Page 55 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)
The guys’ eyes widen as Isaiah steps forward. “I’ve never seen a blade move like that, even with Lucien.” He shakes his head. “Even without hitting the target, that was still quite impressive?—”
Before he finishes his sentence, the sound of something falling to the ground pulls all their eyes away ... and to the perfectly halved wooden spiked ball laying on the ground below the pillar. They all whip their gazes back toward me as my grin grows.
I meet Isaiah’s wide eyes as I flip my blade between my hands. “Like you said, nothing’s impossible.”
I call my blades back into my marks as the abattoir’s outside doors open further, and in walks Ezra with a familiar figure following behind him. Gadriel.
My eyes widen before a small smile tugs at my lips with his appearance.
And then I glance around to Annex, Mallyn, and Creed and notice each one of them rigid, their expressions dark toward Ezra and Gadriel.
Isaiah steps beside me, a questioning look on his face as he watches all the boys’ darkening reactions to Gadriel and Ezra’s appearance.
“What the fuck, Ez?!” Annex barks, stepping forward as Ezra and Gadriel head over toward us. “Who the hell said you could bring someone into our home like this?”
“I can see the hostility you mentioned before,” Gadriel murmurs to Ezra, pulling Annex’s full wrath toward him.
“Who the hell said you could speak, asshole?” grits out Annex, trying to take another step toward him before Ezra blocks his path.
But Gadriel ignores him completely, his eyes flitting around the room before quickly finding mine.
A small, relieved smile lifts his lips as he tries to make a move toward me, but Mallyn and Creed block him from taking another step.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Annex barks, pulling out his Bowie from beside Ezra. But before I can step forward and try to calm him down, Ezra speaks up.
“We’ve agreed that we’ll do what we have to, to help Micai.
” Ezra looks to Annex, Mallyn, and then Creed, sharing an unreadable look.
“She needs a proper mentor to master different weapons. Isaiah himself said he can’t help her with that .
.. but Valor can.” He gestures toward Gadriel as he continues.
“He’s not only a part of the Valor Clan, but also Micai’s Defence instructor, which means he’s trained with her before.
” He looks at Gadriel, the slight lilac flecks in his eyes growing.
“I don’t believe he would do anything to hurt Micai?—”
“I would never ,” Gadriel replies, his voice and gaze unwavering as our eyes meet and a warm shiver works its way through me with the look.
But it earns only darker glares from Annex, Mallyn, and Creed.
“As I was saying,” Ezra continues, turning to Creed. “I think he’s the perfect person to help Micai master as many weapons as possible. I think he could be trustworthy?—”
“ Could be? That’s not good enough, Ezra.
” Creed’s glare never leaves Gadriel. “Especially for someone you’re bringing into our home and around our people.
We can find someone better, with proper loyalty to us and not the bound to the academy .
” He spits the word out mockingly. “Why would a teacher from there want to help us anyway? What would he gain from it?”
“I don’t want any—” begins Gadriel before Creed ignores him, turning to Ezra.
“With a bit more time, we could find someone else that?—”
“We don’t have that kind of time, Creed.” Ezra sighs, cutting Creed’s words short. “We don’t know when they’ll attack again. We all need to become stronger. Valor’s got years of battle experience that we can use. Our people don’t have his knowledge or skills.”
“I still won’t agree with an outsider helping,” Creed replies, his brows narrowing further in Gadriel’s direction.
“Me neither,” Annex adds, flicking his glare between Ezra and Gadriel.
“I don’t like this either,” Mallyn adds, folding his arms.
“It’s not about us ...” Ezra turns my way, his eyes growing wearier by the second as they meet mine, his expression already looking exhausted by this argument. “What do you think, Micai? Do you think he’s trustworthy? Do you want his help?”
I meet each of the guys’ dark and wary gazes, a pang of guilt working its way into my chest with the guarded looks they’re wearing before I finally turn to Gadriel.
And suddenly all the worry fades away as a sense of calm washes over me, staring into the sure and steady look in his eyes.
He had come here for me. And to help us.
I take a deep breath and step forward, meeting each of their gazes.
“I trust him.”
The slight smile on Gadriel’s lips grows with my words as the guys begin to protest.
“Red, you can’t be serious. Those green eyes seem sinister, you can’t fall for that shit.” Annex points toward Gadriel, whose eyes widen in response.
“Just because he’s a teacher doesn’t mean he’s safe, Micai,” Mallyn adds, his grey eyes flickering blue.
“He’s an outsider and not one of us,” argues Creed. “We can’t trust him.”
“I was also an ‘outsider’ and an ‘unknown’ just recently as well, remember, Creed?” I throw a glare his way as his eyes widen for a flicker of a second. “And look how that worked out.”
“That was different, Red ...” Annex starts, the anger fading from his eyes as they meet mine.
“If you can’t trust him, then trust me . I know he can help us.” I look to Gadriel. “He wouldn’t have come here otherwise.”
I turn back toward Annex, Mallyn, and Creed, their dark expressions a little lighter as I continue. “You also wondered before how I could fight so well ...” I gesture toward Gadriel. “It was because Gadriel taught me.”
“Gadriel?” Annex scoffs. “Sounds like a girl’s name,” he mumbles to Mallyn before I throw him a small glare, but the ass just smirks back at me.
A sigh leaves my lips as I drag a hand down my neck. “He’s helped me more times than I can count. And if you’ll allow him ...” I peer toward each of them. “I believe we could all benefit from his help, and I could also master more weapons with him teaching me.”
The room falls pin-drop silent, each of the guys’ expressions unreadable.
A beat passes before Isaiah steps forward.
“I know I don’t get a vote in this, but if he really is from the Valor Clan .
.. then he’ll be an asset in training Micai.
They don’t mess around, and honour is practically embedded in their blood.
” Isaiah looks to Gadriel. “They’re about the only clan left in the supernatural community that I believe would keep their word. ”
“I still don’t like it ... or him,” Annex grits out, pointing his Bowie toward Gadriel.
“Neither do I,” Mallyn adds. “But ... if it’s what Micai wants, and he can help her ...” He sighs, a small growl slipping out with the breath before he cuts it short. “Then we can accept it temporarily .”
A smile tugs at my lips as our gazes meet, his own growing wider as he watches me.
“Fine,” Creed relents, but his tone is still sharp and gaze equally as hostile. “But you’ll be watched from the moment you enter our abattoir until the moment you leave. And your movements in our space will be limited to this room and nowhere else.”
Gadriel slowly nods as Annex lets out a frustrated sigh, putting his Bowie away, mumbling something about “green-eyed elf asshole .”
“Then we all agree, Valor will train Micai,” Ezra calls before turning to Gadriel and pointing toward the weapons opposite us on the walls. “Start with what we have here for today, and if you have anything else yourself, you can bring them here later.”
Ezra then turns to me, sharing a warm smile before he winks and mouths, Anything for you, little sea star.