Page 54 of A Shadow of Betrayal

A burst of laughter erupts from the corner of the room where the Jennings boy and the girl train, then watch as the Drakos heir walks over, slinging his arm around the girl's shoulders and making the Jennings boy frown at them.

Lennox and Creed have been shooting the two young pups dirty looks all week after the beasts attacked the castle, jealousy radiating off them whenever either boy touches her. It's amusing, to say the least. Anyone with an intelligent mind would see that the two young men have feelings for each other. I grimace and shake my head; the thought of loving someone is like acid in my stomach.

Disgusting.

The girl laughs and elbows the Drakos boy in the ribs, making him wince and curse under his breath. It's enough to settle my stomach, and I nod approvingly when the girl flips him off.

She is feisty and has a fighting spirit… maybe that's why I don't immediately want to kill her like I do everyone else. I scan the fighting arena, looking for Lennox’s black hair, and freeze when I don’t automatically spot him. I can feel my lips thin as I move from Senior to stupid Senior, glad I'm not the one that has to deal with their simpering conversations before I spot him off in a corner talking to Credence. Well, I say talking, but I don't need good eyesight or elevated hearing to know my younger brothers are arguing again.

When Creed throws the girl a desperate glance over his shoulder, I grind my teeth together and lift a hand to the black pendant that dangles from a silver chain around my neck. I can see the hearts in his eyes, and I hate it.

Creed has always been a player. He likes to pick up girls and use them for his pleasure, but he’s being weird about this one. As far as I know, he hasn't slept with the girl and is acting like a schoolboy with a crush, all because she helped him. Which is ridiculous. He wasn't in that much danger. If she had waited a few more minutes to go out in that damn storm to rescue the idiot, Nox and I would have already been there and saved his dumbass.

This girl is a problem I thought would have been taken care of by now, though I suppose it shouldn't surprise me she is still alive. I may have to rectify that if she keeps making my brothers act like imbeciles. Creed shouts something at Nox and pivots, striding toward Meyer with a determined look on his face, and I decide it's time to intervene.

Stepping out of the shadowy corner, I pass a few Umbra Hunters, loving the scent of fear they radiate when they see me. I pick up my pace, keeping my cloak tucked around my frame as I watch my younger brother walk toward the girl, nodding to Lennox, who stops his pursuit of our stupid brother when he sees me. The man visibly sags in relief, probably at his wit's end with Credence, and I instantly feel a wave of protectiveness. Creed and I are here to keep Lennox safe and make his job easier. We have a job and a mission to fulfill; then we have to go home and report to Father. Lennox knows we are running out of time. Father wanted us home months ago, but Nox refused to leave until we got what we came for. And now that this girl has shown up in our lives, complicating everything, I know it will only add to Lennox’s stress.

I walk around a particularly large group of DeLuca Rangers, waiting for Creed, and strike the moment I see him, wrapping my hand around his neck and weaving a tight cord of magic around his mouth, keeping him silent as I move my hand to his shoulders and forcibly shift him away from the girl and out of the training arena. Creed curses behind the magical gag, and I can feel a grin split across my face as he spins and kicks me in the knees, landing a fucking good blow that almost takes me off my feet.

“Naughty, little pup. Don't make me tell Nox you are picking fights you can’t finish,” I growl, letting my eyes flash at him in warning under my hood. Creed stills, and I can taste the small bite of fear that wafts up from him. It both thrills and hurts me to know that we are no longer close. That we will never be what we used to be.

Growling, I shove Creed forward, making him stumble, and dart his hands out in front of him to brace against the wall before he keeps walking, choosing not to fight. It's a pity. I could use the stress relief right now. And nothing soothes me more than the scent of blood or the feeling of bones breaking beneath my hands.

I don’t stop in the abandoned hall. Instead, I take Creed through the castle, sticking to the less traveled hallways. I don’t want the stench of dirty magic on me for the rest of the day. Stalking toward the barracks where Lennox has taken up residency as the Senior in charge, I shove Creed harder, making him stumble a bit.

Most Umbra Hunters and Seniors stay in the castle in nicely furnished rooms. But Lennox couldn't stand being close to Axford, so he volunteered to come out to the Barracks and stay with the Rangers during training. Naturally, Creed and I followed, always watching his back.

Stalking through the old cabin, I relax a little, the peaceful quiet a balm to my fractured soul as I force Creed up the stairs and toward our personal bedrooms. Bypassing Lennox and his, I move in front of him and open the door to my room, nodding for him to go in. Creed glares at me and stubbornly crosses his arms over his chest, refusing to enter.

I glare at him and nod toward my room again, not bothering with words. He's not worth them. When he refuses for a second time, I can feel the darkness rising, the bloodlust filtering through my body like a drug. Slowly I reach up, letting my hood fall away from my face, my long dark brown hair falling around my shoulders since I didn't bother tying it up this morning.

