Page 112 of Cursed Heirs

And I was just doing shit all for this war.

They were worried that I would be the undoing of it all if Constantine got a hold of me and used my phoenix fire with the Orb of Vorlav. They wouldn’t even allow me in the combat drills that Ore was running, in case it sparked my anger to life. Well, worsened it, because it was already sparked with Alena still apart from us.

I guess I’d really thought that once we’d entered her subconscious that day, she would’ve broken free just hours later and come back to us. But of course, things could never be that fucking easy or simple. No, there had to be some twisted suffering first.

All I’d been able to think about lately was raging against Constantine and watching him being burned alive with my phoenix fire. Punishing him for what he’d done, what he’d taken from me and all of us. And dealing out justice in the only way it could exist for somebody like him—absolute death. No banishment toSpiritusthis time, but actually wiping him from the face of the fucking earth.

“I’m glad you’re writing again, X.”

He smiled, but it was only half-hearted. “It’s just a distraction right now.”

“You’re not working on the same novel, are you?”

“No. How did you know?”

“I figured it reminds you too much of Alena. And any reminder right now with her away from us hurts really fucking bad.”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “It does, brother.” He wrapped his arm around me as we strode into the building, heading up to our chambers. “We’re getting her back. That’s a given.”

“I know, yeah.” It was what was keeping me hanging on even slightly.

The awful question was just when.

There was just so much out of our control. Especially out ofmycontrol, considering I was basically being benched. For my own safety, yeah, but still. It was hard to reconcile with my abandonment issues. To just sit back and watch and hope… it wasn’t the best for it by any means. But what else could really be done? Not a fuck of a lot. Raising hell and making noise aboutit wasn’t gonna do shit to help either, and I knew everyone was trying their best with what they had to work with.

We reached the door to my chambers.

“Ten minutes and we’ll head to the cafeteria together?” X asked me.

I gave a nod. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

He smiled, then took off to the other side of the wing with a burst of vampire speed.

I passed through the ward Ore had made for me as I opened the door.

I made a beeline straight for the bathroom, wanting to hurry up.

Being alone with my thoughts wasn’t a good idea right now. I needed distractions, to keep busy. Hence me creeping on Ore’s army prep session earlier.

Sighing, I pushed open the door to the bathroom.

I’d barely gotten two steps in when an explosion of amber light near blinded me in the small space.

By the time I’d managed to blink through it and adjust my vision, I was slammed against the door, the impact knocking it closed. I heard it lock behind me too.

Disorientated and more than a little startled, I looked out to see Callum Cornwell standing there, a self-satisfied expression on his twisted fucking face.

“You’re a hard being to get alone, phoenix. Then again, you can’t stand not being right in the space of your loves, can you? So afraid are you that they’ll vanish and leave you all alone. Just like your Mommy and Daddy.”

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I seethed, moving to push off the wall, only for him to snap his fingers and effectively pin me to the door, my hands down by my sides. I couldn’t move my legs or my head either. It forced me to look right at his haunting beady eyes.

My anger sparked dangerously and I snarled.

“Quite the temper,” he taunted, sauntering right up to me.

I forced myself to swallow it down. “What do you want?”

“Just a friendly chat.”

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