Page 44 of Saints & Sinners

“What the fuck?” Brandon asked.

Hunter strode to the door, peering through the peephole before opening it cautiously. He glanced around the hallway, then bent down and picked up a piece of paper off the floor. As he unfolded it, his expression darkened.

“What does it say?” I asked, my stomach twisting as if part of me already knew it would be directed at me.

He turned it around, and the wordKILLERwas scrawled in bold, black letters.

My heart sank.

Hunter crumpled the note and tossed it into the bin. “Ignore it. They’re just cowards who won’t say it to your face.”

Brandon nodded in agreement, but his easy going demeanor couldn’t mask the concern and pity in his eyes. Despite Hunter’s words, the sting from the note lingered, and I knew I was onceagain a pariah in a school environment. Not like I ever got out of that title.

“Hey,” Brandon said softly, stepping closer and brushing a hand lightly against my arm. I blinked, looking up at him as my vision blurred. “You’re fine, okay?” he assured me. “Right, Silas? She’sfineisn’t she?” He turned toward Silas, his brows raised in an unspoken challenge.

Silas hesitated, his gaze shifting between Brandon and me before exhaling slowly. “Yeah, I guess,” he mumbled.

Even with their reassurances, a small part of me still wavered. I’m not sure what Hunter and I were, and while Silas looked less resentful than before, I was still their unwanted roommate.

Hunter’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. His brows furrowed as he read the message, and tension settled into his shoulders. “I’ve got to go and meet with Azrael,” he said, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

“Wait.” I frowned. “I thought that we weren’t supposed to leave our sectors after what happened?”

“It’s just something about training,” he dismissed, grabbing a shirt from one of the stools. Brandon and Silas exchanged glances but said nothing, and something about their silence made me uneasy.

As Hunter grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, I suddenly couldn’t help but call after him, “Be careful.”

He paused, looking back at me, and I felt my cheeks burn. “Always,” he said before disappearing into the hallway.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I was going insane.

It had been six days since I last left the dorm or breathed in fresh air that didn’t reek of male body spray and unwashed dishes.

Nadael had given strict instructions: I was to be excused from training following the loss of Lucas.

Meanwhile, Brandon had taken it upon himself to visit me every day, casually dropping updates like,“Hunter beat the crap out of Matias in training again.”That was the only thing that made me smile.

Joe had come by once too, checking in on me, though his answers were vague anytime I asked how the investigation was going.

To top it off, my hair had gone full rebellion mode without my curling cream, and sleep had become a myth.

By Sunday, I decided enough was enough.

I flung my bedroom door open—only to have Brandon and Silas collapse into the room, landing flat on their backs with startled groans. They must’ve been leaning against my door the entire time.

Silas clutched his head like he’d just been assaulted by reality,while Brandon blinked up at the ceiling, barely able to keep his eyes open.

“What are you guys doing outside my room?”

Brandon was the first to rise to his feet, letting out a yawn. “Making sure no one tries to come for you.”

A single brow rose. “Why would they come for me? You said I would fine and besides, aren’t they all meant to be righteous and... whatnot?” Though after the ‘KILLER’ note, I doubted that.

He sighed. “Some Ascendants won’t care, or at least they are trying to scare you. Plus, there’s been... a few more rumors going around the Warriors Sector that you are working with the Riftkeeper’s and killed Lucas yourself.”

I frowned. “How does that even make sense?”

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