Page 35 of Rebirth Of Order
“Not tonight, Zack. I’m not in the mood.”
“But you don’t know what I want,” he pushes.
“I don’t care. I’m not in the mood.”
Zack swivels towards his friends, who all respond with a signal to hurry. It’s obvious she knows him, not by choice, and I fix my focus back on messaging Raine. But I don’t.
“Don’t be like that, Alise. I have one favor to ask, and I’ll be on my way,” he insists.
“I told younolast time, and I’m telling younonow.” She looks past him. “Whatever you and your perverted group of friends want, I’m not doing it.”
I snort and turn it into a cough. I’m not supposed to be listening.
“Hey, don’t be rude. It’s not like you haven’t done it before.” She ignores him, taking another sip, which in return, ruffles the feathers of his boasting peacock demeanor. Zack grabs her arm firmly, and the stench of desperation darkens his features.
“Hey!” Standing with force, I come to her aid. “She said no, that’s your answer. Walk away.”
“Who the fuck are you, her shifter?” he rebuts.
“And if I am?” I channel my inner Celine, or rather convince myself I do.
“Kyra, it’s okay.” Alise softens to a smile, shrugging his arm off.
Scoffing, he reaches for her again, and my fist connects with the side of his face. Pain spreads quickly across my hand, and I wince, withdrawing it.Don’t you dare shed a tear. Embrace the pain. You’re a fay, remember.
“You bitch!” He cups the growing bruise, lining his cheek. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yeah.” Gritting my teeth, I snarl, “A piece of shit who can’t understand the wordNo.”
His friends rush over, surrounding us, and my fists ball. But the radiating pain shooting up my arm tells me something is broken–yet again. Wrapping my other hand around it, I step back, tucking it into my stomach.
“You owe me an apology,” Zack demands.
“I’m not apologizing for shit.”
“Then you’ll pay in blood,” one of his groupies interjects. “Get her.”
There are five of them, including Zack, who is their ringleader. One rushes at me with a pro wrestler build, grabbing my shoulders with hands bigger than my head. Pulling me towards him, something ceases his movements. I search his massive arms, finding a smaller and more delicate hand sitting over his bicep.
“Blood, you say?” Alise voices, grinning beneath her hood. “You shouldn’t have touched her.” She peers into his eyes. Her height is laughable compared to his.
“Take your hand off me,” the guy warns, and Zack smirks at his friend’s threat.
“As you wish,” she rebuts.
Blood explodes from one of his arms binding me, slicing itoff, and its sheer weight crashes onto the ground with a resounding thud. I freeze in shock as warm liquid coats my cheek and lips.
The behemoth of a man falls in agony, screaming at Alise’s feet while another guy rushes over. But she moves quicker. Side stepping his reach, she plants a hand on his chest, stopping him in an instant as his eyes roll backwards.
Alise brings him to his knees as sounds of torture pierce my ears. He screams, and I witness the brown of his hair turn white as his skin tightens around his now brittle bones. Inch by inch, he ages in a matter of seconds.
Gurgling, he gets out, “Stop,” while kneeling in a pool of his friend’s blood. His plea falls on deaf ears. She continues draining his life until dust and bones remain around a copperish stench. My gut tells me to vacate, but my legs refuse to move, and I lurch, holding back my vomit.
“Don’t just stand there, get her,” Zack bellows to the remaining two.
One rushes for Alise, using magic to form a wooden blade, and swings for her head. She ducks it with ease and swivels to his side, placing a palm on his neck. He blinks, and those pretty blue eyes rupture from their sockets, flying over my head and colliding with the wall. *Smack*
Bile burns up my throat, finding its way out, and I place a hand over my mouth to contain the rest.
