Page 87 of The Blackened Blade

They both share a look, a venomous glint forming in their eyes.

“Butweknow better. They’re just using you. A pathetic nobody like you could never get the attention of a boy around here, let alone one ofthosefour.”

“So harsh girls,” A cold chuckle falls from behind me as a third brunette shows up.

She circles around me, this girl shorter in stature and clearly not related to the twins. Her brown hair is darker, her eyes an ashy grey and her face covered in one too many layers of makeup.

“They probably felt some sort of pity, throwing the stray bitch a bone.” She joins her friends, blocking my way as they continue to keep me from my meal.

And my patience begins to wear thin.

Oblivious to my building anger, they continue to prattle on.

“I wonder what kind oftricks she used to stay beside them.” Sneers the right twin. “Bet it involved an open mouth and some bruised knees. That's all she’d be good for.”

“Makes sense,” Adds the left twin, “I heard she even went after her younger sister's boyfriends.”

The newest addition to Tweedledum and Tweedledee drags her eyes down my front before her gaze meets mine.

“You're nothing. Not even worth the tip of Seria’s fingernails.” She spits. “How dare you eventhinkof going after someone else’s partners, let alone your own sisters.”She shakes her head, a mocking laugh leaving her lips. “And now you think you can go after the Infernal Four?” She takes a step closer to me, a vicious look taking over her expression as she gets in my face. “Don't even think about it. Just because they let you eat with them once, doesn’t mean you're important. Don’t get lost in your delusions thinking you're more than the weak bitch you are.” Her grin widens. “They probably pitied you, a speck of dirt with no place, a stray bitch with no bark, an easy set of spread legs–”

Before she can finish, I reach out, wrapping a hand around her mouth, cutting off her words before I tighten my grip. Her eyes widening with surprise.

“My ears wouldbleedwith all the trash I have to listen to these days. More and more morons thinking I’m easy, that they can say and do what they want and I’ll just allow it.” I tighten my grip further on her face. “Well not anymore.”

She flinches as she stares at my expression before I feel movement to my side.

The twin on my left suddenly shifts forward, her fist aiming toward me. I let go of the brunette’s face in my hand, pushing her back and into the other twin behind her before twisting around and catching the hand coming at me.

She opens her mouth, her teeth gritted and eyes narrowed before her gaze flickers behind me, her face falling as she pulls her hand quickly back from mine.

“What's going on here?” The familiar deep tenor of his voice beside my ear sends a small shiver down my spine.Ezra.He takes a step forward, stepping beside me as he glances from one girl to the next. “Nobody?”

Suddenly the brunette jumps forward, slight tears forming in her eyes as she cups her red face.

“She put her hands on me, Ezra.” She flickers her gaze toward me, shaking her head before turning back toward him. “She was talking about you and the boys…braggingabout how she has you all wrapped around her finger, and telling people you all give her special treatment.”

The twins behind her nod, agreeing with everything as they stare daggers at me.

I roll my eyes.Special treatment?

We haven’t even spent much time together. And anyone with eyes could see that Creed hates me, hoody boy ignores me, Ezratoleratesme, and Annex… he just enjoys annoying me. But if that’s special, then yeah, they give me thegoodstuff.

“Buteveryoneknows she has a reputation. Maybe you and the boys didn’t know but she–”

“Lillith.” Ezra cuts her off. The playful smile he normally wears no longer lacing his lips as he meets her eyes. “I don’t care about any of that.” A slight weary sigh leaves his lips before he schools it and smiles.

She’s taken aback for only a fraction of a second before quickly sliding closer to him.

“That makes sense.” She gives him a small nod. “Why would you need to listen to crap abouther?”Her gaze finds mine, the fake charade dropped as her lips twist back into a sneer. “She's not even worth wasting breath on.”

She turns back toward Ezra, a hooded look filling her eyes as she drags them up his large frame and toward his face. A slight blush coats her cheeks as she takes another step closer.

His fist clenches tightly beside me, his brows creasing as the smile he wears becomes stiffer.

Lillith quickly closes the distance between them, taking his silence as some sort of agreement. She trails a finger along his chest, trying to look seductive as she bites her lips.But she looks more constipated than captivating.

“Just because you were kind to her, she thought she was special. A little attention can do crazy things to stupid people.”