He sat back on his knees and picked it up, inspecting the blade before his eyes found mine.
“Give him all you’ve got, boy. He needs to repent,” his orderly stated.
The door shut behind them a second later, the only light coming in through the small window on the far side.
Alaric frowned and shoved himself to a stand, his hand flexing around the hilt of that blade.
I needed the wall to get myself up, my legs unsteady, my head spinning from lack of air. He had to do it. He had to dosomething, and we both knew it. We had been in this roombefore. All four of us at differing times. We understood the rules.
I shoved myself away from the wall, tears pouring down my face, that smile painful, the laugh agonizing. “Do it,” I challenged him, making my way towards him. “Do it,” I snapped.
His lip curled and he spun the knife around in his hand.
I was good, they taught me how to fight better than father ever did. They taught me everything, but I would never be as good as him. I could fight back all I wanted, and I would, but I already knew what the outcome would be.
They wanted to punish me for the darkness they were breeding inside of me but one day, I would be the monster they never saw coming.
36
Azrael
Present Day
March 18th, 2023
Amotion out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, pulling me back to the present.
Scarlett was signing again.“How…”Her brows furrowed slightly.“How…I—How…I…do?”
I signed back to her. “How did I do?” I said the words as I signed them.
She signed the words back at me twice before straightening, searching my eyes before her gaze fell to my lips.
“It’s beautiful,”I signed back.“May I keep it?”
Her face twisted in confusion as much as it was able. A scrunched muscle around her eyes, a miniscule tilt of her head.
“Did you not think I would want it?” I asked. I almost hoped she kept this near complete stone-face she had. You can’t train that into somebody. Not unless they went through the same things I had, and even I broke sometimes. It’s why I integrated some of the things they did to us at the asylum into the training at Everett’s school. Perhaps we would find someone out there who could perfect the stone-face, but for now, Scarlett was a pro. Nobody—unless trained like me or the brothers—would ever be able to truly read her face if it remained as it was. Which was another reason why she would be such a perfect little weapon.
“No,”she signed.“Why?”
“Because it’s beautiful,”I answered back.
She watched me for a long time before nodding.“Yes, you…”She paused with her finger pointed at my chest, thinking carefully.“May keep it,”she finished.
She never allowed herself to get irritated when signing. She was determined, but in the patient kind of way, which was good. Irritation and frustration only hindered a person. If she kept a straight head and learned from her mistakes, there would be no stopping her from learning everything there was to know about the language.“Thank you,”I signed back.
I turned away from her bedroom and stepped into the other room, folding the paper up carefully and sliding it into the pocket of my jacket. “Today we train for tomorrow,” I told her easily. “They know what you are to me, who you will become, so they will feel threatened.” I turned back to her, pausing at the table. “You must do what they want, little sinner. No biting, no grazing teeth, no drawing blood.”
Her eyes softened into fear, her hand sliding over her stomach.
Oh, how I hated seeing that look in her eyes. “Do you want me to show you the power you have?”
“You’ve said that before,”she began, her hand motions heavy.“That I would have power, but what power?”
“You need to pay attention,” I told her carefully, looking her directly in her eyes. “Listen to my words and don’t get distracted.”
A little crinkle formed around her eyes before it smoothed out.
