Page 77 of The Devil of Hollywood

“Marian?”

A laugh had her shaking her head as she kept her focus on her appearance.

“Did you see what I did to them? I didn’t think it was enough but look at me.” Again, she laughed. “I brought them with us. I took their lives, and here they are. Right here, on this dress.” Her hands lifted, and her bottom lip trembled. “I said they’d pay. I-I told her I wasn’t a mouse. I’m not afraid. I’m a shark. I told her that. She didn’t believe me. Not really. They saw, though. They saw…”

“Marian.” I stepped forward, turning her to face me. Her lips trembled again as tears filled her eyes, but she continued.

“I’m glad they’re dead. I want to kill them again. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what to do, only that I wanted them to feel my pain.”

“They felt it. We all felt it. We saw it.”

“Her stare widened. “You did?”

“…Yes. We saw.”

The tears fell, and she sniffled, standing taller. Her teeth were beginning to chatter. They were joining the suddenly jerky movements that left her twitching.

“Let’s get this dress off you so we can wash away the blood.”

“Wash it away?” She stepped back. “I’m not washing it away. This is my blood now. I killed them. It belongs to me.”

My lips parted through the confusion.

“You don’t want to take off the dress and shower?”

“What’s the point? I’m about to get bloody all over again. This night is born of blood; it will end in blood. If they want a show, they’re going to get one. In this dress. Just like this. Me, you, covered in our vows. We are the shadows above kings.” She smiled. “Drayton, we are the shadows… above kings. Do you know what that means?”

I licked my lips, not able to think past the part of her wanting me to fuck her in her bloody wedding dress. I shouldn’t. I should give her romance and foreplay. Anything to get her in the mood to make this less painful. What she spoke of was just as she said, a show. It was raw, dirty, and savage, just as I imagined fucking her over those guards’ bodies. I was going to have her in the next best thing—a dress covered in their blood.

“What does it mean, Marian?”

She blinked through thoughts that seemed to steal her away. “It’s brilliant, really. The king can never escape the shadow. The king is at the top of a monarchy. The shadow is above, behind, watching, waiting, stalking the one it is tied to. This creed isn’t just some doctrine or code members have to say to get into some special club. This is a revolution. It is a prophecy to fulfill. Laws didn’t just eliminate an entire bloodline, Drayton. Families did that. They’ve used time to try to cover their actions. They used history itself to try to rewrite them. The shadow above kings is… it’s… hidden, silent. You can’t escape what you don’t see. What you don’t understand. The Unavowed, he’s not the king, but he doesn’t have to be. Kings rule for all to see. They are in the light. The Unavowed, he’s stronger than a king. Even amongst the elite above ground, they must know of his power. It’s there with them… and here… with us. It breeds and lives in darkness. He has the dark, Drayton, and with the right people at his side, like us, he could win the light. We could help him win.”

“Did I say I like her? I really, really like her.”

The Unavowed walked around the corner of the bathroom door, nearly filling up the space as he leaned against the doorframe.

“I bet you do.” I paused. “We’ll be getting this over with. We’ll worry about a shower afterward. Your doctor can help us with our wounds when we’re clean.” I glanced at Marian. “You’re sure you want it this way?”

Marian didn’t answer. She stood straighter, scanning The Unavowed’s face before speaking.

“Who’s bearing witness?”

He smiled. “I’m feeling generous. Your choice. Who would you like, Mrs. Pennington?”

“Penny.”

“Absolutely not. She’s in trouble for what she pulled tonight.”

“You said it was my choice.”

“Pick someone else.”

I gestured towards The Unavowed. “I take it you’re not sticking around.”

“I am not. I have my own future wife to deal with.”

“You won’t hurt her?”