Page 21 of A Blackened Bond

Either way, I wouldn’t let what happened tonight repeat itself.

A shaky breath leaves my throat as I remember Annex’s cold, limp hand in mine. Of the air seeping from his lips on his last breath and the light fading from his eyes as he fell lifeless.

The demented and wicked smile I had grown to love was gone from him and never to be seen again.

Annex haddied. And if it weren’t for whatever miraculous ability he had, he would be gone forever.

The thought has tears dripping down my cheeks as I rub the ache growing larger in my chest, like a black hole trying to consume me with the memory of his loss.

Annex had built a place for himself inside me, and both he and Ezra meant more to me in this life than I thought anyone other than Zrael could.

I had wanted to build a wall around myself in this life so that nobody could get in, but they broke it down. They tore into it, brick by brick, with each cheeky grin and soft smile until only rubble was left behind.

I thought I couldn’t trust again, believing that only Zrael could love me. But Annex and Ezra…they accept all the broken bits of me, placing me with the shards of themselves that were damaged.

With them, I feel more whole and alive than I ever did before.

Maybe I had allowed some of the poisoned whispers from Seria and all those other assholes surrounding me in my previous life to wedge further inside me than evenIrealised. And it took Annex and Ezra to remove it all from me.

I turn off the water as I pull myself from the shower. All the scratch marks, dried blood, and dirt from earlier were completely washed away, and all evidence of anything having happened escaped down the old drain with its now murky water.

I dry myself off and change into my silk pyjamas, grabbing a brush from the side of the small sink as I untangle my messy-wet hair.

This life will be different. I’ll find Zrael before The Facility does.

I’ll destroy that hellish nightmare of a prison and turn it to rubble before it can take another person I love from me.

And Annex and Ezra…I’ll protect them too.

These marks…I brush my fingers along my hip; this power and strength, and whatever these marks are, it is time I put them to proper use.

No more holding back. No more regrets. In this life, anyone who gets in the way of my plans or tries to hurt the people I love will pay.

I couldn’t just reserve this strength for The Facility anymore.

In this academy, there were no ‘kids’ here. The assholes here have proven they will go to any lengths and don’t care about what happens to me, so I’m done holding back too.

This life was a one-way gift I couldn’t waste anymore.

I’ll take what I want from it. Revenge and even Annex and Ezra.

No more holding back with them, either. I want them, and they’ve made it clear they want me too.

I turn to open the bathroom door when I hear a strange noise on the other side—the sound of light footsteps and the slight creaking of my old window pane.

Was there someone out there? In myroom?

All students were ordered to stay in their rooms until tomorrow and until everything had been secured around the academy.

Only those injured during the attack had permission to move to the infirmary. The faculty was also out patrolling the academy grounds to ensure everyone was safe and no threat was found.

I listen again as I reach for the nearest thing I can find to use as a weapon and notice Morgan’s makeup case by the sink. She must have left it here yesterday night.

Using a little strength, I bend the metal handle on the case and twist it off. It’s only a little larger than my hand and not much of a weapon, but something was better than nothing against an intruder.

I grip the door handle with my other hand as the noise in my room falls completely silent. I move quickly to take out whoever’s there.

If it was one of those assholes trying something again…tonight wasnotthe night to fuck with me.

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