57. Vaughn
Vaughn
This was bad.
I knew that as I sent for the witness for Marian and Drayton’s consummation of their marriage. The torture scene had barely ended before the Magister’s hand came up, signaling that we needed to talk. And I knew why.
Penelope.
I could have cursed myself for not checking to make sure she’d gone to her room.
Instead… she’d put herself right in the middle of the Magister’s crosshairs.
I understood why she’d gone to Marian. I could even empathize with her decision, but empathy did not exist in the realm of realism. Not when the Crown was at stake.
And it wasn’t even that Penelope had helped or encouraged her friend. It was the way she’d stood up to me to do it.
Did it show she could lead—yes.
Did it show that she could be relatable to all sides—yes.
Did it show that she supported The Order—no. Not entirely, and that would not do. It could look like she’d chosen Marian over us and that was the issue. Especially after Marian’s threat that she’d kill all of us.
Trust.
Impulsiveness.
I cursed. The more I thought over it, the more my stomach twisted with uncertainty.
Bad. Yes. This was fucking bad.
As I stepped from the couple’s room, I felt myself slow. I looked down at the guards outside Penelope’s door a few rooms down. I was torn whether to go to her first or wait.
What the hell did I do? As the Unavowed, I’d have to discipline her.
I needed to instill the rules better and make it clear when she could speak up and how.
But I couldn’t control her emotions. Not unless I wanted to destroy what was left of them.
It was a sticky situation. One I needed to maul over before I decided on the best course.
Turning, I left the hall, heading for my study. I shut myself inside, pouring half a glass of scotch and forcing it down in one drink. I barely had the second poured when knocking sounded at my door. Just as I turned, The Reeve stepped through.
“I’m sorry, Sire. You know I’d never intrude on your privacy if I didn’t have to.”
“What’s wrong?”
I tossed back the second drink.
“It’s your Intended.”
I put down the glass, stepping forward.
“I know—”
“No, you don’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
The Reeve’s face hardened.
“She’s with the Magister. He has her in the Ritual Room. He’s waiting for you.”
“Shit. Why the hell does he have her in there?”
Even as I asked, I was already walking to the door where The Reeve waited.
“I’m not sure. He didn’t tell me he was taking her. It was a guard from her door, Keith, that called it in. They’ve maintained their position. They meant to tell you when you left from The Penningtons’ room, but you went the other way. That’s when they called me.”
“Thank you.”
I kept my pace steady but furious as I headed through the halls. My heart was racing. My mind was screaming that something about this was not right.
Who was he to take my Intended without asking? Penelope was mine. She belonged to The Order, yes, but he didn’t have more say than me. We were a balance, and he should have informed me before ever removing her from her private quarters.
Turning onto the hall, I took in the guards outside the barrier. They opened the door as I approached, letting me in. What I saw had me jolting to a stop and my heart plummeting to my toes.
Tears streamed down Penelope’s face. She was gagged and hanging from cuffs, barely able to reach the floor with her toes.
Her dress was lifted so high from her position, revealing raised up welts on her thighs.
Some were split open and bleeding. The streams led down her calves, dripping from her heal and covering her toes.
Her body was shaking through her silent cries.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The threat in my tone had The Magister turning. The Judic were against the wall, and none spoke as I put myself inches from the man who held the cat-o-nine.
“What does it look like I am doing, Unavowed? I am providing punishment as is my right. Your Intended broke rules. She interrupted a sacrifice and provided aid to a woman she clearly stated she abandoned for The Order. She lied.”
“She did not. She helped her friend overcome fear so that she could continue the sacrifice.” My hand lifted. “Penelope did not choose Marian over The Order. She helped her for The Order. Now… Release. Her.”
“I will not. Either she has too much empathy and we must fix that, or she is not fit to serve as queen.”
I grabbed the cat-o-nine, ripping it from his hands.
“You cannot know that without putting her through the trials. Did you even let her explain her side before you gagged her?”
“What must she explain? We were there. We saw how everything unfolded. Unavowed… you are influenced.
“I am not,” I growled. “She was wrong to interrupt. I will agree with that. And I should have marched her away without letting her explain, but she is my Intended. She has the right to state her reasons. She made a choice. Had Penelope not stepped in, Marian might have not been able to go through with the ritual. Penelope inspired her.”
