Chapter 51
CHRISTOPHER
I punch the fucker right in the face.
Blood spurts from Marlin’s nose and drips down his chin, staining the curve of his smile when he looks at me.
“I suppose I deserved that.”
Melody looks up at him with amusement, the glint in her eyes significantly less innocent with the massive hickey blooming beneath her chin.
“I’m surprised that hasn’t happened before now.”
A growl escapes my throat, “There’s a lot more where that came from.”
“Yes, I can see that.” Glancing at my stitches with a smirk, Marlin pulls a handkerchief from his breast pocket, “Although I must say, you carried your momentum surprisingly well. I was expecting much less force given your vantage point.”
“Fuck you.”
“And there it is.”
A lilac coloured cloth unfolds in his hands, the bright silk material identical to the dress shirt tucked neatly beneath his suit jacket.
“My little saint, will you do the honours?”
Melody rolls her eyes before taking the cloth from his hands.
I’m expecting the guy to bend down to her level but instead he lifts her up to his. Splays one hand across her ass as Melody wipes the blood away, keeping her legs locked securely around his waist.
Marlin waits patiently for her to finish, his violet eyes never steering from her face. He soaks in every drop of her attention, and when she finally goes to pull away, he doesn’t hesitate to ask for a little bit more.
“You missed a spot.”
“There’s nothing on your face, Marlin.”
“Look again, little saint.” His eyes crinkle, amusement dancing through the unusual colour, “There is something I need to feel better again.”
For a man who doesn’t show emotion, Marlin may as well have opened up his chest and let every organ fall onto the floor. He holds nothing back when she kisses him, viciously attacking her mouth as though Melody St. James is the very oxygen he needs to breathe.
I would say it’s cute, but it’s more of a bloodbath when the little redhead kisses him back with just as much passion. The two of them go at it like a couple of vampires, sucking and biting with so much venom I’m not entirely sure they like each other.
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
Calista snickers beside me, her eyes on the nipples that are barely staying tucked inside Melody’s dress.
“They have a rather… volatile relationship.”
“No kidding.”
Melody breaks the kiss with a gasp for air, her cheeks flushed and her lips marked with teeth indents. I stare at her in disbelief, wondering how the hell she ended up in bed with Marlin Seaborn.
“You done?”
“For now.”
Marlin lowers her back to the ground, his white hair sticking up in every direction. Bruises bloom along his lips, red stains clinging to his skin with a sick sort of satisfaction.
“Did you bring the supplies?”
For a split second, I genuinely think he’s asking about condoms.
“He’s got them taped to the inside of his pants.”
Calista answers the question for me, her eyes skittering past the tumultuous couple to the unconscious guards lying on the floor behind them.
“Where’s Maddox?”
“Already in place. I delivered the final dose thirty minutes ago. Which gives us exactly,” Glancing at his watch, Marlin tilts his head, “Four minutes and sixteen seconds.”
“Good. We need the distraction to last long enough for us to reach the access point.”
Melody shifts uneasily beside the white-haired giant, her eyes darting between everyone present.
“And if this plan of yours doesn’t work?”
“It will.” Marlin answers immediately.
“But if it doesn’t-
“I’ve got that covered.”
Shock and disbelief collide in three sets of vibrant eyes.
“And how, exactly, do you have that covered?”
Marlin stares me down, his eyes narrowing with suspicion and a hefty dose of mistrust.
Fucking ironic, coming from him.
“I recruited some help.”
A hushed silence falls as an uninvited guest slinks around the corner. A limp impairs every step, a slight disability that doesn’t deter from the birthday pins decorating every side of his wilted, colourful top hat.
“Did somebody ask for a cup of tea?”
Melody lets out an audible gasp as the old man shuffles closer. Baggy dress shirt tucked into pink pants, wiry strands of grey hair sprouting in every direction, the guy walking towards us bears an unnatural resemblance to the villain we just set loose.
“There is something to be said for an insurance policy, don’t you think?”
Recognition flares as I repeat Marlin’s words back to him. A slow smile starts to spread, a smirk that transitions into something far deadlier.
“I didn’t think the witch was allowed to leave his lab.”
Everett White lifts the brim of his top hat, the bright colour of his eyes the only thing that gives away the disguise.
“An exchange was made. And I find myself rather good at ruining parties.”
Words and syllables jumble and slur as his voice cloning technology transforms his voice into that of the Mad Hatter’s.
Marlin studies the doppelganger curiously, examining the worn state of the hat I refused to leave behind and the dark bags seeping under the teenager’s eyes.
“What could you have possibly offered in exchange?”
Evie stays quiet beside me, his eyes trained on the black onyx tile.
“A reunion.”
My response puts a smile on Calista’s face.
“Double the madmen, double the distraction. Well done, Devil.”
If I couldn’t feel Marlin staring into my soul, I would fucking beam at the sound of her praise.
“Two minutes. Nineteen seconds.”
“Alright boys. You know the drill.” A snap of her fingers and Calista Drache is back in charge, “Meet at the access point and get ready for some fun.”
She pauses, her lips lifting coyly, “And Melody. It is so good to see you again.”
The petite redhead glares in return, “I could have gone longer.”
“Oh, dear. You’re not still upset about the texting situation, are you?”
I cough into my hand to diffuse the building tension.
“Evie, you should probably get ready.”
Tugging the brim of his top hat back over his eyes, the White prodigy turns and shuffles back into the shadows. Disappears around the corner with another man’s hat on his head and a piece of technology taped to his throat.
“Don’t be late this time.”
Giving me a pointed look, Marlin takes Melody’s hand and tucks it into his elbow. Dark red hair caresses the fine lines of his suit as the couple fades into the distance, a perfect silhouette that bleeds together like a crashing wave.
“What do you think, darling? Care for a little madness?”
“It does make for the most entertaining of evenings.” She lifts a brow, a smile teasing her mouth, “And I have heard the English make the best cup of tea.”
I laugh as I take her hand and pull her close.
Our lips meet just as screams rattle the walls. Cries and shattered glass explode from the ballroom, the sound of racing feet and desperate guards lost to the feeling of Calista Drache’s heart beating in time with mine.
One last time.