Page 24 of Marked (Wicked Heirs #1)

“Titus,” Valen’s voice cut through the darkness. “We need to talk.”

“Do we?”

“Don’t be an asshole. I’m serious.”

I twisted in my chair to look at my brother, but I didn’t take my feet off my desk or close the book in my lap. “You’re always too serious.”

The library was my sanctuary—he knew that.

Bastian was smart enough not to disturb me.

“I was just talking to Avril—”

I looked back down at my book as irritation reared up inside me. “Why?”

Ever since the funeral, Valen had been acting more smug than usual.

“Don’t be so defensive,” Valen said. I didn’t have to look at him to know that he was smiling. “Just because you haven’t made any headway with her—”

“Careful—”

“You might benefit from my advice,” Valen said casually. He approached the desk and leaned his hip against it. “She’s not as tough as she thinks she is.”

I snorted and kept my eyes on the book in my lap.

“Has Bastian made any… headway?”

“No,” I replied in a bored tone. “As much as he wanted to continue his voyeurism, the sigils on Avril’s new bedroom are making it difficult for him.”

Valen chuckled. “Poor boy. We had some good views from the bathroom mirror—”

I closed the book and looked up at him. “ What do you want?”

Valen let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Avril came to talk to me,” he said. “Alone.”

“So?”

“She didn’t know about her father,” he said.

A flicker of anger shimmered through me. “Bullshit.”

“None of it,” Valen said. “Julia hadn’t told her anything. The Academy kept her completely shielded from all of it.

“Why—”

“You know why,” Valen snapped. “Our father made sure of it.”

“She told you that?”

“No. But I’m not an idiot.” Valen’s tone was sharp. “The Academy is… particular about its students.”

“That’s why they expelled you,” I said.

Valen flinched, but he didn’t argue. “With her bloodline, she never should have gotten in—but she’s been studying there for years without anyone making any complaints.”

I pressed my fingers to my temple. My patience with my brothers was always thin, but there was something about Valen’s mood that put me on edge. “What are you trying to say?”

Silence fell between us, and I tapped my fingers against the leather cover of the book in irritation .

“I’m saying that I think Lucian has been keeping the Velez family closer than he should have,” he said finally.

“What was your first clue?” I snarled. “Marrying the traitor’s whore? Or announcing that he was going to marry the traitor’s daughter?”

I threw the book onto the desk and swung my feet to the floor.

“What do you really think our father is planning?” I demanded as I stood. “What use is a pale spark like her to someone like him?”

Valen shrugged. “I won’t pretend to know what Lucian is planning. Maybe he just wants control over her, like everything else.”

“It can’t be that simple,” I said through gritted teeth.

Valen watched me with a calculating gaze, then stepped back from the desk and crossed his arms. “Lucian plays long games,” he said.

“No,” I hissed out, “It’s worse now because we can’t get rid of the Velez girl as easily as I’d hoped.”

Valen seemed to consider this for a moment before shrugging again. “Who says we can’t? There are ways.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Murder isn’t one of them.”

He had the audacity to grin at that, a dark glint in his eyes that sent an uneasy chill down my spine. “And who says it has to be murder? It’s not as though she has any power to steal. It would be a waste of time to murder her.”

Before I could question him further, Bastian emerged from the shadowy doorways of the library.

“Whose murder are we discussing?” he asked dryly as grabbed hold of the back of a nearby chair and dragged it over to the desk. “And are we invited?” he finished, looking at us with curious, ragged eyes. His grin was almost deranged, the result of too many bitter nights and bloody mornings .

“No one’s murder,” I snapped with a sharp glare.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he complained as he straddled the chair and rested his arms on the back. “We were just getting to the good part.”

Valen leaned forward, arms folded across his chest. “We’re not killing her,” he clarified, annoyance coloring his tone. “Titus seems to think she’s off limits.”

Bastian chuckled darkly, and his curling blond hair fell over his eyes as he reached out for the bottle of Serris-wine that I had left on the edge of the desk.

