Merciful - TVD [2]

52

That night, out on the street at night, a crowd of people began to form; vampires walked along rooftops and jumped on cars, setting off alarms. A large group followed after Marcel, Mallory, and Klaus to their destination.

As they continued to walk, Marcel stopped and turned to Klaus, pointing a finger at him, "Oh, how's your family?" He asked, clearly forgetting to ask the question earlier on.

"Those who live hate me more than ever," Klaus commented, which earned a small smirk from Mallory.

"Well, forget 'em. If your blood relations let you down, you make your own, huh? You taught me that," Marcel admitted and Mallory turned to Klaus, smiling since he had taught her the same thing, "And what's mine is yours, as always. Even my nightwalkers, the riff-raffs."

Mallory turned her head, watching as Marcel removed a large vine from a tree before he continued to walk with them. "They're hardly subtle, are they?" She found herself asking when she saw some of Marcel's men jumping off rooftops and balconies.

"It's the quarter. Ain't no such thing as subtle, sweetheart," Marcel responded, earning an eye roll from Mallory. He turned away from Mallory and used his fingers to whistle loudly, which led the crowd to erupt into cheers.

   It wasn't long after that that one of Marcel's vampires had brought Jane-Anne forward, whose wrists were bound with rope in front of her.

With a worried look on her face, Mallory moved closer to Klaus. "What's happening?" She asked him in a low whisper.

"I haven't the slightest clue," Klaus admitted, the two of them turning to see Marcel moving toward Jane-Anne.

  "Jane-Anne Deveraux! Give it up for Jane-Anne! Come on, let's hear it!" Marcel announced loudly and the crowd cheered while Mallory frowned in confusion, "Jane-Anne Deveraux, you have been accused of the practice of witchcraft beyond the bounds of the rules set forth, and enforced, by me. How do you plead?" He paused, turning to Klaus abruptly, "Was that convincing? I studied law back in the '50s. Hold that thought." Marcel stopped and turned to Jane-Anne once more, "Seriously Jane, tick-tock. You know the drill. How do you plead?"

"I didn't do anything." Jane-Anne declared, glaring at Marcel coldly.

   The crowd began to laugh quietly, causing Mallory to roll her eyes. "Mm, that's a lie. You know it, I know it, and you hate that I know it. It drives you witches crazy that I am aware of your every move. That you can't do magic in this town without getting caught," He explained, earning a curious look from Mallory as she watched him remove the extra twigs from the branch he held, "So, why don't we just cut to the chase, huh? You tell us what magic you're brewing. I mean, tell me. I'll grant you leniency. Hey, I am, after all, a merciful man."

"Rot in hell, monster." She spat, glaring at Marcel angrily.

The crowd gasped and Marcel continued to stare at the woman, seeming unaffected. "I'll tell you what. I'll give you one more chance..." He trailed off, smiling as he moved away from her.

Just then, before anyone could react, Marcel whipped himself around and swung the branch in Jane-Anne's direction.

Mallory's eyes widened, watching as the branch came at Jane-Anne so hard that it sliced the woman's throat open and killed her.

"Or not," Marcel commented and while the rest of the crowd cheered, Mallory and Klaus exchanged an uneasy look with each other.

As Marcel walked away, Mallory continued to stare down at Jane-Anne, fuming with anger. The woman was supposed to be her way to get Klaus out of Mystic Falls and now, Marcel had ruined it.