Page 6 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)

“I’m the same. I regret nothing.” I give them all a small smile.

“I understand the pain and fear of losing someone you love more than anything. I understand the worry. I really do. And I don’t want any of you to feel that again either, but can you promise me that I won’t feel that way too?

That none of you will throw yourself into dangerous fights or battles when they come knocking?

” I watch realisation dawn on each of their faces, a mixture of emotion flitting through each of their expressions as I continue.

“Your fear is the same as mine. I can’t lose any of you too.” I bite back the emotion welling inside me with the thought. “I love you all too much.”

A grin tilts my lips, a small chuckle following it. “You assholes are all done for now. You’re mine.”

Annex and Ezra jump off the bed as I feel Mallyn’s arms wrap tightly around me, pulling me back into his chest. They all embrace me one by one, placing soft kisses on my neck or lips, mumbling promises of “being together until the world rots around us” and “never leaving each other” and “we should just kill everyone else.” I think that the last one was Annex.

Another small chuckle leaves my lips as I pull away from them slightly and meet their gazes. “Let’s make a promise. I’ll do my best not to find trouble or throw myself into?—”

“Trouble seems to find you regardless.” Creed interrupts, still standing in the doorway.

I thought the dickhead would have already left by now.

Doesn’t he hate my very presence? So then why is he still here?

But I guess the ego-ridden shit stain was right. And with my plans for Seria and The Facility in the future, I can’t guarantee that danger won’t appear.

Or that I won’t walk toward it, blades at the ready.

“I guess that can’t be helped.” I shrug, looking at each smiling face surrounding me.

“You all don’t seem to have the best record either though.

Like moths to a flame, it seems to look for you all too.

” I glance around the room. “But I get it. If trouble comes calling for me then I’m going to answer back.

” A grin widens my cheeks. “But I promise to call you all to help me bury the bodies.”

“Red, I’ll be beside you slicing and dicing, not just helping with the clean-up.” Annex grins sexily as he brushes a hand down toward my hip before giving it a small squeeze.

“Right,” Ezra adds. “Danger follows us daily, especially with all that we do. It calls to us.” He leans his head gently against mine as a small smile stretches his lips.

“But we can learn to trust in each other’s strengths.

And learn how to move as one, so we can tackle it all together. That’s what a family does.”

“And we can train together,” Mallyn says, sliding his hand up and down my back. “We can become stronger together as a whole.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Annex smirks.

“Me and Red working up a sweat in the gym ...” He pauses, his eyes slightly glossing over as his grin turns wicked.

Then he quickly shakes himself out of whatever delusion he’s having and nods toward Mallyn.

“And we can also train and work out there too.”

Ezra chuckles as I roll my eyes at Annex, my heated cheeks betraying me as he gives me a knowing grin and wink.

I shake my head. “Then let’s do that. I can kick all of your asses and prove you’re the ones who’ll need help keeping up with me .”

Each grin and gaze softens.

“So, fill me in on everything. It took you all three days to clean up after the attack?” I glance toward Creed before quickly turning back toward Ezra.

I hate that I instinctively turned toward him.

“Not exactly.” Creed sighs, ignoring that my question wasn’t aimed at him.

He glances toward Annex and then Mallyn.

“A certain someone and someone’s beast went on a rampage after you were hit.

It took everything we had to stop those two from heading to town and wreaking havoc.

Somehow, we managed to keep their destruction to just the abattoir.

” Creed narrows his gaze at the boys in question.

“Though it cost us another wall and a chunk of the roof.” He turns his glare toward Annex.

“And more than just a few of the corpses were ripped to shreds or dismembered beyond human recognition.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Annex scoffs.

An incredulous look widens Creed’s eyes. “It was like trying to put a puzzle back together trying to find all the pieces of their bodies. I’m pretty sure all of them are mixed together, and there’s still a spleen unaccounted for.”

Annex shrugs. “At least you found them. With Mal, his shit was everywhere. I’m pretty sure if Micai had seen that , she’d never be able to look at her precious lasagne again, let alone eat it.”

His words have my nose scrunching up and glancing toward Ezra, who mouths, You don’t want to know .

Mallyn rests his chin on my head, a rumble falling from his chest as Annex grins.

“Anyway, the place was still a mess,” Creed continues.

