Page 33 of Empire of Dark

“Get the fuck off of him, Ada.”

My left hand stretched out, grabbing onto the side of Jacob, clutching what fabric I could find as my right hand stayed up, holding my sword to block. If this was the only way to protect the man, then so be it. Let Damen attack.

“Get your hands off of him.” The ferocity in Damen’s voice shook the ground under my feet.

I only locked more solidly onto my position over Jacob.

“For fuck’s sake.” Damen reached down with his right hand and grabbed my left arm, yanking me up and off of Jacob like I was a bug that needed to be flicked into a fire.

I clawed at his hand gripping me, my voice still frantic, still trying to save Jacob’s life. “I asked him to train with me. He wasn’t going to hurt me—I asked him to. And you just went after him…you…you…you fucking monster.”

Damen flung me off to the side and I landed hard onto the grass, rolling. The sword in his left hand dropped to the ground and he sank down onto one knee.

His hands quick, Damen ripped a strip of cloth off Jacob’s shirt and he tied it around the stump of Jacob’s arm to stop the bleeding.

I rolled myself over and pushed up onto my knees. My sword still clutched in my right hand, I lifted it, and slid the tip of it over my shoulder and back into my scabbard.

A lightning flash of pain flickered across my forehead.

Shit.Not now. Please. Not now. I couldn’t afford it now.

It was starting.

The energy that couldn’t be contained, couldn’t be expelled started gathering, seeping into my skull. Every second the pressure expanding in my forehead.

Another lightning strike. Another. Another.

My eyes closed, trying to stave the pain off.

No use.

I stumbled to my feet, black dots filling my sight, playing across my field of vision.

Escape. I needed escape. I searched through the black dots taking my sight.

There. The castle. My room. Any room. Just somewhere to hide. Not my room. Too exposed.

Weakness would be exploited. It always was with Damen’s kind.

My feet started forward. Fast, I thought. Hoped. They felt fast. Good.

But the world around me had started to spin and I couldn’t trust my own perception at the moment.

The castle door in my sight. Just a little farther.

Escape. Hide.

Damen couldn’t see me like this.

Chapter Nine

{ DAMEN }

A monster.

No, afuckingmonster.

Yes. I was that. I didn’t know it had been up for debate.

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