Page 34 of A Spark Of Revenge

Meyer

“Mi Sol.”

Valen's voice echoes through my mind as I slowly wake, the sense of his warm arms wrapped around me is keeping my panic at bay as my heavy lids peel open. My eyes feel dry and gritty, and as the warm comfort of sleep slowly fades, harsh reality seeps back into my consciousness. Valen's presence fades, leaving an empty longing in its place.

An odd sense of something watching me makes me do a fast evaluation of myself, ensuring everything is okay. Something heavy stirs at my feet, making me jump a little, and I slowly lift onto my elbows, groaning as pain splinters through my head. Squinting, I brush my hair back from my face and look down at my feet, taking in Theo and Jordan’s still forms, sound asleep at the end of Creed's bed and grin.

Theo lets out a small snore as Jordan tightens the arm banded around Theo's waist, tugging him more firmly against his chest, Theo’s the small spoon to Jordan's big one. We have formed a tentative truce for the moment. Well, Theo and I have. I think Jordan has already forgiven Theo for what happened; he’s more hurt that Elaine and Theo kept such a big secret from him.

After we secured food and drinks last night, the three of us sat down and exchanged information with each other. Jordan had little to offer as far as new information, but Theo had some about how his mom ended up saving Lennox’s life, earning a debt from the Demon Prince, which she apparently used to help me out when I first showed up here. When I asked him why she chose to help me, Theo shrugged and said he didn't know.

I also learned that the reflective-eyed monsters I have seen my whole life—the ones who would stalk and scare but never hurt me—are called Therion, not Beastia, which are the soulless-eyed ones that Razar can shift into. They are the dark creatures of the Demon world even the Demons despise. When the Veil was damaged, the Demons created the Umbra Hunter line with their own blood, elevating a simple human with traits a Demon would have in order to defend the human world from the Monsters.

That information made my head spin. I mean, it makes sense that Demons are the ones who created Umbra Hunters. The similarities in abilities such as strength, speed, and the capacity to heal match Creed, Lennox, and Razar’s. Also, the Demon Princes blend almost seamlessly into the Regalis bloodline with dark hair and green eyes. This makes me wonder if Dream Walkers also helped create the Hunters, given the lighter coloring of the DeLuca bloodline.

Something shifts in my peripheral, and I tense as a dark shadow moves closer to the bed, reaching for me, but before I can react, Jordan, who I thought was sound asleep, twists, blade in hand as he sits upright, bringing the blade of his kalis to… Creed’s throat.

“What the hell, Creed?!” I shout, shoving myself to sit up fully on the comfy bed, glaring at the man who has his hand outstretched toward me, his amused eyes flicking from Jordan to me as he winks and smiles.

“Hmm, good reflexes. Maybe you're not too bad to keep around after all,” Creed murmurs in approval, ignoring my shouts as Theo snorts himself awake, jumping to his feet and whirling on Creed with a dark look.

One moment, Jordan has his knife pressed to Creed's throat, the next, the hilt of the blade is somehow in Creed's hand and he tosses it in the air, letting it spin a few times before catching it effortlessly between two fingers as he shoves Jordan from the bed, making him topple to the ground at Theo's feet with a surprised shout.

“You, however, let an armed assailant sneak into your room undetected and didn't even budge when lover boy released you to attack me,” Creed growls disapprovingly at Theo, pointing Jordan's knife at his face and shaking it while telling him off. “I’m going to have to tell Umbra Drakos about this so he can correct that.”

Theo bends down, grabs Jordan by the waist of his pants, and yanks him to his feet while looking around the room, ensuring there are no more threats to deal with. “I haven’t slept in two fucking days, Umbra Regalis! And I thought it was safe in this room, or I would never have slept so deeply,” Theo complains, then grunts when Jordan shoulders him out of the way to get to me.

“Leave,” Jordan hisses at Creed with so much venom in his voice it takes me by surprise as he tries and fails to push Creed away from the bed. Creed arches a brow, Jordan’s knife still in hand as he gives the young Hunter a once over. His body barely moves as Jordan shoves him, and it only pisses off Jordan more.

“It’s my room, Ranger Jennings. I believe I should be asking you to leave,” Creed replies calmly before looking back at Theo, ignoring the angry Hunter in front of him. “And I’m assuming that”—he chuckles, eyeing the empty bottle of tequila sitting on the side table near the bed Jordan stole from Umbra Monroe's room—“is the reason you didn’t wake up when I entered, but it’s no excuse. You should be aware of your surroundings at all times. Even Meyer woke when I came into the room,” Creed praises, and I scowl.

“What do you mean, even Meyer?” I grumble, moving to the edge of the bed and standing next to Jordan, shoving at Creed's chest. This time, he takes a step back. Jordan scowls at me, then Creed, probably wondering how the hell I managed to move the Demon when he couldn't, but I know the only reason Creed moved was that he was doing what I wanted and stepped back.

“No offense, Lemon Drop. But you sleep like the dead. Hell, I thought you were dead when you slept in here last…” he trails off and winces as I glower up at him. Really, he’s going to bring up that night?

What a freaking idiot.

“What do you want?” I hiss up at him, my hands fisting at my side as Jordan and Theo step up next to me. Creed eyes the boys and sighs before nodding at the door.

“Out,” he commands, flipping the kalis in his hand so that he’s holding the sharp blade, hilt extended to Jordan, who takes it slowly, eyeing Creed with distrust burning in his green eyes. “Senior Regalis wants all Rangers to report to the training center in twenty minutes. Hit the cafeteria and get some coffee, or you’ll be dragging all morning.”

“What?” Theo asks in confusion.

“Did I stutter?” Creed asks coolly, then nods at his door again. “Out of my room, now. Or I’ll have Senior Regalis and Senior Drakos write you up for insubordination.”

“There is no Senior Drakos,” Theo rasps, swallowing hard and making my heart crack as I glare up at Creed, who at least has the decency to look guilty.

“Yes, there is. Report to the Center in twenty minutes. The rest of the Bloodlines have already been informed,” Creed says a little softer, his large hand moving to grip the back of his neck as he looks at Theo, a sheen of remorse lit in his eyes. I’m not sure what for, since it was Axford who killed Theo’s dad, not him or his brothers. If you want to be technical, it was Lennox who took out Theo’s dad’s murderer.

“Come on, Meyer,” Jordan mutters, glaring at Theo as he laces our fingers together and tugs me toward the door.

“No. She’s getting dressed first and will meet you there,” Creed says, grabbing my wrist and yanking my hand from Jordan’s. Theo curses, and I glare up at Creed, yanking my wrist from his grip, moving to slap the fucker. Unfortunately, his reflexes are too fast, and he simply catches my wrist when it's inches from his face, his green eyes calm and collected as he stares down at me, arching a brow when I growl under my breath in frustration.

“Let me go!”

“No,” he says simply before looking over my head to the boys standing there. “Out, or you will be running extra laps.”

“This is bullshit! Why are we even training?” Theo complains, looking at Creed then me, hesitant to leave the room.

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