Page 23 of Rebirth Of Order
“Eat a dick, Ethan. I’m not a sacrifice for anyone, but feel free to try.” She rolls her eyes and scoffs.Do what with a cock? Fascinating. How does one ‘eat’ it?“Anyway, Celine, what if…if…” Her teeth chatter from a rushing draft, and I realize my incantation wore off under the shifter’s spell.
The air thickens, and the weather becomes worse. Sharp, ice-like needles prick my skin as waves of snow surround us. The sun’swarmth begins setting, and though Kyra has more questions, even she can’t pretend the cold isn’t getting to her.
“This gathering has run its course, Celine. I’ll come back soon to catch up,” Ethan says, noticing Kyra’s complexion paling. Disliking her all he wants, she can’t answer his questions as a corpse.
Celine pecks his cheek, which feels more seductive than necessary, and with a final glance to Kyra and me, she backs away. Her eyes change into their reptilian form before she explodes into a massive viper once more, quacking the ground. With a nod of her oversized head, she flexes her scales, and I look on in awe as she slithers off, disappearing down the mountain’s side.
“Is everything here filled with beings that can end me? Creatures and magical secrets I’ve never seen before?” She looks at me.
“No, of course not,” I respond in tandem with Ethan’s, “Yes.” But disgust laces his words, and Kyra huffs with annoyance. “Don’t mind him, he’s just–”
“Enough. We’re leaving.”
I should’ve let the viper eat his ass.
Holding Kyra’s hand, I place my other one atop his shoulder. Ethan flicks his wrist, and a golden sigil appears, plummeting us into a void. However, it’s not like before. Instead of racing through space, we move at a much slower rate, watching time unfold from sped up images on display, like flipping through a picture book.
Kyra’s grip tightens, and heat radiates between our palms.What if she is a shifter?I wonder, recalling how intense her life essence was when I performed Life Bargain.
Images of wars being fought continue flashing by. Death and destruction everywhere. Then a clip takes us both by surprise. We are able to view her battle with the gloom she spoke of. Right as it comes to the explosion, I fixate on that memory, and it shatters, and we stand in halls of Rebirth once more.
“Wait–go back.” She tugs on his arm.
“No.” Snatching away from her, Ethan gives me an all-telling look before walking towards the boardroom without so much of aglance back. We both saw it. She indeed went up against one of the elite eight. But how?
“Please! I need to know what happened to me.”
Tears wet her lashes, and for once, I wish he wasn’t a complete jerk, but when Ethan makes up his mind, there is no changing it. I learned this some time ago.
“For now, let’s get this over with, and maybe later he’ll show you.”
“Nothing makes sense here. Everything is so damn secretive. Why am I here if all y’all do is withhold shit?” she says in a saddening tone.
“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. But first, let’s answer a question you’ve had since arriving.”
“What question?”
I nod towards the boardroom. “What is this place?”
Kyra wipes her eyes then follows behind Ethan. Something is happening between them, and for the life of me, I can’t pinpoint what. But I will. Mark my words.
Chapter 6
A Warning or a Threat?
KYRA
We returnfrom the freezing hell lands, and I stand in the boardroom once again. All attention on me. Everyone is still in attendance, except the guy from earlier who walked in late, wearing a black, hooded robe. His face was hidden, yet an inkling warned me of getting too close.
Angie and Ethan stand beside me as Holland glares with disdain. Or maybe it’s his natural face. Who can tell anyway.
A deadening chill engulfs the room, filling me with uncertainty. The omnipotent presence of the bitch Death looms about. Each passing second increases my heart rate, sending a pounding wave to my ears.
“The mortal is back, and now we can proceed with–”
“No,” Ethan cuts off Holland. “The time for questioning has expired. We’ll move forward as planned. Kyra will attend Rebirth’s Awakening with the new students, and if she proves to be less than, we’ll take it from there. Until then, no one is to interfere, nor attempt removing her from the grounds. Am I clear?”
Excuse me, the fuck. Less than?
