Page 10 of A Blackened Bond

My eyes widen. Slowly but surely, his body is definitely repairing itself.

A shaky sigh of relief leaves my lips, my hope growing the longer I watch him.

Whatever Annex was, whatever abilities he and his family had, or their secrets…didn’t matter. As long as he came back to me and as long as he was okay.

I gaze down at my beautifully frozen psycho.

How long would it take for you to come back to us?

I glance over toward the guys near the centre of the building as they talk amongst themselves. All of them are on guard, watching even the slightest twitch of leaves in the distance as the wind shakes them. They look like some godly sentinels, statuesque in appearance but murderous in expression.

My eyes meet Creed before he glances down toward Annex, his brows slightly furrowing as he stares at him.

I turn back toward him too, hoping maybe he was waking up or there was some sort of movement. But nothing.

Nothing other than his pale, unmoving, bloodied body.Maybe I should clean some of that up?

I know Gadriel left some medical supplies around here after he found me in the forest. I pull myself up, glancing around the space until my eyes fall on a small leather handle poking out from a broken press across the room.

I make my way over to it, passing Ezra and Creed. Pulling at the small handles, a black duffel bag appears. I quickly head back over to Annex, crouch down, and unpack all of the medical supplies. I place the gauze and antiseptic wipes on the ground before pulling out a small foil blanket and placing it over him.

He might need it when he wakes up.

Just as I'm reaching for the wipes, a hand takes one from me.

“Why do you have medical supplies here, Micai?” Ezra’s features darken, his brows drawn and eyes flickering back and forth between me and the medical kit Gadriel left.

They were Gadriel’s. He had left them here since the time he found me after the attack. But I couldn’t tell Ezra that.

The look on his face seemed to grow more worried with my silence.

“I train here sometimes.” I blurt out, hoping that would explain the necessity of a medical kit instead of being attacked.

“You train here?” He glances around at the burnt and dilapidated building. “What kind of training? Is it even safe here?”

I glance around the darkened space. Even though it was burnt and broken, I had never had any issues moving around or sparring with Gadriel.

But how do I explain training here or sparring with Gadriel?

Gadriel. I gaze out toward the forest.I hope he was safe.

I know first-hand how strong he can be…the beasts facing him didn’t really stand a chance. But what do I tell them…

All three sets of eyes now stare at me, Ezra’s laced in worry, Mallyn’s with slight curiosity, and Creed's…narrowed in suspicion.

I don’t want to keep secrets from them, but now wasn’t the time to break open the secrets in my closet or pour my heart out about my past.

But I could open up a little.

“I wanted to become stronger…” I peer toward Ezra, “And learn how to better protect myself and the people I care for.” My eyes fall to Annex, a frown pulling at my lips. “I guess I have a long way to go.”

“No.” Ezra takes my hand, warming my cold fingers with his touch. “He protected you because he knew he could. I would have done the same…” He pulls my hand toward his lips and places a kiss on them. “Losing you isn’t an option,” He peers down toward Annex. “For either of us, Micai.”

He pulls back slightly, his eyes glinting with resolve as he glances toward Mallyn and Creed. “And with your training…we can help with that from now on. I don’t want you training out here by yourself. It’s too dangerous. Especially with all these beast attacks.” He shakes his head. “You can train with me and the guys. We have our own little gym back at the abattoir that we can all use together.” He glances down at Annex, a smile tilting his lips. “I think he’d love that. And if he was awake he’d be cracking jokes about getting you sweaty first—” His words cut off as he gives me a sheepish smile. “That’s what he would say.”

“There’s also a gym in town.” Calls Creed before turning his gaze away.

Ezra’s expression darkens. “It’s a human gym. Micai needs to train her strength, and Annex and I want to help. She’ll be usingours.”

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