Page 11 of Marked (Wicked Heirs #1)

Titus’ dark laughter followed me as I rushed up the stairs on shaking legs.

My cheeks burned with shame so intense it eclipsed any I’d known before.

It didn’t help that my body throbbed on the edge of release—

That bastard.

Tears stung my eyes as I ran headlong down the long hallway that led to my room and I burst through the door and slammed it shut behind me.

It would have been easy to sink to the floor and dissolve into tears.

But as I struggled to catch my breath, I knew I couldn’t let him win. I couldn’t let him see that he had come within an inch of breaking me.

“Stop it,” I hissed.

My magic had failed me—but that wasn’t a surprise.

But what angered me the most was how quickly my body had responded to Titus’ touch.

It was unexpected and unsettling, and I hated myself for it .

He’d cut my dress—my beautiful dress—and I’d been afraid that he would turn the blade of the knife on me next… He’d threatened my life more than once since I’d come to Withermarsh. But just now he’d wanted something different…

He’d wanted… me.

My surrender.

All I wanted was to push the heavy wooden vanity against the door and pretend that nothing could touch me. But I had to go back downstairs.

Titus had been right about one thing.

It was my mother’s special day—and I knew that if I wasn’t there, she would be angry.

But how was I going to fix this strap?

My anger with Titus was bitter on my tongue, and my throat was tight with the horror of what had just happened to me.

But you liked it.

The whisper in my mind sent a shiver down my spine.

“Shut up—” I hissed.

I walked over to the vanity and stared at my reflection.

My eyes were bright with the tears I had tried to keep from falling and I rubbed my hand over my cheek. My eyes raked over my body—the red marks on my throat where Titus’ fingers had cut off my breath and the dark spot in the pale gray silk of my gown where my arousal had given me away.

Bastard.

I had to fix my dress—then I could deal with that damp silk…

My eyes darted around the room, seeking any potential solution. I reached desperately for the vanity drawers and tugged them open.

I’d found earrings in them before—I pawed through the drawers, not really knowing what I was looking for.

I pulled a black velvet box out and set it down on the vanity’s dark wooden surface. Nothing else would have worked—a necklace made of smoky crystals, a pair of earrings set with fat pearls and diamonds… Who were these for?

I turned my attention to the velvet box I’d found and opened it with desperate fingers.

The box creaked open, and a diamond encrusted brooch glinted back at me.

“Oh—”

I snatched it up with trembling fingers and turned it reverently as I admired the way it shimmered in the low light. I glanced in the mirror and ignored the flare of a shadow in the corner.

I’m not looking at you. You’re not there , I thought fiercely.

Carefully, I secured the broken strap with the long pin, hoping to secure it back in place. The cold metal pressed against my skin as I fastened it into place and relief bloomed in my chest as the beautiful piece of jewelry nestled amid the other semi-precious stones.

I dared to smile at my reflection, but the flickering shadows seemed to watch me as I moved and their whispers haunted my every step.

My mascara had smudged, but I could fix it. No one needed to know what had happened.

But as I inspected my reflection in the mirror, a sense of dread washed over me. There, on the front of my dress—the wet stain on the pale fabric of my gown, evidence of my arousal and the edge of my climax at Titus’ hands.

Panic surged through me. I had nothing else to wear that would replace this dress. I hadn’t even chosen a second option, and I already knew there was nothing in the wardrobe that would be appropriate for the wedding ceremony.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath as I turned and walked toward the bathroom .

With desperate movements, I swiped at the stain with a cloth, hoping to dry it or at least make it fade just a little, but the delicate fabric seemed to mock me, and refused to give up its damning evidence.

Dark laughter flickered through my mind and I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes tight as I tried to shut them out.

My mind raced with frantic thoughts, each more desperate than the last.

I couldn’t face Lucian and his sons like this—vulnerable and exposed.

I could already imagine Titus’ smug smile.

“Miss Velez? Are you in there?” A voice called out from the other side of my bedroom door and it jolted me out of my despair.

“Just a moment!” I replied, my heart pounding in my chest.

Time had run out.

I took a deep breath, smoothed down the front of my dress and did my best to hide the stain beneath layers of fabric.

I fixed my makeup quickly and re-pinned my hair before I left the bathroom and opened the bedroom door. A servant I hadn’t seen before stood in the hallway.

“Is everything alright, Miss Velez?” she asked, and I sensed a note of genuine concern in her voice.

I must have looked awful.

