Page 161 of Happily Ever Witch
The second Trevelyan managed to get the damn chains off Marrok, the ungrateful bastard punched him.
“What thefuck?” Trevelyan roared, grabbing his very-close-to-broken nose. “Are you out of your mind?”
The two of them had ducked into some overly-decorated room, with black walls and solid white furniture. Maybe it was a formal parlor for royal guests. It seemed as good a place as any to get their bearings. Esmeralda would be there soon. He needed to quickly devise a plan to steal her crowns.
“You’re lucky I don’t gut you right here.” Marrok snarled at him, with no consideration for Trevelyan’s schedule. “When we get out of this place, I still might.”
“Try it. I’ve been fantasizing about ways to skin you since the WUB Club, so I have a head start on planning.”
“You’re still pissed at me over the jailbreak? Well, I’m even more pissed atyou.”
“For what?” Trevelyan demanded incredulously.Hewas the injured party here. Literally.
“You threatened my True Love!”
“Oh, for God’s sake… I wasn’t going to hurt Scarlett.” Trevelyan swiped a hand under his nose. Blood dripped from his fingers onto the ivory, club-shaped rug. “I was just trying to annoy you.”
“It worked.” Marrok said darkly.
“You can’tpossiblythink I’d actually harm your mate.”
“Can’t I?”
“No.” Trevelyan was a little insulted the wolf had bought into his theatrics so wholeheartedly. He also didn’t have time to fight about this nonsense. “I was perhaps a bit dramatic, but….”
“You were out of control!”
“I’m never out of control! I didn’t even use magic on her. Or you.”
“But you turnedyourselfinto a dragon!”
“And I didn’t put a claw on her! Snow White…” He tried to find the words to explain something he’d rather not discuss. “Well, you’ve slept with people you didn’t choose.” Wolfball players were always sexually exploited. It was an open, dirty secret. “You understand that it’s not… enjoyable.”
Marrok’s head tilted.
“Do youreallythink I would have done something like that to a woman?” Trevelyan asked again. “I didn’t have my mate then, but I have a sister.”
“Troll shit. You don’t have a sister…”
“Marion.” Trevelyan interrupted. “I claim her as my sister, just as you claim Esmeralda.”
Marrok paused his ranting, his eyes searching Trevelyan’s face.
Trevelyan met his gaze. He was speaking the truth and the wolf knew it.
“You talked about Maid Marion a lot in jail.” Marrok allowed. “It’s how I knew to invest money with her. Now, I’m making like eighteen percent a year. It’s also why I’ve been questioned by bank regulators, at least four times. She’s fiendishly, ruthlessly, possiblycriminallyingenious, when it comes to making villains rich. Every Good folk in the world hates her.”
Trevelyan nodded. “My sister.”
“Huh.” Marrok mused, like he was suddenly seeing the resemblance.
“If you believe nothing else, believe I’d never risk my relationship with Marion. And she wouldnothave forgiven me if I harmed an innocent girl. Most other crimes, I think. But not that.” He shook his head. “I went too far with frightening Scarlett.” He didn’t like admitting that, but they were in a hurry and it was true. “I spent two years in a coma for it and that’s fair. But it neverwould have gone as far as you think.”
“As far as youthreatenedit would go, you mean.”
“Why am I blamed for every single thing I say?”
Marrok made a scoffing, snarling sort of noise at that defense.
