Page 5 of Savage Sacrifice (The Savage Six #4)

BLAZE

D usk creeps up on us too quickly. In the blink of an eye, Lincoln’s office is no longer draped in sunlight through the window behind him, instead drenched in darkness and shadows cast by the moon.

Time is running away from us, which only serves to add more distance between us and Polaris, narrowing the sliver of hope we’re all clinging to.

We don’t know where else to turn. Minnie and Lincoln are bickering like their lives depend on it; Asher is still pacing back and forth, trapped in a loop of his thoughts; Tatum is as solemn as ever, tucked away in the corner while Wylder tends to his busted knuckles; Bryony disappeared on the way back to the dorms, something to do with her coven, and I didn’t give her a backward glance.

The mention of a coven, like the one I belong to, cut straight through me.

I need to get out of here.

We’ve only been back a handful of minutes, but I need to breathe and think—two things I can’t do in here.

“I’ll be back soon,” I mutter, wiping a hand down my face as I rise to my feet.

“Where are you going?” Lincoln grunts, and I wave him off.

“None of your business.”

He huffs. “Everything we do is each other’s business now, vampire,” he barks, and I consider turning all of my anger in his direction, but deep down, I know it’s pointless. Unless I kill him, he’ll still be as irritating as ever, but Polaris would be sad if I did, and I can’t have that.

Instead, I reach the door, grabbing the handle before I peer back at him. “You should appreciate the fact that I was announcing my exit instead of just leaving. We might be in this together, but you’re not my alpha. You’ll do well to remember that.”

I’m slightly impressed with the calm evenness to my tone, but the way he frowns tells me he’s not going to let it rest, so I hightail it out of there before I do something we’ll all regret.

Thankfully, I make it outside unscathed, the moonlight washing over me as I lean back against the building for a moment. Running my fingers through my hair, I can’t help but acknowledge the differences between us all right now. Well, between me and them, at least.

Vampires and wolves.

The latter wants to huddle together and work as a team so much that they clash on occasion, but they’ll always be there for one another.

Meanwhile, vampires… well, we want to do the opposite.

If we’re overwhelmed, you’d better give us an extra ten-foot-wide berth because we’re even more irrational, and irrational vampires usually end in deaths—lots and lots of deaths.

Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose, searching for a sense of calmness, but nothing comes. Slightly defeated, I push off the wall and take the wood chip trail to the main path before I opt to aimlessly head toward the main academy building.

Maybe some food will help, a snack or two, and if I can tame my solitude, I might grab some for the others too.

We probably should have grabbed something on the way back from the medical center, but we were all a little preoccupied, to say the least.

We knew our first task was to find Polaris’s body, but we came up short immediately. As a group, we headed to the medical center, hope springing in every step we took. However, the moment we arrived and were told that she wasn’t there, all Hell broke loose.

Lincoln screamed and shouted until his voice grew raspy, Minnie sobbed until her heart ached so much that she collapsed to her knees, and Tatum retreated even further into himself.

Managing all their emotions on top of mine was too much to bear, so I joined Asher and Wylder in trashing the place in a fit of rage.

My knuckles ache, but no one went as hard as Wylder, which is why he’s still patching himself up now. I live for the sting and relish in it; it keeps me grounded in the present and somewhat sane. I just know I would feel a whole lot better if I just fucking knew where my Amica Mea was.

At this stage, I want to see her, truly dead or alive, I just need my eyes on her. Especially since the bullshit excuse the medical center gave us still doesn’t make sense.

The nurse explained that lives taken in relation to the release of the blood kin curse weren’t handled by them; instead, they were instantly discarded by magic, the ceremony conducted by The Keeper Of the Games.

As insightful as the nurse’s initial revelations of the otherwise secretive fact seemed, the moments that followed were filled with unanswered questions.

Why would they do that?

Where do the bodies go?

Who knows the answers we are seeking?

Why is it a secret to begin with?

And where the fuck did The Keeper Of the Games disappear to with that woman?

I fucking knew we should have locked him down, but hindsight is a bitch and I’m helpless to fix it.

A jolt to my right arm pulls me from my thoughts, a snarl burning my lips as I glance to see who touched me, only to find Sian glaring at me.

“Watch where you’re fucking going,” she snaps, distaste etched into her features until she realizes who she’s talking to. “Sorry,” she mutters, gulping nervously, but her anger toward me doesn’t subside.

The feeling is mutual.

She’s mad she can’t find Terence and I’m furious Ben killed himself for her.

I tilt my head at her, considering my options. She’s no longer tethered to someone else. I could kill her without consequence. The desire to do so flickers to life inside of me, but the second I take a step toward her, I pause, knowing that Polaris would be disappointed.

Goddamn my blood bound and my unwavering love for her.

Most people do crazy shit for love, it seems I’m in the category of behaving rationally because of it.

How disappointing.

Before I change my mind, I spin on the balls of my feet, ready to head inside the main academy building when Sian calls out my name. I pause, one foot over the threshold, peering back at her.

She shuffles nervously from foot to foot, tucking a loose curl of hair behind her ears as she eyes me.

