Page 89 of Savage Torment

“But what about the other students who ran?” I ask, acutely aware that not everyone broke their blood-kin bond when the carnage unraveled in the assembly hall.

“Oh, that could happen any time.” Bryony offers a weak shrug to try and ease the brutal reality, and my eyes widen. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen it already,” she adds, and I gulp, my nerves getting the better of me.

I walk the rest of the way in silence, listening to the light conversation transpiring between the others, but I’m too locked in my mind to partake.

Florentine’s was awful, but at least their purpose was to keep us alive so I didn’t have to witness death. Not like here. Watching V die, then Declan, it was a lot. But knowing there’s more tocome, one possibly at my own hands… it’s overwhelming, and I’m right back to feeling imposter syndrome.

I’m struggling to feel confident enough or strong enough to survive this place. Every time I take two steps forward, I feel like I wind up taking five more back.

Thankful that no one calls me out for being quiet, I manage to eat my cinnamon roll and enter the assembly hall without puking. Bryony links her arm through mine as I stare around the room, seeing it in its usual arrangement once again. She spies Foster in the back row of the witches’ section and takes the spot beside him.

I don’t bother acknowledging him today. He never seems to think I exist, and I don’t have the mental capacity this morning now that we’re back here.

“Do we have any idea what the assembly is about?” Bryony asks, looking to Foster for answers, and he shakes his head.

“Nothing for sure, but there have been a few murmurs that it’s about blood kins,” he offers, and my stomach twists with panic. My gaze snaps to the spot above the entryway, remembering the man from yesterday, but the balcony has disappeared, the man I could have sworn I knew along with it.

Looking around the room, I note that bodies fill every seat, but before I can spot the wolves or Blaze, Professor Whitmore takes center stage, garnering everyone’s attention.

“Good morning, students. Thank you for joining me before classes begin. After the last declarations of blood kin bonds, we decided a new approach may be less… feral,” he explains, thankfully getting straight to the point, but it does nothing to alleviate my panic.

“Feral? It’s always like that,” Bryony whispers, offering me a tight smile, but I don’t know what to say. I wouldn’t know; it’s the only one I’ve experienced.

“With that in mind, we have decided to proceed as follows. We shall announce the next round of blood kins in a few short moments. From there, we will take seven days before we announce the pairings. When it comes time to announce them, it will take place in this hall as always, but instead of all at once, causing such disarray, each pairing will be declared one at a time. A thirty-second window will be offered to see how the students would like to respond to the knowledge before the next pairing is called. The curse will act as always. The countdown is no different, the symbols unchanged, simply revealed with more decorum. I’ll assume there are no further questions, but it is with the utmost importance that you remember to conduct yourselves responsibly. Understood?” He doesn’t wait around for an answer, clapping his hands together. “Now, for the names, are you ready?” His smile shouldn’t be so wide when announcing someone’s impending doom, but I don’t say a word as my hands ball into fists in my lap.

Bryony places her hand down on top of mine and I quickly hold on to hers, trying to offer her comfort, too, as Professor Whitmore begins reading names off a sheet. “From the humans, we have Letti Gold, Destiny Chambers, and Benjamin Nichol. The vampires called upon are Sian Tillman and Blaze Williams.” My gaze darts across to the vampires, but I still can’t see him. My heart races wildly in my chest, the usual pull I feel toward him wavering with the panic taking root. I’m sure I’m going to stop breathing. “Wolves, we have Lincoln James, Minnie James, Bianca Diamond, and Dylan Daniels. Leaving the remaining three students to be witches.” My face pulses with every word he says, the mention of Minnie and Lincoln making both Bryony and I squeeze each other’s hands even tighter.

I’m going to be sick.

“And those three witches are Foster Graham, Bryony Tanner, and Polaris Beauchamp.”

My hand claps over my mouth, bile burning up my throat as my pulse echoes in my ears, making it impossible for me to hear anything else the professor has to say.

Bryony’s hold on my hand doesn’t waver as I close my eyes, blocking out the world.

I sense people moving after a few minutes, but I can’t bring myself to join them. All I can think about is the fact that my time has come. I can’t even recall when my damn birthday is. Is it now? Is it soon? Why? How?

My blood kin has gone from being anyone in the world while I was at Florentine’s, to someone in this academy, and now, it’s one of eleven people, eight of which I know.

I can’t take it. My heart can’t take it.

None of this is fair.

Tears prick the back of my eyelids. I can’t hide the pain I’m struggling with.

Only when a set of hands land on my knees do I know it’s not just Bryony and me anymore. Another hand strokes down my cheek, dampness beneath their touch, and I know a few of my tears have fallen.

I can’t imagine what I look like at this moment, but I can’t bring myself to care about it more than the facts that have just been declared.

“Amica Mea, I need you to look at me.”

Blaze.

I shake my head, refusing to open my eyes, and he curses. “Someone get the fucking bracelet off her wrist, now,” he snarls.

“Like hell, who knows what you’ll do to her,” Lincoln snaps back, and Blaze snickers, but there’s no humor to the sound.

“You’re standing right here with me, asshole. It can go right back on once I’m done,” Blaze grunts, the hands on my knees rubbing back and forth soothingly.

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