Page 62 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)

MICAI

F ist after fist pummels me, one after another aiming for my stomach and head, not giving me a moment to breathe, let alone react, before the next hit lands on me. Each one with more force in them than the last and aiming to land some heavy damage on me.

I manage to protect my head with my hands, but the initial hit that caught me off guard still has my ears ringing and my vision blurry. I try to shake it off and pull myself together to counterattack, but the prick won’t let up on his barrage.

Then suddenly he stops his attacks, but before I can move, Xander’s hand fists my hair and begins dragging me away from the dormitory.

In the few seconds of reprieve I have, I try to clear the blurriness from my vision and get a hold of my senses.

But every part of me is screaming out from the painful kicks and punches he landed while I was down.

He had used the full force of his shifter strength and didn’t hold back even a little while attacking me.

A few bones are definitely fractured or broken.

Xander continues to pull me along, my mind and eyes trying to focus as I suddenly feel the forest floor beneath me. But why would he bring me to the forest?

A slice of panic works its way into my chest before I quickly push it down.

I wasn’t weak anymore and wouldn’t let him do whatever he wanted.

As if to agree, I feel an itch in my fingers grow, the connection to my blades burning on my wrists, as if they were begging to be set free.

My body also begins to heal, taking care of the heavier areas he attacked first, pushing the broken and bruised parts of me to heal faster as I try to regain my full senses.

I take a slow inhale and reach a shaky hand up toward my head, ready to claw myself free from his grip, no matter how dizzy I still feel.

The pain from his grip on my hair intensifies before he suddenly throws me toward a fallen tree stump.

My shoulder hits it, pain searing through me and down my back as Xander takes a menacing step toward me.

His face is twisted with a look of pure disgust, and vitriolic hate is written across every feature, turning him into someone I no longer recognise.

He looks dark and deranged, his beast on the edge as his fangs elongate with his eyes flickering back and forth between gold. The normally pompous prick is completely gone from his gaze; only an unfamiliar, enraged shifter struggling to control himself stands before me.

“It’s all your fault,” Xander spits out, his gaze pinched and filled with anger.

“Knox ... you tainted and ruined his mind with your lies and illusions.” His fangs descend further as he begins pacing back and forth in front of me.

“I should have listened, I should have acted sooner, then none of this would have happened.” He drags both hands through his hair before pulling at his short strands.

“I should have wrapped my hands around your throat when we were kids ... and ended it before it all began.”

His words have my eyes widening, my vision and mind finally clearing.

“The moment your true colours started showing around Seria ...” His eyes grow larger as he continues, looking even more unhinged with each vile sentence he throws my way.

“I should have pushed you into that lake after getting her out and drowned you in that water instead. I would have been doing everyone a favour.” He turns toward me, a dark sneer twisting his lips.

“But I guess this is better late than never ...” He takes a slow step toward me, his expression growing even more manic.

“Maybe Knox will wake up faster too.” His hand reaches down toward me.

“Either way, it’ll be a lot more peaceful without you around. ”

The ringing stops, the dizziness completely gone, the searing pain from my stomach, legs, and body fading to a dull ache as the bastard’s hand tries to grab me. But it was now my time to return the favour, each punch, hit, and blow.

My right leg kicks out, slamming into his shin and feeling a bone or two crack as he’s sent tumbling backward and into the trees behind him.

A pained grunt leaves his lips as I pull myself up, dusting myself off as I make my way toward him.

Enough was enough. I hope he enjoyed himself and each hit he landed while I was dazed. Because he won’t be able to land another.

I roll my shoulders as I take another step toward him.

He pulls himself up as quickly as his damaged legs will allow, his fanged mouth opening to spew more shit as he tries to straighten himself.

But I cut him off, unwilling to listen to his bullshit for even another second.

“It’s always my fault with you, Xander. Bad shit happens, and it has to be because of me.

” I shrug, taking another step closer. “I apparently have nothing better to do than wallow in bitterness and misery, existing only to follow and curse all of you and ruin your perfect, happy little lives. It’s as if you think I want to be around you, like I can’t exist if I’m not miserably following you all like a shadow.

