Page 5 of A Blackened Bond

I want them all.And all of him.

But I’ve realised it too late…

I brush a strand of dark brown hair from his face and free those piercing blue eyes that are still staring blankly at me.

My fingers slide down his cheek as tears fall down my face and onto his pale skin.

What was the point of this life if I couldn’t save him?

What did I train for, become stronger for, if not to be able to protect the ones I love in this life?

I wanted to fight back, to take revenge on all those who wronged me, and to live the life I should have always had—one free of regrets and surrounded only by the people I love.

But I lost him anyway…

I brush my fingers across his knuckles, tracing the tattoos flowing down each finger until my fingers freeze at his fingertips, a dark thought taking hold.

Is this my fault?

Did my return to the past cause this? Was my presence in his life the catalyst for this?DidIcause Annex’s death?

The air around me feels thin as I begin to feel dizzy, my thoughts racing back and forth through time.

This beast attack had never happened before in my last life. Was this because of something I did?

Or somethingI didn'tdo?

A cold chill creeps through me, wrapping itself around each limb and inch of flesh, weakening me instantly as I gently let go of Annex’s hand.

My eyes fall on his face…his time has stopped. His dark, heavenly features frozen in this moment forever while I have to live on without him.

He protected me when I should have protected myself.

I wasn’t the weak girl of the past, but I let too much slide.

I had forgotten to be the strong woman who was forged through years of misery and pain. One who survived a hell worse thanWensridge Academy. One who lived years enduring pain and torture and still had her spirit intact and came out unbroken from it all.

The time I spent with Annex and the guys made me forget who I was and the misery I once went through. I was too lost in the happy dream that they gave me and let my guard down.

It never should have come to this. I should have been stronger and capable of protecting him and not let him die while protectingme.

A silent scream lodges itself in my throat as I gaze at his colourless face, a strangled sound escaping my lips before I can push it down.

Iletthem take another person from me.I may have gotten stronger, but I was still stupid and ignorant.I should have been able to prevent this. I should have known something was happening. I should have seen it.

With everything I’d been through, I should have connected the dots. The attack at Halloween was just the start. Something bigger was playing out in the background, and I let it go, toodistracted, too happy, and too nonchalant to look into it. And now it cost me him.

I reach out again toward Annex just as a hand gently takes mine in theirs.I’m met with two worried-filled eyes gazing back at me, both a deep shade of turquoise. A slight look of relief begins to fill his gaze.

“I thought you’d never hear me,” he says, pulling my hand toward him and wrapping it in his own two large ones. The heat from them slowly seeps into my numb fingertips, prickling my skin.

“I’ve been calling you for a while, little sea star,” his gaze becomes anxious again, “But you…you got a little lost for a bit.” He flickers his gaze between Annex and me, a sad smile stretching his lips. “It's not what it seems, Micai…Annex will be okay.”

Okay? How could he be okay? Were we looking at the same thing? Did he not see what happened? Could he not see Annex in front of us?

My brows pull together, the words caught in my throat as I gaze back toward Annex. How couldthisbe okay?!

I try to pull my hand from his, but his grip tightens, a frown forming on his face.

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