Page 40 of Blades of Obsession

Blade: I’m talking to the dean about something important

My head snaps up, scanning the dimly lit path for any sign of movement. But there’s nothing, just eerie stillness. The confidence I felt moments ago starts to slip away, a cold wave of unease creeping in. I swear he better not be messing with me.

Me: I saw someone following me

Blade: Share your location and act natural

Despite the fear clawing at my insides, I do as he says. I force my feet to keep moving, even though my pulse pounds harder with each step. I spot the figure again, lurking behind a bush, but I don’t react. Instead, I keep my head down, trying to look unfazed.

A minute or two later, strong arms wrap around me from behind. I barely manage to let out a scream before a hand clamps down, muffling the sound. My heart slams against my ribs, and panic surges through me as I realize I have no idea how to fight back. This is the second time I’ve faced imminent danger—and froze.

“Shhh,” a deep, soothing voice rasps in my ear. “It’s me, angel.”

Relief floods through my system, so overwhelming that my knees nearly give out, and I release a shaky breath.

“Act natural for me, okay?” Blade murmurs, and I nod. “Good girl.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. I close my eyes for a second, letting the comfort of his touch chase away the anxious energy buzzing inside me.

We continue walking, my senses on high alert, when we both catch sight of the shadow. Blade surges forward like apredator, moving with lightning speed. I gasp and cup my hands over my mouth as he tackles the figure, starting to wail on whoever it is.

Punches fly, and the sickening thud of knuckles meeting flesh echoes in the dark. Ouch. It sounds painful. I catch fragments of Blade’s grunted words between punches. “Nerve to follow her… Scare her…”

“It’s me! It’s me!” the figure yells frantically. Blade pauses, confusion flickering in his eyes.

The figure’s form catches the street light and recognition hits me smack dab in the face. “Jacob?” I blurt out, knitting my brows.

Blade shoots me a glance, his eyes filled with an anger that could melt steel. In a blur, his fist connects with Jacob one last time before he steps back, breathing heavily. The air between them buzzes with enough friction to light a fire.

With a groan, Jacob staggers to his feet, and before he can get even halfway up, Blade walks over and wraps his arms around me so tightly I can’t move. It’s protective, possessive. Although I don’t know why he’s so on edge, it’s just Jacob.

Speaking of Jacob, he wipes the blood from his split lip and takes a few steps forward. The sight of the blood gives me a full-body cringe.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Blade’s voice is low but still cuts like broken glass.

Jacob doesn’t answer him. His eyes shift to me, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Hey, Amelia.”

“Don’t fucking call her name for as long as you live, or it’ll be the last name youevercall,” Blade grunts. That voice.God. Why does he always have to sound like *that* when he’s angry? It stirs something inside me, makes goosebumps pebble my skin.

But even so, I’m confused why he’s so angry. Is it because Jacob stalked me in the night? Jacob used to be my best friend for years—he may have gone about it the wrong way, but I know he’d never actually hurt me.

Seeing him now feels… weird. I haven’t seen him since I was sixteen. My very last memory is sitting on his bed, crying my eyes out while he packed for college. We never stayed in touch after that, not because of my lack of trying.

We spent most of our preteen years glued to each other since our moms were close. They were inseparable actually—there was once a time when you couldn’t find one without the other.

Jacob wipes his nose, still smirking. “What, I can’t come and catch up with an old friend?”

Blade’s voice vibrates on my back as it passes over top my head. “No, you can’t. You’re not welcome here after you left.”

Left? So they have history?

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about you, since you were never a real fucking friend, anyway.” Jacob’s eyes flick to me. “How about coffee tomorrow? I still remember your favorite order.”

“Fuck no, she’s not getting coffee with you.”

“I think that’s up to her. What do you say? Come talk and we can catch up?” Jacob’s gaze settles on the corner of my mouth where I’m chewing my lip.

For a second, I almost say yes. There’s this urge to catch up, to see how he’s been, how his mom is doing. My lips part, but then I feel Blade’s hand at the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. His voice drops low, laced with a dark, sadistic threat as he whispers in my ear. “Don’t fucking play with me, Amelia. I’ll take off my belt, use it on your ass, and you’ll bebeggingme to stop before the morning sun comes up.”

I draw in a sharp breath. The heat of his words race down my spine, making my skin prickle. His grip tightens, and for reasons I can’t explain, a strange flutter stirs deep in my belly.

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