Page 79 of Seduce & Destroy

“Don’t do this, Laney. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Too late. I’m leaving.”

“Not without protection, princess.”

“And you’re going to be that for me? Protection.” I scoffed. The nerve of this girl. I did everything to not roll my eyes at her.

She breathed out a ‘yes.’

“Did you kill Neenan too?”

“What? No!” She said, adjusting her weight on her legs and stepped close enough to me to push hair off my shoulder. “No, he handed himself over. You didn’t know? We only killed those who fought.”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear, I was kinda busy watching my life fall apart.” I’m fighting now, are you going to kill me too?

“Princess, I freed you.”

“Don’t ‘princess’ me! Don’t pretend to know me. Get Neenan.”

“He’s on our side now.”

“Thought you wanted to protect me? That’s the only way.”

“Laney…I care.”

“Well, I don’t. Not anymore.” It was a lie, it was a lie. “Leave.”

“No! No. You have to be with me, loving me, until the end, or hate me and still be with me, hating me through everything. Indifference isn’t an option for me. Stay.”

I shut my eyes.

“No.” I said. “Go be with your family.”

She didn’t move.

“I’m leaving.” I affirmed. “When I collect my things from the bathroom, Neenan better be standing here instead of you.” Without another glance, I brushed past her and left her there.

When I returned, she was gone. It still stung. A minute later, Neenan was at my door, looking shaken but okay. Thank God, he was okay.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked him, tears brimming.

He swallowed hard and deftly nodded.

When we finally left, our first steps were confident. Defiant.

But a mile away from the house, a cauterising loneliness creeped into me again.

Chapter 28

KILINA

Blood over love, isn’t that right? The thought beat into my head over and over again.

It had to end.

That was how I had to justify it in my head so that I could take the next step. The next breath. Why did I fall for the one girl I never could have? And why was I more mature at fourteen than now?

I stood next to the firepit, staring at the small fire I had stocked. The Raven emblem on the uniform glowed before it melted into the flames. My stare was so intense I didn’t hear approaching footsteps.