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Marcus chuckled. He actually chuckled. Something bad must have happened in there for him to be acting this way, but now wasn't the time to be asking.
Wynn didn't move from the bed, giving Marcus a two-finger wave.
Antoine stood from the table as Marcus moved farther into the room. Marcus stopped before Antoine and they had some kind of silent conversation before they clasped each other’s forearms and hugged briefly. Except when Marcus pulled back, Antoine jerked him close, sniffing him before scowling. "Why do you smell like Piper's blood?"
Everyone in the room but Darren inhaled deeply. The sweet scent of Piper's blood was all over Marcus, and it was pulling at every bit of the alpha protectiveness inside me. Piper could be hurt right now. Dying, or worse, Marcus might have killed her. It wasn't a secret that he didn't like her. That he wanted to get rid of her from the beginning.
Rayne must have read my thoughts, because he was stomping across the room and shoving at Marcus's chest. "What did you do to her? Did you kill her? Did you?" He hit him again and again before Antoine grabbed him by the back of the shirt and threw him halfway across the room.
"Calm yourself, Rayne. Let Marcus explain."
"Yeah, Rayne." Drake smirked in the redhead's direction. "You're the mind reader, don't jump to conclusions."
Marcus dusted himself off. Not that it did much good. His clothes were ripped and covered in blood. His and Piper's. He looked far better than he should for a guy who hadn't eaten in several days, and had likely been tortured for over half of that. But unlike Rayne, I didn't attack him. I gave him the chance to get his bearings before he finally spoke.
"Piper is alive." The room seemed to sag at his words, or maybe that was just me. That was until he added on, "At least she was when I left her."
"What do you mean when you left her?" Rayne snarled, coming at him again, but this time I stepped in front of him, holding him back from Marcus. "You just left her there? Huh? You took what you needed and ran? You coward!"
Marcus snorted. "Before you get your panties any further into a bind, you should know I can't make Piper do anything she doesn't want to do. She stayed behind by choice."
"Of course she did." Drake threw his head back and turned his back on the lot of us as if he couldn't stand to look at any of us right now.
Antoine placed a hand on Marcus's shoulder and then gestured to Darren who went to the blood cooler. "Sit. Eat. Explain."
Marcus took Antoine's seat at the table and accepted the blood bag. He sucked it down a lot slower than expected, but I had a feeling that might have been due to Piper’s blood that lingered on him.
We waited anxiously for him to collect himself, but it was my brother who gave in first. "Come on, the anticipation is killing me. Just tell us what happened already."
Marcus sat the blood bag down on the table, completely drained, and crossed his arms over his chest. "The plan didn't go the way we expected. They were waiting for me when I rounded back to follow them." His eyes darted to Antoine, who inclined his head in understanding. "They drugged me, took me to a base, but I didn't get a chance to check it out before they were moving me again." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "The next time I woke up, Piper was standing over me with another hunter." Twisting in his seat, he narrowed his eyes on Darren. "She's bulked up over this last year."
Darren didn't even flinch, simply stared back at him, not giving an inch.
Rayne sighed with aggravation. "We know."
"She's pretty handy with a dagger too," Marcus pointed out with a bit of a smirk. It made me curious about what she'd done to put that look on his face.
"Weknow." Rayne scowled. "Just tell us what happened already."
Antoine shot Rayne a warning look before jerking his head toward Marcus. "Go ahead."
Marcus shifted back in his seat. "I was beaten badly and blood starved."
"You attacked her, didn't you?" Rayne snapped, before Marcus could finish his explanation.
"Rayne. One more word..." Antoine's command sunk into each of us, making the room heavier with tension.
Rayne pressed his lips tightly together and collapsed on the nearby bed, pouting like a child.
Marcus wasn't deterred by Rayne's interruptions or accusations. "She should have just left me there. I was as good as dead anyway." His lips ticked up at the edges. "But of course she wouldn't. She fed me..." He trailed off, saying more by not saying anything. "But when we were going to leave, she wouldn't come with me." Marcus shook his head, annoyance and a hint of pride on his face. "Pfft, she even cut her arm and made me bite her again to make it look like she'd been attacked rather than rescuing me."
"Why didn't she come with you?" I asked quietly. "Why would she stay behind?"
It was Darren who answered. Not Marcus.
"She doesn't want to just save one of you." All eyes turned toward the butler. "Piper plans to save all of you. Either by killing all the hunters or finding someone else for them to chase."
"Something else to chase?" Drake mused, his fingers tapping on the top of the table. "What the hell is that crazy woman thinking?"
