Page 63

There was nothing anybody could do as he threw me over his shoulder and marched out of the courtyard.

Even Lanson stood helpless, nobody willing to stand up against Wolf.

Cowards.

“Put me down!” I yelled.

He led us through the castle, through the stone hallways, away from the courtyard. I half-expected Lanson to storm out after me, but he didn’t.

Nobody came. Nobody cared.

It was just Wolf and I, my face bleeding against the back of his shirt while he carried me.

“Hells!” I yelled as he finally set me on my feet. Though when I stood upright, I stumbled to the side, catching myself on the stone wall.

“You’re a fucking mess, Huntyr.”

I waited for the hallway to stop spinning before I answered. “There you go. Caring again.”

“No,” he said. “You’re not turning this shit on me. You let people beat you up, you won’t give up, you won’t protect yourself. Why? This isn’t helping anyone. You’re slowly killing yourself.”

A rough fit of laughter escaped me. “Isn’t that what we’re all doing?” I asked.

“No,” he answered quickly. “It’s not. I thought you wanted to survive this damn place.”

“I do.”

“Then start fucking acting like it. You want others to think you’re weak? Done. Fair enough. But to let them beat you to a damn pulp? You’re better than this. You’re stronger than this.”

“Am I?” I asked, my words coming out in a harsh breath.

“After what you did to that sorry bastard last night, yes. I believe so.”

Silence lingered in the few feet between us. The truth of his words hit me harder than I would have liked. I didn’t want to think about last night. Didn’t want to think about Ryder’s dead body, about what everyone else would think if they knew.

Wolf was right. I was a damn mess.

“Go to bed,” he said. “And stop acting like you’re nothing, Huntress. You’re forgetting who you really are.”

He turned and stormed down the hall, no doubt back to the courtyard, leaving me feeling more alone than ever.

Chapter

Sixteen

The courtyard looked different today. Instead of an open, grassy field for us to practice combat, targets with large red circles in the center lined the back wall.

“Today you will practice the art of throwing your daggers.” Commander Macanthos spoke with a glint in his eye, one that both thrilled me and terrified me. “Physical combat is not enough to protect The Golden City from any outside threats. You must be able to hit a target from afar with pristine accuracy.”

I bit my cheek to stop myself from smiling. Throwing daggers was a skill I had been forced to perfect in my years at Phantom. It was necessary for killing vampyres without getting your throat ripped out. It was also a skill I could practice here without having to take beatings to blend in. Marking the targets a few inches off center wouldn’t be difficult.

“Once you’ve all learned to aim without killing one another, we’ll move onto wielding other weapons. Who here feels confident in their skills with a weapon?”

A few students to my right raised their hands, lifting their chins. I quickly glanced at Wolf, who stood next to the courtyard wall with his shoulder pressed against the stone. I didn’t evenhave to wonder if he was ample with a weapon. Everything about him screamed that he was lethal with a dagger.

It was annoying as all hells.

I looked away before he noticed me glaring at him. My jaw was still sore from his punch, and no amount of scowling would make up for that.