“So, I got a crew in the day after the attack, and they cleaned up all the ... remaining bits of the bodies that were left. The roof and wall just finished their repairs an hour ago, and the doors and windows are being replaced as we speak. There’s only the debris and some minor clean-up stuff left to do.

But I’ll have a separate group come in later to get rid of that and any stains left over. ”

I nod. There must have been a lot of damage for it to have taken this long to clean up. Or Annex and Mallyn did a number on the place.

“Do we know who was behind it all?” I ask, glancing between all of them, hoping for some kind of answer.

“We’re looking into it as we speak and have our people on it. We’ll have answers soon,” Creed replies, a strange look in his eyes as he gazes my way.

“And when we find the bastards, they’re good as dead.” Annex adds. “We’ll do worse than what Mal did to those leftover carcasses?—”

“Stop reminding her of it,” grits out Mallyn, glaring Annex’s way.

Was he worried about what I would think of him and his beast?

But I could never judge them for that.

I would do far worse things to those that hurt the people I love.

I give him a small smile when his eyes finally turn my way, telling him just as much through my gaze, and his eyes soften.

Just then a figure appears beside Creed, and they begin to speak in hushed tones. He’s almost as tall as Creed with caramel-toned skin and dark brown hair. It’s long to one side and tied back into a short ponytail and shaved on the other side with small tattoos decorating the bare area.

His jade-green eyes flicker my way, throwing a wink and small grin in my direction.

A growl rings out behind me as Annex takes a step in front of me.

“Watch it, Luche, or I’ll let Mal’s possessive beast play with you like a chew toy.”

I glance at Mal, his eyes turning a bright blue hue and narrowing toward Luche who quickly raises both hands, his eyes widening.

“Apologies, I was only being playful.” He turns to meets my gaze, a more serious look taking over his features. “I meant no disrespect.”

He turns back toward Creed. “I just came to report our findings.”

“About the attack?” I question, taking a step forward and past Annex.

I want whoever did this to pay just as much as the guys. I want my answers too. If they were a threat to my men, then they were a problem that needed solving. Preferably with a sharp, rusty blade and some pliers.

Luche looks at me, a questioning look in his eyes before turning back toward Creed.

“Go ahead,” Creed answers, his gaze narrowing toward the hesitant Luche.

“Here? In front of ...” Luche’s gaze flickers back to me, his eyes a little wider.

“It’s fine,” Creed says, glancing my way. “She’s safe.”

Safe? Is that his little way of saying he’s letting me in a bit?

I roll my eyes. There is too much baggage to unpack with Creed and his stubborn ass. And I won’t forgive the shit he said so easily just because he’s sharing some information.

What he did and said that night ... it hurt. More than it should have.

I don’t forgive so easily. If people don’t like that, then they shouldn’t fuck shit up or piss me off in the first place. And he’s done that too much and said too many hurtful things for me to just move on and forgive him so quickly.

I turn toward Luche, awaiting his answer as Annex drapes an arm around my shoulder.

“Don’t mind Luche, Red. He doesn’t know any better. He’s a part of our little rag-tag group and Creed’s direct minion.”

“Minion?” Luche’s brows pinch together as a small incredulous scoff leaves his lips.

“Yeah, not the cute little yellow kind though that makes you laugh, but the sneaky ‘ creep in the shadows and watch people’ kind. He’s an unsavoury one.” Annex shakes his head as a chuckle falls from Ezra’s lips with Mallyn joining in with a grin.

“I don’t ‘creep’ anywhere and I’m not unsavoury—” Luche defends before Annex cuts him off and continues.

“He’s also not very forthcoming with the truth and thinks he’s James Bond.” Annex shrugs. “He’s supposed to collect information but hasn’t got his shit up to date clearly.”

Luche frowns. “My information is always good?—”

“If it was, then you would have known not to question Red.” Annex cuts Luche off again, his tone a little sharper.

“She’s ours and one of us. What’s privy to us, is to her too.

” Annex’s features darken for a split second, madness taking hold of his gaze toward Luche, who immediately stiffens up.

“Don’t let it happen again. I would hate for Creed to lose one of his little pets. ”

Luche’s gaze flickers to the floor before turning toward me, a more wary look in his eyes as they meet mine again.

“My deepest apologies. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

I give him a small nod and Creed tells him to report his findings but to keep it brief, his tone a little snappier than before.