Page 15 of Loreblood

“Home to . . .whom?”

“The Diplomats,” he said proudly, crossing his arms over his chest.

I had no idea what he was talking about, and was about to say as much—

“Hoy, what took you so long getting back, y’little shit?” came a voice from behind us, emerging from one of the shacks.

My blood froze in my veins from the familiarity of the voice.No. Slowly, I turned. My heart skipped a beat, forcing me back a step.

Baylen took a noticeable step in front of me, whispering close to my ear, “It’s okay, Seph. Things are different now.”

Approaching us was the boy I recognized as Jeffrith the ruffian, now a young man.

My feet rooted to the ground. My veins pulsed with something fierce I couldn’t place—a mixture of pain, anger, and sorrow, perhaps.

This was the boy who had beaten Baylen nearly to death. Had my former Brother simplyforgottenthat? And now things were “different”?

My teeth ground together.

Jeffrith said, “I was s’pose to head out with Layson and the Third Crew, shithead. Hitting the west route today. You know how far out it is.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Baylen grumbled, bowing his head submissively to the older boy.

Jeffrith cuffed him on the back of the head.

I nearly yelled for him to stop—just like I had years before. But this was a playful slap, if anything. Abrotherlyslap, one might say.

I was so baffled, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Jeffrith turned his gaze past Bay and tilted his head to regard me. “Say . . . you look familiar, don’t you?”

I found myself shaking my head adamantly, unable to say anything.

Baylen said, “No. Found her on the street, is all. Thought she could be helpful.”

Jeffrith smiled with an ugly sneer. “Yeah, I’d say she could behelpful.”

Bay rolled his eyes. “Don’t start, Jeffrith. I’m tired.”

He scoffed, averting his gaze from me. “You’ve only been out a few hours, you lazy lout!”

“What’s all this fucking noise out here, eh? You trying to get us found out?” yelled a new voice.

This one was gruff, deeper than the boys like Baylen’s, with his quaking, lilting speech that straddled boyhood and manhood. Deeper than Jeffrith’s, too, who although a man, had a whiny, annoying tone to his voice.

The three of us spun around as one.

A burly man with a beard emerged from the largest hovel in the road, storming over with anger in his eyes. I could smell him from ten feet away, as if he’d been rolling around in the filth here and truly calling it home.

I knew he was trouble right away. The fact he was easily twice anyone else’s age here didn’t bode well.

A new Father Cullard, perhaps?

“You’re supposed to be fucking gone, Jeffro. And you, Baylo? What’s this?” His eyes landed on mine as he stopped a few feet away.

I had to resist gagging at his smell, my body going rigid as his crude eyes hovered over me. His breath was putrid.

“This is Sephania,” Baylen said, stepping aside from me. “Former Sister of the House of the Broken. A recent guttergirl.”