20. Vaughn
Vaughn
It was a good day for torture. Redmond’s—Penelope’s—Mine.
No one in the room was happy, and Penelope and I hadn’t been since I’d left the room nearly twenty-four hours ago.
We’d barely said a few sentences to each other, and I couldn’t stand it.
I hated how she looked at me. More than the disgust or anger, the betrayal was like a stab in the heart.
And although it had to play out this way, I hated every minute of it.
She was right to look at me like the devil.
In a way, I was. But what she didn’t see was that I didn’t have a choice in who or what I’d become.
I was born into this.
I didn’t have the opportunity to quit or pick another path. My family wouldn’t even be in this role had our true one not been stolen from us—from me. And I wouldn’t stand for it. I would get the Crown back, no matter what it took.
“It’s simple, Penelope. Redmond will stand and face that wall, and you will tend to him when I finish.”
No nod. No agreement.
Blue eyes went back and forth from me to Redmond as she held to the white slip dress at her thighs.
I’d taken it from The Order, only because I couldn’t stand to be out longer than I had to.
Not after seeing what she’d done while I was gone.
I shouldn’t have even come home when I had, but when I pulled her up on camera…
there was so much blood. I’d raced down those halls so fast, I was sure I’d stirred all sorts of talk. Which is what I didn’t want to do.
As the upcoming Unavowed, I had a reputation to uphold. My appearance mirrored what I represented. A leader—the future. A king wouldn’t go sprinting through his halls in a panic. But I had. I’d broken rules, and I did it for her.
“Penelope. Do you understand?”
Her shoulders straightened a little as she gave me a defiant look.
“I understand perfectly.”
I flexed my jaw through the need to put her over my knee and spank the ever-living hell out of her for the attitude. Gesturing to Redmond, I watched Penelope shift as he began taking his jacket and shirt off. I held tighter to the flogger as I took a step towards her.
“It’s wound care. Maybe some stitches. I haven’t decided how much flesh I want to take,” I said, louder, letting my anger leak in.
“I don’t fear a little blood, Vaughn. I’m not a baby you have to protect.” Her arms crossed over her chest, but I saw how scared she was. Violence made her uncomfortable, and I knew it was because of how much she’d been through.
“You’re not a baby, huh? Good.” I thrust the flogger in her direction, pushing it into her hand. “Then you should have no problem punishing Redmond after you tell him exactly what you think of him.”
Redmond eased his shirt to the chair, looking between us, but settling on Penelope as her face hardened. She shifted under our gazes, even if she kept hers on his.
“Why must I speak to him at all? I don’t want to.”
“I don’t care what you want. We don’t punish without explanation. It’s the way it works. You will tell him what you think before you harm him, and you will be honest.”
Multiple angry expressions flashed. Penelope looked between us, but she settled on him. Her steps were hesitant. Slow.
“You’re a leader… but I think you’re weak. I think you’re a coward. You killed a woman and her unborn children.”
The words were shaky, but she took another step forward. And another. Redmond swallowed hard, ripping his gaze from her to look at me. I stood tall, keeping my expression flat.
“You killed a woman and her unborn children. I asked myself, did you know this woman? Was she a horrible person? Did she not deserve to be a mother? But then I realized none of that mattered. Do you know why, Mr. Redmond?”
His lips parted. He didn’t appear afraid, more perplexed on how to deal with the small woman who fisted the flogger and stared him down.
“Why, Ms. Taylor?”
“Because you are not God. You are no one. Nothing. A weak man who thinks he has power when truly…” she paused, swinging the flogger at her side. “I do believe the power is currently mine.”
I tried not to smile as Redmond’s gaze shot to me.
“Face the wall.”
The shakiness was back and it moved from her voice to her hands as she paused while he obeyed. Tears were so close to spilling, but she held them in as he flattened his hands and lowered his head.
“A mother and her children.” Dark hair swayed through her hard shake. “A mother… and her children.” Leather strands hit against each other as she drew back. The force at which she swung was euphoric.
Whack!
The impact had Redmond tensing and pushing his fingers against the cement.
“A woman—” Whack!
“And babies—” Whack!
“How—” Whack!
“Could—” Whack!
“You—” Whack!
“How—” Whack!
Whack!
Whack!
A sob tore from Penelope.
“You like to hurt women?”
Whack!
Whack!
Whack!
Redmond let out a deep sound as blood beaded and trailed down his back in multiple spots. Welts were littering the space, running this way and that. The entire surface was raised up and turning purple in areas.
“I can’t believe—I can’t—No! I didn’t ask for this. I don’t—”
Whack!
