Chapter 45 #2
The fury is still there but the madness…
it’s not. It’s a small relief. I don’t know how to tame Maverick’s beast. At least, not yet.
Once we’re out of here, I’ll learn. Right now, I have to figure out what he wants.
He’s trying to convey something with his eyes.
There’s an urgency that wasn’t there before, but for the life of me I can’t figure it out.
Against the shell of my ear comes a hot breath of air followed by, “I swear I didn’t know Rowan was going to do this.”
I flinch at Braum’s proximity. It’s the only reaction he gets from me. If he thinks I’ll believe him, he’s sorely mistaken. These two work as a team. I’m not stupid enough to believe Braum was taken off guard by anything Rowan did.
“Thank you!” Rowan calls out. “Your allegiance to the new queen has been noted. Rise.”
As one, the crowd gets to their feet. This time, I do study their faces. Again, I’m met with thinly veiled hostility and cold smiles. These are mostly from the women. The guys… Well, to them I’m a piece of meat. The way their eyes are taking me in makes me want to gag.
“From now on, groups of you will escort our queen wherever she’d like to go. If she summons you, I expect your immediate presence. Understood?” Rowan calls out.
A bunch of ‘yes sirs’ erupt from the crowd.
Well, there’s the protection these two guys offered.
Not that it’ll do much for me when it comes to being protected from them .
My throat squeezes at the hopelessness I feel.
Part of me wants to scream out for help.
But I know better. These people aren’t my friends.
They’re like the people I went to school with.
Preppy, backstabbing assholes who would do anything to drag someone down or use someone until they’ve gotten what they wanted.
I’m alone in my suffering.
Well… I glance over at Maverick, who’s still watching me. I’m not completely alone.
“Braum,” Rowan turns to his friend, his eyes flashing as communication passes between them. “Would you like to share a few words on behalf of our new queen?”
Braum unhooks his arm from mine to step forward to join his friend.
“I do have something to say,” Braum greets, his voice unusually solemn as he stares out at the crowd.
“As you know, my family is one of the most influential in the world. Milligans are power, Milligans are law . With the snap of my fingers, I could destroy lives just as swiftly as I can make them. But my family is not completely without rules or restrictions. We do not have free rein as you might think. One thing I do not have control over is who I will wed. Love is not part of the equation when Milligans marry.”
It’s strange hearing Braum speak to the court.
He doesn’t have to raise his voice, shoot everyone a charming smile, or swagger back and forth.
His words carry a weight that forces everyone to remain still and silent.
I wonder how he can sound so sincere as he lies through his teeth—I never had a chance of seeing through such skill.
“Tonight, for the first time ever, I’ve decided to break from tradition,” he continues. Reaching behind him, he lifts up the back of his shirt and grabs the item protruding from his waistband.
I stiffen, stepping back in alarm as he reveals a small, ornate dagger. The crowd gasps, their eyes growing large and anticipatory smiles spreading across their faces. Beside him, Rowan watches on.
Braum turns to face me. I suck in a sharp breath as he steps back to stand before me.
“Anastasia Hutchinson,” he says loudly, then lower so that only I can hear, “Everly Woodrow,” He raises the knife and his free hand up, then slowly brings them together.
I yelp as he cuts his palm. Blood wells up immediately and pours from the thick wound.
“You have stolen much from me, and because of that I should resent you. Instead, I am only grateful that the woman who stole my heart, soul, and possibly my sanity is worthy of possessing such. This is a vow to you, for all to see, that I am yours as much as you are mine. Your hand, please.”
It’s not a request despite how he words it. Reluctantly, I raise a shaking hand. He wraps his fingers around my wrist gently. My teeth clench as I brace myself for the pain.
To my surprise, when he drags the bloody blade across my palm, the cut he makes isn’t nearly as deep as the one he made for himself. In fact, there’s hardly any blood at all. When he joins our bloody hands together, it’s with a firm grip and a smoldering smile.
“United we stand until we are part of the stars once again,” he says.
Is it wrong of me to wish this was real?
Braum’s fake devotion is so over-the-top it’s almost comical.
Still, I want it. Maverick loves me and that’s enough.
But a small, teeny tiny, greedy part of me wishes to have someone as grandiose and larger than life as Braum notice and want me so wholly like this.
Enough to proudly proclaim his love in front of his peers.
I give him a tight nod to acknowledge his words but ramp up the heat in my glare as I stare back at him. Braum mirrors the nod and turns back to the crowd.
“My heart now belongs to your queen,” he announces calmly.
Rowan claps his hands together. “Wonderful!” He turns to the crowd. “Sheldon! Where are you?”