“But isn’t it funny?” Bastian mocked as he popped the cork off and took a generous swig. “She entered our lives like a small, defenseless creature among fierce predators... ignorant and na?ve.” He traced the rim of the bottle with his slender finger, as if it were Avril’s neck.

His nonchalance sent shivers up my spine. This was no mere jest.

I shot him a dangerous look, to which he simply smirked in return in an amused show of defiance. “Oh come now, Titus,” he sneered. His voice was acidic and laced with a cruel kind of enjoyment. “Have I touched a nerve?”

“I don’t have time for this,” I growled. Anger bubbled inside me like a pot about to boil over. I made a move for the door, but Valen reached out to stop me, his long fingers closing tightly around my forearm.

“We need to talk about her, Titus.” His voice was stern, a telling sign that this was far more than just one of our regular disputes. “Like it or not, Avril is part of our lives.”

“She should have been tossed out into the street when her whore of a mother died,” Bastian said, before he took another swig from the wine bottle.

I yanked my arm free from Valen’s grip. Avril’s delicate image flashed in front of my eyes again. The way her chestnut hair cascaded down her shoulders, the gentle sense of vulnerability in her hazel eyes... It would be a lie to say that I didn’t find her innocence maddeningly appealing.

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the mahogany desk behind me. “Is there a point to all this?” My patience was dwindling.

“I think we might need a new strategy,” Valen said. “If Lucian is focused on her—he wants to make her the mistress of this estate—”

“We can’t let that happen,” I snarled.

“Why not?” Bastian asked. “What do we care what he does with her?”

“You don’t see that she could usurp all of us,” I said. “If Lucian puts a brat in her belly, that child will inherit everything— Not me. Not you. Not even Valen.”

My brothers’ eyes were suddenly fixed on me.

“You can’t be serious,” Valen choked out.

“Bullshit,” Bastian muttered into the wine bottle.

“You don’t believe me?” I asked. “You’re fools if you think Lucian cares about either of you.”

Bastian snorted. His disbelief was more irritating than the heavy silence that hung in the room. “You’ve lost your damn mind, Titus.”

A bitter smile spread across my lips at his insolence. “Have I?”

Valen’s gaze flicked between us as a frown formed on his face. “We should go to him,” he suggested, but his voice carried an unusual note of uncertainty.

“No!” I barked, the abrupt sound creaking through the stale library air. I glared at him with a severity that had him flinching back involuntarily. “What? So he can laugh in our faces and toss us aside? And then what? Trust her even more because his malicious sons tried to stand in the way of his precious plans?” The last words were spat out, their venom reaching every corner of the room before receding into bitterness.

A silence fell upon us, thicker than before. Somewhere in the background, Bastian helplessly shrugged his shoulders and brought the wine bottle to his lips again.

Finally, Valen let out a sigh of defeat. “Then what do we do?”

I met his gaze steadily. “We shall have to taint her in our father’s eyes,” I declared, my voice low and dangerous. “Are you with me?”

Valen’s eyes widened with surprise—perhaps even a hint of horror—as he took in my words. “You’re suggesting we... seduce her?”

I let out a snort. “We were going to, anyway. Why not raise the stakes?”

Bastian let out a bark of laughter, a raw, unhinged sound that echoed in the library's silence and bounced off the aged leather-bound books and darkened walls. His eyes glinted dangerously as he took another swig of wine. “I like your thinking, brother,” he smirked.

“Nothing we do will change her status,” Valen argued, but I could see the flicker of doubt in his dark eyes. The seed of my proposition had been planted; despite his protestations, he was considering it.

“Speak for yourself, Valen,” Bastian chimed in with an air of insolent ease. “I’ve always found that a few well-placed... persuasions can make a world of difference.”

“No.” It was my turn to interject. “We won’t harm her.” I shot a warning glance at Bastian, who rolled his eyes but fell quiet. “But we will make her ours. If we take the only thing Lucian values about her, he will be less likely to elevate her above us.”

