Page 9 of Marked

Blair was backed into a corner, hidden by the shadows.

She had been there since school had released and was waiting for Damien to leave his forge.

Her body stilled as his hammer strikes lessened and then slowed to a complete stop.

It was silent for a minute and then the only sound was a light rummaging.

The forge door opened, and Damien walked out of his shop, a heavy cloak wrapped around his broad shoulders, hiding most of his body and face.

The only item he carried was a bag on his back.

Blair's eyes followed him as he walked past her.

She cautiously watched, moving out of her spot when he was almost out of sight.

She silently followed him and ducked behind a flower cart as he slowed when passing the town square.

Blair watched as a woman standing by the butcher's stall eyed him cautiously, her gaze lingering a little too long before she whispered to a friend.

A child pointed at him, tugging on his mother's sleeve, but the woman quickly hushed him .

She continued to follow him as he walked past the baker's shop. A man trading coins for roses grinned widely at the sight of Damien, his hands resting on the counter.

"Look who decided to join the living," he called, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Damien's head turned but he just nodded in the man’s direction and kept walking.

Blair had stuck close in the shadows in the beginning, but now that he was in the market, she could camouflage herself in the chaos around her.

Pretending to look over some fruit, she turned to follow Damien.

Moving from stall to stall, she stalked him as he walked past the town center.

At one point, she almost ran into an elderly man, but she halted just in time.

She turned and faced Damien again to find that he had halted in his tracks.

Something had made him stop, and although she couldn't see exactly what he could, she could see past him.

Across the cobbled path, a figure stood, framed by a towering archway.

The man was dressed in silver and black, a stark contrast to the dull browns and muted greens of the town's inhabitants.

The fabric of his attire shimmered in the sun as though it had been woven from moonlight itself.

A Hunter . The man watched Damien with intense eyes that were too piercing to ignore.

His mouth opened and he said something to Damien, but his voice was too low to hear.

Blair crooked her neck to try and catch the words, but she realized she wasn't close enough and quickly recoiled back when a lady selling oils took notice .

For a moment, time seemed to pause. She watched as Damien and the stranger locked eyes and exchanged a silent conversation with a calm, unshakable gaze as though they shared some unspoken secret.

Damien cleared his throat and tightened his cloak around his shoulders as he turned away from the conversation. At that, the man also turned away and walked into the crowd, dissolving among the vendors and townsfolk as though he were never there.

Walking to the last booth, Damien purchased a few small things and turned around to put the items in his bag.

As he opened it, Blair caught sight of a large piece of metal that seemed to have a lock on it.

The lock for her classroom. Damien then returned the bag to his back and tightened it as he continued on the path to the last stretch of road before the cottages.

Blair's eyes widened again at the realization of where he was going. If he had the lock, that meant he was on his way to drop it off. She backed out of the market and dashed behind a building next to her, hoping to make it to her classroom before he did.

Blair had just slid into her desk when Damien entered. He stood at the doorway of Blair's class, his back leaning on the doorframe. Blair tried to breathe through her panic and push aside the images of the shadows swirling and settling on his arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to calm her winded breathing and frantic nerves in her voice.

"You asked for help," he said, his voice low .

"Oh?" Blair pushed out in a shaky breath.

"I told you I would do something, and it's done," Damien said, stepping forward. His boots made a soft thud against the wooden floor as he approached her desk. He brought his arm up to the satchel and unbuckled it, dipping his hand in to grab something.

Stop!" she said, her voice cracking slightly. Damien froze, slightly cocking his head to the side, assessing her reaction.

Damien blinked at her. "What?"

"I don't need whatever that is," she said, eyeing Damien and what he held inside.

Damien stared at her in disbelief.

Blair's fingers tightened on the edge of her desk as though she were preparing for some kind of escape.

"I figured something else out. I don't need your help anymore."

Damien's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

Blair swallowed and moved around her desk, creating all the space she could between her and Damien.

"Yes..."

Damien's cold glare softened slightly.

"Well, I've already used the materials, so you might as well take it." He said, eyeing her suspiciously.

Blair stiffened as she shook her head.

"No need, I just want you to leave."

Damien sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose .

"I'm just here to give you what you asked for. We had a deal, remember? The kids will stop touching my things, and you'll have a way to protect them."

Blair's eyes narrowed in anger and suspicion. "Like I said, I don’t need it anymore. I would just like you to leave."

Damien smirked at her and looked across the simple desks adorning the space.

"No, you don't. You want to protect these kids.” Damien looked around the classroom and then back at Blair.

“I'll even throw in something extra for you.

" He shifted his hands to his back, pulling something from his waistband.

This caused Blair to take a fighting stance.

His eyebrows rose in question, and his smirk returned.

He tossed a small, glimmering dagger onto the desk. It landed with a soft clink, its hilt intricate and wrapped in black leather, a small purple sapphire embedded at the base. The blade was black and glimmered like it held a million diamonds. The beauty was unmatched.

Blair gawked in awe and then closed her mouth. Her gaze shifted up to him.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a dagger, Feisty," Damien said, his voice laced with humor. He then looked her up and down like she was just a mere form of entertainment squaring up against him. "An extra piece I had lying around. Let's just say it's rare."

Blair ignored the nickname and slowly leaned toward it, her hand hovering inches above the hilt.

"Why would you give this to me? "

Although she wanted to take this for protection, she didn’t trust the person giving it to her.

Damien shrugged.

"You seem frazzled. Figured you could use another reason to feel safe."

Blair glared at him, weighing the options she had. If she walked away, she would be no closer to finding something to help. If she took the dagger, she was accepting help from the one person who scared her the most right now.

Damien raised an eyebrow. "Come on, just take it."

Blair's face was now flushed with a mix of irritation and anxiety. "It's not like a piece of candy, Damien."

Damien crossed his arms, rolling his eyes and playing annoyed. "Look, I'm just here to do my job. You asked me to make something for you. You're the one making this into a thing."

Blair narrowed her eyes, debating whether or not to throw something at him. "You're still not leaving. You're giving me a dagger instead like that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well, I thought it might," Damien said with a smirk, clearly enjoying her flustered state. "You’re the one who wanted a sword."

"I don't want your dagger." she snapped, picking the small knife up and slamming it down on the desk." I just want you to leave."

"Okay," Damien answered, lifting his hands in the air in an act of submission, "I will, but keep the dagger and the lock." On the last word, he turned again to his satchel and took out a large piece of metal, setting it down on her desk.

She watched the lock land on the table with a thud. Her eyes rose again to meet Damiens. "Thanks." she said, raising her voice and pointing at the door.

Damien blinked at her, a slow smile stretching across his face, "Oh and keep the dagger hidden. It doesn't exactly scream teacher."

"Yeah, how about I just throw it in the river?" she said, challenging him with her eyes.

Damien chuckled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"I'm done with this conversation," she sighed, walking to the door and opening it with a dramatic gesture. "Please leave. Now."

Damien watched her for a second, finally moving toward the door.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna walk out that door.

You're gonna keep the dagger, and then you're going to install the lock on your classroom door the first chance you get. It’s pretty simple, you just need the right size bolts and a hammer. "

Blair narrowed her eyes, but after a long moment, she sighed in resignation. "Fine. But only because I don't know how else to get you to leave."

"Good girl," Damien said, winking as he turned to leave. "And you're welcome, by the way."

As the door clicked shut behind him, Blair leaned her back against the door and exhaled loudly. She looked at the lock and dagger that lay on her desk, muttering to herself about the man who had just dropped them off.