Marked by Pain

by Cece Rose

  “No, you couldn’t. Just like I could never hurt you, Miss Crowe,” he says and I shove his hand away furiously, rushing out the car. I run my hand through my thick dark hair, pushing it from my face as I look around to distract myself from his words. I can’t stop myself thinking how right he is, and how much I hate that, that he knows me so well, and that I clearly know so little of him. There are three cars parked behind us, blocking the entrance to the fuel station and as I look around, I don’t see East’s car. There are fields behind the fuel station, and nothing else, except for the small road that leads back to the motorway.

  “Come on, twelve,” I hear behind me, and I turn to see an older woman with long black hair and a serious expression. She has a water mark on her right cheek, not something that is uncommon in our kind, but its means she is powerful with that gift. I look over the car to see Mr Daniels get out, watching me with a neutral expression, none of the emotion showing that I saw in his eyes a second ago.

  “Hurry up, Miss Crowe. And try to behave, I don’t want to have to come in there after you,” Mr Daniels warns me.

  “Fuck. You,” I mutter slowly, keeping my eyes locked with his as he grins and folds his arms.

  He doesn’t reply as he turns and walks towards one of the other rebel’s cars. I find my eyes tracing his tight ass in his jeans, and the muscular frame of his shoulders and back under his jumper. I pull my eyes away, knowing that I shouldn’t be looking at him like that anymore, that he is the leader of the rebels. He is the bad guy, and yet, bad never looked so damn good.

  I turn around, walking straight towards the entrance to the small fuel station. It’s a blue building, with two places to fill up cars outside and the toilets are labelled with glowing neon lights above the door on a small side building. I hear steps behind me, and I turn my head to see the woman with the water mark following me, two men in black suits at her sides. East better have a good plan. I walk straight to the bathrooms, pushing the woman’s door open, with the water marked woman following me inside.

  Looking between the two stalls that have no gap at the bottom and tiny doors, and seeing one has the door wide open and the other is shut. There's one sink, and the room has a window at the end of the stalls. The window is small, but I think I could get out of it.

  “Hurry up,” the woman snaps, as she shuts the door to the toilets behind us, but I catch a glimpse of the two men standing guard outside before it closes. I go to the shut door, pulling it open and I see East sitting on the closed toilet seat, and his eyes widen in relief when he sees me. I put my finger to my lips, and he nods in understanding.

  “Can you turn the tap on? I can’t pee when someone is listening,” I shout. The woman grumble something about spoilt princesses before I hear the sound of running water. I step forward at the same time East gets off the seat and reaches for me. We meet with our lips crashing together, his hands sliding into my hair and I hold in a little moan that threatens to escape when he pulls away.

  “Kenz, I’m sorry, I’m an idiot. I knew something was up with Mr Daniels. That’s why I reacted the way I did when I saw him with you,” he whispers and my eyes widen in shock.

  “What did you know? How?” I ask.

  “I overheard a conversation, just the end bit and he said, ‘It’s all sorted, sister.” I knew his sister is part of the rebels, and something must have been wrong for him to be talking with her,” he tells me and I whack his chest.

  “You should have told me, you let me live with him—” I start saying, and East puts a finger on my lips to stop me. I bite my lip, hoping I didn’t speak too loudly.

  “I only heard that two days before you were kidnapped. I was going to tell you, I just wanted the twins and Enzo’s advice on how, because I knew how close to him you were,” he tells me. “All of that doesn’t matter now though, we need to get out of here,” he tells me.

  “How? There is a marked woman outside this door, and two men standing guard just outside the restroom,” I ask and he grins. I watch in shock as he pulls a gun out of his jeans.

  “We can’t shoot her,” I mutter, in a shocked whisper, a little horrified he would do something like that. It’s so not East-like, at all. Human weapons are beneath our kind, only rebels normally use guns, as the council forbids it.

  “It’s a dart gun,” he explains, seeing my concern. He kisses me once more quickly, as he slides around me.

