Page 51 of Of Night and Blood: Special Edition

Oh, he was not enjoying what he was seeing one bit.

When Henry seemed ready to end our session, an idea came to mind. Either incredibly brilliant or ridiculously stupid. Regardless, I wanted to test it out.

“Actually, can I watch you two spar for a moment?” I asked, trying to conjure a tone sweet enough that they would agree.

Not much was required in the end, because Bellamy did not hesitate to say yes, Henry’s eager smile telling me he did not need to think twice either.

The two demons faced one another, Henry’s height allowing him to smirk down at Bellamy—highlighting the two or three inches he had on The Elemental. Yet, Bellamy was not without his own advantages. The sheer build of him far surpassed Henry.

“Do not go crying on me when you lose,” Henry said, shaking out his hands as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

Bellamy did not look remotely phased by the statement, an eerie smile splitting his lips and baring his teeth. He flicked his head to the left then the right, cracks echoing into the air. Then, as if he could sense me watching, his eyes met mine.

“There is only one thing I fear losing,” he said to Henry, gaze still locked on me. Henry groaned, clearly uninterested in Bellamy’s shameless flirting.

This win is for you, Princess of mine.

Then he was moving, ducking Henry’s blow that should have knocked him to the ground, possibly even knocked him out.

I stood there, eyes wide, as the two of them fought. First with fists, trading and dodging blows. Then they added weapons, looking for all the world as though they were dancing, the clashing of their swords a beat like no other. The ballad of battle.

I focused, pushing my power towards them. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to become one with their thoughts, bringing each of their strategies to me in real time. Never had I tried something such as this before, but to my surprise, it worked.

My mind flooded with their thoughts, techniques, and maneuvers. Relaxing my body, I attempted to become them, using it all as a blueprint for the warrior I might become if only given the chance. With little to no thought, my arms and legs started to move, a dance of my own. No part of me doubted that I was Bellamy. I was Henry. In this moment I was the two of them combined. A deadly weapon prepared to fight back, to end lives instead of always being the life at risk.

I heard the males stop their play fighting, felt their eyes land on me. And it was not until their final thought of fighting dissipated that I too snapped out of my sort of trance. I opened my eyes to find them both staring at me as if I had sprouted horns atop my head.

My hands flung to my hair, checking just in case. Thankfully, I was still hornless.

“What?” I asked, every part of my body aching and crying out. I would need to sit down soon.

“Did you just use your magic to do that?” Henry asked, astonished. I had thought it was a fairly ludicrous idea, but not impossible. Based on the way the two of them gawked at me, I figured it had not been a plausible option in their heads until now.

“My power, yes,” I answered, my eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. I thought I heard Henry whisper “incredible” under his breath, but Bellamy clapped his hands together, a smile that reached his eyes and brought out his dimples plastered on his face.

Curiously, the two seemed to have very different reactions to me. Henry was in awe, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Surprise, that was what was written on his face, what I could sense now from him.

Bellamy though, he was not surprised, he was…proud, elated. What I felt from him was similar to a high, as if he had been the one to accomplish the task. He was not blocking me, in fact he was projecting. Over and over again he played the vision of me a moment ago.

I had my eyes closed and my mouth slightly open. My braid was whipping around with every turn, every slice. It was not a long sequence, but the furrow of my brow and the heaving of my chest had Bellamy enamored.

Some part of what I did fueled that already large ego of his, though I was unsure why. I meant to ask as much, but he spoke before I could.

“We leave in five days, Princess. Train up.”

Chapter Thirty

Moments turned into hours turned into days.

The night of our departure was upon us, and I was ready, dressed in a thick black tunic, matching trousers, heavy black boots, a sky-blue corset that was surprisingly comfortable despite its armor-like feel, and a cloak that shone the sparkling silver of moonlight. After slowly braiding back my hair, I left my chambers.

Henry had escorted me back from training earlier, my hot bath of the day waiting for me. So I was alone as I made my way through the corridors, but I knew my way around.

Being idle and solitary had done me no favors, which was why I found myself roaming as often as possible. Bellamy had always conjured a reason to be near me, though he never pushed for us to be alone. During meals I was regularly sat next to his spot at the head of the table. When I trained, he insisted that he could use the practice as well. He even joined Noe and I on our walks along the beach. I never spoke more than necessary, much to Noe’s dismay, opting to listen instead.

Only once did Bellamy stumble upon me when I was by myself. I had been exploring the manor three days ago, when I found a room that was entirely white. The quartz below my feet was perfectly polished, reflecting back my stunned expression at the black pianoforte that sat boldly in the center. A closer inspection showed small red designs gracing the smooth, black surface. A crystal chandelier sat above it, a single demon light floating in the center, casting rainbows across the white walls.

I walked over to the gorgeous instrument, running the tips of my fingers across the keys. It called to me, begging for my frustration to be let out in the best way I knew how.

---