3. Vaughn
Vaughn
It wasn’t easy facing truths that weren’t in my favor.
I started Penelope’s training with the intention of making sure she’d live through the trials. The psychology behind her history showed promise. Her mindset under pressure assured a favorable result when it came to defense.
Not under me.
It was hard admitting to myself that had I continued to train Penelope, she might have died. Knowing I could have been responsible for the death of the woman I loved was sickening. It fed the fear which in turn triggered the rage.
I was mad at myself. At how my ego made me blind—jealous.
The moves were mine. The speed wasn’t. The instinct… definitely wasn’t. I didn’t get her to that point, she did. And not alone. Elliot and Marian helped train her while she was gone for a year. The truth was hard to stomach.
“You baby her…”
Even being an asshole to her in front of everyone couldn’t hide the truth.
Dead. She could have died… because of me.
The news filled the room.
“After nearly a year out of the public eye, Penelope Taylor has officially been seen returning to society. Earlier today, she was spotted leaving her residence under private security.”
The picture on the monitor shifted, going from the news anchor to a clip of Penelope surrounded by four guards from The Order.
Calm.
Composed.
… Fucking controlled.
She was beauty and grace dressed in a light gray fitted knit sweater with charcoal slacks.
The black pointed flats promised practicality while still holding to elegance.
It was the dark wool coat with the sharp lines at the lapel that sharpened her appearance.
Her head stayed high while she kept her focus in front of her.
There was no softness from her hair framing her face.
She had it pulled back in a sleek low bun, parted down the center.
She was Penelope. Just not the way I remembered.
She looked elite. Dangerous. She couldn’t hide that.
“While details surrounding her disappearance remain unclear, Ms. Taylor declined to comment on her whereabouts. She did have this to say.”
“Penelope, what will you do now that you’re free?”
Slowly, she glanced over.
No emotion.
No pause.
“Live.”
The screen went back to the anchor. “Sources close suggest Taylor may begin reintegrating into public life in the coming weeks. For now, questions remain. Where was Ms. Taylor for over a year, and why has she chosen to remain silent?”
I muted the television, picking up my phone. Even as I pressed in Penelope’s new number, I went into our system, pulling up the video of our meeting. After one ring, Penelope answered.
“Hello?”
“You looked beautiful today.” The guilt and anger flared. “Cold… but beautiful.”
She paused. “Thank you. I think. You said you’d call soon. I assumed that was within minutes. We finished talking nearly half an hour ago.”
“I turned on the news.”
“Oh. I see.” She grew quiet. “You’re angry with me. Did I do something wrong?”
“You’re different. I watched you.”
Silence.
“My behavior upset you? I’m trying very hard—”
“You didn’t tell me you were going out in public. I wasn’t prepared.” My jaw flexed as I paused our video conversation. “I should have been informed.”
A soft breath. “You’re not meant to. The Magister—”
“Has just as much power as I do. I am the one you’re marrying.”
“Not without permission from The Judic. Vaughn…”
Her tone softened, and I clutched tighter to the remote, not able to hold in the words that pushed free. It was the real issue, and it was eating into my very being.
“You held back with me.”
Another pause. “We’ve barely got in any training sessions since I’ve been back.” Seconds passed. “Vaughn… I had to.”
“Had to? Had to, what? Hold back?”
“Please. I don’t want you upset with me. I want you to support me.”
“I do.” The anger dissipated. “I do support you, love. You know that. I just… I was supposed to be the one who made you like that. You didn’t need me to.”
I unpaused the video, fast-forwarding to where Able initiated. The strike was fast. Hard. Precise. Penelope was all instinct. There was no hesitation. No second guessing. Her body reacted before thought had the time to catch up. The lock. The twist. The readiness to follow-through.
“Vaughn, don’t be upset with me for something neither of us could control.
I was devastated after Katia fed me her lies.
Elliot and Marian saw how determined I was to learn.
They were trying to help me through a bad situation.
They taught me what they knew. I used their lessons to prepare for yours. ”
Mine…
If I had kept her the way I wanted, would she have ever become this skilled? This… dangerous?
“Tell me what you felt on your walk.”
Hesitation. “Watched.”
I sat on the desk’s chair, closing my lids. “Do you think it was her?”
“Yes. Katia won’t give up. She put in too much time to destroy me—us. If I find her…”
My lids opened, and I felt them squint through her threat.
“Tell me.”
A long pause came before she took a deep breath.
“What happened to Marian will pale in comparison to what I do to her. I’m going to show Agent Marchase what it is to break someone.
She spent months trying to convince me to hate you.
When all she has is darkness of The Order, she’ll realize the only person worth hating is herself. ”
My throat tightened as I took in her words.
“You’ve changed… and I didn’t see it coming. I did but.” I stopped. “Maybe I didn’t want to.”
“I wasn’t left a choice. If anything, it was for the best. That’s the only positive besides Marian that I can take from the last year.”
