Page 43 of Hell's Storm

“You might have all these men wrapped around your finger, but you don’t have me. You can’t play me!”

“Like Miya played you?”

His eyes narrow on me, and silence falls over the room. I sit back, looking up at him.Okay, that was mean, despite everything he’d done to me. “At least I don’t care about sex more than learning how to be a Soul Reaper.”

I give a shrug. “You’re right. I don’t take it seriously. I don’t care about classes. I had a task to find my hellhounds, and I did.”

“You’re fucking two, and one hates you!” he snaps. “My hellhounds are loyal to me and would do anything to save me. Yours can’t even protect you.”

I sit up. “Don’t you dare talk about them like that, you fucking asshole. They are doing the best they can with the situation.”

“Are they? Where were they when you were attacked in the academy? Or when your father’s killer attacked you? Where was your head? Thinking about fucking Ledger again! Can’t you take anything seriously?”

“Calm down!” Ozias snaps.

Khazon’s Angel of Death’s form threatens to break the surface, and I can tell by the way he’s breathing and the black magic starting to swirl on his exposed skin. “You pretend like she didn’t hurt you too when she left. You know damn well you love her as much as I do. Give up trying. She’s not focused on anyone but her damn self.”

“Shut up before I hurt you.” Ledger growls.

He steps into Ledger’s face, and I can’t help but sit forward, ready to protect Ledger. I know he doesn’t need it, but I know Khazon doesn’t have control of his form, and I’ve seen what he’s done. “I’m done protecting you. I hope the academy throws you on your ass.” He walks away, leaving the room with a slam of the door. I sit back against the headboard, biting my lip.

After a wildly uncomfortable silence, everyone left me alone to calm down my heat, but I didn’t want to be alone, and no one wanted to be around. I burned everyone. I move to the balcony of Ryker’s bedroom. He went to go meet with his father for something. I suspect his father is trying to keep him here. Ryker and I have a lot more in common than I thought.

Our world looks completely different than anything I’ve ever seen, especially at night. The moon rises where the sun sets, leaving the sky a purple hue. The wind blows against my skin, cooling me down.

My eyes scan the surroundings, looking down at the floors below me. Someone training on the other side of the castle catches my eye.

Inarian stands in a room with huge glass windows, wearing a tight, long sleeve shirt and sweats.

Perfect for someone who can touch me but can’t fucking stand me. Maybe he’ll beat me up willingly to cool me down. I watch him for a minute before going down to the training room. No one stops me to talk. I close the door behind me when I get to the training room.

Inarian’s dark eyes narrow on the punching bag in front of him, but he never looks up at me. Sweat pours down his forehead as he continues.

“Hey,” I announce, in case he has earbuds or doesn’t notice me, but he doesn’t budge. “You’ve had a Soul Reaper before. Can you help me?”

“With?”

Oh, so he does hear me.

“You failed to realize that I couldn’t protect her, and I can’t even protect you now.” He straightens, stopping the bag that’s swinging at him.

I blink.Was he upset at himself? No, not Inarian.“Do you want to talk about it?”

He stops again, licking the sweat from his lips. “Which are you here for? A lesson or a story?”

“I want to get better. I want a lesson.”

“Why? Because Khazon told you, you weren’t shit?”

My brows bounce.Damn, way to be so fucking hurtful.“No. You failed to realize that I don’t care what people think about me… but I rather you do not have a Soul Reaper that you aren’t proud of.”

“Do you even want to be a Soul Reaper, Asura?”

I look up at him. The seven-foot white-haired man towers over me. I don’t know much about Inarian, just that he hates me. His dark eyes are narrow on me. His hair is white, whiter than mine, which compliments his pale skin. After a moment of thinking, I say, “No. I don’t think I want to be. Everyone…” My eyes tear up, and I have to turn away to the stand nearby that has wrap for my knuckles. I begin wrapping them the way Hazen taught me how. “Everyone I know went to the academy. My father has told me it’s the best way to be taught about the Soul Reaping World, which is a huge thing for running Hell. But… I hate school. I hate learning all that stuff in that manner... You were right, though.”

“About?”

I turn, ready to fight. “I wasn’t there for the right reasons. I thought it would give me the freedom that I crave. Instead, I… just distracted myself with all the beautiful men.”

---