"Marlo," William said. They were both in the same cell and he looked desperate," I need to tell you something."
Marlo felt like she was folding in on her self. So much had happened in the last hour, her thoughts still hadn't cleared," Don't," she said sounding surprisingly bitter," There is nothing left to say." She could feel tears stinging her eyes.
His voice cracked," When they come to execute me," he said despite what Marlo had told him," Understand that I am going to be killed because Master has no further use for me......" He trailed off and Marlo turned to look at him. His green eyes were shadowed with fear, regret..... guilt? He started again," I fear the same will happen to you shortly after."
She just looked at him. Her expression was blank. She bit her bottom lip and then finally, finding her voice she said," If you were that worried about me you wouldn't have let him have me."
He didn't look at her but she could tell her words had hit him hard," I hope they come soon," He said and resumed studying his hands.
Marlo gave no reply. What were you supposed to say to someone who wanted to die? I forgive you? Your life matters? She never told him any of that because they were lies. He deserved to die and he knew that, but not to far below the surface she wanted him to die. Wanted him to die for what he did to her and her mother, die for helping Master, die for gambling with her, life die for-
She heard two people approaching quickly. A few moments later Kaylie and Jake were inches away from her. Kaylie did what Marlo saw Jake do when he removed her from her cell earlier and stepped inside the cell. She yanked William to his feet and dragged him wordlessly out of Marlo's view. Marlo heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.
"Where is he taking him?" Marlo asked Jake.
He was leaning against one of the pillars that supported the grand archways," She is going to execute him, of course."
"She is going to execute him?" Marlo said disbelievingly," Her own father."
"Well, you wanted to a few seconds ago," Jake said, his lips curling into a smile," Isn't that right, Marlo?"
He was right, but she hated to admit it,"But doesn't she love him?"
"She can't," he snapped," She isn't human."
"Not human?"
"She belongs to Master completely. When you become Master's servant he makes you immortal, which makes you no longer human."
"Is Matthew human?" Marlo wasn't sure why she cared if he was.
"He still has human emotions, desires, needs, but he belongs to Master, and he's immortal, just like the rest of us," Jake was like a cobra about to strike.
Marlo was getting more curious with every answer she got out of him, "Free will?"
"We all have it, even Kaylie," He looked up at one of the demon cherubs," Why do you care so much about whether or not Matthew's human?"
"No reason," she lied.
"Understand this, Marlo," he said through gritted teeth," I hate Matthew. The way he touched you, spoke to you, you trusted him completely. How is that even possible, you only knew him for three days. Three days," His voice rose," And what do I get after twelve years? Nothing. Not even a glance."
" You're jealous!" She said," You wish that it had been you instead of Matthew."
The following seconds were a blur.In three long strides he was inside of her cell. He knotted his hand in her shirt front and pinned her against the invisible wall," I wouldn't want to be Matthew right now," He whispered into her ear. They were so close together his breath stirred her hair," He's in exile, a few hours away from his death."
She stopped struggling and just looked at him," Why?" she breathed out.
He dropped her, hard, "Because he was helping you, and by doing that he betrayed Master and the rest of us."
She felt a ripple of relief go through her. Matthew hadn't betrayed her, everything he did and said was true. She felt a sudden pang of guilt and then a dizzying sense of being alone but mainly she was worried about Matthew. She had never stopped thinking about him, not even when she believed he had betrayed her. She loved him, truly.
She looked up into Jake's blue eyes. They looked cold and distant and a very deep shade of blue. Marlo opened her mouth but no words came. His face hardened and he grabbed her again, slamming her head into the wall. She heard the loud smack as her skull collided with the wall.Her vision was slowly darkening, but she was aware that he was bringing her out of the cell and down one of the many long corridors. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was the door to the meeting hall.