“I was so lost in loving you, in reuniting, I didn’t even let my mind go there. I refused.”
“I’m still here. Just.” She stopped. “Different. Vaughn, these trials—”
“No.” I cut her off, not wanting to talk about this. Not the trials or Katia or the year we’d spent apart. “Have you decided on your first event?”
There was hesitation on Penelope’s end.
“There are a few options. Able is trying to decide on the right one.”
“I talked with the Masters earlier. They will be coming together with their own events. They’ll keep you close and safe while putting you in the limelight. They want to help and be involved.”
“That’s kind of them. I’d truly love to get close to the Masters. To get to know them better. That is important.”
Because she’d be The High Mistress of The Order. She’d take my place. She’d have to tame the monsters, not me.
“Theodore has returned. He will be calling on you soon as well. I believe a few dinner dates are in order to keep appearances before he begins to pull back. There’s no rush for that though. His interest will keep those away that matter.”
“Like King Lawrence.”
It wasn’t a question. I felt my fist clench around the remote.
“Exactly.”
“He will come to me soon. We both know it.”
“And you will reject him—”
“I will not.”
My eyes widened. “Repeat that?”
“To reject him openly after finally returning to society will cause the worst scandal. It’ll do more harm for us than good. He will lose interest when he sees we no longer have anything in common.”
“Penelope.”
Her name came out more as a growl.
“You don’t like it, but there is no other way.”
She was right, and I hated it.
Seconds passed. I pushed the remote down on my desk, standing and heading to my bar.
“Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he won’t come.”
Still, I didn’t speak. I poured a glass of scotch, growing angrier by the day. And it wasn’t Penelope’s fault. I hadn’t thought things through like I usually did. Penelope muddled my mind. She stole it, deluding my sanity with moans and images of nothing but her.
“The men are waiting for me to go over surveillance for the walk. There’s only three days until Holy Night. Will I see you?”
“Will you escape me.” I tossed back the drink. “That’s what you should be asking.”
“Enough. Tell me.”
I nearly moaned at the softening throatiness of her voice.
“I love you. More than the sun. More than the stars. More than the moon or the air I breathe.”
“You’ll show me. I love you. I have to go.”
The line went dead, and the anger sparked again at what The Order was creating of her. My love wasn’t affected, but my concern over who Penelope was becoming was. Her responses were becoming clipped. Precise. Like mine…
I turned back on the footage, rewinding it to Able’s attack.
Over and over, I watched.
My eyes stayed locked to hers, and I saw the moment she reacted. No thought—there hadn’t been time.
Again, I watched.
No hesitation.
Attack.
And again.
Controlled… killer.
She could be. She might be.
I laid down the remote, heading for the door. I barely had it open when I jerked to a stop. The Reeve’s hand was still lifted, about to knock.
“I was just coming to find you. Did they discover anything during her walk?”
“They did. It came from the second team down the road.”
The Reeve picked up the remote, backing out of the footage from the meeting and going into his messages. He pulled up video clips, playing the first.
“You can see Penelope and the guards approaching. Nothing looks out of the ordinary at first glance.” Seconds passed and The Reeve’s hand shot up to point to a woman in the back of the group.
She stood between two men, her blonde hair swaying with every determined step.
“She isn’t writing. She isn’t asking questions. ”
He leaned in even closer, getting his finger ready.
The woman’s arm lifted and she jerked the sunglasses off, taking a step closer between the two guards flanking Penelope.
Even with the bangs and blonde hair, I knew who I was looking at.
It was the same woman from the pictures The Reeve managed to take during one of the SLB’s trips to Marian’s tower.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“This.” The Reeve pointed to a curtain that moves across the street. It had Katia easing back, putting the glasses on. “It catches her attention and she backs off.”
There was no mistaking the anger on her face.
“She was right there. Right fucking there. What did she expect to do with the press not feet away?”
The Reeve shook his head.
“I have no idea. She doesn’t look stable. She looks impatient.”
“Which means she’ll make a mistake. What about the townhome?”
“I have Penelope’s teams staying in place. I don’t want their cover blown. I’m sending a new team to investigate.
I looked down at the phone in my hand hating how it wasn’t ringing.
“Keep me informed on what they find. Penelope is not to be anywhere alone. I want them pulling shifts until Katia Marchase is caught.”
“Penelope and Able have come to that conclusion as well. Your Intended was not happy when she saw that footage. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so mad.”
I stayed quiet, feeling the weight of the phone against my fingers.
Still, she didn’t call.
“Penelope may be mad but she’s rational.
It’s Katia who’s not.” I took in the resolve on my Intended’s face.
“This will be a good lesson for them both. Patience is a virtue unless tangled with revenge. Then it’s just a trap.
” I turned my stare to The Reeve. “Katia will walk herself into the cage following Penelope. All we have to do is lock the door behind her.”