  “Where are the twins and Enzo?” I ask East quietly, but he doesn’t get a chance to reply as the door is banged on harshly twice.

  “Hurry up, you can’t be taking that long to have a pee,” the woman shouts. East unlocks the door quickly, using his air mark to slam it open and we hear a grunt. We step out the stall to see the water marked woman on the ground. East shuts the door behind us and her eyes widen as he steps closer and lifts the gun, shooting her in the leg. She passes out quickly and we step over her.

  “Use your air mark to lift yourself, Kenz,” East tells me and I nod, watching as he floats up in the air and pushes the window open. He slides his body out, only his shoulders struggling to get through, and I call my air mark the moment he disappears. I float upwards, grabbing hold of the window and letting go of my mark in my mind as I pull myself through. As I start to slide forward, half my body hanging out the window, I realise I didn’t think this through. I fail at stopping myself as I fall face first through the other side of the window and large hands catch me.

  “You go backwards through a window, Kenz,” East laughs quietly, putting me down. I look up into his hazel eyes that are full of humour and something else I can’t really think about right now.

  “I’m not good at escaping, I need a lesson in that,” I whisper back as I step away.

  “Maybe my brother could give you lesson. Not in escaping, but listening to what you’re told,” I hear a familiar voice say behind me and I turn to see Mr Daniels walking over with the brown-haired rebel that tried to kidnap me. I look between them, seeing the resemblance, and realising instantly that she must be Mr Daniels’ sister. Why didn’t I figure it out before?

  She smirks at me, before lifting her hand and sending a wave of air into both of us. East goes flying with me, catching me around the waist, and making sure I land on top of him as we crash to the ground.

  “Shift and run,” East whispers and I do as he says without thinking about it, calling my mark and rolling off him. My change is quick, painless, as my body shifts and I land on four paws. East jumps into the air, shifting into a massive hawk with long grey feathers and a sharp looking beak. My wolf doesn’t let me look long, my mind blurring as she suddenly growls loud, turning and looking at Mr Daniels and his sister as they run over to us.

  “Verity, don’t hurt them,” Mr Daniels says, though she doesn’t respond as she keeps her eyes locked with mine. She shifts suddenly, morphing into the large snake I’ve seen before. I run at her, growling as I ignore the shouts from Mr Daniels as she lifts her large head and dives at me. I jump to the side, thinking I’ve avoided her, until I feel a sharp pain in my hind leg. I turn to see the snake biting me, green venom dripping from her teeth and my wolf collapses to the ground with a loud howl.

  “You will kill her! Stop, Verity!” Mr Daniels shouts, his voice desperate, and a blast of air sends the snake flying away from me, her teeth ripping my skin as she goes, and making my wolf whine out in pain. The pain blurs everything, the night sky, the sound of a hawk screeching above me. It becomes more and more fuzzy, until I can’t focus on any of it anymore.

  I’m not sure what is real and what isn’t as I look around. I try to imagine my human body, try to return back to normal so I can fight, but nothing happens. As everything starts to go dark, I look up into the sky to see a hawk flying down towards me, its hazel eyes glowing with anger.

  Chapter 3

  Mackenzie

  “If she dies, I will kill you. I don’t give a fuck if you’re my sister. I don’t give a fuck about any of it,” I hear Mr Daniels snarl out, his voice drip
ping with enough anger to make me shiver. I’m surprised he is talking to his sister like that. The anger in his voice can’t be faked, and I remember someone pushing the snake away from me before she could kill me. Did he save me?

  “I told you already, I didn’t have control over my snake. She wouldn’t let me—” Verity whines back, and Mr Daniels interrupts. I’m glad he did, her voice sounds so fake and sweet, like she is pretending to be a child. A whiny one at that.

  “I don’t believe the shit you told Alaric. Get out.” I hear the sound of a door opening and shutting, before the room goes silent. I don’t move, feeling groggy as I try to blink my eyes open.

  “I know you hate me, I hate me for the things I’ve done. But if you ever felt anything, let me explain—” Mr Daniels begins, but the sound of the door opening again stops whatever he was going to tell me.

