The Sentinels

18: Betrayal

The sky was dark—and so was the rest of the world. There were no sounds. No wind, no rushing river, no singing birds. It was as if the world itself had gone to sleep.

But it hadn't.

Not everything was quiet.

"Who the fuck are you?"

☼

Leaving a home and exchanging it with constant uncertainty had been a difficult decision. There were still doubts if we'd truly done the right thing. But then again, had it really been a decision to begin with? Or had it much more been an inevitability? Thinking back, staying wouldn't have been worth it. Kendra and I would have probably been taken away eventually for going against the rules. And we would have watched more people die, idly standing by. Reece would have gone mad.

That imminent threat, however, seemed to have followed us here. The murderer in Everett Valley had left when we did—and now Dante's question was hanging in the air like a poisonous gas. It swirled in the air, making it hard to breathe. My mind was spinning.

"What do you mean?" Shyla said, feigning shock, her eyebrows arched and mouth slightly agape. The cold, empty look in her eyes gave it away. The blood in my veins ran cold as I realized that. My heart pumped quickly and frantically, holding on by a thread, as if it would rip any second.

I wanted to look at Holden—who was standing right beside the emotionless shell that was Shyla—but I couldn't bring myself to. I was afraid of what I would see in his face. The betrayal stung, small dots of neon-green staining my ocean. It threatened to turn itself into a hot, red, angry fire. Sadness tried to leak through, to wash over it all. And it succeeded.

Deep down in my heart I knew. I knew it was them.

Feeling my ocean start to stir, I slammed up my walls and reinforced them with steel in the form of strength. I poured energy into them so they wouldn't let any foreign emotions in. The walls stopped the emotions from staining my calm and thus keeping chaos at a safe distance. Though there were a lot of uncertain emotions that wanted to be felt, those too I tried to keep as stale as possible. I couldn't let myself feel them intensely and fully, otherwise I would risk losing control. With my stare directed at Shyla, my face remained void of any emotions and mirrored my ocean. Keeping it together, I felt strong. I was winning. Finally, I was winning.

"We know you used Keeth Dust to knock Ryker out. It's the only thing that can," Reagan said with a dangerous edge to his tone. It didn't leave much room to argue—though Tyler did anyway.

"What the hell is Keeth Dust?" Tyler arched one eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. He puffed it out and squared his shoulders, like a cat when it felt cornered. Their acting skills had significantly worsened.

Taking a stand, I felt energy surge through me. I channeled it with courage and let it fill up my entire soul with a dark-mossy green. Pointing my finger accusingly towards him, just hovering centimeters away from his chest, venom dripped from my voice. "Don't act dumb. Holden bought Keeth Dust in the human neighborhood, I was there when a lady asked him if he needed more." There was not a hint of patience in my voice, and I made sure the rest would take notice. They needed to know that they weren't going to be able to talk themselves out of this one. As much as I wished it wasn't true...

All the strange questions Holden had created slowly clicked into place. His secretive behavior. The fear I'd felt in the bookstore, the fear of uncovering the truth... All of it had been a charade. One grand scheme, earning my trust while stabbing me in the back at the same time. Risking everything, just to keep their plan intact. There was but one question still left unanswered.

Why me?

"Like I said then, Keeth Dust is just a powder that makes ladies smell better," Holden answered, snickering venomously. My stare shot at him. I wasn't afraid of what I'd see in his face anymore. Disappointment already blared like sirens in my ears. I should have known.

I should have known. I should have known!

"You think you can try to turn this around? There are four dragons here, you idiot. I'm pretty sure they know what they're talking about."

It was outrageous that he was trying to make me feel like a fool, even now. He'd already been successful in doing that. Now, he was the one standing here naked, stripped from his gameplay. From his ugly mask that had been hiding an even uglier face behind it. He was the fool.

Reagan suddenly stepped forward. He wrapped his large fingers around Holden's neck. Even Shyla and Tyler were caught off guard by the sudden movement.

Shyla pushed forward towards Holden but was yanked back by Dante. He spun her around and cupped her head with both arms. Her face was caught between his biceps, her chin connecting with the inside of his elbow. If he'd turn, he'd snap her neck. Tyrion tripped Tyler when he was about to run off before he could change into his wolf. Tyler fell to the ground, face forward, and was pinned down by Tyrion's foot. Ryker, barely conscious, stared from one brother to the other. This all happened within milliseconds—I barely registered any of it. Kendra stood beside Ryker, holding him up. Her head poked out from beneath his shoulder.

With anger, frustration and hate flaring up inside of me, I strutted towards Shyla. Dante had a fire in his eyes that nearly matched my own. I glanced at him, silently, as if asking for permission. Blinking once, I knew I had it and the palm of my hand slapped Shyla's face.

The sound of skin hitting skin sounded in the air. Everyone else was quiet.

"I've never liked you. I always knew something was wrong with you. You lie through your teeth like life is a game and you're the one winning it. In truth, all you will ever be is the loser. Every lie that slithers from your tongue is proof of that." I paused shortly, lowering my voice so only Shyla and Dante could hear.

"Dante will slowly tighten his grip around your throat. You're going to feel the airflow cut off, and then you'll feel your vertebrae push to the limit. They'll crack, the sound echoing in your ears, with a sharp pain running through your bones. And then, just when your neck is about to snap, he'll loosen his grip again just to do it again. And maybe by the third time he'll actually break it."

Tilting my head, a sly smile appeared on my face. Staring at her, I enjoyed how finally, a tiny fraction of fear coated her irises. "Depends how cooperative you three traitors are."