Avenant jaw ticked. “It all happened very quickly.”
Esmeralda smirked at that non-answer. “Well, I guess you’ll go up there and kill Belle now, right? Since you’ve had time to process your failure.”
“Oh, I’m going up there.” His gaze stayed riveted on Belle. “But death is too quick for a usurper.”
Esmeralda snickered. “That’s what I thought you’d say.” She looked over at Marrok. “Isn’t that what you’d thought he’d say?”
“Yep.” Marrok gave Avenant a knowing grin. “Poor bastard.” He looped an arm around Scarlett’s shoulders. “The Good ones are always a pain-in-the-ass.”
“Shut-up, Wolf.” Avenant and Letty chorused.
Marrok chuckled and kissed the top of Scarlett’s head. “They’re worth all the aggravation, though. Believe me. Having your True Love is worth anything.”
Scarlett smiled up at him. The safer he felt with her, the more he relaxed. The man was delightfully open about his affection. It made her feel cherished. She cuddled closer to his side, the two of them taking up the floral loveseat.
Avenant spared Marrok an annoyed glare. “I’m not one of you mindless animals. I don’t need a True Love. And, if I did, it wouldn’t be some proselytizing usurper.”
“If you say so.”
On the TV Belle kept talking. “Avenant is too smart to come back to the Northlands. We’re not even seeing the rallies of Bad folk here that are popping up in the other kingdoms. He knows he doesn’t have any friends left.”
“I don’t need any goddamn friends, either!”
“You have us.” Benji assured him.
Avenant glanced over at him and, for once, didn’t make a cutting remark.
Scarlett was a little bit touched. Under all the snarking, the Tuesday share circle really was leaning to bond. Ramona would be so proud.
“I’m sure Avenant realizes his best chance of survival is staying far away from here.” Despite her confident words, Belle’s brown gaze reflected worry. Obviously, the woman knew who she was dealing with.
“I will never stay away from what’s mine.” Avenant said quietly.
“Anything you want to say to the ex-prince?” The reported prompted as the segment wound down. “If he’s watching, what do you want him to hear?”
“I want to tell him…” Belle hesitated, trying to find the right words. “Don’t.” She finally decided.
“Don’t?” The reporter had clearly been hoping for something juicer.
Belle nodded and looked into the camera. “Avenant, just… don’t.”
Avenant stepped closer to the television, all his attention of her face. “She knows I’m coming for her.” He whispered to no one in particular.
Esmeralda took up a little song. “Avenant and Belle sittin’ in a tree…”
“By the time I’m done with her, she’ll be hanging from a tree.” Avenant scoffed. “You’re all right. I should’ve killed her. I’m going to kill her.”
Somehow Scarlett doubted that. The prince of the Northlands was obsessed with the usurper, but not in the way all the WUB Club doctors and psych-tests thought. When he looked at Belle, his cold blue eyes didn’t shine with hatred or a need for retribution.
Well, okay, maybe they did.
But, much deeper than that, there was just… longing.
“Lunchtime!” Jana called, striding into the room with a platter of food. “I thought you kids might be hungry, waiting for Cinderella to show her scrawny face.”
“Sandwiches!” Benji’s expression lit up. “What kind?”
“Fresh little pig.” She patted Marrok’s head. “Specially made for my precious wolf, because they’re his favorite.”
Marrok beamed up at her, the fair-haired child of villainy. “Thank you, Jana.”
“You should call me ‘grandma,’ dear. You’re family now.”
“He’s not your grandson-in-law, yet.” Scarlett reminded them pointedly. “He hasn’t even proposed.”
Marrok selected a sandwich and strove to look innocent. “I’m waiting for you to propose, Red.”
“There’s no way I’m going to be the one to…” Scarlett stopped her protest short as Cindy finally appeared on the television. Not a blonde hair was out of place and her fake eyelashes fluttered prettily. She was wearing her most serious “serious” pink dress. All the rose-colored lace made her look like a frosted cupcake.
“She’s really supposed to be the beautiful sister in your family, huh?” Marrok snorted. “Everyone in the Westlands must be blind.”
