Page 11 of A Blackened Bond

Creed whips back around, his and Ezra’s gazes clashing before Mallyn opens his mouth.

“I’ll help too.”

My brows lift at Mallyn’s words, and Creed’s eyes widen as he turns toward him.

Creed flickers his gaze between the three boys, then looks around the forest warily before sighing, “Just don’t make it an everyday thing.”

He throws a tired look my way, and I nod.

I guess the academy will be on alert more with this new attack, which might make training here difficult from now on.

And training with Annex, Ezra,andMallyn…could be fun.

“That’s sorted, you’re with us—”

Ezra’s words cut off, his gaze frozen at the ground around my feet.

I look down, noticing the mess that is my feet; dirt and dried blood clinging to my skin.

I had discarded my heels, and after running through the forest with Mallyn’s beast, I had gotten a few cuts and scrapes along the way. By now, they were already healed, but it still looked like a mess.

Ezra moves from beside me and drops to his knees, gently reaching for my messy feet.

I take a step back and away from his hands, his eyes whipping up to meet mine. “I’m okay, Ezra. You don’t—”

He shakes his head, cutting me off as he reaches for my feet again. “No. You’ve got blood on your legs and feet. And with the dirt and mud from the ground, any wounds there could get infected.”

“I’ll clean them later. They’re fine—”

“Let me at least do this, Micai. Let me help?” His eyes plead with me, a look of genuine worry bleeding through his features. And a look that tells me he wanted to help me with no conditions or attached strings.He just cared.

It has me relenting and letting him take my feet in his hand.

He gives me a soft smile before his brows quickly furrow, gazing down at the mess that is my feet. He grabs a couple of the wipes from the bag and begins to clean it all away; his touch is so gentle and careful so as not to hurt me. He dabs lightly along the dried blood, his brows deepening the longer he cleans them.

“You won’t find any wounds, Ezra.” An anxiousness takes hold of me as I peer down at him.

I haven't trusted anyone with my secret or with anything about myself.

How could I? How could I even begin to explain things I don't have answers for: the marks on my body, my newfound strength and speed, my power to heal, and my ability to fight?

How do I explain even a fraction of that to him, when I don’t fully have answers myself?

“It's already healed.” His fingers brush along the skin on my feet, a relieved look taking over his features before he moves swiftly, removing all the dirt and dried blood away, and begins to take off his own shoes.

My brows synch together as he places them beside my feet, giving me an expectant look. Did he want me to put them on?

They looked at least four sizes bigger than my feet, and I didn’t want him walking around without anything on.

I shake my head. “I’m fine, Ez–”

“But I’m not.” The serious look in his eyes has my words drying up in my throat. “It’s not just Annex that wants to keep you safe.” He gently pushes his shoes toward me again. “I know it’s not much, but it will at least make sure you don’t get any more cuts.”

He gives me a small smile, something gleaming in his gaze as he watches me. Then he lifts his shoes and takes one foot at a time, placing my feet carefully in them—the massive space inside pulling a small chuckle from my lips.

They’re huge and heavy, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to walk in them properly, let alone run if a beast attacks again. But the gentle touch of his hands and the soft smile on his lips as he focuses so intently while putting them on me…has that warmth in my chest expanding to its limits, stretching to each limb and fingertip.

They kept giving me things.

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