“Everything is fine,” I lied as I forced a smile onto my trembling lips. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”

The servant nodded hesitantly and then led me through the dimly lit corridor and down the stairs. I half-expected to see Titus leaning against the stone wall, waiting for my return so he could torment me again, but the foyer was empty.

The shadows stretched out across the stone floors like grasping fingers, and as the servant led me toward the grand ballroom where the ceremony would take place, a sense of being observed by unseen eyes lingered.

The music I had heard earlier grew louder as we approached, and a ripple of anxiety flickered down my spine.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked the servant in a hushed voice.

“Wrong? No, Miss Velez,” she replied, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Why do you ask?”

“Nevermind,” I muttered. I was being paranoid. Titus and his brothers were getting to me—

But the unease continued to gnaw at me and consumed my thoughts like a ravenous beast.

“Where— Where are we going?” I asked finally.

“To the ballroom,” the woman replied in a condescending tone. She must have thought I was an idiot to be asking such a question.

“But— Aren’t you taking me to my mother? She must be waiting for me.”

The woman paused and blinked at me in confusion. “She hasn’t asked for you,” she said. “You should take your place among the other guests, Miss Velez. You’re to join them in the ballroom.”

Saddened and empty, I nodded, but only because I didn’t trust myself to speak.

She didn’t want me?

But why?

Reluctantly, I made my way into the ballroom, and tried to ignore the darkness and despair that clawed at my chest.

As I entered, my eyes scanned the ballroom, looking for any familiar faces—but there were none.

The air was heavy with the scent of flowers and I shivered as I felt countless eyes upon me. Though I knew that my life would change when my mother married Lucian Romano, I hadn’t been prepared for… this.

High above me, the crystals of the chandelier tinkled, but the music was sour in my ears. I quickened my pace to pass under it, and I flinched as I expected one of the crystals to come loose and plummet to the ground. But nothing happened.

Paranoid.

A dark chuckle filled my mind and my hands clenched into fists at my sides as I made my way through the guests to find a seat.

The flickering candlelight cast ominous shadows on the walls and turned the grand ballroom into a sinister theater of dancing specters.

Lucian Romano loomed like a dark monument at the altar, and his stony gaze locked onto me as I hesitantly searched for my place among the guests. His pale, predatory eyes bored into me and made my steps falter and my breath catch in my throat.

Why was he looking at me like that?

I wondered, desperately, if Titus had told him what had happened between us—or if he somehow knew—

I found an empty chair near the front of the room and slid into it with a murmured apology to the slender gentleman beside me.

He regarded me coldly, and his dark eyes flickered over me, but he said nothing in response.

Unfamiliar faces filled the room, and I wondered if my mother knew any of them.

Darkly handsome gentlemen, exquisitely beautiful women—who were they?

Sages?

No.

Necromi .

The thought was a whisper in my mind, deep and dark, and I swallowed hard.

Would I be able to see the stain of their dark magic in their eyes? Or was it something else—

The music faded, and a sudden hush fell over the grand ballroom. My heart lurched in my chest as the doors at the far end of the room opened. The crowd of exquisitely dressed guests parted like a sea, revealing my mother standing at the entrance.

She was stunning in an otherworldly sort of way. Her gown shimmered like midnight, and a crown of delicate diamonds, which seemed to steal light from the glow of the chandeliers above, graced her dark head.

I felt a strange sensation—part pain, part loss—in my gut as I watched her glide into the ballroom with an air of dignity and grace I had never known she possessed. She looked regal, untouchable... cold.

Our eyes locked across the hall for a moment, and I saw flickers of something unreadable in her gaze.

Remorse? Regret?

Or perhaps it was merely anticipation of what was about to occur.

The moment passed swiftly as she turned her attention to Lucian, who waited for her at the front of the room.

The predatory glint in his pale eyes returned as he watched my mother walk toward him. My pulse thrummed wildly in my veins as I sensed the eagerness in her steps.

She wanted this.

I wonder if you’re just like her, a whore who will do anything for a life of luxury and excess—

Titus’ words snaked through my mind and I gripped the edge of my chair as I tried to force his voice out of my mind.

The guests were silent now except for the indistinct murmur of excitement rustling through their ranks .

As my mother reached the altar, the ceremony began, and my heart pounded a steady rhythm in my chest.

She didn’t look at me once.

Not once.

I watched in mute disbelief as the priest recited arcane blessings and dark vows, and his voice echoed against the high-vaulted ceilings of the ballroom. Lucian held out a palm to my mother and unfurled his long fingers to reveal a set of paired rings—blackened silver, the gems within them as murky as midnight. The sight of them sent a chill pulsing down my spine.

