Page 119 of Savage Torment

How does that even happen?

I stumble to a stop in the center of the room, but my gaze darts back to where I was seated the last time we were here. Another fresh memory of the weight of Krystal’s lifeless body pinning me to the floor washes over me.

To die here, then wake up in a coma in the same time frame… it doesn't make sense.

It just doesn't.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. Once again, I'm sure you recall the changes we've made going forward, but we shall begin by initiating the spell one person at a time. This will allow us to unlock the curse in a more structured manner. Unlocking one person’s curse will then unlock the curse of their blood kin among the other members of this group. One by one, each pair of blood kin will be declared.”

I gulp as fear takes root in my spine, a memory flooding my mind. One of Blaze concealing my fear and panic with compulsion, just as I asked, until this very moment. It rushes back at me like a freight train and I sway on my feet as Whitmore claps his hands together once again.

“Let’s begin with Blaze Williams.”

My heart lurches as my vampire steps forward, unfazed as he moves from the line we’ve created to stand alone in front of everyone. My pulse thunders in my ears as my concealed emotions take hold of me. I’m definitely feeling the shift back to my reality. I feel like I’m choking on my fear.

Whispered chants seem to echo around the room, but I can’t piece together a single word of them. The voices are so soft andmelodic, like the setting for a whimsical day straight from a fairy tale, even though our surroundings are far from it.

Blaze grunts, a snarl ricocheting around the room as he tears at his sleeve, raising it to reveal his forearm where a mark now glows against his skin. Three stars now occupy the entire inner part of his forearm, each one larger than the last.

A screech comes from down the line, tearing my gaze away from Blaze. Bianca stumbles forward a step, her arm raised in horror as the same marking emerges against her skin.

Holy crap.

Blaze’s blood kin is Bianca.

Panic tightens in my chest as I glance between the pair of them. Horror twists Bianca’s features while Blaze sneers at her. His gaze snaps to mine for the briefest moment before refocusing on Bianca. When he does, I can’t help but sense a darker aura around him, the deepest of reds.

“With fucking pleasure,” he growls, racing toward Bianca without a second thought.

He moves so fast,toofast. Everything happens so quickly that I can’t process it. All I can hear is the snapping of a spine and a hollow cry as Bianca’s body falls limp to the floor. The world moves in slow motion as Blaze drops to his knees beside her, ignoring her corpse while he peers down at his arm.

I gape in disbelief as the stars vanish just as quickly as they arrived.

She’s dead.

Bianca is dead.

At the hands of Blaze.

There’s no time to truly digest the unfolding events of what feels like the past five seconds, as Professor Whitmore’s voice booms around the room.

“Benjamin Nichol.”

My gaze is torn away from the disaster to my left and snaps back to where Ben stands in the center of the room. I hadn’t even given myself a moment to realize he’s here, but it doesn’t matter now. Not when he stands in the center of the space, all color drained from his face as he peers down at his arm, waiting for his fate to be revealed.

A single diamond-shaped symbol glows against his skin, and another screech ripples through the room. This time, the sound comes from the right, and I turn in disbelief to find that Ben's blood kin has been revealed.

Sian.

Gulping, I peer back at Ben to see the despair on his face, and unshed tears brim in my eyes as my heart aches for him. I’ve come to learn the true person Sian is, but he doesn’t seem to care. Following his line of sight, I find Sian standing with her hands coiled into fists and a snarl burning her lips as she prepares to charge toward him.

My heart lurches as despair claims me, but just before she reaches Ben, who remains frozen in place, gaping at her, Blaze intercepts her, pushing her back a step before she can get her hands on him. With Sian in his grasp, Blaze glances over his shoulder at Ben.

“Run.”

His order is firm, ringing through the air, but Ben shakes his head.

“I can’t. I can't run from her,” he whispers, sadness clinging to every inch of his body. He's gray, gaze zeroed in on Sian, who continues to sneer and push against Blaze in a bid to get ahold of Ben. It’s clear for everyone to see what her intentions are. Everyone but Ben. “I love you, Sian. I love what we were, and I love that we forever shall be blood kins,” he breathes, slipping his hand into his pocket.

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