“And why are you helping them?”
“What?” he startles, but it’s Thorne who pushes back.
“What do you stand to gain from working for Jude Forrester?”
“Nothing. I?—”
“Did he promise you power?” I interject, my words lingering in the air long enough for his eyes to flicker, confirming the fact that I’ve hit the nail straight on the head.
That's the thing with these people in the higher institutes. They think power is everything. What they don't realize is there's always,alwayssomeone above them, and very rarely, anyone beneath them.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” he finally manages with pleading eyes. “I don't know anything else. This is all I know.”
“What was Kael supposed to do?” Thorne’s words drown the room, his smoke thickening around us.
“I don't know,” Nathaniel insists.
Bullshit.
Without warning, I slam the wrench down on his knee. The sound of the bone snapping rings through the air like a siren, followed swiftly by his howl of pain.
“Answer the question, motherfucker, or the next knee goes,” I warn. “What was he supposed to do?” I poise the wrench, ready to shatter his other kneecap as he continues to scream.
“T-Take Elodie to t-the academy b-building,” he stutters again, his pupils like pins as terror consumes him. “He was just s-supposed to take h-her there. That's all I know,” he insists, and I glance at Thorne, who glares at the asshole in question, and with his single nod, I take the order.
Lifting the wrench, I take aim, but instead of smashing it into his knee as I warned, I go for the skull, grinning as it shatters in one swift move. Blood spills, drenching me in his crimson remains as I reach for the lighter I grabbed from my room.
I flick it open in one swift move before running my thumb across the spark wheel. The grinding metal sounds like a sweet prayer, which is answered as I drop the wicked flame onto Nathaniel and watch him burn.
Taking a step back, I shake my head. He deserved it, yes, but he deserved it to be slow and painful. Unfortunately for me, and luckily for him, he just didn't deserve my time.
24
ELODIE
Despite the carnage that I’m forever drowning in, sleep claimed me better than I thought it would last night. As my mind awakens, the tendrils still linger across my limbs as I try to sink deeper into my pillow, but I’m alert; there’s no going back.
Daring to blink my eyelids open, I stretch out, silently groaning as my muscles flex.
Ocean lies beside me, right where I left her last night.
In the time it took me to stumble in on Rion and his unwanted guest, say my piece to the bitch, grab myself some clothes to last twenty-four hours, and return, she had rearranged the room. Girls’ night was in full effect with the beds pushed together, romance movies merging into one another on the television, and an embarrassing amount of snacks being consumed.
Not that she cried or needed cheering up, I guess she just needed the comfort that comes with it.
The truth of last night weighs heavily on me, but as I stare at my friend's sleeping form, I can't help but feel a sense of relief that Nathaniel is no longer an issue.
He seemed like a ten out of ten kind of guy with her, but the fact that he had the audacity to work with Jude confirms exactlythe type of person he truly was, and that's not who I want around my friend.
Rolling onto my back, I look up at the ceiling and breathe out a heavy exhale. Despite the madness in which I find myself embroiled, last night was eye-opening, and I get the feeling there’s no going back.
I can’t continue to simply survive.
Keeping my head above water is not enough. I need to thrive, and to do that, I need to be in control. Not just of my situation or the scenarios I find myself in, but of myself and my powers.
The determination switch has been flipped, taking root deep in my soul. Maybe it is fueled by my dreams last night, which were twisted with obstacles and challenges, and in each one I was laden in warrior garments, a sword in hand, and victory on the tip of my tongue.
Maybe it was an insight into what my future could hold. A reminder that the cause of all of this is my magic, so it's about time I get a hold of it before I let somebody else have a go at controlling me.
