“Who is the captain here?” Hale barks, shocking me with his fury surging forth without warning.
“I’m the captain,” a full blood asserts as he approaches with his pompous strut and imperious air.
“Would you like to explain why you left a school full of children alone, scared, and in danger while you cowered inside?” he blares.
“They heard the sirens just as we all did. If they didn’t comply, then it’s on them, not me. We have regular drills to ensure everyone knows the procedures to follow, per our outlined orders. I can’t go through the compound to check on each and every individual to make sure they do as they’re supposed to.”
“No, you’re right. You can’t. But you can go to the fucking school to take care of the children who don’t have parents looking after them. I’m pretty damn sure you didn’t overlook the fact these children were missing.”
Especially since he forbid anyone else from going over there. I should keep that to myself. Hale might show this asshole his savage if he finds that out right now.
“You have no right to address me the way you are. This is my damn compound, not yours. According to the stripes on your badge, you’re no higher ranked than I am.”
“Actually, he is,” Brazen says while strutting over very smugly. “He’s a captain inside the government of the United which gives him far more rank than you carry. Don’t be fooled by the stripes on his badge matching yours.”
“Who the fuck are you?” the captain barks.
“I’m someone else that out ranks you, so watch your tone. These children shouldn’t have been left unattended, and I’m putting forth a vote to strike your stripes from your badge. You’ll be nothing more than a civilian within the United nation from this day forth,” Brazen says with an eerie, secretive smile.
I lean over to Alex who is standing with a mouth gaping open in disbelief.
“Can he do that?” I ask.
“Yes, but he has to have two others that out rank the captain here to back him before it goes into full debate.”
“I’d like to add my vote to strike his stripes,” Hale happily interjects while leaning over on a crumbling piece of wall, his eyes burning into the air gulping full blood now squirming under scrutiny.
“I cast my vote to have them stricken as well,” Clay asserts as he walks up.
“You can’t fucking do this to me. I’ve been a captain for longer than some of these United members have been alive. You can’t pull my stripes for being in distress. It was just an oversight in a stage five storm!”
“It’s up to the seven other full blood and hybrid United officials here to decide whether or not it’s carried out,” Clay explains.
Brazen’s eyes glare at his full blood comrades, and it’s not exactly rocket science what the hybrids are going to vote.
I quickly cast my vote by texting Clay, my smile unable to be contained. This feels better than Christmas.
“Well,” Clay prompts.
“We’re unanimous. The captain should have his stripes stricken. It’s important that all United compounds show all their people the same compassion and concern. It’s also imperative that a captain have the will to risk his own life to save just one life inside his compound. We don’t feel as though he has lived up to the expectations that qualify one to hold such stature,” a hybrid proudly announces after reading the verdict.
“You’d fucking side with their kind? You’re just like me,” he growls at Brazen.
“I’m nothing like you, and your whip will never touch the body of a child again,” Brazen whispers threateningly.
Hale lets a proud, smug smirk free, and then he winks at me as he walks my way. The demoted captain’s eyes swirl with a violent, malevolent promise as his growl simmers ominously low in the back of his throat. I can almost read the foolish plan of action he’s about to take. He starts to charge Hale from the back, but suddenly he’s gasping for air as I use my gift to slam him into the wall. His frantic eyes scramble around to try and grasp what’s going on, when finally they find me. I smirk, the power rising, consuming, and intoxicating me. He should die. He should die very, very, painfully.
The air in his lungs almost evades him completely as I press against him harder, his eyes threatening to close for all eternity. Hale’s suddenly at my side, his eyes gauging my pupils as he speaks.
“He’s not worth it, baby. He’ll spend the rest of his days in a cell just praying for death,” he murmurs softly. “That’s a far more suitable punishment.”
I let a wry smile cock up to one side as I drop him to the ground. He starts heaving for air while grabbing his throat, his prayers only thought to be answered.
“Prison?” a woman I can only assume is his full blood wife spouts.
“Yes, prison. He just attempted to attack an officer of the United while in one of our facilities. The punishment is life in prison without release,” Brazen says with a triumphant smirk spreading across his face to emphasize his gloating moment.
I lean over to the full blood still gasping for air, and I whisper, “You’ll be in a prison where ungifted hybrids also dwell. Do you know what they do to full bloods like you? They break out their whips, and they fuck you up until the guards break it up. Then they wait for you to go to sleep before they do it all over again. Those kids will finally feel freedom, but you… you’ll be suffering the torture you forced them to endure from now until forever finally ends.”
