Page 75 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

Once my hair is perfectly curled and my makeup pristinely finished, I am led into the bedroom and find myself stepping into a wedding gown. It takes two of the women a couple of minutes to get it on and fastened, and then they fit my head with a crowned veil. They give me one last check over, then gather up their supplies and take their exit. I wait until I am completely alone in the room before I turn to look in the dirty mirror in the corner.

A crisp white, silk dress molds to my curves. Hugging my breasts with a plunging neckline and straps going around my neck. The bottom isn’t big, but layers of silk still fall all around me, giving the impression of a wide dress. It’s covered in crystals and pearls that just scream ‘obscenely wealthy’. If that didn’t clue you in, then the real diamond crown would. It’s nothing like I would pick for myself. The only thing that resembles me is the necklace from Marcus that still hangs around my neck.

Marcus. Just thinking of his name causes me pain. Yesterday morning we were tangled up in each other's arms. Now I’m about to marry another man. Everything we did, everything we planned, we were so close. Yet I still stand here, dressed as somebody else's bride.

The door handle pushes down, and I slowly turn as Elliot Donovan steps inside, followed by his son and a guard dragging in a now suited up Jace. When Elliot sees me, his smile could rival his son’s. Dark, deadly, and disgustingly smug.

He blows out a slow breath, “you were always a looker Elle, just like your mother.” He lets his gaze trail over me slowly from head to toe. Lingering on my barely concealed breasts. “But now you are truly breathtaking.” He turns to Greg, “she’ll make the perfect wife, son.”

Greg leers at me as he stalks my way, his eyes roaming over every inch of my exposed skin. Once he’s done, he picks up a piece of the skirt of my dress and grins, “this is going to look good stained in blood.” He leans in grazing his lips against my cheek and I hold in my shudder, “I’m gonna enjoy making you bleed while I fuck you, raw princess. Just how I always planned.” He hears the sharp intake of my breath as his sick words wash over me and laughs. Fuck. What I would give to have my knife strapped to my thigh, right now. See how much he could fucking laugh without an intact esophagus.

Elliot moves towards the both of us with a seemingly genuine smile this time, as he smacks Greg on the shoulder looking between the two of us with proud eyes. “A Donovan and a King. Just how it was always meant to be.”

Unlike Greg’s, his words do nothing to me. I’ve accepted my fate. Cassie is safe and I trust Marcus, Ash and my family to get her away from here. To run and never look back. To save her in a way I couldn’t.

Elle King dies today, and Elle Donovan will be born.

We step out of the room, into a dark, barely lit hallway. I know immediately we are still at the compound as memories flash across my mind at the familiar surroundings. Guard’s march both in front and behind us. I don't think about escaping, I just follow them to my fate. I ignore the weight of the ridiculous diamond on my hand, the feel of the silk gown against my body and the veil pinned in my hair. This isn't how my wedding was supposed to be. No, it's all wrong. I was supposed to be older, happier, marrying my best friend, my River. But the Devil found me first and now I must atone.

I wonder if Marcus and the rest of my guys are ripping the town of Hallows apart, looking for us. If I had any feelings left inside of me, I’d smile at that. But I can’t. I don’t want them to come for me. I want them to run, run and never look back. Escape this fucking pit and forget I ever existed. Take my daughter and give her the life she deserves, one without fear and pain. One without me. My life in exchange for hers. The best thing I have ever done.

We reach a door and when it swings open, we step outside, the sun blinding me after being held inside for so long. It pierces through the clouds, making my dress shine. The perfect weather for a wedding. Your wedding day is supposed to be the best day of your life. I should be happy. I should be free. I should be marrying the man I love. I am none of those things. I am empty, caged and about to make the ultimate deal with the Devil.

We head towards an outbuilding and I see an actual priest making his way towards it too. I almost laugh. Of course, they have a real priest. No doubt another sick twisted fuck who they have bent to their will with blackmail. My footsteps falter, but I am pushed onwards without a second passing as we descend towards our destination.

Greg pushes Jace to my side, “don’t forget your best man, wifey. Be nice and I’ll let him watch me fuck you later.” He winks, before turning and heading into the building, no doubt to await my arrival like this isn’t a fucking sham of a wedding.

I look to Jace and for the first time since yesterday he’s staring back at me. I don’t know what he sees on my face, but I watch the vein in his neck thump wildly and his chiseled jaw clench. He closes his eyes briefly, breaking our connection, before opening them again and I am greeted with a flash of my Jace. My reckless rebel and his tortured soul. We are in this together to the very end.