  “What the fuck did Verity do to my sister?” Ryan’s voice demands, and the sound of the door slamming behind him makes me push my eyes open. I quickly shut them again, thankful I wasn’t facing the direction of the door. I want to know what Ryan has to say when he doesn’t think I’m listening.

  “You heard the report, same as everyone else,” Mr Daniels growls in response.

  “I want to know what really fucking happened, I know the report was all utter shit. Is Kennie okay?” Ryan asks as I hear him walking closer.

  “She’ll be fine. She tried to escape, so Verity stopped her. That’s all there is to tell,” Mr Daniels says coldly.

  “Get the fuck out,” Ryan barks, and I hear him step closer. He must be right up against Mr Daniels. I hear him stand.

  “What did you just say?” Mr Daniels whispers in a low, deadly tone.

  “I said, get the fuck out. Stop sitting there as if you give a shit about my sister, and get the hell out of here. I don’t want her to be stuck seeing your face when she wakes up,” Ryan replies.

  I hear sounds of scuffling, and quickly sit up, opening my eyes. They both freeze, looking in my direction.

  “Just go,” I say, staring at Mr Daniels.

  “Miss Crowe—”

  “I said go, I don’t want to hear whatever shit you’ve got to say!” I snap, cutting off his excuses before they can form.

  “Fine,” he replies curtly, but his green eyes are blazing. He turns and leaves, banging the door shut behind him. I look around at my new prison. At least this one is nicer to look at. An actual bed with crisp white sheets, pale blue wallpaper, and a dresser with a TV on top. If it wasn’t for the steel-looking door, it would almost be a little homey. If minimalism is your idea of home décor anyway.

  “Kennie,” Ryan begins, drawing my attention back to him.

  “Ry, I don’t want you here either. Just go away,” I say quietly.

  “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, but we need you,” he replies, his voice sounds sincere. For some reason, the sincerity pisses me off even more. How could he be so stupid?

  “Well I have been hurt, and you’ve caused that to happen, so live with it. Just freaking get out of here, and leave me alone.”

  He turns to leave, but pauses. “I came to tell you about East,” he replies quietly without turning back. Shit.

  I sigh, not wanting to continue this conversation, but needing the information about East. “What about him?” I ask.

  “He’s here. They captured him, well, rather he let himself be captured when he saw you pass out,” Ryan answers.

  “He just let himself be captured? I need to see him!”

  “That’s not going to be possible, Kennie. You know they won’t let you near him,” he says carefully, turning back around to face me. I turn away, I can’t look at my brother’s face without feeling furious. “Look at me.”

  “I don’t want to, I can’t.” I cross my arms over my chest stubbornly. I feel like we’re kids again, but this isn’t an argument over who ate the last cookie.

  “I’ll see what I can do. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try and find a way for you to see him,” he says, and I turn to face him.

  “You need to get us out of here, Ryan,” I reply bluntly. He doesn’t say anything, just looks at me blankly. “East is your best friend, and I’m your damn little sister. Doesn't that mean anything to you? You can’t be okay with us being kept prisoner here. Who even are you anymore? Help us escape, please, Ry,” I plead, hoping to get through to him.

  “I can’t do that, Kennie. You’re still my sister and I’ll keep you safe here, but we need you for this rebellion to happen,” he answers with a sad smile.

  “Then get out, I can’t look at you anymore,” I snap, feeling the rage already building up again.

  “Fine. I’ll check in later to see how you are.” Ryan steps back, slowly at first, as if not wanting to leave.

  “I’d rather you didn’t,” I say, glaring daggers at him.

  “I know, but I’ll come and see you all the same. Get some rest,” he says, pulling the door open to leave. “See you later, Kennie.”

  “Bye, Ryan.”

  Chapter 4

  Mackenzie

  Pulling on my navy-coloured jacket, I freeze as the door opens. Slowly I turn on the spot to face the man who has just entered.

  “Good morning, Mackenzie, I trust you slept well,” Alaric greets, as he steps into the room.

