Blood Born: Assassin Book 2

Blood Born - Chapter 23

I sat upright the following morning, looking around the room wildly. The visions from the nightmare, of my family being dead, faded from my memory. Groggily I climbed from the bed and stood near the window. The sun barely crested the horizon, the dark sky started to light up with its beautiful orange, pinks, and blues as the dark purple of the night vanished. I stretched as my aching back cracked. Discarding the clothes I had worn the previous day to the floor, I washed in the cold water sitting on the bare table before slipping into something fresh.

Standing near the window, I attempted to settle my nerves. Thought of the decision last night still ran fresh in my memory. I had no idea if we would ever be successful. Now, it was up to Anastasia to spread the word. We only had three days to save all the girls. I knew there was going to be a battle between the Guild Leaders and I. They wouldn't let anyone go without a fight.

The bell for breakfast clanged unusually loud. At least it seemed unusually loud. Taking a deep breath, I left the room, following behind the other girls as everyone walked silently to the dining hall. Anastasia sat in her normal seat, staring down at her feet as everyone filed in. We stood, waiting for permission to eat. The servant girls brought out the food, placing it all in quiet unison on all the tables. My heart slammed against my chest so hard I was nearly sure someone heard it. There was no way someone couldn't hear it. My mind drifted back to the energy ball I almost created the night before.

Can I do it again? Can I use that to help defend the girls when we escape?

"Are you alright?" Anastasia asked.

I nodded and took a bite of egg. "Fine."

I glanced up at the leaders. They whispered amongst themselves, barely looking over us today. It made me uneasy with how different things were that morning. I pushed the food around on my plate, contemplating what we had to do in order to save the girls. Taking a deep breath, I shoved a forkful of eggs into my mouth. The clumped food was cold and gritty

in my mouth. I pushed the plate to the side, playing with my fork.

"Evelyn!" Anastasia whispered loudly.

"What?" I asked absently.

"How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Your fork!"

I looked down at the silver object to see it glowing red. I dropped it, allowing it to clang loudly on the plate, glancing around for anyone who may have been watching.

"What's wrong?" Agnolo asked.

"Bit my tongue," I mumbled.

He narrowed his eyes at me but went back to his conversation.

"How did you do that?" Anastasia asked.

"I-I don't know. I've never done that before." I stared at the deformed fork as it cooled on the plate, partially melted.

Breakfast ended and we were all ushered to the first class of the day. I felt rushed and anxious to get back to my room. I needed to see Draco. A throbbing began in my temple, slowly encompassing my entire head. My heart sped up as my breathing became shallow. I could feel my body growing hotter and hotter. Sweat beaded on my brow as the burning overtook me. I dropped to my knees, letting out a scream as the pain and heat became overbearing. Darkness took over and I slipped into a fitful sleep. I could feel my body lifting from the floor, feeling weightless as someone's arms encompassed my body, holding me close. They were warm and smelled of a strong spice. Someone mumbled to someone else far off. I couldn't make out what they said and I didn't care. I wanted to sleep.

Something cool was placed on my head, helping draw out the heat. It was replaced every few minutes for quite some time until all the noises around me dissipated. The cool cloth turned warm and dry as it laid on my head. My eyes fluttered open. My entire body felt as though I'd been stomped on by an entire herd of horses. Every muscle ached and burned. I drug myself out of bed and toward the window. I pushed it open, thankful for the relief of the cool night air.

"Draco!" I choked out.

"What happened?" he asked, appearing from the darkness.

"I-I don't know. At breakfast, my fork glowed red hot in my hand. Then at class, it felt like I was going to burst into flames."

"You've completely bonded with my blood."

"What?" I asked.

"It's not a pleasant experience once you fully bond. You experience some side effects."

"Some side effects?" I asked. "It felt as though I was going to die! Not to mention this is not the best of places to fully bond. You could have warned me."

"I didn't want to scare you, and why do you think I tried to convince you not to come here?" he stated.

"I need to sleep."

I turned and collapsed on the bed, the breeze that drifted through the window aided in my fevered sleep. It was a wasted day I needed to plan the escape. My only hope was that Anastasia managed to spread the word more. The added powers I possessed from Draco would prove to be useful in the fight against the Guild. There was no way anyone could withstand magic.

Right?