Trevelyan waved a hand at the wall and all the nameless, faceless, insignificant creatures beyond. “Which means it’ll beme.”