  “Yes, being held captive always helps me sleep soundly,” I reply sarcastically, as I zip up my jacket. The chill of the room requires a jacket whenever I’m not huddled under the covers.

  “Well, perhaps once you see more of what we are trying to accomplish here, you’ll no longer be a captive. How about a tour?” he asks, flashing a salesman-like grin at me. It’s all I can do not to smack the smile off his face. Liar. Mum would be horrified to find out he’s here, alive, corrupting her son, and now trying to do the same with me. I miss her and my other dads so badly. I miss Kelly. I miss East, Locke, and Logan. I even miss Enzo, the asshole. “Well?” he drawls.

  “I suppose I can’t say no,” I mutter.

  “It would be better if you just tried to understand, Mackenzie. Just come take a walk with me, meet some of our people. Understand why they are choosing to be here,” he offers.

  “Fine.” What’s the worst that could happen? “But I want to see East. I’ll play nice and be good, listen to whatever you have to say. I’ll go on a frickin’ tour of this place, but after, I get to see East,” I add, figuring it’s worth a try.

  “Easton Black?” he questions.

  “Who else?” I ask, rolling my eyes.

  “You can have ten minutes with him,” he offers.

  “Twenty,” I counter, pushing my luck. I need all the time I can get with East, to retain my sanity in this place.

  He looks at me calculatingly. “Fifteen, final offer,” he offers, smirking at me.

  “Fine, fifteen minutes with East for a damn tour where I listen.”

  “Let’s get to showing you around then.” He heads back through the door, and seeing no other option, I square my shoulders and follow him.

  Trailing after Alaric, I'm surprised at how boring a rebel base can be. I expected weapons, equipment, people doing military style drills. Instead I find classrooms, dorms, a dining hall, and even children running around. At first, I'd been shocked, but now I'm just bored. I was confused at the fact I'm allowed to freely walk around the base, not chained up in a dungeon or anything, but then I saw the wall surrounding the whole place. A patrol walks along the top on a loop, and it's heavily guarded at all times. It’s the only sign of what this place truly is, that I’ve seen. A hand waves in my face, and I turn to look at him.

  “Are you listening, Mackenzie?” Alaric asks in a pained tone.

  “Sure I am,” I answer automatically.

  “What did I just explain?”

  “Umm...” I trail off, not having a clue what he's said.

  “Alaric, Simon needs to speak with you.” I turn at the sound of Mr Daniels' voice, and I stare at him. Despite how mad I am, and ho
w much his betrayal hurts me, I can't help but notice how good he looks in his workout clothing. It makes me think of our last training session, and what happened between us there.

  “Is it urgent?” Alaric gives a pointed look at me. Subtle.

  “Would I be coming to get you right now, if it wasn't?”

  “Fine. You can finish showing her around, while I go speak with Simon,” he instructs. He turns to me. “Goodbye, Mackenzie.”

  “Bye,” I reply blankly, happy that he's leaving, considering I feel so uncomfortable around him. I watch him leave, until he's turned the corner and is out of sight.

  “So, where's the good stuff?” I ask Mr Daniels.

  “Good stuff?”

  “Yeah, the weapons of mass destruction, people being tortured, that kind of thing,” I say.

  “Nowhere, there's nothing like that here, Miss Crowe. What kind of organisation do you think we are?” he asks dryly.

  “The kind that breaks into a school and attacks students,” I snap back.

  “What?”

  “Your psychotic sister, she tortured a student. Don't act like you don't know!” I turn away from him, and start to walk off. I don't get far though.

  “What do you mean she tortured a student?” he asks, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back around to face him. I see the serious look on his face and sigh.

  “I mean, she used the pain mark on one of the students in my year,” I answer. When I look into his green eyes, all I see is her, so I look down.

  “She wouldn't do that. If that had happened, it would have been in the report filed by the school with the council. I didn't read that in the report,” he says firmly.

  “I saw her do it with my own eyes; are you calling me a liar?” I ask, clenching my fists, only just keeping control over my powers.