Page 39 of A Blackened Bond

I would havelovedit if Jeremey or Jake had met their demise at the claws or fangs of some magical beast. Just the thought of them rolling around some beast’s stomach has me grinning wider.

Ivy’s eyes narrow before flickering to the space around us. Her face quickly morphs into a distressed expression, a frown pulling at her lips.

“Do you think the attack was some kind of joke, Micai?” Ivy barks. “That it’s okay to mock the people that were injured and hurt?” She raises her voice, drawing attention to us and the scene she’s causing. And trying her best to get sympathy from the students in the cafeteria.

Only the joke was on her, because I wanted them—as much as I did her—to understand that I wasn’t the one to fuck with anymore.

“The only joke here is you.” I take a step closer, my tray hitting her waist as I make myself clear to her and everyone around us. “I don’t care about your opinion, or anyone else’s, for that fact.”

I gaze around the room, meeting each stare and glare with my own. “I’m sick of you dumb fucks telling me how you feel about me and all your stupid assumptions.” The tray creaks under my grip, “If you mess with me again, I’ll show you how wrong thoseassumptionsare.”

Ivy’s lips curve into a grin before she, Kayden, and Dale begin laughing.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Chuckles Ivy, wiping a tear from her eyes.

“Your kicks, hits, and little tricks won’t work with us again, Micai.” Kayden glances around the cafeteria, “And your backup isn’t here, so maybe you should be a bit more careful of your words.”

“Little tricks? You mean when I beat you, Jeremey, and Jake up? Or are we talking about Adam and his little bitch?”

Whispers and murmurs of surprise resound throughout the room as I continue.

“You’ll have to be more specific, Kayden. Dickheads like you seem to swarm around me like flies these days, justbeggingto be struck down.” I smile at him, hoping they can feel mechannelling a little of Creed’s patronising grin. “I can’t keep track of you all.”

“You just don’t learn, do you?” Ivy scowls. “I’ve given you so many chances to crawl back into that hole you call a room and stay in the dark where you belong.” She grits her teeth, her eyes forming into a glare that pulls harshly at her little red brows. “But you keep testing my damn patience, Micai.”

She flicks her wrist, and I narrow my eyes at the movement.

She was casting, her fingers forming some kind of magic as they twist and flick about. But what kind?

I feel the movement before I see it, my senses on alert as she moves.

The porridge bowl on my tray begins to lightly shake, a slight indicator of what she was intending.But not today.

I twist my tray vertically just as the food on it lifts up toward me. Instead of landing on top of me, it hits the cracked tray and the bowl and food slide to the floor with a loud clang as porridge splatters across the ground.

Ivy squeals as the soft porridge sprays her black pumps, jumping back toward Dale and hitting into Kayden.

The smirk gone from Ivy’s face, makes my own grin widen. Her eyes narrow, red blotching her cheeks as her nostrils flare. She tries to flick her wrist again, but before she casts her magic, I whip forward, grabbing her hand and holding it within my grasp.

Did she think I would just take whatever she threw at me?

Hadn’t she learnt anything over the past few weeks?

I wasn’t the same Micai as before, and now, with the attack and Annex’s death…I wasn’t playing their games anymore.

I grip her hand, her pale skin quickly turning red as her eyes widen before wincing in pain at the strength of my grasp on her wrist. I yank her forward, her face a breath away from mine as I meet her eyes.

“This shit you’re doing? This same old routine of saying and doing whatever the hell you want to me…” I tighten my grip on her wrist as her face scrunches up, “It stopsnow.”

A scoff leaves her lips as she tries to yank her hand from my grip, her eyes narrowing at my tight hold. “What the—”

“From now on…I won’t be holding back.” I grip her harder, a small whimper leaving her lips before I feel the bone below my fingers bend, then crack.

A loud howl leaves her lips, her eyes widening as she struggles against my grasp.

Kayden reaches for me, but I twirl Ivy around before shoving her into him. They both stumble backward and into Dale.

Ivy instantly wraps her other hand around her wrist, a pained look taking over her features as tears flood her narrowed eyes.

---