Marked For Death: A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel by Becca Blake (english novels to improve english .txt) 📕

“Marcus already knows everything,” I said.

“Marcus assumes a lot more than he knows, and he counts on you assuming he knows everything. If he knew Ed was working on something for you, for example, we’d have to start looking for a new alchemist.”

“But he saw me there that day.”

“He saw you going to get a dagger enchanted. He suspects there was more to your visit, but Ed won’t confirm it.”

“So, what do we do?” Jacob asked.

“I can help you get out of town,” she said, lowering her voice even though we were in the safety of her own home. “Do you have somewhere safe to go?”

“Yeah,” I said. At least we already had that part figured out. “My—”

“Don’t tell me,” Celia said, cutting me off once more. “That’s good. I can’t keep you safe here forever, but I was able to convince the others to delay your trial so we could focus on Orion’s.”

“What do they plan to do with us?” I asked.

“Marcus plans to hand Orion over to Raxael, but he hasn’t told me what he has planned for you.”

Jacob’s face darkened. “Well, my father isn’t exactly known for his mercy.”

Remembering the coldness in his eyes the day of Jacob’s evaluation, I shuddered. If he could allow something like that to happen to his own son, I didn’t want to think about what would happen to me.

Celia handed Jacob a set of keys. “These are for a truck in the community lot, which you can use to get out of town. There will be people watching you at all times, so I suggest you two stay together and avoid being seen.”

“What about Orion?” I asked.

“They locked him in one of the cells in the town hall basement. It’s only a matter of time before Raxael comes to claim him.” She turned toward the window and rested her head on the glass, closing her eyes. “Each night, we have a security guard near the entrance. There will be two more guarding his cell at all times, though near the end of a long night, I wouldn’t expect them to be as attentive as they should be.”

Three loud knocks came from the front door.

My entire body tensed as Celia cleared her throat and gave me a sharp look. She answered the door and stepped aside to invite Marcus Thorne in.

Jacob watched his father with the same unreadable expression he had during Orion’s trial.

“A cup of coffee, if you don’t mind,” Marcus said, smiling at Celia. “You know how I like it.”

“Of course,” she said, offering him a stiff smile of her own. She disappeared down the hallway, leaving us alone with the Councilman.

He took the seat across from Jacob and me and leaned back. “I’d like you both to know how sorry I am about the situation with your commanding officer.”

“I’m sure you are,” Jacob bit out.

“He shouldn’t have dragged the you into this mess. We gave him a chance to make his case, but as you saw, he didn’t leave us with many options.” Marcus shook his head with feigned remorse. “My hands are tied here. But I’d like to do what I can to offer you safety and protection.”

“And what do you want in return?” Jacob asked.

“Your cooperation.”

Celia returned with two coffee mugs, and she handed one to Marcus. “I’m sure Riley and Jacob will be happy to give us whatever we need.”

“Our cooperation with what?” I asked. “It seems like you had all the proof you needed to arrest Orion.”

“True.” Marcus kept his gaze on me as he took a sip of his coffee. “However, we believe he was planning to do more. We’d like to know what. And, of course, where he hid the emerald.”

“I don’t know anything about that,” I said.

“I would love to help you both, but I can’t guarantee your safety without it.”

Celia stood near the window, gripping her mug. She averted her gaze, offering me no hints about how I should respond.

Marcus fixed his grey eyes on me, waiting for my reply. His frown deepened the creases on his face, making him appear even older than usual.

“We were knocked unconscious during the fight,” Jacob said. “When we woke up, Maki and the gem were both gone. We assumed he took it with him.”

“I see.” The way Marcus stared at him made me wonder if he could see through his son’s soul. “This is your last chance to give me information I can use. Are you sure that’s all you know?”

“Yes, sir.” To Jacob’s credit, he didn’t flinch or look away under the pressure of his father’s intense gaze.

“Then, for your sakes, I hope we can find Jay Maki soon,” Marcus said, setting his coffee on the table between us. “We’ll have to provide you a protective detail until your trial.”

“Protection from what?” I asked.

Marcus gave me another tight-lipped smile. “It’s just a formality, of course.”

“Of course,” Jacob said.

I hated playing his game. Everyone in the room knew the hunters monitoring us wouldn’t be there for our protection.

It was as fake as Orion’s trial, and it pissed me off.

Worse, I still couldn’t make sense of any of it. Even if the Council was working with these demon lords and had been for centuries, Orion had been doing everything right. So why did they feel the need to frame him?

“What did Orion ever do to you?” I asked. “Why do you hate him so much?”

Instead of answering my question, Marcus widened his smile.

“I believe we’re done here,” he said coolly. He brushed past Celia on the way out, then paused in her entryway. “I suggest you both tread lightly in the future. Lord Raxael is not one to cross, and believe me when I say you don’t want to capture his attention.”

Chapter Twenty-One

As Marcus promised, heavily armed men who were dressed from head to toe in leather followed us back to my house and parked their SUV across the street.

Once we were safely inside, I pulled aside the curtain and looked out at