I was cautious, keeping my arm at his throat as the other hand searched his jacket.
“So, what do you intend to do when you find it?” he asked amused, cocky. “Find your friends and tell them of your abilities?”
My hand froze for the briefest second. “No…”
He tilted his head, reading me. “So you’ll go back to hiding it? Even if it hurts you?”
My eyes flickered to him. “Better it hurts me than the others.”
“You meanhim,” Malakai clarified, his tone flat and lifeless.
In the inner pocket of his jacket, I felt something firm, my hand grabbing around it. He felt it as his hand swiftlygrabbed over mine. I jolted, surprised at his movement, and flames burst out of me. A slow smirk emerged on his lips. “You lost, kitten.”
I pushed off of him, onto my feet again. “You’re an asshole.”
He chuckled as he stood up, brushing his clothes off.
“Ethalyn!”
A voice called out, snapping my attention away.
“Mey?” I whispered, baffled, before I shouted her name louder.
It took a brief moment before we heard quickened footsteps, and then I saw them.
Ashley came running with her arms out, almost tackling me to the ground as she threw herself on me. When I found my footing again, I saw Nate jogging with Mey on his back, and an annoyed Eve trotting soon after. My eyes kept darting, but didn’t find purchase, I couldn’t seehim.
“Where’s Lionel?” I asked.
“He should be here somewhere, we split up to search for you, but we were supposed to regroup close to this place,” Eve huffed, coming to a halt.
Unease, it swirled around like a contagious disease inside of me. What if something had happened to him?
“Ethalyn, I thought I’d never see you again!” Ashley sobbed, for real.
“Easy there,” I chuckled. “You know I’m stubborn.”
Her sobs died off as quickly as they had started, as she pushed me away gently, her eyes darting to Malakai. “You better have been nice towards my girl.”
He cocked a brow at her. “Yourgirl?”
I hit her lightly with the side of my open hand, right on top of her head. “Don’t say stuff like that, he’ll think you’re serious.”
“Ouch!” she hissed, patting the area I had struck.
“Are you all okay?” I asked, sweeping a glance over them.
My eyes landed on Mey, who still remained on Nate’s back, she looked paler than before.
“Yeah… we’re, ehm, fine,” Nate said, readjusting.
“Mey has gotten worse,” Ashley pointed out the obvious and Nate glared at her. “He’s in denial. Eve is bitter because Lionel was worried about you.”
Malakai chuckled, making us all turn to him, he had a brief smile on his lips, but once caught, it died off immediately. “She’s brutally honest.”
“Is he concussed too or something?” Ashley asked, confused.
Malakai sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, brows furrowed, clearly annoyed, before turning away.
