Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Six
“You want to practice, then do it with me,” Axel insisted.
“It’s fine, Axel”
He didn’t seem to like the idea of Bailey ‘practicing‘ with me one bit, he stood, close enough to end it if things went too far. Bailey picked out two swords, tossing one to me. I caught it mid air.
“I’ll try not to hurt you,” she said to me, and with the speed of a bullet, she came at me. I blocked at the last minute.
Her sword sliced through the air in asemi arc, and this time I dodged. I switched from defensive to offensive, and I went at her. Our swords clashed, and the force of her strikes caused my arm to ache, but I wasn’t giving up anytime soon.
We went faster and harder; it didn’t feel like practice anymore. I kicked at her abdomen, and she took a few steps back. She retaliated with a kick to my knee, almost causing me to lose balance, but not quite yet. I switched to her position, giving her only time to defend my hits. She growled.
Now she was angry.
She managed to knock the sword off my hands. I dodged her next strike. I gave a low kick, and she did lose her balance. The sword fell from her hands, and I picked it up, pointing it to her neck. She moved the blade away before rising to her feet.
“I still got the first nick,” she says, and my fingers found the wound on my shoulder. Her sword had managed to ti slice through my jacket and grazed my skin. It was a small injury.
I let my sword fall to the ground, aware of the people watching; we had gathered quite the crowd.
“I wonder if you’ve hidden all that skill inside for all these years,” she wondered aloud.
“This was fun. Let’s do it again sometime,” I said to her before heading back for the packhouse.
The plan had been to take a walk, not make a spectacle and yet the way things turned out I ended up doing just that.
I woke to nausea’s familiar grip, stomach churning, I rushed to the toilet, leaning over the seat, I threw up.
This time it was worse; the blood didn’t stop.
I wasn’t alone
–
I realized. I heard the voices, but I couldn’t tell if it was Axel or Thane.
1/2
Chapter Ons Hundred and Ninety Six
My hair was gently pulled out of the way; I knew who those hands belonged to. Thane. He patted my back till it was over.
My face was wet; I hadn’t realized I had been crying. I rose. Flushing the toilet and washing my face next.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered repeatedly. I hated the fact that he had to see that.
“Is okay, Riley is over,” he says.
I returned back to my room where Axel waited.
“Are you okay?” Axel asked.
“Yes, I am,” I answered.
“No, she is not. How long has this been happening?” Thane questioned.
“This is the first time; don’t worry. It’s nothing.” I tried assuring, but none of them was even the least convinced.
“It is not nothing, Riley. You are sick, and I need to know the truth; how long has this been going on?” He asked, and I couldn’t lie to him; he seemed very determined to find out in whatever way he could.
“A while,” I admitted.
The look Thane gave me made me feel guilty.“Why? Why didn’t you tell me?” he questioned.
“I just… I was so afraid; I’m sorry.‘
“You look really pale, and your stomach… why does it seem a bit bigger?” Axel asked.
“I ate a lot last night,” I lied.
I hadn’t been the only one to notice that.
“Back in the dungeons when Nick was alone with you, what did he do?” Thane asked. I couldn’t tell him that Nick had given me his blood.
Blood.
Could that be… no, it can’t be that. But then, ever since I had taken that blood, something changed in me, and now this.
My hands shook; I had to clamp them together to keep them stable.
It had to be it; it had to be the blood.