“I know you know where Terence is,” she states, lips pinching slightly, but I don’t say a word.

Not when she’s simply stating facts to me.

If there’s no question, there’s no reason to respond.

“You have to let me see him,” she whispers, eyebrows furrowing, and I scoff.

“Someone died for you today, someone who loved you, and yet all you can think about is the man who didn’t care about you until you were both declared vampires.

” Saying it out loud only makes it make sense to a vampire.

We’re dumb like this, seeking power within our faction because that’s what we’ve always been told to do.

These people know nothing unless they’ve connected with their blood bound, their forever love.

Nothing else compares, but they’ll never know unless they’re blessed with the opportunity to embrace it.

She’s acting like this and she doesn’t even know the feeling.

She shakes her head with a sigh. “He didn’t love me, besides, I?—”

“Did you miss the part where he killed himself so you could live? Don’t you feel anything for that?”

I need to shut up. I don’t care how angry she makes me, my vulnerability and flaws are about to be exposed, and that’s not the image I portray on campus. It’s a small part of myself reserved only for Polaris, and this bitch doesn’t deserve to see the scars that are cut deep beneath the surface.

She shrugs, and I know she’s not going to care about anything other than Terence. If I can’t kill her out of love for my beloved, then she can’t have what her heart desires the most. Seems only fair.

I don’t offer her another single word as I spin my attention around and storm into the building. If I stay in her presence a moment longer, I’m going to kill her, and I like the idea far too much to be able to remember what Polaris would think if she were here.

If I find her, when I find her, she’s already going to be pissed that I killed Bianca. One day my woman will learn that I kill with love. For now, I need to tread carefully so she doesn’t get mad at me, because that’s the last thing I want.

The corridors are quiet but not completely empty. A small glance at my watch confirms it’s a little after ten in the evening, which makes sense. Entering the dining hall, I head straight to the kitchen area where two chefs still remain for any carryout food anyone may want.

As I near, one of them catches me approaching and offers me a warm smile. I don’t return it, I just grumble my order, rattling off five different pizzas along with a couple of rounds of burgers and fries.

It only takes a couple of minutes for them to have the order ready for me before I’m loaded up with carryout boxes.

My walk back to the wolf dorms is a lot less eventful, and when I arrive, I waltz through the doors without a care.

I startle two wolves as I enter, both of them turning to me with a snarl, but I brush past them and head straight for the office.

I can’t decide if it’s comforting or irritating to walk back in and find them all in the exact same spot where I left them.

Apparently, wolves are great at wallowing too. It’s exhausting to experience.

Wylder clocks me first, eyes landing on the food in my hand, and he’s on his feet a moment later. “Thank God, I’m starving,” he grunts, taking the boxes from my hands.

Minnie offers me a thankful smile, while Lincoln glares at me. Refusing to falter under his irritation, I head toward the desk, taking the seat across from him with the chalice and coins nestled between us still.

They instantly steal my attention away from the alpha across from me and my right leg starts to bounce nervously.

“What are you doing?” Lincoln asks as I reach out to run my finger over the chalice, but I ignore him, turning my attention to the coins still laid out across the desk.

“Has this one always been this color?” I ask, pointing to the coin on the end. While the others are a deep, rich gold color, this one seems light, almost coppery. I don’t remember it being like that, but I also don’t remember caring all that much to fully notice.

Minnie is standing over my shoulder a moment later, uncertainty drawing her eyebrows together, but it’s Asher who speaks. “I don’t think so?”

He sounds about as unsure as I feel, which doesn’t do anything to quell the questions floating around in my head, but the fresh sight of the coins churns something in my gut.

“The coins. Something about them is screaming Polaris,” I admit, refusing to lift my gaze as a hint of embarrassment creeps up my spine, but Wylder is on my right a moment later.

“I agree,” he states, and I turn to find him nodding in agreement.

“You’re both full of shit,” Lincoln grunts, but he stares at them just as hard as I do.

I’m certain I’m going insane, but Tatum joins us, and his silent support fills me with confidence. We’re all intrigued, our thoughts lingering on the coins. Maybe we need to consider who owned them and…

“Wait,” I grunt, planting my hands on the desk. My heart rate kicks up, each piece to the puzzle finding its rightful place as I shake my head in disbelief. “That’s why she did it,” I breathe, furious at myself for not noticing it sooner.

“What?” Wylder asks, and my pulse starts to ring in my ears.

“Krystal, she was fixated on Krystal,” I state, and Minnie gasps. Our eyes lock, understanding rippling between us as she takes a step back from the desk, heading toward the door without question.

“Do we still have the address?” she asks, and I scoff, hope blossoming so wide in my chest I can barely breathe, but for the first time since my world shattered, it’s for a good reason and not because I feel like I’m dying without her near.

“Up here,” I grunt, tapping my temple, and everyone moves at once.

She might not be there, but if there’s going to be any kind of understanding, then it’s going to come from that girl, I know it. Resolute and determined, I lead the charge from the room.

We’re coming for you, Amica Mea.