Beautiful Lies (Breaking Belles #2) - Alta Hensley Page 0,38

already accepted his fate. He knew what was coming, and even knew where the tattoo was to be given. Then again, the man did grow up in this twisted world.

I, however, still had no idea what was going to happen. I took a step closer to Sully so I could see as the artist began the tattoo with the buzzing of the gun echoing off the walls of the ballroom. The Elders stood in place, eyes on Sully, as the tattoo of two crossed sabers marred his wrist.

Sully didn’t even flinch. He sat so stoic I silently questioned if it would actually hurt when it was my turn. I was pretty sure there was no way it wouldn’t hurt to have a needle jammed repeatedly into my wrist at a million points, but at least Sully didn’t seem to be in agony.

He kept his eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if it was so he wouldn’t have to look at the Elders who I knew made him sick to his stomach, or if I somehow kept him calm, but I liked it. If I was his focus point, then I would dutifully stand next to him and appear strong for his sake—even though I was internally shaking.

Here I was about to get my first tattoo in front of a bunch of old dudes in cloaks, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

I think I would have preferred a pink butterfly on my ass to what Sully was being given, but I was pretty sure I could somehow cover the tattoo with bracelets until I could get it removed or altered to be something less nightmarish.

When the crossed sabers tattoo on his inner wrist was finished, and the gun turned off, the sound of canes hitting the floor rattled my bones.

I was next.

I took a deep breath, locked eyes with Sully and nodded.

I could do this.

“Portia Collins,” the Elder spoke. “It is now your turn to get the Mark of the Order.”

Sully impatiently waited for the artist to wrap his tattoo, and then he stood up and took my hand. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I would understand if you said no and wanted to turn back.”

I pulled away so I could stare directly into his eyes. I needed him to see how serious and determined I was. “A tattoo is not going to stop me.”

I sat down in the chair Sully had just been in and sought comfort in the heat of the seat left from him. I was ready to get this over with, but the tattoo artist stood up and gathered his equipment to leave.

In confusion, I looked at the Elders. Wasn’t I getting a tattoo, too? They’d just said it was my turn for me to get my mark, that I was next.

But then, one of the Elders walked over to the fireplace and pulled out the long handle of a metal poker that I hadn’t even noticed nestled in the hottest embers of the fire. On the tip of the metal was a brand of two crossed sabers.

“Absolutely fucking not!” Sully shouted, clearly seeing what I saw but comprehending it quicker than I did. “You aren’t burning her. No fucking way.”

I choked as soon as I got it. They actually wanted to— They were going to— To—

But I couldn’t even finish the thought before Sully was storming the Elder and knocking the poker out of his hand in rage.

“Sully VanDoren,” an Elder from behind me called out. “You will contain your anger or lose this Trial and the Initiation will be over, causing both you and Miss Collins to leave the Oleander as losers.”

Hearing the threat was enough for me to shoot out of the chair and rush to Sully before he ruined everything for the both of us. No, he couldn’t! I couldn’t let him!

“Sully,” I reached for both of his hands. “Sully,” I all but shouted when he seemed to not even notice I was standing in front of him. His eyes were focused on the Elders like he was plotting each of their deaths… in detail. Gory detail. Crap. I had to get through to him. “We aren’t going to let them win. Remember?”

His furious eyes refocused on me. “You are not going to sit there and get branded like some sort of cattle. I won’t allow it.” He glanced at the Elders and then back at