Discover L (Book 2) | Complete |

~ What Fresh Hell Is This? ~

The sound of whistling shot through the air all of a sudden, and the Wyvern shrieked so loudly L's ears hurt. She caught sight of something sticking out of one of their wings. The silver blade glinted, and L recognised Bryce's sword. He must have thrown it, but having no magic, she couldn't see how he would have managed. Whatever the cause, it worked, the Wyvern was losing altitude. It flapped its wings furiously, but it was pointless, they were going down.

L tried to wrestle herself out of its grip, she wouldn't crash to her death with this thing holding onto her. She swung her legs up and managed to hook one around her arm. She kicked out, finally managing to wrench one of her arms free- the blood may have made it easier. The Wyvern screeched at having lost its hold of her, but there wasn't much it could do with a busted wing. L sneered and clawed at the other leg with her free hand, leaving four deep gashes. The Wyvern let out a wail and must have decided the fight wasn't worth it, letting her go with a cry of anger.

L let herself be caught up by the wind, taking a steadying breath she transformed until her Dragon wings unfurled behind her. She sighed, calming the adrenaline pumping through her and made a beeline back to where Robbie was.

She landed next to him and glared at their surroundings; several dead Wyvern and a cautious looking Bryce. L leaned over to check on Robbie, who was still out cold.

"Is he alright?" Bryce asked tentatively.

"He'll be fine. Thanks for the help, you can go now."

L didn't look his way, focusing instead on trying to wake Robbie up.

"L, please. I'm truly sorry for how I treated you, I know I made you feel bad, and if I could go back-"

"Feel bad?" L scowled and turned on him, crossing the distance in one step.

Bryce actually looked somewhat unnerved, and L was almost satisfied.

"You didn't make me feel bad. You made me feel as if I was nothing to you. You made me feel like a stranger, an outsider. You made me feel the way people have all my life. I never, ever expected that from you, Bryce. I don't care what your reasons are, I don't care that you're sorry. We are done here. Go. Home."

L punctuated the last two words with a jab to his chest.

Bryce looked broken by what she'd said. His eyes never left hers, but his were brimming with tears. L thought he might argue his case, make some excuse or joke about it, but his next move shocked her. He fell to his knees in front of her, his head bowed, and L could see the tears starting to fall.

"L... I... I know now my apology will never be enough to undo what I did. I know you must hate me, and I don't blame you. If this were any other situation, I would do as you say, I'd do anything for you. But I won't leave you to do this without my help, not after everything we've been through. Not when it's going to be dangerous."

He inhaled a shaky breath, and L almost wanted to hug him, but she held fast. Bryce's eyes slowly raised to meet hers, the tears fell thick and fast, and the pain in his expression made it clear he knew just how badly he'd hurt her.

"You may not want me around, but I won't let you go without me. I'll protect you and be there for you, and when it's all over, I'll leave you alone if that's what you want. But please, let me do this, let me help you find your parents."

L took a deep breath and stared into his eyes for the longest time. He didn't say a word and just let the tears fall silently. Despite her mixed feelings, L really wanted to hug him and make him feel better. Maybe it had been a mistake. All the pressure from his parents, from his whole kingdom, it was bound to have an effect. But that didn't mean she could just forgive him. He hurt her in a way she never thought he would. Her trust in him was fractured, and she wasn't sure how to feel about him.