“Citizens of the Four Kingdoms, this is your beloved Princess Cinderella.” Cindy smiled sweetly and Scarlett knew the arrogant expression was meant for her. “I’m sad to say that the recent uprising of prisoners and Bad folk has forced me to take drastic measures to protect all the Good citizens of my kingdom.”
“It’s not your kingdom!” Scarlett shouted.
“The sickness of insurrection has even infected my dear Charming.” Cinderella continued in a sorrowful tone. “My men caught him conspiring with the enemy and I’ve had no choice but to lock him up for his own protection. But, worry not, Good people. I am in control of the Westlands, now. And our wedding will go on as planned.”
“Aw shit.” Marrok sighed. “This just got more complicated.”
“I’m sure this rebellion is being led by my ugly stepsister Scarlett.” Cinderella blinked back phony tears. “I can’t help but feel partly responsible for her horrible, horrible actions.”
Just looking at that deceitful bitch filled Letty with rage.
“Dearest Scarlett,” Cinderella made an appeal straight to the camera, “I’m asking you to please turn yourself in before this goes any further. Don’t make me strike back against all the Bad folk who you’ve led astray. Don’t make me come after Drusilla and your crazy-house friends and even your mysterious grandmother.” She accompanied the word “mysterious” with an eye roll. Rumors circulated about Scarlett’s family, but, for obvious reasons, no one had even filled Cindy in on Jana’s real occupation.
“You don’t have to come after me, dearie.” Jana muttered. “I’m coming after you.”
“Why, I’ll even have to punish that beautiful wolf of yours, Letty. If you push me, I’ll have to see him suitably… punished.” Cinderella gave a smile gleaming with all her sexual weirdness. “Marrok certainly looks like someone who could be rehabilitated with a firm hand.”
“She’s threatening you.” Scarlett got to her feet and glanced at Marrok. “You specifically.”
“I heard her.” He didn’t sound worried about it. “I’m confident you can keep me safe.”
“But, how would she know to threaten you specifically unless she knows you’re mine?” Scarlett’s mind was racing. “Someone must have told her about us.”
Marrok’s head tilted in thought. “Dower.” He surmised after a moment. “It couldn’t have been Dr. White, so it must have been him. Asshole was bound to get caught. I told you to let me kill him.” He ran a palm through his hair. “Shit. Dow knew we were coming here.”
“Oh man...” Esmeralda groaned. “Letty, could Cinderella find your grandmother’s house?”
“I knew we shouldn’t have brought that interloper along.” Avenant put in. “You all heard me say it.”
“Get to the basement!” Jana ordered.
“All I want is you and Drusilla, Letty.” Cinderella cooed from the screen. “If you just do the right thing and surrender, you have my word as a princess that the rest of your minions will be spared. I have no desire for any violence. All I want is peace.”
…And that’s when the flying monkeys dropped the first firebomb.
***
Scarlett was thrown backwards as the blast blew out the wall of the living room. Her body went flying, hitting the floor in a heap. She lay there, unmoving, as all hell broke loose.
“Letty!” Marrok’s whole life flashed before his eyes. He ran for her, not even processing the fire and shouting and deafe
ning explosion. “No, no, no, no.” He dropped to his knees beside her and pushed back a handful of shiny red hair so he could see her face. “Baby? Look at me. Jesus, don’t leave me.” His finger found her pulse and he almost cried in relief when he realized it was beating.
She was alive.
For now.
Marrok scooped her up in his arms. He looked around and saw that the whole cottage was going up in flames. “Jana, where’s the basement?” He roared.
“This way.” The Jabberwocky was already yanking up a trap door in the kitchen and herding Benji down a hidden ladder. The bridge ogre had Dru draped over his massive blue shoulder. Esmeralda was right behind him.
Wherever Jana was leading them, Marrok trusted that it was best plan. Who knew this place better than her? Marrok handed Scarlett to Avenant. He could tell she was beginning to come around and he wanted to comfort her, but he had to do something first.
She’d want him to get that damn shoe.
“Protect Letty.” He ordered and sprinted for the stairs.
