She glares at me as if she was warning me.
What's happening?
“I can help you if something’s wrong,” I say, but she walks away from me, completely ignoring my statement. Her head keeps turning, scouring the hall before she walks into it.
I look down at Sabina, who's staring after Clara with her head tilted sideways. “Why is she angry?”
“I don't know. It will be alright.” I just wish I knew what was going on.
I flinch when there's a grip on my shoulder.
"We need to talk." I turn to face Glaide who’s squinting at me.
I sigh. It's just him. “You scared me.”
"You like that girl. Don't you?"
I furrow my brows, taken aback by the question. “What do you mean?”
“Clara,” Glaide folds his arms while wearing a smirk. “You like her.”
“What?No!”I can't like her. We would be doomed to fail.
“Don't lie.” I jump and whip my head towards Erasmus on the other side of me. “You’re a terrible liar. We see the way you look at her. It's in the way you smile. In the way your eyestwinkleat her. You like her…"
I shake my head. "It's not like I'm going to get anywhere with her. I'm soulmateless, remember? And it's not li-”
"But you're considering it with her,” Glaide nods. “Does she have a soulmate?”
My face is definitely warmer. I never asked. Never planned to. I could use my powers but that feels I’m entertaining the idea of being with her. It'd be a little selfish, considering it probably wouldn't work.
But there's no memories of feeling a bond when using my powers around her, though it wasn't something I focused on. It could also mean her soulmate is too far away. The bonds are only detectable when they're in a certain range from either.
I glance down to Sabina, who tilts her head at both of them. My attention should be on her. “We can talk about this later, when Sabina isn-”
Boom!
Crash!
I freeze, searching for the source of the noise. It sounded like someone or something crashed through glass around here. My breath quickens as Glaide and Erasmus stiffen. Screams come from the other room.
Sabina stares towards the door, her lips shaking and her eyes wide. I pick her up while trying to connect the dots as to what's happening.
What was that?
“Hm, Amara's grandsons, huh?”
Purple fur comes into view as the creature prowls through the door. Her head is low as she licks her lips. Her eyes areglowing purple as many black dreamscreechers come behind her, snickering and shrieking.
More children scream from afar and run out behind her. Sabina shudders and grabs onto my shirt tightly. I turn my body away, so I'm between the dreamscreechers and her. I can't let these creatures get Sabina, or any of the children, for that matter.
The purple dreamscreecher laughs as she comes closer. “This is going to be good.”
Chapter 32
Ignatia
Breathe claws in and out of my throat as I stand against a wall in an empty room. How did they get here? How do they know I'm here?
