Forbidden Angel
Page 16
It’s her fault. It’s all her fault. Ebony. Snow White. Whatever idiotic name she goes by, it’s all her fault. It brings a smile to my face knowing she knows it too.
I can picture her now, curled up in her bed. I hope she hasn’t slept at all. Sleep deprivation is an under appreciated form of torture. The subject’s body does all the hard work itself. Sleep deprivation dulls the senses, slows the body, and harms the mind all in one neat package. Utterly delightful.
I doubt she’s eating either. All the better.
Shame about the Archangel, though I can’t say I’m surprised. The Order was foolish to call on a heavenly being to do a dirty job. Arrius was powerful, I’ll give him that. More powerful than me, at least. I didn’t hold that against him. I didn’t need the same raw power he possessed to be successful. I have an array of skills to ensure success. I pride myself on my versatility. It’s what’s kept me alive this far.
I was raised by the Order of Unitas. They shaped me into what I am now. If I knew any other way of life, I don’t remember it now. That’s for the best. Whatever sort of life it was, it can’t compare to my life now. I walk with confidence wherever I go, knowing that I’m never alone. The most ancient and powerful Order the realm has ever known claims me as one of their own.
Yesterday, the Headmaster came forward to announce Seth’s disappearance. I almost laugh out loud, thinking of Leo as the Headmaster. He’s the most insufferable of them all. So many secrets. So much deceit.
Lucky for him, it’s not my job to expose him. I have other plans.
It took him long enough to make a formal speech. At first, the staff tried to keep it a secret, but rumors started once people started noticing that Seth wasn’t around. I’m not sure how Leo didn’t anticipate that. I’m sure the logic behind the decision was to avoid causing panic.
Unfortunately, if one rumor catches the tiniest spark, it spreads like wildfire. Perhaps, Leo thought coming forward would dispel rumors but he had quite the opposite effect.
I find it laughable.
The only thing Leo cleared up is that Seth is missing and he doesn’t know anything about it. Talk about feeding the rumor mill.
Every student has their theory on what happened. Most are completely off the mark. Some are purely ridiculous, made up to scare and shock people. One rumor scared a student so thoroughly that she demanded her guardians pull her from class. The nasty student that made up the rumor targeted her specifically.
A few other overly cautious guardians retrieved their charges this morning. A reasonable move, if I say so myself. When the Order gets involved, casualties are guaranteed.
Such is the price of balance, they always say.
I say that the Order is more bloodthirsty than they’re willing to let on. I have no evidence of that, unfortunately. Just a feeling. I’ve been in this line of work for a long time. I’ve learned to trust my feelings.
Once, long ago, the Order paired me up with someone. He wasn’t like me. He was a grubby thief scooped up by the Order while he was still a whelp. They wanted me to train him. I had a bad feeling from the start, but I couldn’t refuse a direct order.
The whelp grew into a mean brute of a man with one hell of a cruel streak. I have nothing against cruel streaks. I have one myself. It’s the lack of control I have problems with. My last partner had no control. I had to put him down before he exposed the Order and me. The Order, of course, was most understanding. They never tried to pair me up again.
I prefer to work alone. Less falls through the cracks when only one person is in charge of information. I’m quite thorough.
I pass a huddle of younger students. One girl stands in the center, sobbing her eyes out.
“He was just so cute!” She wails. I try not to let my disgust show. I know what she’s doing. She’s claiming some connection to Seth so that she can garner pity and attention from her peers. Perhaps she truly did admire Seth from afar. Maybe she dreamed that one day, he’d approach her and confess his love. Poor thing. If only she knew his heart belonged to the wretch too cowardly to show her face today.
The Huntsmen didn’t get along with one another. Anyone with eyes can see that. However, it didn’t go unnoticed by the vast majority of the students that Seth often hung around with Lucien, Gabriel, Kashton, and Ebony.
Their circle of not-quite-friendship has been brought under scrutiny. After all, the four Huntsmen did have a fight just before Seth disappeared. Of course, the fight revolved around Ebony. Doesn’t everything, these days?
I don’t need to let any rumors slip to get the students thinking. They’re already thinking it.
Creating discord isn’t strictly part of my job, but it’s always fun. It tends to make hitting my mark easier too. I’m not ready to hit my mark yet. There’s still work to be done.
I’m as surprised by Seth’s disappearance as anyone. As much as I would love to take credit for something like that, I can’t. I have my theories and my trusty gut feelings. No evidence yet. However, collecting evidence isn’t my job. One less Huntsman isn’t something I’m going to question.
Seth’s disappearance does mean there’s another working piece of this puzzle that’s yet to identify itself. I wonder if they’ll become a new playmate or if I’ll have to get rid of them.
The pressure of the rumors is what I need to break the last of Ebony’s sanity.
This job is a waiting game, and I love every minute of it. I get such a high from the meticulous planning, the people reading, and the final kill.
The kill is coming.
Soon.
Until then, I’m happy to mill about the school, smiling and making small talk with the student’s that think my face a friendly one.
A thrill runs up my spine as I wave at someone I recently shared a harmless conversation with. They have no idea what I’m capable of. They have no idea that I can take their life in the blink of an eye. I wouldn’t give them a chance to beg for mercy. I wouldn’t need to. I could kill them before the smile fades from their insipid face.
I’m getting too excited. I need to calm down.
I’m not one for impatience, but I’m anxious to take down my target.
I’m lusting for a kill.
Ebony’s story continues -Forbidden Bully
Chantal Cross
Chantal Cross is a recent college grad who has been reading fast-paced genre fiction all her life. She is a big fan of all things paranormal and vampire. As a teenager, she began her writing “career” with angsty poetry and Twilight fanfic (and no, she’s not sharing those stories with anyone, ever!) 7 Huntsmen is her first series on her own.
Connect
Chantal’s Website: https://chantalcross.com
7 Huntsmen Series
Seven Huntsmen. Seven Curses.
Each of them committed an unforgivable sin…
But none of their sins were as terrible as mine.
Book 1: Forbidden Boys
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Book 2: Forbidden Tutor
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Book 3: Forbidden Angel
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Book 4: Forbidden Bully
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Book 5: Forbidden Demon