“Where the fuck are you going?!” Avenant bellowed.
Marrok ignored him and took the steps three at a time as he raced upstairs. The monkeys were still bombarding the house with smaller firebombs. Cinderella must have been told them to level the place. He reached Scarlett’s bedroom just in time to watch the thatched roof get destroyed. Every piece of furniture in the room was knocked to its side.
Including the end table where the glass slipper sat.
Luckily, years of Wolfball gave Marrok good reflexes. He dove forward, his palm outstretched… and the shoe tumbled right into his grasp.
Touchdown.
Above him, the monkeys shrieked in agitation, spotting him through the burning roof. The holes in the ceiling were now bigger than whatever remained of the straw. Marrok gave the chimps a taunting wave and dashed from the room.
If it actually had been Scarlett’s glass slipper, he would’ve been happy to see the damn thing splinter back into sand. But since Letty wasn’t planning to wear it to her dream wedding with Charming, he had to rescue it for her. Drusilla’s only chance to wake-up was a kiss from her True Love. Letty would be crushed if her sister was left stranded in a coma and Prince Not-So-Bright would probably need proof that Dru was his destined bride.
With the shoe cradled against his chest, Marrok sprinted back into the hall. Rather than waste time on the stairs, he gripped the railing with his free hand and swung himself over the balcony. He only had seconds before the entire place was incinerated. He dropped to the first floor in a graceful crouch, already moving back towards the kitchen.
His entire roundtrip couldn’t have taken more than two minutes, but, while he was gone, Letty had woken up. He could hear her furious voice as he neared the trapdoor.
“Get your hands off me, you son-of-a-bitch!”
“Marrok told me to watch you!” Avenant shot back. “And, for some reason, I’m listening to him.”
“I don’t care what he said! I’m going to drag my True Love down here, whether he likes it or not!”
She’d finally called him her True Love.
Marrok beamed and headed down the ladder, slamming the trapdoor behind him and sealing it tight. No way were the monkeys getting through that. The whole place seemed to be lined in steel. “Letty? I’m here.”
“Oh thank God.” She headed for him, the relief in her voice quickly turning to anger. “What were you thinking, you idiot?! You could’ve been killed. Why in the hell…?” She trailed off as he held up the glass slipped, her expression somewhere between surprised and incensed. “You went back for that?”
“You said you needed it.”
“Well it’s nothing compared to how much I need you.” She gave him a shove. “I can’t believe you would risk yourself for a damn shoe! Do you have any idea how stupid it was to…?”
Marrok stopped the lecture in the most effective way possible. He kissed her. His mouth sealed over hers and she gave that little gasp of pleasure that he loved. Her body leaned into his, her lips parting in acceptance, and all was right in his world.
“Tell me I’m your True Love.” He whispered when he finally raised his head.
“You already know that you are.”
“Tell me anyway. I like the words.”
Scarlett looked at him. “You’re my True Love, Marrok. And I’m yours.” Blue eyes narrowed. “But if you even pull a stunt like that again, I will brain you. Got it?”
“Got it.” He gave her another quick kiss and felt completely safe for the first time in his life. “Got you.”
“Jackass.” She batted him away, but he could see her trying not to smile. “I have to go check on Dru. Try to behave for five seconds.” She headed over to her sister, who was stretched out on the floor.
“Well, there goes another house.” Jana said philosophically. “Good thing I hated the joint. I usually live down here.” She sat down on a box of hand grenades. “At least, it’s got some style.”
Marrok looked around for the first time and saw that the space wasn’t really a basement so much as it was a bomb shelter. A series of recessed lighting lit the room, which was filled with supplies. An interconnected series of tunnels led off in various directions, providing escape routes. Computers were setup along one wall, along with a huge stockpile of food and weapons.
Having the Jabberwocky for a grandmother-in-law just got better and better.
“I loved that house.” Scarlett sighed. “Something else Cinderella ruined.”
“So, we’ll build another one.” Jana waved a dismissive hand. “I’ve gone through like six of them so far. Every one of them just the same as the last. I even have identical furniture down here someplace. They’re just cookie-cutter masks. You know that.”
