Heart of Crystals

6 • The Temporary Truce

•Cerise•

If I could go back to that night- when I had Azure helpless on the parking lot floor with my dagger aimed at his chest- I would have stabbed his bleeding heart and drained his body of every ounce of life it possessed.

Repercussions be damned.

I knew why I didn't. Even in my inherit frustration, I knew I had made the right choice. If I had killed Azure then I would have had to kill those officers to keep things quiet and buy time. Then I would have had the police force after me as I simultaneously tried to take Blaine's crystal. It would've been a reckless mess. My attempts against Blaine would've been more sloppy and most likely ended in his awakened crystal anyway. Not to mention the obvious danger of my exposure.

I wished Blaine had been weak enough to kill tonight.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to successfully wear him down before Azure came to intervene. That also probably would've led to Blaine awakening his crystal too.

For some reason it was even more frustrating that the outcome of tonight felt inevitable. As much as I wanted to blame Azure, Blaine had ultimately been the one to access his power. It was rightly his. Now everything changed.

I felt my mood darken further as I watched the blonde quarterback climb into his car from my place on the roof.

Now that his crystal was active, killing him would be a cakewalk. Unfortunately, I couldn't take his crystal anymore. Blaine was bound to his power. If Blaine were to die so would his crystal.

The only way to complete my mission was to get Blaine to choose my side willingly. To my huge dismay, Azure and I's objective had become the exact same.

I wanted to kill Azure just like I planned to tonight, but now I was competing for Blaine's favor. My whole strategy was thrown off and I didn't want to make a move I'd regret. The game had been set to zero and I couldn't proceed using old strategies until I was sure they would be beneficial.

The only thing I did know was that I needed to bond with Blaine. I tried not to throw up at the thought.

It was time to enact plan B. I already kind of began executing it when I conversed with Blaine earlier- although I didn't think it was very successful.

The paranoid part of me had wanted to begin building a bridge to Blaine because there was a chance his crystal did awaken. But I had hoped it wouldn't actually come to that. I wasn't exactly...well versed in making friends. This was no exception.

Now I had to work overtime.

I stepped back and turned from the roof's ledge, ignoring Azure who was also looking out at the droves of people leaving.

I needed to inform my boss of the unfortunate progression of the situation and begin brainstorming new strategies. And honestly, the longer I was around Azure the more likely I was to impulsively wring his neck.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you." I didn't bother turning around, continuing on toward the rooftop door.

"I'm surprised," Azure said, a goading mirth to his voice. The sound of his footsteps following me caused my jaw to clench. "I kind of expected more of an explosion from you. No lashing out? No angry attempt to kill me? Not even a verbal assault?"

I whirled around barely containing my rage.

"Believe me I'm fighting the urge," I seethed, "But I'm not stupid enough to act on it."

Azure's lips pulled up in a teasing smirk.

"Lucky me."

Instead of smacking him in the face, which I really wanted to do, I turned back on my heel and headed to the door again.