Page 23 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)

“No one would have been the wiser, Micai. She turned everyone around you against you with her vile lies and rumours. No one would have thought foul play. They would have assumed it was some unknown illness because you were already weak.” His lips pinch into thin lines, creases forming at each side of his eyes as anger bleeds into his tone.

“Your energy and life was slowly being stolen from you. It wasn’t just your power or your strength she took, Micai .

.. but the life you should have had ..

. you believed you were weak. She was stealing your life from you, in every way she could.

” His shakes his head, anger filtering back into his gaze as his lilac flecks grow darker and larger. “She has to pay.”

“And she will.” I give his hands intertwined with mine a squeeze.

“I’m not letting her go. She’s going to suffer for everything she’s done to me.

I promise. Just not right now .” I meet each of their dark gazes.

“I’m not going to be swayed by my emotions.

I have too many questions that need answering.

The biggest right now being how she got that metal for the bracelet, or if she’s connected to the group that’s behind all these attacks. Are they aligned? And if so, how?”

“But Micai?—”

“Micai, we can?—”

Annex and Ezra begin to argue, but Creed cuts them off.

“She’s made her decision.” He glances my way, a steely look in his gaze. “And I agree. It’s the best option for now. We can get revenge and make the bitch suffer after we get our answers.”

Creed’s brows furrow, his expression darkening as he takes a step closer to me.

“But I promise you ... she will suffer. I’ll use everything in my power to see it done.

She’ll wish she never crossed paths with any of us.

” He turns around, making his way to the sink as he mumbles, “ She’ll pay for fucking with one of mine . ”

“Fine,” Mallyn grits out, pulling our attention back toward him. His voice is so gravelly and dark it sends a shiver down my spine. “Answers now. Then we rip her into unrecognisable bloody pieces.”

His gaze turns toward me, his bright blue eyes burning with vitriolic rage. Our gazes finally meet, and they soften, his anger fading into a look of pain and agony as his blue shade dims to grey.

He pulls himself up and stands before making his way over to me. Annex and Ezra move slightly, giving him way as he reaches out and wraps his arms around me. I could feel it and sense it in his gaze and in his touch, that he and his beast needed to be close to me right now.

His racing heart begins to calm as I reach up and wrap my arms around him. Ezra and Annex take to each side of me, placing a hand on me or leaning their head against some part of me as we take a moment to breathe and ignore what could have been. And what happened in my previous life.

“You’re more like us than I would ever want you to be,” Creed murmurs, pulling us from our own little world as we all turn to him by the sink.

A brief look of sadness flits through his amber eyes; it’s there and gone in the blink of a second before he turns toward Ezra with his steely glare back in its usual place.

“We’ll have to keep a close eye on that half-sister from now on.”

I feel Ezra nod in reply to Creed’s command, and Annex’s and Mallyn’s grips tighten around me.

I take a moment, basking in their embrace for just another minute longer before reluctantly pulling away and straightening myself.

“I’ll be able to do that myself from the dormitory. It’ll be easier to watch her from there.” I raise my hand, silencing all the protests from Ezra, Annex, and Mallyn. “None of you can come and go from there more openly than me. Especially during the daytime.”

My gaze turns and focuses on Creed, the only one thinking logically right now.

“But she’s probably noticed that I’m not wearing her bracelet and that she isn’t getting any of my ‘power’ from it now either.

She’ll be more on guard and probably set up her own precautions.

She’ll also have to try something soon in regard to me and that damn charm.

Especially if she’s running low on borrowed power.

Her image will take a hit if she’s not able to keep up her fake appearances. ”

Creed nods contemplatively as I continue.

“She has a certain reputation to keep up with ...” A scoff falls from my lips.

“I just never knew it was built on my power.” I shake my head before my eyes narrow.

“I wonder if that’s also the reason why she hasn’t been front and centre when it came to the attacks . .. or was that for another reason?”

Could she have had a hand in those attacks on the academy with the beasts? I shake my head again, my thoughts wandering too much as Creed pulls me back to the present.

“I agree. She’ll have to make her move soon?—”

“That’s not happening, Red. You’re not going there alone.” Annex shakes his head, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. “We’ve already dealt with one attack and you getting hurt, we’re not putting you in harm’s way again. That bitch can burn. I’m not waiting for her to make a move.”

“Annex is right, if you need answers we can find them some other way. You’re more important to us, Micai,” Ezra pleads, his eyes begging me to listen to them and stay.

I meet each of their worried gazes, my shoulders dropping with the fear in them. For me.

“I’m not weak. And I’ll never apologise for protecting any of you.

” I meet each set of eyes, showing them I mean my next words with every fibre of my being.

“I was alone before I met you all. And I didn’t want help from anyone either.

I didn’t trust anyone. Things that have happened in my past made it that way.

But you all broke through those heavy walls and have shown me that I don’t have to face everything alone anymore.

” My voice softens, my gaze flickering between them all.

“Whatever Seria does or whatever attack comes our way, we can handle it together. I’m not racing off alone into danger.

I know I have you all at my back.” A small smile stretches my lips as the words sink into my own chest, fully knowing the words to be true.

“Help me.” I take a step closer, standing somehow in the centre of them, even Creed now standing beside us.

“Help me train and become stronger. Help me to hone these new blades and abilities so I can stand by your sides. Help me so I can fight everything that’s thrown my way by Seria or those figures lurking in the shadows.

I don’t need to be hidden ... I’m yours just as much as you are mine, and that means we stand together.

” My grin grows wider. “So help me burn everything that gets in our way.”

I peer at each of their faces and am met with answering dark grins and glinting feral gazes, all promising me blood and carnage and the death of those that cross our path. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.