Excitement and exhilaration fill me as Creed looks me up and down, probably looking for my weaknesses and mapping out the fastest way to take me down. But his stubbornness falls away when he looks into my black eyes, and I grin when he hesitates, his pulse thrumming in his neck as he watches me.

The thing is, Creed is a worthy opponent, one that I would have a hard time defeating. But after what happened with our brother, Archer, he won't fight me. He lets me win every time; the guilt of Archer's death weighs heavily on his shoulders. I relished it at first, wanting Creed to feel every hit and bite I gave and then intensify the pain by ten. But now... It makes fighting boring, and I wish he would man the fuck up and finally give me something to do. It's not fun to beat on something that doesn’t try to fight back.

After another moment of hesitation, I hear Creed sigh and walk voluntarily into my room. Still, I grind my teeth in irritation as I yank my hood back on, not liking how I feel exposed with it down. I follow my brother into my room, slamming the door shut before lifting the spell around his mouth.

“You're an asshole. You know that?” he instantly says, bringing his hand up to his lips and wiping away the residue of my magic. I nod again, moving around him to the bed where a small, fluffy orange beast lies, his purrs echoing through my space.

“Are you ever going to talk to me again?” Creed asks as he steps beside me, and I roll my eyes. The boy is so dramatic. I talked to him only three and a half minutes ago. But I know that's not what he’s talking about. He wants to converse the way we used to before Archer died. I shake my head, and Creed heaves a heavy sigh, then does a double take when he spots the small ball of fur on my bed. “Is that a fucking cat?” he asks, and I nod again, eyeing the tiny monster as its ears perk up and it lifts its head. Its bright blue eyes meet my own, and I can feel its anger rising as it hisses in my direction, the fur along its spine raising as it climbs to its feet.

I will eventually bring the beast back to my home, where it will have more space to run, but until then, he can stay in my room. I reach out a hand, letting my fingers stroke the bright orange fur, then grin when it attacks, hissing and yowling at me before sinking its tiny teeth into my forearm.

“Uh… I don't think it likes you,” Creed points out, and I scoff. My brother obviously can't see the true depth of the tiny monster’s feelings. This beast likes me; there is no fear coming from him… he’s just misunderstood.

I reach down, scooping the tiny thing up in my arms, and walk over to my window, cracking it open so fresh air can come in before placing him on the thick wood with a pleased nod when he curls up and stares longingly outside. It had taken me three days to track down this beast. When Nox had instructed me to find the girl’s Milo and destroy him, I hadn't expected him to be of the feline variety.

There had been another male there, feeding the poor beast some dried-up-looking food, and it hadn't taken much to lure the monster out of his home. When I held my blade to its neck, the creature snarled and fought me off. Granted, it was a pathetic attempt, but its fighting spirit impressed me, so I decided to keep it. I’ve noticed it’s not a fan of the snow or cold, and it keeps threatening me every time I enter my room, which only endears it to me all the more. But I can see the appeal of having such a pet. At least the girl has good taste in vicious animals.

“Oookay, then,” Creed mutters, looking at me in surprise as he slowly backs out of my room. “Good talk. I’ve got things I need to go do and—” He turns, moving to open the door, then yelps when I grab one of my throwing knives and fling it at the door he’s opening. The blade is maybe three inches long, small enough to hide anywhere on the body, and long enough to cause pain. “Dammit! Raz, what the hell?” Creed shouts, jumping back from the door and glaring at me over his shoulder.

I chuckle, which makes Creed's face redden in anger just as the door opens and Lennox steps into the room. I immediately step in front of my tiny monster, blocking him from Nox’s view, not wanting to reveal my new pet. When I came back from my assignment, Nox asked if I had handled our problem. I nodded, not saying anything since he had been with a few other Seniors at the time, and thankfully he never asked for details afterward. As far as Nox knows, Milo has been taken care of… I glance over my shoulder and purse my lips, eyeing the small beast. Which isn't technically a lie; I am taking care of him.

“Creed, you need to get a handle on yourself. That girl is a Ranger and not your concern,” Nox snaps, making Creed glare at him.

“That’s bullshit, and you know it!” Creed snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. “That girl risked her life for me, and you won't let me repay her favor by helping her train or anything! She needs help. The first Ranger games are tomorrow, and she's still on basic hand-to-hand- combat, and her endurance is shit.”

I nod in agreement, earning a dirty look from Nox, which I shrug off. Creed isn't wrong. Meyer had no idea that Creed wouldn't have actually died, and she still risked her life to save him. In my books, that earns some respect. But I know Creed wants to do a lot more than help the girl train, which is why Nox is putting his foot down and restricting access to her. Well, that and I’m afraid my youngest brother has also caught feelings for the annoying girl and is jealous that she likes Creed more than him.

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