Loveless/ a POWERLESS fanfiction story

Chapter 21: Blair

The shadows of the forest slide along the ground like living creatures, hiding in the folds of moss and dense ferns. The morning chill has yet to give way to the midday heat, and the air is filled with the scent of damp earth. I move forward, staying within the trees' shade, feeling the light weight of one of the packs with our stolen supplies on my back. Brian and I split up briefly to... scout the area. At least, that's what I told him. He only raised an eyebrow, turned his back to me with a pointed shrug, and advised me not to go far. Before leaving, he added that he'd also check the... surroundings—and maybe find some trace of Sadie.

The truth is, I needed a break from him, and a wash wouldn't hurt, either. I longed to peel off these sweat-soaked, filthy clothes and sink into cold water. Brian could use it too—I'd noticed the splatters of blood on the hem of his shirt. He'd likely had to deal with the third Sight, considering only two of them had come running at my distraction. Some part of me sympathizes—he stayed awake all night and had to handle the hardest part of the work.

I'm about to head back when a sound behind me freezes me in place. It's not just the rustle of branches or the snap of twigs. I clench my fists and try to steady my breathing, hoping it doesn't betray my tension. Glancing around, I stick close to the trees.

Branches creak above, and suddenly, a flash of maroon appears overhead. My fingers instinctively reach for the band on my wrist, checking that it's still in place, and then I go for my dagger.

Andy Voss.

The maroon falcon lands on the ground, and with a blink, she stands before me. Her hair, usually in a tidy bun, is disheveled, and her face is streaked with dirt. Her eyes burn with a wild mix of exhilaration and exhaustion, and I can tell she wants to rip this cursed band off my wrist—not for victory, but to humiliate me. Any other day, I might've felt like putting her in her place as I've done countless times in training. But not today.

"Blair," she drawls, her voice cutting through the forest silence like a blade, rough and dripping with mockery. "Never thought I'd run into you—" she pauses, with exaggerated surprise, "alone."

I clench my jaw, feeling the blood pulsing in my temples. I can't let her find out that I'm not alone. Brian is somewhere nearby, risking the king's own rules just to help me.

"Don't start a fight unless you're prepared to..."

"Go your own way, Andy. I don't want to fight you," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. But she laughs, low and threatening.

"Not in your taste?" she replies with a smirk. "Who, then, is worthy of kicking your ass? The Enforcer?"

I know she's trying to rile me up, but her words barely graze me this time.

"Or his brother, maybe?" she continues, provoking me. "I still can't figure out which prince you think is worth you."

She takes a step forward, her red hair flaring around her face like flames. Her eyes glint with a twisted delight and madness, her lips curling in a predatory sneer.

"You want me to leave? Then you'll have to make me," she snarls, and her body shifts, changing. Her form grows less human—she morphs into a large, clawed, red-furred panther with sharp fangs.

"Then I will," I growl back.

Anger rises within me, scorching me from the inside like a live coal. I clench my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms. Everything inside me screams that I shouldn't let this turn into a fight, that I should know better. But my chest blazes with fury, and I can no longer stand still.

We circle each other among the trees, the panther growling, baring its fangs, its eyes seething with hatred. But I don't want to fight her—not like this, not outside the training ring. Everything here is too real, and it frightens me.

She roars, and before I can react, the massive beast lunges, its jaws wide, fangs flashing. I barely dodge, feeling the creature's hot breath graze my arm.

I throw up my handand use Tele to throw a lump of dirt into her eyes. Andy is momentarily disoriented, but within a heartbeat, the panther lunges forward, its clawed paws slicing through the air, and I barely manage to dodge. She leaps at me, and I fall to the ground, feeling her claws tear through my shirt, a sharp sting of pain left in their wake. But I realize quickly she's not trying to kill me outright—her goal is something else. She wants to rip off my band.

I roll away, stand up struggling to stay on my feet, and understand that holding back now will only work against me.

A glint of malice shines in her animal eyes, and Brian's words echo in my mind:

"If a fight is inevitable, go all the way."

I stop thinking about the consequences. All I can hear in my head is the pounding pulse of survival—and the need to protect the one who broke the rules to help me.

Summoning my remaining strength, I unleash it on Andy. A surge of Tele slams into her, sending her hurtling back against a tree trunk. There's a sickening crack, and for a moment, she's too stunned to react. The panther's body collapses onto the ground, weakened from the blow, but her eyes blaze with hate. I step closer, fists clenched, refusing to release my hold on her. My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might burst from my chest.

Her growls weaken, and her animal form flickers, rippling as it melts back into her human shape. I see Andy attempting to rise, but I push her down, pinning her to the ground with my Tele.

Her eyes flash with a mix of rage and fear, a flicker of something she's trying to hide under her bravado. Her lips twist into a painful sneer, but I don't let her speak. I lean in close, so close my face almost brushes hers, and with one sharp movement, I slice the band from her arm. I tuck it into my pocket, feeling the warmth of her skin lingering on the band, as though it's still pulsing with her hatred.

And at this moment, I know I should release her. I know I should. But instead, my attention lingers on her slender, tawny neck, on the faint pulse under her skin. This sensation—this awareness—that I hold absolute power over her overtakes me. I tighten my telekinetic hold around her throat like a snake coiling around its prey. Her breathing grows ragged, her throat producing choked sounds, but I don't loosen my grip.

Only this morning, I was certain I wasn't capable of causing anyone real pain. But now, I realize that if I don't show her I'm willing to go all the way, if I don't make her feel my control over her life, she'll strike again. She'll come after me, convinced I'm weak.

And I can't allow that—not when there's a secret I need to protect.

"If I see you again in this forest," I hiss, forcing my voice to stay steady despite the tremor in it, "I won't show mercy. Follow me again—" I press the dagger's sharp edge close to her face, its glint catching the morning sun, "and this blade will pierce your miserable heart. And trust me, I won't miss."

Her chest heaves, gasping for air, her gaze filled with malice and the promise of revenge. She slowly rises, staggering like a broken doll, limping back, her hateful eyes never leaving me.

I remain standing in the middle of the forest, listening as her presence fades into the trees. Eventually, the tension releases, and I double over, bracing my hands on my knees as if to steady myself on the ground that still feels like it's spinning beneath me. A long, exhausted breath escapes my chest.

Through the fog of exhaustion and fear, an odd sensation breaks through—a rush of euphoria, the kind that always surges after a fight.

It seems that, for the first time, I managed to fight back physically, to make her pay for her taunts.

And, Plague, I liked it.