Drayton
Pale. Marian’s face was drained of color as she stared up at me.
For seconds she didn’t speak. She didn’t move.
I could feel her weight bearing down, and I knew it was because her legs had given out.
The fear went beyond anything I’d seen from her up to this point.
She was quickly realizing this wasn’t a situation she could buy herself out of.
She knew she wasn’t leaving, and this wasn’t a typical kidnapping.
To ‘own’ one of our kind was the oldest term in our primordial book.
It went deeper than just a saying. In our world, it was truth, it existed, and that realization was starting to sink in.
“What have I done?” The threat didn’t leave my tone.
“No more than what is my right. But we’ll get into that later.
Aren’t you happy? Haven’t you missed me?
Surely, this isn’t how you’re going to greet your future husband?
” I licked my lips, pushing my body more into hers.
“You once wanted nothing more than to marry me.”
Her voice was full of pain. Breathless. The smile that tugged on the side of my lips wasn’t a nice one.
“Or maybe I’m not good enough because I’m not nobility.
A title is what you all wanted, right? More than loyalty?
More than love? More than protection. Look where you are.
Look what nobility brought you. You’re not safe, doll.
You’re in big trouble, and you better hope and pray to that God you used to cling to that Bastian comes for you, because if he doesn’t, and I have to have him taken from his estate, I’ll make him suffer so much more for dragging this out. ”
A sob had me twisting her red hair in my fist, pulling back enough to where she was trapped to look at me.
“You keep crying. Let your new reality sink in. God, I hate you for what you did, Marian. I hate you for the things you said. How could you do that to me? To us?”
Her head was trying to shake through the nearly silent cries, and it was impossible to keep the pain from my tone. It was overpowering my anger, and I couldn’t stand how exposed I felt.
“You don’t understand. I didn’t want to go. I tried to stop them.”
“You stopped nothing. You fed your mother’s lies. You egged her on. You made her so proud.”
“No! That’s not true. I wouldn’t—I didn’t say anything. I… I didn’t. I… don’t remember saying anything. I know I w-was there. I-I know—Yelling. I remember the yelling, but I didn’t speak. I—”
I spun her back under the water, locking my other hand on the front of her neck and tightening the one on the back of her head. I could end her for good. I could take her life like she’d taken mine.
“Dray! D-Drayton!”
Water poured over her face as I angled her head back to the stream.
Red was running down the drain from the dye and she was coughing and swinging.
Little good it did. She was getting nowhere.
I turned her back to the wall, smothering her with my weight as I adjusted my hands to fist to her hair on each side of her head.
“You humiliated me. You destroyed my family.”
“I’m sorry! I’m—
“You ruined my life!”
A scream tore from her throat as I gripped tighter through the raw agony. Through the memories that haunted me.”
“I can’t even look at my parents anymore.
The night you came to my family, my mom and dad, you so emotionlessly told them that I was a rapist. That I got you drunk and shove my cock down your throat while you were half passed out.
You told them that at one point when you awoke, you weren’t wearing any clothes and that I was forcing my fingers inside of you.
You told them,” I roared, “that I had always been rough with you. That I forced you to do things that you didn’t want to do.
” My lids narrowed even more as she kept denying it with small pleas and the shake of her head.
“I’m going to show you what a violent, rough, rapist husband really is.
I’m going to ruin your life like you ruined mine.
” I moved in so close, Marian tried pushing into the wall.
“And no matter how much you hate it, you’re going to take it.
You’re going to fucking eat it down as if it’s the best life you’ve ever had, because listen to me closely, if it weren’t for me, you’d be dead.
Haunted eyes were so round as they peered up. Tears came, and still she shook her head. “I didn’t say that. I-I’d never say—” Marian sobbed, reaching for my shoulders in a desperation that had me twisting my mouth in disgust. “I didn’t. I didn’t say those things.”
“Even now you can’t tell the truth.”
“Drayton, please. I don’t remember that. I didn’t do that.”
“You did, and now you can spend the rest of your life facing those same people you lied to. How do you think they’re going to look at you?
What do you think they’re going to say when I waltz you through their front door as my wife?
You, the same woman who destroyed everything they raised me for?
My life was set. I had the world at my fingertips…
All I wanted was you. God. Look what the fuck that got me. ”
I let go, turning Marian back into the water. She flinched and was on the verge of running. There was a wildness in her eyes, but she kept still as I grabbed the soap and poured it into her palm. Like a robot, she washed her body, but her eyes never left mine.
“I swear I don’t remember that. I didn’t—Don’t do this. Dray, please, don’t. My mother—”
“Stop.”
A guttural sound mixed with her small cry.
