Page 142 of Halfblood Deceived

“Que montón de hijos de puta,”4 Lupita grumbled.

Trinity sucked in a sharp breath along with Mac.

Brittany’s throat bobbed. She backed down a step, eyes wide on Diana. “I-I didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t hurt me.”

Diana blinked and recoiled, expression turning distraught, the color of her eyes melting into her usual blue. She stormed out of the locker room, head down.

Aella opened her mouth to call her sister’s name, but nothing came out.

Trinity, Lupita, and Mac positively glowered at Brittany.

“‘Please don’t hurt me?’” Mac demanded. “What the actual fuck?”

“You saw her eyes!” the small witch protested.

“Diana would never hurt anyone unprovoked,” Reese said, tattooed arms crossed as they sat on the edge of the nearest table. “And even provoked.”

Brittany sighed. “I just—She scared me a bit, alright?”

“Why?” Lupita asked. “She did nothing to you.”

The locker room was full of onlookers now, and Aella was starting to feel suffocated.

“Diana is one of the least scary people I know,” Rebecca said with her usual calm.

Trinity let out a humorless laugh. “She volunteers at an animal shelter, for fuck’s sake.”

“Diana is harmless,” Vaz announced, his deep, but somehow soft, voice drawing everyone’s attention with ease. “She has the potential for violence only if someone hurts her loved ones.” His dark eyes landed on Brittany. “And you aren’t planning on doing that, are you?”

She spluttered. “Of course not! Not to mention that’s impossible. My magic is by far not strong enough to take down a gargoyle of her caliber.”

Aella thought about the massive gargoyle-self Diana could summon. Brittany was very right. Diana could snap her in half without trying, but that didn’t mean she would.

“You don’t know how hard our lives were,” Aella said to Brittany, her voice tight. “You don’t know the horrors we had to endure, nor do you have the right to. So just as we respect your privacy, you should respect ours, and never ask such invasive questions again.”

Everyone turned to look at her then.

Reese, Mac, Lupita, and Trinity looked surprised but approving.

Jordan, Tim, and Rod seemed worried.

The others were merely looking at her as if she were a very weird creature indeed.

Aella followed her sister’s example and bolted out of the room and into the cold night.

Diana was leaning against her bike. “Shall we?” she asked Aella, handing her the familiar black helmet.

“Are you alright?” Aella asked.

Her sister’s throat bobbed. “Yeah. I just wanna go home.”

Aella put on her helmet, and in no time she was hugging Diana’s waist as they left the parking lot. Aella had taken to keeping some distance between them now that she’d gotten used to riding the bike. But she held on a little tighter this time, hoping her sister found some comfort in the gesture.

Diana gave Aella’s hands a soft pat as she drove them back home.

CHAPTER 32

Aella entered her favorite bookshop. The now familiar sound of the bell ringing above her head was equal parts relaxing and exciting.

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