CHAPTER
8
She was… a mage?
“Carolyn… you—” I stammered, but lost my words when her eyes met mine.
She was like an open book. Fear that I’d seen her, that she was exposed, flickered across her face. Slowly, the fear faded away, her face blank and something else built up in its place.
Resolve.
Was she going to kill me?
“Wait, Carolyn…” I began, raising my hands from the gun. “Let’s not do anything hasty. Talk to me.”
Her face cracked and she cackled. “Talk? Really? You intend totalkthings over with amage?”
I bit my lip. She was right, it sounded absurd; but it was the truth, I didn’t want to attack her or trick her into lowering her guard.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. How long had she known? Why had she joined the Ashen Corps? There was so much I wanted to ask her.
She raised her arm, blue light swirling around it, the ground underneath her feet slowly freezing over.
“Carolyn—” I tried again, but her eyeswidened.
Her fear was back, her arm trembling, as she saw something behind me. I swallowed hard, but before I had the chance to turn, a gun fired and the bullet pierced through Carolyn’s forehead. The blue light died, as her eyes darkened and her body fell to the ground with a thud.
I watched in horror, the ice around her slowly melting, as I drew a sharp breath and slowly turned.
Smoke still lingered from the gun he was holding, his eyes emotionless.
“Why did you hesitate?” the Lieutenant asked, voice venomous, accusing. His red eyes slowly turned to me, studying me carefully.
“She was one ofours,” I whispered.
“No, she was amage,” he clarified, reloading his gun.
“But… she killed the demon.” My head had a hard time wrapping around what had happened, not sure what I wanted to achieve with my words.
“So what? Should I have given her a medal and thanked her for cleaning up her own mess?” he cocked a brow at me, as a mischievous smirk spread on his lips. He was right… but she could’ve killed us earlier, there had been plenty of opportunities and yet she didn’t.
Carolyn knew what she signed up for and chose to not harm anyone even when she had the chance at the base. I wanted to know what she had been thinking, what her goal was. My blood felt like it was boiling.
The Lieutenant’s eyes narrowed, and in a swift motion he seized my wrist and pulled me closer.
“What are you doing?” I gasped, wincing as his grip tightened. “You’re hurting me.”
He tilted his head, studying me, and squeezed harder. Pain shot up my arm. I gritted my teeth, ripped a knife free, and slashed at him, blade grazing his skin.
Blood trickled, finally making him loosen his grip, flexing his hand as the color returned to mine.
“There it is,” he murmured, lips curling into a wicked smirk as he brushed his blood away with his arm. “Your fangs.”
I leveled the knife at him, voice sharp.
“Let me go, or I’ll do worse.”
His eyes flicked to the blade, then locked back onto me, dark, unyielding.