“This house was really special, though.” Scarlett glanced over at Marrok and he could see her thinking about their time upstairs.
He gave her a wink. “It wasn’t the house, baby. It was the company.”
Her mouth curved.
“So what do we do, then?” Avenant complained. “Stay here and help you rebuild? I have a kingdom to conquer and a low tolerance for grime.” He ran a finger along a massive crate of bottled water, making a face at the dust.
“Now we fight back.” Marrok told them. It was all so clear. “If Cinderella can use the media, so can we.”
“The media?” Scarlett squinted at him like he was crazy. “What do we know about the media?”
“Red, I have my own fan club. I know how get people’s attention. It’s the reason I wasn’t tossed in a pit to die long ago.” Marrok turned to Jana. “Do these computers link us to the outside world?”
“Of course.”
“Then we’re going to do a public service announcement.”
“About what?” Jana scoffed. “Not firebombing? Does anyone really need an explanation on why that sucks, especially for the innocent homeowners? You think insurance covers winged gorillas?”
Esmeralda frowned. “We could rat Cinderella out as a raging bitch, but I doubt anyone would believe us without proof. Not with ---ya know-- all the lying we’ve done and crimes we’ve committed.”
“We could do a video on why we don’t like monkeys.” Benji volunteered. “Because, I really don’t like monkeys anymore.”
Avenant looked interested in Marrok’s plan, which had to be a first. “I’d be happy to go on camera and give a speech to the masses. I have much to say on why my enemies should be crushed.”
“No.” Marrok kept his attention on Letty. “We’re going to talk about giving Baddies a place to belong. The seven of us can’t stand up to all the Good folk the Four Kingdoms forever. But if we had more people here and on our side, we’d have a force.”
Scarlett paused in the act of covering Dru with a cozy blanket. “Yes!” Her eyes lit up. “With a force of Bad folk, not even Cinderella could stop us.”
“Aren’t Marrok’s online fans mostly horny teenage girls and brain dead jocks?” Es
meralda complained. “How are they going to help?”
Jana frowned. “Hang on, I’m part of his online fan club.”
“And I appreciate that, but it’s not just my fandom who’s paying attention to us. You saw the news.” Marrok gestured upwards. The TV was probably a molten mass of melted plastic by now, but they’d all watched the protesters on its screen. “Good folk have pushed people to the edge. Right now, every villain in the Four Kingdoms is standing on a ledge and waiting for an excuse to jump off.”
“An inspiring image.” Avenant deadpanned.
“All I’m saying is they want a leader… and we have one to give them.”
“Really?” Scarlett asked hopefully. “You’ll film something about the Enchanted Forrest being a…?”
He cut her off. “Oh no, not me. You.”
“Me?” She blinked, her excited grin fading. “Wait. No. Why can’t you do it?”
“Because, no one in their right mind would follow any idea I have. You’ve seen my psych-tests. I’m crazy.”
“We’re all crazy! And we’re working together, so this whole thing is our idea.”
“Working together? Absolutely. Our idea? Not so much.” He snorted. “Even if it does save our asses, my ideas generally don’t involve turning our backs on multi-million dollar criminal enterprises in favor of do-Gooding.”
“Wait, what’s this idea?” Jana demanded.
Scarlett disregarded that. “Marrok, you said yourself, you’re used to being in the spotlight.” She tried a persuasive smile. “And you’re so talented at it. It has to be you.”
“Flattery won’t work unless you’re trying to lure me into bed.” He informed her piously. “Besides, I might be the most famous one here, but nobody can convince Bad folk to do crazy shit like you can, Red.”
The rest of the Tuesday share circle nodded.
“We’d still be locked up if it wasn’t for you, Letty.” Benji gave her a shy smile. “You saved us.”
“Letty is good at saving people.” Marrok moved to kiss Scarlett’s temple. “Even when they don’t deserve it. This will be a piece of cake for her.”
She didn’t look so sure. “We’re partners, Marrok. And you’re so much more likable than I am. You should be the one to…”
Wicked Ugly Bad (A Kinda Fairytale) Page 21