Bonds of Steel and Blood (Levi • OC)

CHAPTER 18 - Rogue Echoes

     The fallen titan started to disintegrate. Levi and Petra landed beside it, Eld, Oluo, and Gunther still on their horses. Their faces were pale, expressions shocked.

     "She... got it?" Gunther said in awe.

     "Agnar!" Levi shouted, panic still marking his voice.

     "Do you think she was crushed under it?" Petra said quietly, bringing her hand to her mouth.

     "Rei?!" Levi shouted again, walking around the titan, searching for her.

     They all turned to the sound of coughing from their left. Eld immediately dismounted, running into the bushes from where the sound came. He saw Reinae on the ground, coughing as she cleaned her uniform of dirt. The relief in his eyes was instant.

     "Thank god," he sighed, prompting himself onto his knees, shaking his head in disbelief.

     "You're insane, you know that?!" Oluo shouted, running towards her and Eld.

     Reinae slowly stood up, wincing at the pain in her leg. She looked down and saw it bleeding.

     "Rei, you're hurt!" Petra gasped, rushing to her to assess her wound.

     "I'm fine. It's just a scratch," she said.

     Eld started laughing. Slowly, Oluo and Gunther joined him.

     "It's a scratch, she said," Eld laughed. "She took down a nine-meter abnormal herself and got out with a scratch."

     They all burst out laughing. Even Reinae's mouth stretched into a grin, which quickly disappeared after she saw Levi standing beside the titan, his eyes burning with anger. She sighed and walked towards him, trying not to limp.

     She waited to be scolded or yelled at. But Levi just squeezed his hands into fists, his jawline twitching.

     "Are you fit for riding?" he asked, his voice alarmingly controlled.

     "I am," Reinae replied, still waiting to be thrown against a tree or something.

     "Then get on your horse. We can't stay here."

     Without further words, he whistled for his horse.

     They rode towards Trost, Petra riding with Gunther since her horse fell victim to the abnormal. The rest of the squads must've arrived bare minutes before them since the gate was left open, with a few Scouts hanging off the wall beside them in case a titan approached. When they rode into safety, they found Hanje and Miche waiting with their squads, as well as Mila, Teodor, and Erwin.

     "What happened?" the latter asked, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of Reinae's bleeding leg.

     Jasper and Aiden immediately rushed to her. She could already see Aiden was about to make a scene from his worried expression. Before either of them could open their mouths to speak, Reina3 was grabbed by the collar. Petra gasped, watching Levi slam her comrade against a wall with a single hand.

    "If you ever," Levi growled menacingly. "Ever! Ignore my orders and go rogue again, I'll feed you to a titan myself!"

     There it is, Reinae thought. She stared him down and smirked, though her eyes remained defiant.

     "You'll have to stop pressing me against a wall like that, or I'll start to think you're up to something," she snarled back at him.

     Levi slammed his other hand on the wall beside her head, making her flinch.