Penelope tried to catch her breath through the cries. I took the flogger from her grasp, pulling her into me, but she didn’t want my comfort. She pushed from my chest, wiping down her face as she put distance between us. I turned to Redmond through his heavy pants.
“You fucked up. You understand that?”
“I do.”
I reared back, sending the leather whistling through the unforgiving strike. Skin split, and Penelope’s cry behind me was muffled, as if she had her hands over her mouth.
“You killed a Main Master’s wife and children and have possibly put a target on my back.”
Whack!
Whack!
“You know better. You know what’s at risk.”
“Forgive m-me.”
Whack!
“Forgive you? Do you know the cost of my forgiveness?”
Whack!
Whack!
Flashes flickered with their bleeding colors.
Red. Blood. So much blood. It was covering my mother—my sister—Redmond.
He fell to his knees but kept pressing to the wall.
I saw Penelope. My sweet Penelope who didn’t want to hurt anyone.
I’d lose her if she didn’t see. If she didn’t fight for this.
For us. I’d lose her, and I’d only just found her.
Had I lost her already?
Whack!
Whack!
She didn’t ask for this. She’d said that.
Whack!
Whack!
Whack!
Whack!
“Vaughn. Stop. Vaughn!”
Hands grabbed at my bicep, pulling against me as sound wavered in and out. My eyes were wide, and I couldn’t blink back all the blood. Sweat was starting to cover me.
I wouldn’t lose her too.
I couldn’t lose her.
“Vaughn?”
Blinking hard, I pulled her into my arms. Redmond fell to the ground, but I couldn’t let go of Penelope. My hold was crushing. It was just as desperate as I felt.
“This isn’t good. I’ve heard of Main Master Draper. He’ll come. He’s going to come, and he’ll bring his fire with him.”
“Fire?”
I swallowed hard, pushing back the pictures of people burning alive—his specialty.
I knew almost everything on the other Main Masters around the world.
Where some stayed to themselves like Master Draper, others couldn’t help but play their stupid political games.
This time, those games involved The Order, and that meant it involved me.
“We’ll talk about it later. I brought in supplies. Go prepare everything.”
Penelope looked up at me and nodded, running towards the table. I dropped the flogger, shaking as I headed over and helped to lift Redmond. He was barely conscious but managed to stand as I helped him up.
“T-Thank you… I—You should have—”
“I should have killed you. I still might. Right now I need you for The Order. I can’t step into my place yet. She’s not ready, and I’m not leaving her here. God, I could—” My fingers tightened around his bicep with my unspoken threat.
Redmond staggered as I pulled him forward, sitting him in the chair. Blood was soaking into the lining of his waistband, and multiple areas of split skin lay open, exposing shredded muscle. Penelope carried over a basin of water, cloth, and bandages, tucked into the crook of her arm.
“Vaughn, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You weren’t. What you did was reckless. It was deadly. He’s going to come for you, Red. Maybe for me. You know this.”
Redmond nodded, and he cried out as Penelope took over, washing the blood from the jagged lacerations marking his back. I could tell she wasn’t happy or even wanted to be around him, but she did her duty, taking care to wash away the blood as we continued.
“I can’t begin to wrap my mind around why you would be so careless. Do you have a death wish? Is that it?”
“Vaughn—”
Redmond cried out, jolting as Penelope applied the antibiotic cream. The satisfaction quickly vanished when she saw that I was watching her. Her face hardened again, and she placed on the bandages.”
“I’ll take care of this. I’ll make it right.”
“Make it right? You can’t,” Penelope snapped. “You took that man’s life when you killed his family.”
“She’s right.” I let out a deep breath. “For a Main Master to marry. He loved her. God, he fucking loved her and you killed her and his children.” My head shook. “Dammit, Red, you know better.”
“She was a slave,” he growled. “The message it was sending—Whitlock. Dammit. I wasn’t the only one who felt the threat it poses.”
“Taking a wife and having children is a message?” Penelope looked at him as if he were daft. “What about Vaughn? What about me? Is it not the same thing?”
Redmond’s lids lowered through the confusion. He didn’t speak at my threatening look.
“Penelope, it’s different.” I sat on the edge of the bed. “It doesn’t matter. It’s done. Now we deal with the consequences.”
“I’ll deal,” Redmond said, standing but swaying. “It’s partly my fault. I know you’re talking to your sources, but I’ll make some calls of my own. I’ll see what I can do.”
“You do that.” I helped him to the stairs. “Call in Lord Oxley, too. Let him assess you.”
“I will. I’ll keep you informed of anything I learn.”