Marked By Pain (The Marked #2)(6)

“Fine. I’ll check in later to see how you are.” Ryan steps back, slowly at first, as if not wanting to leave.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” I say, glaring daggers at him.

“I know, but I’ll come and see you all the same. Get some rest,” he says, pulling the door open to leave. “See you later, Kennie.”

“Bye, Ryan.”





Chapter 4





Mackenzie





Pulling on my navy-coloured jacket, I freeze as the door opens. Slowly I turn on the spot to face the man who has just entered.

“Good morning, Mackenzie, I trust you slept well,” Alaric greets, as he steps into the room.

“Yes, being held captive always helps me sleep soundly,” I reply sarcastically, as I zip up my jacket. The chill of the room requires a jacket whenever I’m not huddled under the covers.

“Well, perhaps once you see more of what we are trying to accomplish here, you’ll no longer be a captive. How about a tour?” he asks, flashing a salesman-like grin at me. It’s all I can do not to smack the smile off his face. Liar. Mum would be horrified to find out he’s here, alive, corrupting her son, and now trying to do the same with me. I miss her and my other dads so badly. I miss Kelly. I miss East, Locke, and Logan. I even miss Enzo, the asshole. “Well?” he drawls.

“I suppose I can’t say no,” I mutter.

“It would be better if you just tried to understand, Mackenzie. Just come take a walk with me, meet some of our people. Understand why they are choosing to be here,” he offers.

“Fine.” What’s the worst that could happen? “But I want to see East. I’ll play nice and be good, listen to whatever you have to say. I’ll go on a frickin’ tour of this place, but after, I get to see East,” I add, figuring it’s worth a try.

“Easton Black?” he questions.

“Who else?” I ask, rolling my eyes.

“You can have ten minutes with him,” he offers.

“Twenty,” I counter, pushing my luck. I need all the time I can get with East, to retain my sanity in this place.

He looks at me calculatingly. “Fifteen, final offer,” he offers, smirking at me.

“Fine, fifteen minutes with East for a damn tour where I listen.”

“Let’s get to showing you around then.” He heads back through the door, and seeing no other option, I square my shoulders and follow him.



Trailing after Alaric, I'm surprised at how boring a rebel base can be. I expected weapons, equipment, people doing military style drills. Instead I find classrooms, dorms, a dining hall, and even children running around. At first, I'd been shocked, but now I'm just bored. I was confused at the fact I'm allowed to freely walk around the base, not chained up in a dungeon or anything, but then I saw the wall surrounding the whole place. A patrol walks along the top on a loop, and it's heavily guarded at all times. It’s the only sign of what this place truly is, that I’ve seen. A hand waves in my face, and I turn to look at him.

“Are you listening, Mackenzie?” Alaric asks in a pained tone.

“Sure I am,” I answer automatically.

“What did I just explain?”

“Umm...” I trail off, not having a clue what he's said.

“Alaric, Simon needs to speak with you.” I turn at the sound of Mr Daniels' voice, and I stare at him. Despite how mad I am, and how much his betrayal hurts me, I can't help but notice how good he looks in his workout clothing. It makes me think of our last training session, and what happened between us there.

“Is it urgent?” Alaric gives a pointed look at me. Subtle.

“Would I be coming to get you right now, if it wasn't?”

“Fine. You can finish showing her around, while I go speak with Simon,” he instructs. He turns to me. “Goodbye, Mackenzie.”

“Bye,” I reply blankly, happy that he's leaving, considering I feel so uncomfortable around him. I watch him leave, until he's turned the corner and is out of sight.

“So, where's the good stuff?” I ask Mr Daniels.

“Good stuff?”

“Yeah, the weapons of mass destruction, people being tortured, that kind of thing,” I say.

“Nowhere, there's nothing like that here, Miss Crowe. What kind of organisation do you think we are?” he asks dryly.

“The kind that breaks into a school and attacks students,” I snap back.

“What?”

“Your psychotic sister, she tortured a student. Don't act like you don't know!” I turn away from him, and start to walk off. I don't get far though.

“What do you mean she tortured a student?” he asks, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back around to face him. I see the serious look on his face and sigh.

“I mean, she used the pain mark on one of the students in my year,” I answer. When I look into his green eyes, all I see is her, so I look down.

“She wouldn't do that. If that had happened, it would have been in the report filed by the school with the council. I didn't read that in the report,” he says firmly.

“I saw her do it with my own eyes; are you calling me a liar?” I ask, clenching my fists, only just keeping control over my powers.