Page 8 of Midnight Reign
“Put me down!” I shriek as Ignatius chuckles at me. “And you, firestarter, shut your trap.”
“Sorry, girl. This is too funny.”
“Grrr,” I snarl as Blackthorn shakes me a little bit.
“Miss Black. Do I need to isolate you?”
That makes me stop kicking. I dangle from his hand, slumped and worn out from the near-death experience and the struggling.
I go limp in Blackthorn’s grip, the fight draining out of me as quickly as it came. “No,” I mutter. “I’m fine now. You can put me down.”
Blackthorn eyes me suspiciously for a moment before lowering me to the ground. As soon as my feet touch the grass, I stumble, my legs wobbly beneath me. Corvus is there in an instant, steadying me with a firm hand on my elbow.
“Easy there, Dollie,” he murmurs, his dark eyes scanning my face. “You’ve been through a lot.”
I nod, leaning into him slightly. The exhaustion is hitting me hard now, and I’m struggling to keep my eyes open. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s alright, Adelaide. You needed it,” Zephyr says.
“Still,” I say, shame heating my cheeks. “I shouldn’t have lost control like that.”
Blackthorn clears his throat, drawing our attention. “While this is all very touching, we have more pressing matters to attend to. The university is in chaos, and we need to get back in order and back to classes.”
I look around at the beaten and bruised students and then back at Blackthorn. He has healed fully now. “Why?” I ask, myvoice trembling as much as my hands. “Why did Randall do that to me?”
Blackthorn stares at me for a long moment, before he heaves a sigh. “He used you to open that portal.”
“Well, no shit,” Corvus snaps. “Where does it lead to?”
Blackthorn shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. Did Randall go through?”
“Yes,” I mumble. “It vanished. Will it come back?”
“I can’t answer your questions,” Blackthorn clips out. “We need to move on and get back to normal. Miss Black. You need to rest. I will make sure you have a supply of blood. It appears your hunger has kicked in now after this ordeal.”
Ordeal.
No, it’s not after this ordeal. It’s after Randall slammed a knife into my heart and didn’t kill me. Unless he did kill part of me. My human part. Suddenly, that thought makes sense to me. It’s why I feel stronger, more alive, more everything. Even in my weakened state, I know I’m not the same Addy that the Strix flew off with.
Aww, little bitch is connecting the dots.
“Oh, you need to fuck right off,” I snarl, clenching my fists.
“I beg your pardon,” Blackthorn snaps.
I stare up at him, my cheeks heating up. “Uhm, sorry, didn’t mean you,” I stammer.
“Humph,” he grunts.
I watch as Blackthorn stalks away, his black robes billowing behind him. The guys gather around me.
“What was that about?” Zaiah asks, his white eyes searching mine.
I shake my head, not ready to explain the voice I’ve been hearing. “Nothing. I’m just tired.”
Corvus wraps an arm around my waist, supporting me. “Let’s get you back to your room. You need rest.”
“My mum!” I shriek and fumble about in my pocket for my phone, hoping it’s still there.
