“When we get longer than twenty minutes alone time, I’ll definitely—”
“Thayla.”
My realm spins as I’m snatched around by my arm. Everything within me reacts.
A heat flash spears from my scalp to my toes, and Yemi’s shriek echoes in my ears. That noise immediately morphs into a manly grunt, and a muttered “You stupid motherfucker” falls from her. Books crash around us, but my mind can’t focus on that.
“Lower the dagger, Thay. It’s just me.”
My eyes blink and my hand twitches as an uncomfortable sensation drags over my skin.
“Thayla, are you okay?”
My chest rises and falls. It takes considerable effort to force my sight to work for me. Yemi repeatedly saying my name has the black fading from my eyes.
Not seeing may have been better.
My gaze locks onto green brighter than meadow grass.
Mellcom holds his hands up, pressed against a barrier between us. My glare drops to my dagger pressed to his throat, then moves back up to his face.
“Thayla?”
“I’m okay. Are you?” I ask Yemi.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Got the other asshole pressed against the bookshelf.”
“Come on, Thay,” Mellcom says once again as his eyes flare. “I need to talk to you.”
“You’ve got some fucking nerve.”
My soul thrashes and I do nothing to stop it. I let it spread wherever and to whoever it wants to go to.
“You’ve all but disappeared and haven’t given me another option but to resort to this so I can talk to you.”
“Did you follow us here?”
“No. Creed told me you were here.”
My mind hums in absolute rebellion. He would never.
“You’re a fucking liar, Mellcom Bellame. You’re going to walk away now, you and that piece of shit back there, or you won’t like what happens next.”
“No,” he shouts and I force my body not to flinch.
“You’re going to listen to me and listen good. I’m fucking done, Thayla. After everything, everything!”
His bellow rattles the books behind him and for a fleeting second, the separation between us ripples.
“I’m done with you ignoring me, with your hate, and this distance it’s put between us. It ends today, do you understand me? You won’t survive the Power Worthiness Test coming up without me. You need me. Me and Jeremiah.”
The glow in his eyes grows more intense and the grip on my dagger at his throat grows tighter. A shiver skirts down my spine and the tremors ravaging my body are hard to control.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
My eyes narrow on the sick smile he gives me. His familiar flip from rage to eerie calm has bile climbing up my throat.
“Don’t play dumb with me. Your act of innocence gets old, Thay. We both know why you won’t survive.”
