Page 29 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

“Is there anyone here who can teach me combat?” I asked, turning my head towards her. The question took her by surprise, her eyebrows lifting and mouth falling open. I maintained my stare, deciding I would not back down on this.

“You truly think we would teach you to fight when you are already a danger enough as it is?” she asked, astonished by my inquiry. When she put it that way, I did seem dense. “And how is it that you grew up with the royal family but did not learn combat?”

“The king and queen told me it would be a waste of my abilities. I spent all of my time at Academy sharpening my power.” I shrugged. As heavy as the day felt, it was nice to talk to someone casually.

“Of course they did.” She scoffed. I could feel her rage, and silently wondered what could be causing it. That simple curiosity was all it took for me to unwittingly slip past the flimsy barriers of her mind.

Horror shot through me as I saw a female lying bloody in the grass, a pair of hands trying to halt the red liquid from seeping through the neck wound. Lian’s hands. Nearly screaming from the pain and wrath the memory brought forth, I pulled out of Lian’s mind. I was not used to others projecting as she did, and perhaps my own exhaustion left me vulnerable to such a thing.

“I need out, now,” I said, pushing myself to stand before I vomited on the bed that I apparently soiled twice already. My pulse quickened and a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. I had used my powers too much, allowed too many outside emotions, thoughts, and memories to flood me. I wrung my hands and began pacing once again, needing to move and exert the energy filling me.

So much, too much, had occurred over the course of the last few days. I tried and failed to reel in the ferocious beast inside of me, the one that always wanted to break through, that craved retribution and death—The Manipulator. Keeping her at bay was normally easy, as I was often secluded and around less tension. Right now I was overwhelmed and surrounded by fae. I could feel them, all around me, their powers and minds on edge.

I grabbed Lian’s mind again, holding on tightly and adding a bit of rage into my mental voice.

Escort me outside, now.

She stood up, back stiff and eyes blank. I hated this, controlling beings, forcing them to do my bidding. But I needed out, immediately.

We walked to the door and Lian knocked quickly five times, then slowly twice more. I made note of the beat, but was not sure I would be able to match it later on. The door opened, and the tallest male I had ever seen poked his head through. His hair was the color of the tip of a flame, like an orange beacon. His face was covered in freckles, different than Bellamy’s that graced only his nose and cheeks, but similar in the way they added that charm. The male’s full pink lips were set in a frown, and his green eyes looked down to us with suspicion. Lian pushed past him, guiding us out into a long hallway.

The walls on either side were full of beautiful paintings. I tried to resist, but I could not help slowing to look at them. There was no rhythm to the madness, no cohesive pattern, but that made them all the more beautiful. Some of them seemed abstract, with random colors and shapes merging and flowing in a way that looked alive.

There were more realistic ones as well. Some of those were of fae, some of mortals. I was surprised to see art of the Mortal Realm here, it was rare to collect anything they created.

A million questions rushed into my mind, but a deep voice sounding at my back startled me.

“You should not be out here.” I whirled around, my hand flying to my racing heart. The orange-haired male stood in front of me, which made me aware of how much larger he was than me. His menacing stance was all the more terrifying with the violence that shone in his green eyes. Where did Lian go?

“You scared me, you creep,” I said, searching for any way out of his reach.

Despite his intimidating stature, his pale cheeks reddened at my insult. Fear took control and my power grabbed onto his mind, filling my senses with blinding light. I had never felt a power like this, but it reminded me of the strange fae fire floating in Bellamy’s chambers. Before I could make a command, the male grabbed onto my wrist, yanking my body forward. I tried to rip out of his grip, but he tightened his hold and shoved me. I flew back into the wall, hitting with a loud thud that sent a painting crashing to the ground.

I gasped when he grabbed me by my hips, lifting me up and over his shoulder. Beating my fists as hard as I could against his back, I let out screams for help, knowing it was pointless but doing it anyways. I latched onto the male’s mind, not bothering to search or open myself up any more than I needed to.

Put me down you orange oaf!

The male stopped in place, slowly setting me down. The second my feet hit the ground I smacked him across the face, the loud slap ringing down the empty hall.

Of course, with my attention diverted for even a moment, the male regained his consciousness. With a snarl he shoved me against the wall again, this time using his body to press against mine. I let my mind open to his, thoughts of violence and fear pounding into me. He looked down at me, a sneer on his face.

Get your hands off of me you foul prick!

My mental voice was not usually so distraught, so untamed, but it had been a rough week. I shoved at him the second he took a step back, but I was not letting go of his mind.

Take me outside immediately.

His body whirled in the opposite direction, his gait steady and robotic. I followed closely, fuming with pent up rage. Our turns became confusing as we walked through the large residence, which I thought could be considered more of a manor than a home based on the size of the interior. Everything was black and red except for the rows of paintings. The smooth, glass-like black floors met our feet with loud clicks, and the vaulted black ceilings reverberated the sound back at us.

Finally, we arrived at a pair of large doors made out of a red wood.

“This male could use an interior designer,” I muttered. “I mean honestly, what goes through someone’s head when they create a disaster such as this?”

“Well beautiful, you could always ask me if you are that curious.” I froze, shoulders reaching up towards my ears and jaw clenching.

Chapter Nineteen

“Can none of you announce yourselves?” I asked, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest.

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