“Drayton, she had secrets. She could do things.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. Like create a lying, manipulative daughter just like her. I already know this, Marian.”
“You don’t understand.”
The words were barely existent as she rinsed off the soap.
I could see her shutting down. She was retreating within herself, but so was I.
Now that she knew where I really stood, it was almost impossible to not throttle her into an oblivion.
Even now, she couldn’t be truthful, and even now, the pain didn’t ease.
“Drayton, can I please ask you a question?”
“What?”
She jumped at the anger. “Are my parents really dead? Is Jett dead?”
“Your parents and brother are dead, yes.”
Another sob. “Because of your revenge?”
I sneered, moving her to the back of the small shower as I took my turn.
“No. Your mother got caught in her lies. Whatever she did, it was bad. And she did it to a number of important people. Our circle. The FBI. It was Elec who caught her. He exposed her lies. Your family was complicit. They got what was coming to them.”
“I understand.”
I stopped lathering my hair to take in the way Marian was so far away. She was in shock. Disassociated as she stared off in the distance.
“You understand?”
She nodded. “They weren’t good people.” She paused. “I’m not a good person.”
“No, you’re not,” I agreed. “At least you can admit that. They never could.”
Her eyes lowered but she grabbed the liquid soap, rubbing it along her skin despite she’d just washed herself not moments before.
“May I please call Penny and tell her goodbye?”
“No. She knows what’s happened. Katia’s probably already picked her up.”
Marian’s head jerked up, and I watched her come to life for the first time since she realized it was me.
“Katia’s here?”
“Not for you,” I snapped. “Like I said, she’s here to get Penny.
And yes, she knows. She won’t help you, Marian.
No one will. You need to get that through your head right now.
I own you. Own. You’re a gift to me from the Elders.
You are what I make of you; that’s for life.
I didn’t want to marry you, but I have little choice.
You will give me an heir. Maybe many. But I will not love you again.
You are disposable. You’re nothing but good blood in a bad vessel.
Your body, I’ll keep. Emotions mean nothing. Do you understand?”
Her silence had me grabbing to the side of her neck and pulling her back to me. Light eyes met mine with a blaze of anger.
“Do. You. Understand?”
“Yes.”
I let go, turning her into the water.
“Good. Rinse off. I have calls to make. You’ll sit on that bed and be silent, or I’ll chain you back up and gag you. You act up once, and it’s over for you.”
“I’m not a child. I know how to behave. Besides, the last thing I want to do is talk to you. I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
“Too bad. You’ll do whatever I say. If that’s to talk or fuck, you’ll have little choice.”
Little choice?” Her gaze never lowered from mine. “Are you proud of the man you’ve become, Drayton? Do you like this version of yourself? Are you proud of what you’ve accomplished in your life?”
My lip peeled back in anger. “Very much so.”
Slowly, her head nodded as her eyes dropped. When they came back up, there was a strength in her gaze I was dying to snuff out.
“Then I don’t see the problem. You’re a product of my making. You’re happy with the result. Perhaps you should be thanking me instead of hating me. I charge a fortune for doing less.”
“Bitch.”
I had her back against the wall, but Marian was ready. She didn’t cry. She didn’t back down as she kept hold of my wrist.
“I am a bitch. I’m a shark. I’m a coldhearted fucking cunt, haven’t you heard?
You’re pissed. So am I, but I never said those things you accused me of.
Never once. If those claims came out of my mouth, they were put there.
Hurt me if it makes you feel better. Kill me if it erases your pain.
I will not feel guilty for lies or something I couldn’t control.
I apologized to you. I can’t stand that no one listened to me when I repeatedly tried to set the record straight, but I can’t control that either.
You even confirmed it was the same way on your end.
That’s like me blaming you for never saving me from parents you knew were viciously leading me down this path.
Why didn’t you fight your way to me, guns blazing?
Why didn’t you take me like you did now?
You’re a Pennington. You’re capable of anything. Where were you?”
“You accused me of rape. Had I taken you—”
“I would have gone! I would have screamed from the rooftop that it was all lies. God! How can someone be so smart and yet such a complete idiot.” Marian’s head shook.
“You say you hate me. I hate you more. I warned you what would happen from the very beginning. I warned you about my mother. She didn’t just ruin your life, she ruined mine too. ”
Marian flung my arm free, stepping from the tub to grab a towel. I slammed the water off, pulling the towel from her before she could get it wrapped around her body.
“You will not try to make this about you. The words came from your mouth, and now you’ll pay for them. Air dry,” I said, stepping down and wrapping the towel around my waist. “You get no luxuries. Not anymore.”