One that lives to darken your blue skies.

” A humorous chuckle seeps from my lips.

“And when shit happens, you seem to think I’m your personal little punching bag too, and that I should just continue taking your hits, both verbally and physically like some obedient little doll. Because to you ... I deserve it.”

His eyes narrow as a grin stretches my lips.

“You’re mistaken to think I want anything to do with any of you.

I don’t . You could have just gone about your pathetic life, and we wouldn’t have even had to see each other again.

” I take another step. “I gave you so many chances to leave me alone.” I crack my knuckles as my grin widens just as he jumps toward me. “But you chose this.”

I throw a punch with my right fist as he reaches me, but he dodges it. And that’s exactly what I expected.

I catch him with a heavier punch aimed at his ribs, pulling a pained grunt from him before kicking his injured legs from beneath him. He hits the ground as I move again quickly, my right knee meeting his face before he can steady himself.

“I didn’t hurt Knox or fuck with his mind,” I shout, twisting into a roundhouse and kicking his chest as he tries to pull himself up, knocking him back into the trees behind him.

“That was your precious partner. She’s been the one fucking with your heads all along.

” My brows pinch together as I watch the bastard still clouded by rage.

“And for one stupid moment, I felt sympathy and pity toward you. Thinking maybe she’s the reason you’re such a horrible, nasty prick .

..” I take a step toward him as he shakily pulls himself up, the gold in his eyes growing darker as blood drips from his lips, rage swirling in his gaze.

“But I was wrong.” A sigh leaves my lips as I watch him shakily stand, using the tree for leverage. “Maybe you were always this way, and I just didn’t see it before.”

He suddenly rushes toward me, his beast taking over as his shifter speed aids him, reaching me in seconds. But he’s no match for my strength and speed.

I dodge the fist aiming for my face and sidestep the hit targeting my torso. Twisting around, I catch his next punch, stopping it with one hand as his golden eyes widen.

I clasp my fingers around his large fist, and using a bit of strength, push it back toward him. His nostrils flare, his muscles bunched as he tries to push me back, but I don’t budge an inch.

A large vein forms in his forehead before his free hand tries to strike me, his shifter claws sharp and ready to tear a hole in my face. I evade the blow, catching it with my own free hand before reeling back quickly and sliding forward, headbutting the bastard.

He stumbles backward, blood dripping down his forehead as his eyes shake side to side, his hands reaching out around him for something to steady him.

A smirk lifts my lips as I drag a hand through my hair, only feeling a dull ache now compared to the headbutts I’d thrown before.

Xander’s hand finally finds a tree branch to balance him as his eyes find me again, a strange smirk coating his lips as he tries to focus.

“If that’s not proof of you using taboo magic, then what is?

” A gravelly chuckle leaves his bloody lips.

“We both know you’re completely magicless.

Maybe you worked on your strength a little .

.. fine . But that ...” His brows furrow as he looks down my body and back up to meet my gaze.

“To hold your own against my full shifter strength with not a single scratch on you? And to push me back?” He shakes his head, a scowl forming on his lips. “That’s not possible.”

A scoff leaves my lips. As if his damn “strength” was anything to brag about. Annex or Mallyn could crush him with their pinkies. Blindfolded .

Xander then pulls his jacket off, discarding it to the side before taking his shirt off too and throwing that to the forest floor as well. His eyes glow dark gold as a deep snarl leaves his lips, and he readies himself to shift.

Was he really doing this? Shifting into his wolf?

He wanted to maul me ... Kill me?

I take a deep breath looking at the angry prick trying to shift before me.

This wasn’t the Xander I used to know, the young boy who swore to protect me and be my family. One who would do anything to make me smile when I was younger. There was nothing left in him of that young boy.

It was blatant from every glare and cutting word, every hate-ridden action and slur thrown my way. Even if Seria had tainted his memories, her power over him has weakened like it did with Knox. His actions now were fully his own.

I watch on as his fingers extend into claws as sharp as knives and see fur sprouting along his arms, anger still swirling in his eyes.