The Art of Blood and Power (Book 2 in The Gifted Trilogy)

15- What Was Once a Home

I roared as I broke the glass of the small window that overlooked the street with the hilt of the dagger Kess had given me. I clutched it tightly while squeezing my eyes shut and conjuring up images of what Nox had done to my home. The bloody bodies in the street. The slate of darkness that dulled the color of everything. The girl with pitch black eyes and the note that had been attached to her chest.

This was Nox's version of payback. He believed me making a fool of him and giving him a taste of his own torture measured up to murdering an entire village of innocent non-Gifted. What was worse was I knew he was capable of doing even more. He didn't care about the lives he left dead in his path. He had believed himself invincible and in only a few minutes I had taken that sense of security away from him by almost killing him.

I knew torturing me was now his number one mission in life.

I clutched my side as a sudden sharp slice of pain cut through it. Breathing through ragged breaths, I looked at my side and saw no causation for the sudden pain. That meant the blow had come from Kess. The battle had started.

Lowering my voice, I spoke aloud, "I know you're here, you piece of shit. Show your face you coward, or are you scared I'm going to beat you like I did last time?"

A cold shiver ran down my spine and I whirled around to find Nox leaning lazily against the doorway, shadows curling themselves around his legs. The sight of him made my blood boil as my knuckles that gripped my dagger turned white.

"Beat me, you say?" he hummed, tilting his head at me as if I were a child. "Then why exactly, little wolf, am I still here?"

I straightened, tilting my stance to hide the dagger. "You slaughtered hundreds in their homes today," I started, stepping towards him. "Destroyed an entire village, all of it just for the joy of being able to tell me you did it. Even now, this is all just some game to you."

A cold smile grew on his face, the one that had haunted my dreams for so long. "Now you're starting to get it" he praised cheerfully.

In a flash of movement, I raised my dagger and threw it directly at him. Nox didn't even flinch as the blade sailed towards him and then through him. I expected to see blood poor from him but instead watched as the blade passed through shadows, blurring him for a moment, before sinking into the wall directly behind him.

Nox tutted disapprovingly. "Although I expected that, I've got to say I'm a little disappointed at how predictable you are, little wolf."

My heart dropped. "You aren't really here" I realized.

He grinned. "Although I have no doubt in the abilities of my men, I have more pressing matters to deal with than squashing you like the pesky bug you are." He shrugged. "Even if you don't die today, I've still won. Now you'll finally understand."

"Understand what?" I bit back, gritting my teeth as a blunt force suddenly slammed into my leg. It took all the willpower I had not to drop to the floor at the blow.

"That the stakes in this little war you're creating are much higher than what you're willing to pay for it" he hissed. "I will willingly see to the death of thousands more, all for the simple pleasure of seeing your face when I do. You are willing to sacrifice nothing. That is why, in the end, you will lose and I will be there with a collar and chain when you do."

"You'd keep me alive in spite of everything I've done to you? The coward I've made you become?" I snarled.

His face pulled into one of mock confusion. "Who said anything about keeping you alive?" He chuckled darkly. "Little wolf, when I'm done with you, I'm going to make your corpse my own personal puppet. Even in death, you will never escape me."