Fated Insurrection (Book 3)

Chapter 2

"Going back to normal after
someone had died was never
easy. When that someone
had been brutally killed,
all bets were off."

~~Seanan McGuire

****************

~Nova~

Nevada helped me get Michael to one of the guest rooms located on the bottom floor. Neither of us had a lot of energy left after what we had done and had agreed that trying to carry him upstairs as dead weight was a bad idea. It was still amazing that we had been able to do that, everything other times we had tried had always ended in some sort of catastrophe or another. 

I was more than grateful to her for helping me, even a little surprised although I probably shouldn’t be. Nevada had always had a big heart, never wanting to see anyone suffering and always tried to do the right thing. I envied her at times for being that way because she was pure in a way I would never be. If anyone ever deserves to be gifted wings by the gods, it would be her.

We went our separate ways after that, me heading towards mine and Robbie’s room in desperate need of a shower. It wasn’t even noon and I was completely drained of energy already and covered in someone else’s blood. Tearing my shirt over my head and kicking my sweats off, I tossed them both in the corner of the bathroom to throw away afterwards. They were ruined and I wasn’t even going to bother trying to save them.

The hot water steamed up the bathroom, creating a near impossible to breath atmosphere, but I didn’t care. My muscles were aching and tight with tension, a mild headache already forming in the back of my skull. As I stepped under the water, it instantly ran red. I watched mindlessly as crimson colored water streamed down my body from my arms and other random places that I had no idea how it got there to begin with. Michael’s blood turned pink as it swirled with the water, becoming diluted as it slipped down the drain.

My chest ached, my heart breaking as I pictured his eyes staring up at me, full of fear and pain as he begged me not to let him die. Closing my eyes, I dipped my head under the water and let the scalding drops mix with the tears that forced their way down my cheeks.

Everything had been so good these last few weeks, even as exhausting as training had been, my life seemed happy for once. I was happy and things with Robbie had been more than perfect, a contentedness I never thought I would have for myself. I should have known better than to get comfortable; I should have known that it would soon crumble around me like it always did.

Deciding I had lingered long enough, my skin pink from the heat of the water, I scrubbed my body and washed my hair with Robbie’s soap, wanting to surround myself in him as much as I could. For all I knew, he may not want to be around me for a while and I didn’t necessarily blame him if he didn’t. I hadn’t been nice when I had spoken to him over Michael but I couldn’t fathom why he wouldn’t trust me after I had given him every part of me, parts that no one had ever come close to having.

Stepping out, I quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around my waist, eyes still blurring and my nose running. I was a mess and I knew it, my thoughts broken and scattered as I entered the bedroom in search of clothes. Robbie was mad at me and Michael had nearly died, the Braelyn Kingdom had fallen which meant shit was about to explode. Chaos was trying to swallow me whole and I was damn near ready to let it.