“Here!” he calls from the back of the crowd.
“It’s time to pass out the celebratory drinks. Get Bastian to help you!”
Sheldon and Bastian make quick work of passing out red solo cups.
When they’re done giving the court their drinks, Sheldon carries a tray that balances three gold goblets over to us, approaching Rowan first. They exchange a glance before Sheldon hands him two goblets.
Rowan turns and offers me one while Sheldon strolls over to hand the last one to Braum.
I stare down into the cup to find it half full with a red liquid.
“It’s just alcohol and punch,” Rowan says through a grin. In a lower voice, he growls. “Remember to cooperate , princess. Now take it and drink up.”
Shooting him a dark glare, I take the fancy cup.
Braum holds his cup close to his chest, his eyes narrowed on Rowan. His friend winks at him then turns to their audience.
Lifting his goblet, Rowan cries out, “Long live the queen!”
The Court follows suit, lifting their cups into the air and repeating, “Long live the queen!”
Rowan whoops before throwing back his head and downing the contents of his cup. Braum follows with less theatrics. I take a deep gulp, needing the liquid courage, then subtly pour the rest of the contents out into the grass behind me.
When Rowan’s finished, he tosses the goblet onto the ground. With a shit-eating grin, he watches as everyone downs their drink as well. As they finish up, he nods in approval.
“In the spirit of celebration, I’ve brought a gift we can all appreciate,” Rowan announces, He struts to the edge of the trampled grass and gestures to Jonathan and Conner, who are waiting on the sidelines.
They both jump into action immediately, pulling the stake attached to the rope around Maverick’s neck out of the ground and jerking him up to his feet.
My heart leaps up into my throat as they lead Maverick into the middle of the circle with us then force him to his knees before Rowan.
The king of Serenity Falls hammers the stake back down so his prisoner can’t move then stands.
I make a move toward Maverick but Rowan shoots me a dark look that freezes me in place. To the court, he smiles.
“To show our new queen how devoted we are to her safety while at Serenity Falls, I have brought the biggest, meanest monster to slay.” He looks at me. “Moving forward, his fate tonight will befall anyone who hurts or betrays —” he shoots Braum an indescribable look “—you or us.”
He snaps his fingers, and Conner hands him a thick brown leather rope.
As Rowan jerks his wrist to unravel it, nine small leather braided tails roll free.
I gasp in horror. Is that a flogger ? Without waiting for the order, Conner steps forward, takes the back of Maverick’s shirt with both hands then rips it down the middle, exposing his skin.
No! This can't be happening. The world starts to spin as panic rises and my heart flutters hard enough it could take flight if it wasn’t in my chest.
“Rowan…” I whisper anxiously. The world spins faster and the fairy lights beneath my feet seem to grow just a little brighter. “Rowan, please don’t do this.”
I blink rapidly, trying to stop the spinning. It helps a little. The world stills but the brightness of the lights doesn’t. In fact, they almost seem to grow brighter.
“Who’s ready to see a little blood shed tonight?” Rowan asks before letting out a maniacal laugh.
My cry of protest is ignored as cheers erupt.
The entire crowd goes wild, yipping and shouting, laughing and howling with delight.
They’re just as bloodthirsty as Rowan is.
Maybe more so. My stomach roils in horror.
No one is going to help me. My breathing comes in ragged gasps, and the world begins to spin.
Without any more preamble, Rowan raises the flogger up and then down. The resounding crack against Maverick’s skin is drowned out by cheers. Maverick’s back bows in pain. The blood drains from my face as I watch on in horror.
“Rowan, stop it!” I cry out.
He doesn’t listen to me, just brings the flogger down again and again on Maverick’s bare flesh, striking him relentlessly in rapid succession.
My body trembles as tears well up. “Rowan! Rowan, listen to me! Stop!”
Maverick takes the beating quietly, not making a sound, but sweat begins to coat his skin and nasty red welts raise up wherever he’s struck. The court goes wild with delight. There’s laughter, jeering, claps, hoots, and hollers. It all overpowers my scream of rage and terror.
Unable to stand there and just watch, I lurch into action. I stumble forward, screaming in protest. Rowan ignores me. His focus is solely on Maverick as he strikes him relentlessly. As he raises the flogger once more, I jump between the two of them and throw my arms out to protect Maverick.
For a split second, I meet Rowan’s furious, crazed gaze and see him contemplating it—a part of Rowan wants to hit me. I brace myself for it, tensing but refusing to look away. Before he can make the decision, a dark hand grabs his forearm, halting any movement.
“ Enough .”