Page 47 of The Devil of Hollywood

“She’s paid for,” Elec exploded. “I killed Melissa, myself. If you want material possessions or funds, that’s through The Council. Marian is not part of that. You get her right now, or what I’ll do to your chosen at The Gardens⁠—”

“Enough!” Bram’s hand sliced through the air as The Unavowed stepped towards Elec. “You have 10 minutes to bring us Marian. We’re leaving with someone, and if it’s not her, it’ll be Penelope. If you don’t believe me, start counting. Watch what happens when your time runs out.”

The Unavowed was breathing hard. He looked behind him, taking in Penelope before he came back to face us.

“No.” I was grabbed again at his pause, but he continued. “She doesn’t leave until I have The Council’s word that what was taken will be returned. I will show you proof of life, but she goes back into the cell until The Council can assure me my request is granted.”

Bram pulled out his phone. “Have her brought in. I’ll call them.”

The Unavowed gestured to the guards as they took off at a fast pace. “That won’t work here. You’ll have to go above ground to make contact.”

“Your phone works just fine.” Bram got a look as The Unavowed shrugged, but Bram didn’t stop. “Bring her, and I’ll call them. Here. Not above ground.”

“You can try. Like I said, it won’t work.”

My voice echoed through the room. “It’ll take an hour for him to get out and another hour for him to return. That’s not even including the call or decision.”

“More fun for my guards.”

A growl mixed with a threatening sound as I stared him down. He didn’t care as he walked back to the throne to sit. I turned to Bram and Elec, trying to control my shaking.

“I’ve heard the stories of what happens here, but is he telling the truth about Marian? Would he allow his guards to go that far? She’s elite. She’s mine.”

“She’s the enemy. It’ll be bad.” Elec’s eyes shot to Bram, and he nodded. I squeezed my lids shut, but I was spinning in my need to spill blood. Heat poured from me through the rage that was building to dangerous heights.

“I want him dead. I want him fucking⁠—”

“Impossible. Don’t make this worse. Let’s get Marian out before this talk.” Elec pulled me in closer. “No matter what you see, you cannot lose your temper. You cannot react. She’s been here for days. She may look horrible. Maybe unrecognizable. No matter what, you do nothing. Do not give him the satisfaction. But… if she leaves this room again, if he returns her to her cell while we wait, she may get it worse. They could kill her. Do you understand me?”

“She’s not going anywhere.”

He nodded, and my fists clenched at my sides. Minutes passed. I tried to stay still but all I wanted to do was pace. When the doors opened, I didn’t move. I couldn’t through the shock at what I saw. Marian was being carried but wasn’t awake. Was she even alive?

The dirty slip dress she wore was smeared in mud and splotches of blood. There were cuts and scrapes all over her dirty arms and legs. The half of her face I could see was swollen and bruised, and there was a laceration along her cheek.

The guard walked up, and where I lifted my arms out to take her, he stopped a few feet away, dumping her roughly on the floor. I wanted to rush to her. To go crazy and destroy everything and everyone around me from the blood smeared along her inner thighs. By some miracle, I managed to walk forward at a leisurely pace. When I crouched and went to place my fingers on her pulse point, I saw the dark bruising around her neck. A part of me broke as I pushed against her skin, feeling the slow beats. My heart ached and constricted. Marian whimpered, but she didn’t wake up.

“See. She lives. How long, is the question.”

My stare rose. Maybe there were tears. I couldn’t process anything as I reached down to scoop Marian in my arms. The Unavowed’s hand shot up before I could even slide my hands underneath her.

“Don’t bother. She’s going back to the cell until⁠—”

I didn’t break my stare from his as I picked her up and cradled her to my chest. I knew my look was claiming, possessive and murderous, but I didn’t care. She was mine. Marian was everything to me—both good and bad. “We’re making the calls. Marian’s not leaving me until they’re finished. The Council gave her to me. I own her, and before it’s over with, I’ll be leaving with what is mine.”

Sniffling sounded in the distance, and The Unavowed stiffened as Penny’s nearly silent cries turned to sobs.

“I’ll be back.” Bram looked around the room. “I’ll hurry as fast as I can.”

Elec and I nodded, and The Unavowed put his focus on Penny as she began to get more hysterical. I shifted Marian in my arms, letting the extent of her injuries register.

“She needs a doctor. Fuck. Elec…”

“Shh. No emotion.”

“I’m not leaving here without her. I’m not letting her go. They can kill me. I don’t care. She’s not going back to that cell.”

A loud threatening sound had me looking toward whatever The Unavowed was saying to Penny. She was sobbing, pulling at the bottom of his slacks as she cried harder. I looked back down at Marian, taking in the cut down the center of her bottom lip. She was shaking, even in her sleep. Whether it was from the pain, the fear, or that she was just cold, I didn’t know. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around what I was seeing. Had I wanted to hurt her? Decimate her? Fucking destroy the love of my life because of what she’d done to me? …Yes. But I didn’t want this. This was not justice. This was not the revenge I wanted.