I take a deep breath as I cross the threshold into the building and mutter to myself, “Forgive me father, for all my sins.”

Chapter 45

MARCUS

The signal pinged not even ten minutes ago and we are already out of the house and on the road. I haven’t slept, I couldn’t. Not when Elle and Jace are with those cunts, going through god knows what. I can’t bear to think about it and from the way Asher has been raging around, I know he can’t either. We all know exactly what kind of place the compound is. What crimes are committed there. Elle already bears the scars from one night spent there. What scars will she have after she survives another?

If she survives.

That thought constantly burns through me, turning my insides to ash. I already know what it’s like to lose her and that’s when I knew she was out there living somewhere. I hated it. I won’t survive if I lose her for good. I don’t know if any of us are going to make it out of this alive, all I know is that if I lose my brother, lose my girl. The grief will fucking cripple me. We’re about to head into the biggest fight of our lives. We are going to be outgunned and outmanned, but none of that matters. I’ll do whatever I need to do to get them back to us.

After setting fire to the Donovan Estate, we returned to the Royton house. We didn’t see the point in going back to the safe house. When we got there, there was no trace of Taylor or Mason ever being there. The bodies were gone, and the blood cleaned. Like it never even happened. Max and the rest of his guys arrived a little later with Lincoln and Logan. Zack limped in behind them with a determined face while Max just grimaced at him. He is still recovering from Greg’s ambush, but I know there was no way he was staying behind.

Max was barely through the door before Ash jumped down his throat, “Cassie?” He asked, with his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might break.

“Secured in the bunker with Arthur, Helen and Lils. I left Alex and Seb locked down in the house with them and I have another back up team incoming, just in case.”

Asher didn’t respond, just stared at him until he exhaled and stormed away. I can’t imagine how he is feeling. I hate this. Hate the fact she’s in danger and I’ve only known about her for two months. That’s his little girl, his world. I saw what her kidnap did to him, what it did to Elle. If we make it out of this, that girl is going to be fiercely guarded for the rest of her life.

While we waited for everyone else to arrive, a bleeding Owen marched into the house. He looked like shit and angry as fuck. He told us how he was jumped outside of Hallows Prep when Greg’s men turned up to get Taylor. He gave them the slip, trying to get to her, but he was too late. And when Greg’s guys gave chase, he took a bullet to the arm and slipped into the woods to escape. All of his comms and stuff left behind in his car. Zack was both furious and relieved, and I could see the regret on Owens’s face when he learned of Taylor’s fate. He was too injured to even think about joining us, but that didn’t stop him. He showered, had Logan patch him up and then tossed back a few painkillers and strapped himself with fresh weapons. Whatever it takes.

It wasn’t long before my boys from the South Side joined us, followed by the Crows. All of us packed across the den going over every bit of intel we had together. We discussed ideas for a number of situations and came up with as many backup plans as we could. Just anything we could think of that would prepare us for what we were about to do. It's war against the corrupted and it’s time for the elite to meet their end.

The drive across town is ghostly silent. Asher is driving, with Lincoln in the front and me in the back. The only sound comes from Lincoln tapping away on his keyboard as Asher directs us towards the compound. It’s another twenty minutes before we arrive, and he is pulling off the road. He continues a few hundred feet through the trees until he swings the car around so it's facing back in the direction of the road, and then kills the engine. We get out and I find myself looking around, thinking about the last time I was here. Remembering. Regretting. That day started with a double dog dare. This day is going to end with them dead at our feet.

I can’t see the compound, but I know it’s just through these trees. I can’t tear my eyes away as car after car pulls in behind us. Max and all of his guys are the first to get out of theirs. He stops at each of them, checking them over, making sure they’re sufficiently armed and protected. After what happened to Mason, I know he is taking extra precautions, he doesn’t want to lose anyone else. Zack leans against the hood of the car he arrived in, with Logan by his side. Both of them staring through the trees just like I was, like they think if they stare hard enough, they will see her.

Jack, Kai, and the rest of my crew are here too, the only people not meeting here with us are the Crows. They are heading straight for the path that leads into the middle of the compound. The perfect distraction. We have no idea if Carter Fitzgerald will have told Elliot about Rebecca's rescue and his loss of leverage against the HCMC, but it doesn’t matter. We are going in guns blazing, either way.

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