Page 94 of The Blackened Blade

The darkness in me would never yield.

Only my brothers could handle me, understand it to some extent, what moved inside me. And why I had to be this way.

Anyone else that got too close would only get hurt.

I clench my fist, pulling it to my side. She would be no exception.

No-one couldtrulyunderstand or accept what I was.

“Mallyn.” Ezra pulls me from my thoughts as he and the others make their way to the entrance.

The old slaughterhouse was our domain, the old factory having been abandoned a couple of decades before, and rotting until we found it.

We had claimed it not long after entering the academy as a form of amusement and to gather information and easy cash.

It also helped being able to jump into the ring and vent our frustrations from time to time.

The beast rolls under my skin with the thought, before her voice catches my ear and he calms again. The newest member of our group tonight stands just feet from me.

I don’t think she would be able to handle seeing me let loose in the ring. I never left my opponent without a few broken bones and bloodied up beyond recognition.

I shake my head. Why did I even care about what she thought?

We head into the large open warehouse, making our way through the crowds as people move out of our way. This was our territory, our operation, and everyone here knew who we were.

Cheers and shouts ring out from the crowd circled around the centre of the room. They watch on around the makeshift fighting cage as one large shifter knocks his opponent to the ground. The crowd cheers again, shouting ‘Kill him’, ‘Go for his eyes’or‘Take him out’.

The larger shifter partially shifts his hand, large claws extending from the tips of his fingers before he lunges forward and thrusts them into his opponents chest. Blood splatters from the smaller shifter as laughter rings out around the cage.

The smaller guy sags to the ground as the final bell rings, calling an end to the fight. The bigger guy grins maniacally as the crowd cheers around him.

These fights had no rules, but we did try to minimise the deaths as much as possible though. It wasn’t good for business or having to constantly clean up dead bodies.

I narrow my eyes at the large idiot in the cage. None of us liked to be disrespected. Here our word was law, and if you mess with that, you mess with us.

The large shifter raises his fists, shouting into the crowd, “Anyone else?” while laughing.

I take a step forward but before I can get any further, I notice Annex already making his way to the cage. He stops before pulling off his black leather jacket and top, and throwing it toward Micai. And the dark grin on his face tells me it's gonna be a really bloody fight.

He then pushes open the cage door and heads in, closing it shut behind him.

The large idiot begins laughing as he looks at my brother. He must be from out of town, because everyone here knows Annex’s face.

“You? Thistinything?” Fuck, he really wanted a painful death, didn’t he?

No matter how built he was, or whether he stood a foot taller than my brother, he would fall and bleed like the rest of them. And Annex would make it as painful as possible.

My brother found joy in watching other people in agony, more so if he was the one inflicting it.

The crowd falls quiet as the shifter chuckles, some of their faces even going pale as they watch Annex begin to make his way toward the shifter.

I glance back toward the small blue-eyed girl holding Annex’s favourite jacket, her eyes narrowed but focused fully on him.

Another growl rings in my ears.

I shake it away and look back towards the cage.

Lets see how she does with a taste of what our darkness looks like unleashed.

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