Fire Breather

58.

   "CONSIDERING you haven't been to your room yet, I'm going to guess Garrick is here somewhere?" Ridoc asked on Saturday, the two of us lounging on his bed.

"I would say so." I turned the page in one of Liam's novels, kicking my feet into his lap. "Xaden saw me an hour ago and gave me a heads up but he also said Garrick will most likely be in Bodhi's room."

"Damn," he mumbled, raising a brow at me while doing his RSC homework. "So you two are officially...single now, then?"

Hearing someone else say it had a kick to it, making me simply nod while the words on the page stopped comprehending through my head. "I would say so. I made it pretty clear to him that I was done with his games."

"Now it's my time, baby!" he cheered, throwing his homework onto the ground before throwing himself on top of me.

A laugh bubbled out of me, and I dropped the novel, trying to push him off me. "Ridoc!" I squealed, my heart filling with happiness when my best friend started tickling me. "I will—" I laughed again, struggling to push his hands away from my ribs while squeezing my eyes shut. "Kill you!"

"Nah uh." His smile was bright as I opened my eyes full of tears, my laughter coming out at wheezes. "This is the first time I've heard you laugh in weeks. It's not stopping now—"

Of course I could never have a happy moment.

Nope. Not even a possibility at Basgiath.

The door to his room flew open, one of the hinges breaking when three men rushed inside with rope in their hands. Within seconds, my laughter had gone silent and Ridoc shoved a dagger into my hand while holding one in his own.

"What the hell is this?" Ridoc demanded, keeping an arm out in front of me. "Give us one reason why we shouldn't fucking kill you!"

When the three men stayed silent, I shared a look with Ridoc before we were both acting with instinct.

"We warned you," I said and then jumped off the bed just when Ridoc jumped forward, landing on one of the men and taking him to the ground.

The one on my left charged around the bed and I threw the dagger in my hand, watching as it landed in his throat, sending his eyes wide.

Before he even hit the ground, the man on my right swung an arm out, his closed fist hurtling for my head. I just managed to duck down, picking up one of Ridoc's heavy textbooks and slapping it into the side of his face while standing up.

Somewhere behind me, I heard Ridoc struggling but I couldn't even help him as the men went to roundhouse kick me, causing me to jump back on the desk, avoiding it.

Panic entered my bloodstream when I heard a shout, knowing it was Ridoc.

These men had to be here to kill me and if they were, then there was no way in hell I would allow Ridoc to die like Liam had.

Grabbing the edge of the desk, I pulled my knees up to my chest and then sent a powerful kick against the man's chest, sending him flying into the side of the armory, his spine making a loud crack.

Knowing he was fucked, I snatched up my longsword off the desk, rolled off it, and landed in a crouch beside the bed to see Ridoc on his stomach with the man struggling to keep him down.

"Run, Blaine!" Ridoc shouted at me, our eyes locking with panic and desperation filling his. "Fucking run!"

"You idiot!" I muttered, already charging at the man with my longsword above my head.

"Behind you!" Ridoc bellowed, thrashing harder under the man.

I whirled around, throwing my arm out to catch whoever was behind me with the blade of my longsword.