Julia stepped forward toward Lucian with an unnerving confidence, her gaze never leaving his. They exchanged murmured vows, words I could barely hear over the rushing in my ears. Lucian slipped one of the rings onto her finger, and she reciprocated—accepting him, binding herself to him. Submitting.

The room erupted with applause as they sealed their vows with a kiss—the frenzied clapping and jubilant laughter broke through the suffocating silence that had hung in the air only moments before. My stomach churned at the sight of them together under the flickering chandeliers, while fear and doubt gnawed at me like a hungry shadow.

I scanned the crowd of strangers for some hint of unease or disapproval, but was met with nothing but tightened smiles and gleaming eyes—eyes that shone with either delight or madness; I couldn’t tell.

The only relief was that Titus was nowhere in sight. Yet his absence sent icy tendrils of unease writhing through me.

I rose to my feet almost involuntarily as cheers erupted from every corner. The crowd flowed around me—a sea of elegant gowns and tailored suits, their colors muted under the spectral glow of the chandeliers .

I remained in my seat as the guests surged forward to congratulate the newlyweds.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a swoop of black—the flutter of a raven’s wing—before I saw him. Titus. His gaze met mine from across the room. My throat tightened as his icy stare bored into me. The corners of his mouth lifted in a cruel smile and his eyes flashed with dark delight.

I slowly turned away, trying not to show how much he had affected me—but I could feel his eyes on me still, like twin icicles on my skin. Despite the warmth of the jubilant crowd surrounding us, a chill swept through me.

Servants wound through the room handing out champagne, and though I held a glass, I couldn’t bring myself to drink it.

Lucian raised his glass, and everyone followed suit. His smile was as cool and empty as his pale gaze, which swept over the crowd until it finally landed on me, and it lingered long enough to make me shift uncomfortably before he dragged his gaze away.

A smooth smile spread across his face as he pulled his new bride against his side.

“To new beginnings,” he toasted in a voice that was as smooth and chilling as black ice—and just as dangerous.

The crowd erupted into cheers again, and their glasses clinked together around me.

Julia’s gaze flickered toward me for just a moment— a fleeting glance that shot through me with the cool precision of a dagger, like the one Titus had used to slice through the fabric of my gown. My glass shook in my hand, but I managed a weak smile. She didn’t smile back, and when her gaze shifted to another guest, I took a gulp of my champagne and almost choked on it.

“To the garden,” Lucian called out above the noise. “I want to dance with my bride under the moonlight!”

A murmur of excitement swept through the crowd once more. They seemed to collectively sway toward the large double doors that led to Withermarsh’s enchanted gardens. I was swept up with them, and the flow of guests moved around me like a river of silks and intoxicating perfumes.

“Congratulations,” Titus whispered into my ear, and his breath raised goosebumps across my skin. “You’re officially part of the family now.”

His words ignited a storm of emotions within me. Fear, anger, desire—all churned together and threatened to consume me. My fingers gripped my champagne glass as I struggled to steady my breathing.

“Thank you,” I choked out in an attempt to sound gracious. My every instinct urged me to flee and escape this nightmare, but I was frozen in place.

“Good girl,” he murmured, and his wicked grin sent another shiver down my spine. “Remember, sister, we’re all family now. There’s no need to be afraid.”

His reassurances were like a viper’s venom, and it seeped into my veins and paralyzed me with dread.

“Come, let us toast to our new family,” Lucian called out as he led my mother toward the gardens.

The rest of the attendees trailed behind, and their joyous conversation and voices filled the room like a darkly jarring symphony.

Part of me longed to run, but fear held me captive and whispered threats of pain and retribution should I dare to defy the men who now controlled my life.

I turned to look at Titus, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The hand that held my champagne glass shook just a little as I lifted it to my lips and drained the contents of the glass in one gulp.

The burn of the bubbly liquid didn’t quite wash away the bitter taste that Titus’s words had left in my mouth, nor did it ease the tightness in my throat or loosen the knot in my stomach.

I walked on unsteady legs toward the double doors that led out to the gardens and leaned against the doorframe as music swelled from a small group of musicians. Laughter and applause followed as Lucian swept Julia into a flamboyant waltz. Her laughter, like crystal chimes on a windy evening, rang out through the garden and I drew a shuddering breath before I stepped out of the relative safety of the ballroom.

I knew I needed to follow the other guests, or else risk drawing unwanted attention to myself. The thought of encountering Titus again was enough to make me shudder. Not tonight. I couldn’t handle it.

In fact, I didn’t know if I could handle anything more tonight, but I also didn’t know if they would offer me a choice.