The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 35

I walked back over to him and knelt in front of him. "Go on," I said after all he did was stare at me in silence. "What does this have to do with your and Vanessa's relationship? And, what does this have to do with Bethany's disappearance?"

Marcus sighed and leaned forward, closing his eyes. "I wanted to have a family with a wolf. Back then, it was frowned upon more than it is now." He opened his eyes and stared at me. "You are the one that has changed a lot of people's views on the species and the interrelationships between them."

I didn't say a word and raised an eyebrow. I knew better than to say he was lying because I could tell that he was telling the truth.

"You don't believe me," Marcus said with a breathless chuckle. "I can tell."

"I didn't say that," I said. "I am surprised that you were in love with a wolf but treated me like shit."

"I am jealous of you, Martha. That is why I have treated you like shit. You do not care what other people say about relationships. You hold the authority to change your future and use any means to do it."

"Buttering me up won't change my mind about you," I said. I paused and studied him. "You are trying to stall. Why?"

"How do you know that I am stalling?" he asked. "I could be just saying stuff."

I scowled and shook my head before standing. "I want you to talk about what had happened, but I don't have time for this back and forth. I have stuff to do." I started to walk away again.

"Something is wrong with me," Marcus said. "No, don't turn back around. Stand like that, please. And don't say a word."

I stayed silent and kept my hand on the door. I didn't look at him, knowing that he wouldn't attack.

"They did something to me. I-I don't know what. I don't know who. I don't know." He growled in frustration and moved a hand through his hair.

I stayed silent as I stared at the door. I wanted to turn around. I wanted to see if he was telling the truth, but he could lie in my face.

"They came to me when she died when he made her leave this place, leave me."

"When was this?" I asked. I silently cursed myself from talking, but I had to ask. I had no idea if he would have told me otherwise.

"Well, if you weren't stupid, then you would figure it out yourself," Marcus said, and I snarled. He snarled in frustration, and there was this crunching sound before a slew of curses flew from his mouth. "Damn it, Girl," he snarled. "I thought I told you to shut up."

I bristled and let out a barely audible growl. My hand tightened around the doorknob, and I raised my hand to knock.

Marcus growled in annoyance, seeing that my hand was raised to knock. He took another deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, finally, and I knew that he was. "Please, lower your hand."

I did what I was told to do and lowered it.

"I think you were either six or seven when she was killed. I used to take Tygra to the Dojo. She had been an assistant there."

I vaguely remembered seeing him there with a female named Miss Kip for years. I had been a fan of Miss Kip because she had helped me prank Master Yin and taught me how to sign.

Marcus sighed. "Shardul found out that I was seeing her and that she was coming over to my place. He came one night to the dojo and told her off, and she cried and ran away from her job."

I set my jaw, and my whole body grew tense. I remembered that night just as if it had just happened. I wanted Miss Kip's help with something, school work probably, and had gone up to the first level to see them.

Her back was facing me, but Shardul and Marcus were facing me. Her back was shaking as she was holding back tears. She had never turned around, but Marcus saw me.

"I had seen you over her shoulder. I tried to signal you to go back down, but you didn't." He sighed and shook his head. "You had moved closer and closer while he was still going on his tirade. And then... she left, leaving you in view of Shardul."

I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything. I did not want him to hurt his other hand.

Marcus groaned out in pain. "Shardul stared at you, and Gods were you pissed." He shook his head and let out a breathless chuckle. "Your eyes were this bright blue, and your skin seemed to glow. You had a snarl on your face, and I had never seen Shardul look so scared than that day."

I looked down and had a small smirk on my face. I was sure that I had looked furious enough to scare him because I had a feeling that Shardul was hard to get scared.

"You told him, 'if she dies, then I will kill you.'" He shrugged. "And, I guess he had believed you because he ran after her." He cleared his throat. "He brought her body back to me a day later. Dark Forces killed her."

I looked down at my shoes to see that they were covered in filth. Guilt blossomed in my heart because I didn't keep my "threat." I remembered seeing Master Yin crying one day, and I had a feeling that it was because Miss Kip had died.

"I don't want you to kill him," Marcus said. "I have had enough with revenge, and too many people have died already." He sighed. "She was pregnant, you know? She was pregnant with my little boy or girl. I do not know what she would be having."

Again, I stayed silent, silently urging him to continue.

"They came to me the night that Shardul had brought her back to me. I was outside drunk as hell, and they took me away. They took me to this old abandoned warehouse and started to mess up my mind. They used my thirst for revenge and blood, and they used it for their gain. They know magic, Martha. They know some dark voodoo shit and used it against me." He cleared his throat and shifted. "They used me to take her some place. I don't know where. I wasn't in control of myself."

I cocked my head, and an image of that man standing over me appeared. I had a feeling that he knew magic, and that was why Matt was still alive.

He was healed with magic. He was healed by a powerful figure that saved my life as well.

"You don't believe me," Marcus said with a breathless chuckle. "Of course, you wouldn't. Why should you?"

I turned to face him and watched for myself as the fear on his face turned into a snarl. I couldn't hear his heartbeat, but I could feel him start to panic for some reason. "You are right," I said. "Why should I believe you with all the shit you had put me through." I sneered and narrowed my eyes. "Lucky for you, I do believe you. I'll look into it and look for Bethany. Someone will be here to look at your hand."

I turned away from him and knocked on the door, and the door opened.

"That's how stupid you are, Girl. You can't even take care of a broken hand. What are you good for?"

I didn't reply but slammed the door shut. A smirk appeared on my face as I left. I had no idea how I would save Marcus, and I had more questions than answers. But, I knew that I wasn't useless. I was good for something, and that something was finding information no matter what I had to do.