Page 225 of Claim Me
His face stretches into a grin that’s almost glowing with triumph, but it’s nothing like the one he had when he first saw me.
"I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so long that it still doesn’t feel real, Blue Lowen himself at my mercy… or lack of it."
Marcel steps right up to Blue, cocks his head, and looks him over like he’s taking inventory.
They really do look alike. Anyone watching would immediately get why Marcel used to be my type and why Blue is now. I clearly have a pattern, or whatever they call animprintof a perfect mate.
But the biggest similarity isn’t how they look.
It’s probably that stubborn refusal to back down when they want something.
"So what’s your plan, Marcel?" I growl.
"You can shut up now, alpha, let the smart people talk."
I’m so pissed I actually do shut up, not because he told me to, but because if I open my mouth right now, it’s going to be nothing but a stream of curses and I’ll just prove his point.
"Where are Simon Durst and Gerard Vendel? They’re innocent. They have nothing to do with this."
I blink. The first thing Blue asks about is his staff, not his own chances of getting out alive. I guess that’s the difference between us. I just want to curse mindlessly, and Blue stays clear-headed, feeling responsible for the people who work for him.
Marcel shrugs. "I don’t give a damn. There’s a chance NFH let them live since they’re betas."
"A chance? Is that supposed to—"
"Oookay, I’m the one asking the questions here. And now it’s time for me to introduce myself!" Marcel cuts him off. "I’m Marcel Miroux. You could say I’m your number one anti-fan.I’ve already met your lawyers. We had a nice talk not long after I organized the attack on your company’s facility."
Blue narrows his eyes.
"That’s interesting, Mr. Miroux. In court, you testified under oath that you were only carrying out orders from Gabriel Nolan, who you claimed was the main organizer ‘obsessed with hatred for Malden.’"
Marcel snorts. "If you ever believed that, then I seriously overestimated your intelligence."
Blue shrugs.
"I hired him as my personal bodyguard and put him closer to me than anyone else, so you could say I saw through your bullshit."
Marcel’s mouth curls slightly into a contemptuous grimace.
"Or maybe it just means you’re naive? Gabriel didn’t turn out as effective as I hoped. Unfortunately, he has a number of weaknesses that make him a poor soldier."
"Like what?" I cut in, irritated at being talked about like I’m not even here. This is so annoying! "Having a moral backbone? Not wanting to kill innocent people who didn’t even work for Malden?"
Marcel just scoffs.
"You’re such a silly goose, Gabriel. And I underestimated the depth of your… silliness. But I won’t make any more mistakes, I assure you."
"I bet you’ll still do it," I mutter under my breath, but he turns back to Blue.
"I saw Gabriel’s little speech defending you on TV. I have to admit, I laughed my ass off. He obviously wants to get into your pants. He’s so predictable. Did you know he used to give me almost his entire paycheck from those underground fights? Poor paypig covered everything, the apartment, the van, expenses, food, all of it just to get access to my hole. But I havestandards."
"You fucked half the team, slut! Even this loser David, who eats his own boogers when no one’s looking and has the worst grades in the class, so yeah, I’m going to question those so-called ‘standards’."
Edgar shoots a short glance at Marcel. Didn’t he know? Well. Now he knows.
"David is our college chancellor’s nephew! It was strategic," Marcel hisses.
I’m so deep in fury I almost see red.
