The Mark of Fate: Book 3 of The Marked series by Ford, Rinna (romantic love story reading .TXT) 📕

space right in front of me, he leaned down so we were face to face and roughly grabbed my chin so I couldn’t look away. All the humor and lightness in his expression was gone leaving behind the cruelty and malice I had come to expect from him and his people. The mask had slipped away and for the first time since stepping into the office, I felt more at ease. He was finally showing his true colors.

“Because I willed it,” he told me. “You are here in this room, in my presence because I want you to be. You will always do what I want you to do because I am God to you. I am God to everyone here and soon, I will be God to every living human and supernatural on this earth. You were the only one standing in my way and now that I have you, there’s no one who can stop me from doing as I please. I own you, Emelia, and the sooner you understand that, the better things will be.”

He released my chin with a jerk and stood up straight. After a few seconds, his happy-go-lucky smile returned and he shook his finger at me.

“You tricked me,” he chuckled. “I didn’t want to tell you my plan and with one question, you had me spilling my guts.”

“So you don’t plan to kill me? I find that hard to believe.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Believe what you want.” Ironshot broke eye contact with me and looked toward the men at the door. “Our guest is tired and needs her rest.”

The two idiots quickly reached me but as they each grabbed my arms, Alec stepped up.

“Councilman Ironshot, I can take her back to her cell before I leave, if you’d like.”

“That’s not...”

“That would be wonderful! Thank you Alec,” Ironshot interrupted me before I could voice my displeasure with having him anywhere near me.

The two goons let go of my arms and backed away as Alec walked forward. He smiled down at me cockily and helped me up, holding onto my upper arm and pushed me toward the door.

“I’ll see you soon, Emelia. Rest well!”

I didn’t turn to acknowledge Michael Ironshot’s parting words as we rounded the door and into the hall. Alec kept pushing me, which made my still exhausted legs stumble.

“Can you walk, Emi, or do you need me to carry you?”

I jumped up and growled in his face. “You son of a motherfucking bitch. You don’t ever get to call me that. Do you understand me?”

For the first time since my predators were lost to me, I felt the ferocity that they lent me, even though I knew it wasn’t them all along. It was me. He had no right to use the name Xan had always called me, no one did but him. My heart hurt as I thought about him and Matias. They had to be going out of their minds looking for me.

As if he could read my thoughts, Alec smiled again. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them when I return to the mansion.”

My stomach dropped and my body heated up with anxiety. For the first time since arriving, I couldn’t not show how afraid his words made me. “What?” I asked.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” he teased. “I’m heading back to your precious rebellion after I drop you in your prison. Yeah. Don’t you worry your pretty little head. They’ll all be in good hands while I’m there since I plan on being very helpful while you’re gone.”

With that, he shoved me down the stairs, making me fall to my knees. He let me stay there for a few seconds before wrenching me back up and pushing me all the way down to the bottom. I didn’t get a chance to find my footing again before he threw me in my cell and locked the door behind me with a deep laugh.

I glared up at him from the cold floor and vowed that I’d kill him. I didn’t know when and I didn’t know how, but his death would be mine.

“Nothing to say, little queen?” he continued to laugh.

With strength I didn’t know I possessed at that moment, I pushed myself up to my feet and walked over to the bars separating us. He took a step forward, leaving only six inches between our faces.

We stared at each other until I spit in his face, making that cocky smirk disappear.

“You’re going to die for that, bitch,” he sneered and wiped at his face.

“Good luck with your mission,” I told him and turned, showing my back.

I wanted him to doubt himself and what he’d be able to accomplish at the California mansion. I needed him to doubt himself, even just a little bit for my own sanity. Alec was definitely a charming asshole, but I knew my mates, my uncle, and my grandfather wouldn’t trust him completely. At least, that was what I hoped.

Chapter Eighteen

I stayed standing with my back to the door until I heard Alec’s footsteps fade away and the door close at the top of the stairs, leaving me all alone once again. That was when I let myself collapse onto the tiny, moldy mattress.

I was exhausted but beyond that, my thirst was growing by the second. I tried to think about something else; my mates, a way out of there, anything, but all I could think about was how hungry I was.

I was so lost in thought about it, I didn’t hear asshole guard number one come into the basement until he was standing right in front of the door. The disgust on his face was something I expected but not the bag of blood in his hand. Carelessly, he threw it onto the floor a couple of feet from where I lay.

“Drink up, bitch.” He growled out the statement as an insult rather than the answer to my prayers and walked back toward the stairs.

With shaky fingers, I picked