“You’re assuming she’ll be easy to manipulate,” Valen pointed out, his brow furrowed in thought .

“Who says we’re manipulating her?” Bastian retorted and an impish grin split his face. “Maybe she’ll enjoy being worshipped by the sons of the most powerful man in Messana.”

I ignored Bastian’s petty jab and turned my gaze on Valen. He was right; this plan hinged on Avril’s ability to be influenced. There had to be something she wanted. Something that would make her vulnerable.

“We have to offer her something,” I said. “Something that makes her believe we care—”

Valen’s eyes narrowed, and he stood up a little straighter. “There is something.”

“What?”

“She wants to escape this place. She almost begged me to get her away from Withermarsh—”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this fresh insight. “Escape,” I mused aloud, running the idea in circles in my mind. A smile tugged at my lips as I mulled over the information. How very tempting.

“But how do we make her trust us?” Valen’s question echoed the concern in his own eyes.

“By giving her exactly what she desires, of course.” Bastian’s smirk widened at the bemused expression on Valen’s face. “A taste of the liberty she craves.”

Something twinged within me at his words. Avril desired freedom, an escape from our father’s clutches.

It was a cruel game, but I reminded myself that this was for survival.

Then we’ll let her experience freedom... enough to keep her hoping.”

“Are you sure about this, Titus?” Now Valen was guarded, and concern shadowed his eyes.

“Yes,” I replied firmly. My gaze turned stony as it locked onto Valen’s silent resistance. “Are you? ”

Valen exhaled heavily through his nose and bowed his head in agreement. “Alright.” Although there was unease in his tone, I knew I could trust him to comply.

A low chuckle escaped Bastian as he watched our exchange, the wine bottle still clutched in his hand.

“I’ve been waiting for a worthy scheme to spice up this eternal boredom,” he drawled, a wicked gleam dancing in his pale eyes. A devilish smirk replaced his angelic facade. “Consider me on board, brother.”

“Good.” I straightened up from where I leaned against the desk. Avril’s innocent face flashed across my mind and an unexpected pang shot through me, one I quickly suppressed.

She might not have asked for this, but it was what she deserved.

My father should never have brought her here.

“We begin tomorrow,” I said, and my voice echoed around the room as a weighty finality. Bastian raised his bottle in a mock toast while Valin merely nodded.

We’ll taint her... Make her ours.

“Valen,” I said sharply. “She trusts you— though I can’t fathom why. You’ll be the one to tell her.”

“Tell her what?” Valen said incredulously. “You’re the mastermind here—”

“You’ll tell her about our... offer,” I said, cutting him off. My gaze bore into his, unyielding. “And you will make her believe it is the key to her freedom and that we’ll protect her from Lucian.”

Valen’s shoulders stiffened, but he said nothing. He knew as well as I did that he was most likely to be successful in this task.

As for Bastian, he let out another exhilarating laugh, and the sound echoing eerily through the room.

“This should be entertaining,” he sneered, and then frowned at the empty wine bottle in his hand.

My lips curled into a crooked smile at Bastian’s eager acceptance, but my eyes remained fixed on Valen. After a long pause, he finally nodded slowly.

“I’ll do it,” he uttered quietly, almost bitterly.

“Excellent,” I replied, failing to conceal the satisfaction from my voice. “Remember, we have to get it right. If she goes running to Lucian—”

“She won’t,” Valen interrupted me. “She doesn’t trust him.”

I could feel an uncharacteristic tension radiating from my bastard brother, but I knew I could trust him. This plan was certainly a gamble and yet a part of me felt certain about its success.

I stood up straighter and took a deep breath as my gaze settled on the portrait of our father that hung ominously above us.

“We do this not just for ourselves,” I murmured quietly, addressing the group one last time before disbanding them for the night. “But for our survival as well. Lucian has gone too far.”

The others were silent now. Their eyes were clouded, and even Bastian seemed to have sobered enough to know that we were about to undertake something dangerous.