CHAPTER 10
1043 Words
ADINNA’S POV
The sound of Riley’s cry of pain makes me scream. The noise rips straight out of my chest before I even know I’m making it. Her pain feels like it shoots through me, setting something off deep inside me. My whole body is trembling, my vision blurs, and suddenly there’s a burning, living heat spreading through every inch of me. Salem’s hands are still on my shoulders, keeping me on my knees. His grip is strong, his fingers digging into my skin like claws, but something inside me snaps. I can’t stay down anymore. I won’t.
My heart pounds so loudly that I can hear nothing else. I don’t even understand what’s happening, but I can feel this storm rising inside me and pulsing through my veins like lightning trapped under my skin. It’s not fear anymore. It’s something else.
“Get off me!” I scream.
The words tear out of me with so much force they don’t even sound like my own voice. A surge of energy bursts from somewhere deep in my core, rushing outward before I can stop it and I shove Salem off me.
Salem staggers backward in shock and the entire room goes still.
I freeze too, staring at him in disbelief. Did I do that?
The crowd around us gasps. The laughter that filled the air seconds ago dies instantly. Everyone stares at me like I’ve turned into a monster.
Salem is trying to regain his composure but his eyes are still wide with confusion.
And me?
I’m standing.
My knees are shaking, and my breaths are coming out in short, sharp gasps, and my whole body feels like it’s buzzing. There’s this strange hum beneath my skin, like static. For the first time since all of this started, no one is touching me. No one’s pushing me down.
For one glorious heartbeat, I feel free. But that moment doesn’t last.
Before I can move or before I can even think of moving, Jace moves.
He’s fast. Way too fast.
Before I know what’s happening, his boot slams into my back with brutal force. The world tilts as a sharp and deep pain explodes through me. The air leaves my lungs in a violent rush and I hit the floor face-first, gasping. My palms sting against the cold tile, my ribs are aching, and the sound of his laughter fills my ears.
Jace crouches beside me. His shadow falls over my face as he speaks, his tone dripping with mockery.
“Well, that was quite the little performance,” he says. “Did you really think that made you special?”
I glare up at him, breathing hard, but he just tilts his head like he’s studying something pathetic.
“You pushed Salem,” he continues, his voice calm but cutting. “Wow. Big moment for you, huh? But you can’t shift at free will, can you?”
His hand grips my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. His eyes glint with cruel amusement.
“Don’t fool yourself,” he whispers. “You’re not strong. You’re not special. You are nothing.”
He lets go, shoving my face away, and I hit the floor again. My back burns from the impact and my throat tightens as I make an effort not to cry. I can feel everyone’s eyes watching me. My fingers curl into fists. The strange energy I felt before is gone, leaving nothing but exhaustion. My body feels heavy, drained. I can barely move.
Jace straightens slowly, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve like he didn’t just kick me into the ground. “Pathetic,” he mutters under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear.
I want to scream and stand up again but my limbs won’t listen. My pride is the only thing holding me together right now.
Then Hunter steps forward.
He’s been silent ever since he crushed Riley’s hand with his boot, just watching with that lazy, unreadable expression. Now he moves closer, his boots tapping against the floor. In his hand is a small round plastic plate covered in foil.
The sight of it makes no sense. It looks so completely out of place in this nightmare of a scene.
He then crouches down beside me in a slow deliberate movement and then he peels the foil back.
The smell hits immediately.
It has a sweet, soft and familiar smell.
Cookies.
My gaze drops to them, and that’s when I notice a faint shimmer of violet dust clinging to their surface. A strange glow when the light from the library windows catches it just right.
Recognition slams into me like a physical hit.
I’ve seen that before. Not in person but in some the textbooks that were given to me to read as a newbie to this whole wolf thing. The ones about wolves and their weaknesses.
Wolfsbane.
He’s made freaking wolfsbane cookies.
My stomach turns and my throat tightens.
Hunter notices the fear in my eyes and smiles at me. It’s not a normal smile. It’s the kind that crawls under your skin.
He looks down at the cookies like he’s proud of them. Then his gaze lifts to me.
I can’t look away. There’s something terrifying about the calm in his face.
He picks up one of the cookies between his fingers, turning it slightly so the light hits it again. The shimmer of purple powder glows faintly, beautiful and horrible all at once.
He crouches lower, his tone almost playful. “You looked hungry,” he murmurs, the words curling like smoke in the air between us.
The way he says it makes my stomach drop.
My body won’t move. It’s like my nerves have been cut. My gaze stays fixed on the cookie in his hand. Every second stretches endlessly.
Jace’s boot is still pressing lightly against my shoulder. I can feel the weight of his presence even without him saying a word. The silence from him is worse than anything he could say.
I don’t dare look up at him. I keep my eyes on the plate. On the cookies.
He keeps his eyes on me as he gives me a very wicked smile.
“Let’s feed the hungry.”
- Writer
