Marked By Pain (The Marked #2)(3)
“Where exactly is this base?” I ask anyway, but he doesn’t answer. He stands and exits the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Chapter 2
Mackenzie
“Why are you working for them? Why are you a part of this stupidity?” I question, as we drive down the motorway. He stays silent, refusing to answer me like he has been doing for ages. I curse and stare out of the window. There are rebel-driven cars in front of and behind us, so we’re completely surrounded. Not like I could escape Mr Daniels if I tried anyway. I need to wait for a better opportunity. Get back home to my parents, clearly the academy isn’t safe. I need to tell mum about Alaric too. Now I know why she could never speak to him using spirit, it wasn’t a lack of skill, the bastard was never dead.
“There are things you don’t understand—”
“Save it,” I mutter, cutting him off. Excuses won’t change anything. He betrayed my trust, pretended to care about me, all to help the rebels. The people who wreak havoc in our communities.
A car undertaking us, speeding up way above the speed limit, catches my eye. I watch the Mercedes with the tinted windows curiously as it slows down to keep level with us. Is this another of their cars? What are they doing?
The window rolls down and I try not to scream. Easton. The window rolls back up before I can even do anything about it. He speeds up again, before switching to the furthest lane. He’s going to get off at the next exit, I’m sure. Why? I look around at the road signs and the answer hits me. There’s a service station.
“I need to pee, can we stop?” I say, pointing at the upcoming exit.
“You cannot be serious,” he replies, glancing across at me.
“Completely. What do you think I’m going to do, cause a scene in front of all the humans? Expose our entire race, just to help myself?” I question sarcastically. He seems to consider it a moment, before pulling out his phone. I can’t help but glare at him. He really shouldn’t be using that while driving.
“We’re stopping at the service station. I need a female member of the team to go into the restroom with her,” he says, not bothering to greet whoever he’s called. “No, I don’t care if you think it’s a bad idea, we’re doing it,” he barks, ending the call. He quickly switches lanes, and pulls off at the exit.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“Don’t thank me,” he says quietly.
“You’re right, I shouldn’t,” I snap back. He turns to look at me, watching me for something as I stare right back, neither one of us wanting to say a word or break first. Mr Daniels stops the car, and places his hand on my shoulder. I don’t move, but I glance at his warm feeling hand and then back up to his face. His soft brown hair, the cute dimples, and the alluring green eyes that I ended up falling for. I smile slightly, before placing my hand over his, linking our fingers and calling on my fire mark. He doesn’t move as my hand gets hotter, hot enough to almost burn both of us.
“I deserve for you to hurt me, but I know you won’t,” he says quietly, and I glare at him.
“I could. You really don’t know me that well, Mr Daniels,” I say in an overly sweet tone, making my hand burn a little hotter, though still not enough to actually hurt him or leave a mark. I hate that he’s right, that I can’t make myself hurt him. Not that I will ever admit it aloud.
“No, you couldn’t. Just like I could never hurt you, Miss Crowe,” he says and I shove his hand away furiously, rushing out the car. I run my hand through my thick dark hair, pushing it from my face as I look around to distract myself from his words. I can’t stop myself thinking how right he is, and how much I hate that, that he knows me so well, and that I clearly know so little of him. There are three cars parked behind us, blocking the entrance to the fuel station and as I look around, I don’t see East’s car. There are fields behind the fuel station, and nothing else, except for the small road that leads back to the motorway.
“Come on, twelve,” I hear behind me, and I turn to see an older woman with long black hair and a serious expression. She has a water mark on her right cheek, not something that is uncommon in our kind, but its means she is powerful with that gift. I look over the car to see Mr Daniels get out, watching me with a neutral expression, none of the emotion showing that I saw in his eyes a second ago.
“Hurry up, Miss Crowe. And try to behave, I don’t want to have to come in there after you,” Mr Daniels warns me.
“Fuck. You,” I mutter slowly, keeping my eyes locked with his as he grins and folds his arms.
He doesn’t reply as he turns and walks towards one of the other rebel’s cars. I find my eyes tracing his tight ass in his jeans, and the muscular frame of his shoulders and back under his jumper. I pull my eyes away, knowing that I shouldn’t be looking at him like that anymore, that he is the leader of the rebels. He is the bad guy, and yet, bad never looked so damn good.
I turn around, walking straight towards the entrance to the small fuel station. It’s a blue building, with two places to fill up cars outside and the toilets are labelled with glowing neon lights above the door on a small side building. I hear steps behind me, and I turn my head to see the woman with the water mark following me, two men in black suits at her sides. East better have a good plan. I walk straight to the bathrooms, pushing the woman’s door open, with the water marked woman following me inside.