“And threatened The Order just like her friend. What about that part?”
My stare flashed to Penelope as she shook her head.
“She did not threaten The Order. She clearly said she wouldn’t forget this. She believes the guards need to be reined in. They’re becoming too violent. I happen to agree with her.”
“Is that right?”
The Magister’s head shook as he paced.
“Interesting. Do you see what is happening, Unavowed? I feared I was mistaken, but I’m not sure I am.”
“Mistaken about what? What is going on? This is not how The Order is run.”
“You’re wrong.” He turned more from Penelope to face me.
“Women care. They’re soft. For Penelope to be your queen, she must lose those qualities.
I had hoped after our last meeting over the trials that this night would end differently.
That she would see the error of her ways, but I’m afraid time is not on her side. ”
“Penelope is strong. She can have feelings and still rule at my side. She—”
“Is not meant to rule at your side,” The Magister said, his voice deepening.
“You will be king. You will rule England again. You will not rule The Order when that happens.” He gripped my shirt, jerking off his crown and veil.
The man I stared back at, I didn’t know.
He had dark eyes and darker skin. He had to be in his mid-fifties, but I wondered if he was older.
“Think,” he ground out. “The king is groomed to rule the world. What of the queen? What of your mother?”
“My…” I blinked through the memories, always getting stuck on her murder.
“Why do you think she was targeted before your father? It is not you we need to lead us. Your job is our country. We need her…”
“My mother… ran The Order?
Flashes. Colors. Laughing and instruction. Me, her, my father… He was in the throne. She was in the queen’s throne but… Her… talking to the former Reeve. Her socializing with Masters. Her. Her. Her. And my father… taking care of me. Teaching me how a king should behave. How he leads. How…
“My mother.”
“She was a fine queen. More than we could have hoped for. If you want Penelope to take her place, you have to let her go. She has violated our trust and must earn it back. From this moment forward, Penelope Taylor is cast out and is temporarily suspended from The Order. She will be protectively placed into the outside world, where she will continue training for the trials.”
“But it’s dangerous out there. King Lawrence—”
“Will be a bigger threat if Penelope does not learn to take care of herself. If you want her to be queen, you must let her become one. Trapping her in a cage will not teach her to fly. If you want her at your side for life, safe and alive, all empathy must die. Her mind must mold to the manipulation of false martyr. You baby her—”
“I love her.”
The words were out before I could stop them. The Magister got silent, pausing before he slowly nodded.
“Then you must agree. You are the risk, Unavowed. Because of this, you will step back and let The Order lead. We will protect her. We will groom her as we did you. It is the only way she becomes your queen. Otherwise, you become your father and she… your mother.”
Tears burned my eyes as I met the blue of Penelope’s.
Set her free? Allow her to live in the outside world… without me?
To train and become… the Main Mistress of The Order?
I felt sick.
Like I was losing her all over again.
But what was the alternative? A repeat of the past? Losing the woman I loved? The death of the Masterson line for good?
I couldn’t be Vaughn right now. I had to be king. I had to…
The Magister motioned to the door and The Reeve entered. His hesitation was clear, but I also saw his loyalty push to the front as he faced a man we’d both never laid eyes on until this night.
As he began to talk, I headed over, pulling down Penelope’s gag. My lips met hers, and I stepped back, cupping her face.
“You weren’t wrong. I know why—”
“Stop.” She sniffled, leaning forward to kiss me again.
“I hate it, but The Magister is right. I should have handled things differently. I should have been clear. I have so much to learn before the trials. I don’t want to fail.
” Her eyes searched mine. “I don’t want to die…
not because I could have been stronger.”
My lids closed.
“I could lose you either way. I can’t—I won’t.”
“The Order can keep me safe. We need this time, Vaughn. Together, we’re not weak, but we’re not going to make it to any palace.
Not alive.” She sniffled. “Free, I can do what I meant to from the beginning of our separation. And together, we can cover more ground. We can be a team that no one expects. The evidence is out there. Let’s find it. ”
I felt like the walls were closing in around me.
To keep her, I had to lose her. In a world where blood ruled and calculations moved the pieces of our society together, sacrifice was the only way to survive. Penelope had given so much already. It was my turn to bleed…