𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

010 | Behind Closed Doors

Ciaran had rarely felt rage like he did when he looked at Kyran.  

     For one, he hated being talked to like the way she spoke to him. 

     Secondly, he didn't trust her. Simple as that. Not even as far as he could hold his hand out.

     How could he after all? She was a complete stranger they took off the street - who knew what she was capable of, anyway? Besides, she had an attitude she needed to grow out of and she was literally just a child. Definitely not old enough to become one of the Queen's bloodsworn. Fourteen years old? That was a time bomb waiting to go off.
 
     Her wild personality made him nervous, especially around the Queen. What if she killed Asteria? Her spirit animal was certainly capable of doing so. He never liked snakes of any sort. They were dangerous and frankly very hard to catch whenever spotted around the palace. Pythios seemed okay with it, but he was not.

     But what had unnerved him the most was when he had held the knife to her throat, and she hadn't even flinched. It seemed to him that she had pushed herself into the blade. Was she crazy? Did she want him to kill her?

     Why was she so willing to accept death? Her personality was one thing, but the whole 'losing the will to live' was contradicting it completely. She didn't make any sense to him. A walking contradiction.

     It was as if she were fighting for survival, but then turning around and nearly killing herself. He didn't understand female hormones, but was certain they didn't work like that.

     Perhaps, then, it could be something else? What if it wasn't death she was looking for, but rather the pain? He had heard of some people using pain as a way of feeling alive. It wasn't mentally healthy, but it came along with depression.

     Kyran didn't seem like the type of person who would live off pain, however, and she didn't seem to be depressed, either. That would be strange for a young teenage girl who had just been taken off the streets. No, she was more like a wild animal, untamed and corrupted by the outside world that had treated her so harshly.

     The second in command slammed the door shut in frustration, teeth bared in a snarl as he turned his heel and stormed down the hallway. He had to let go of this frustration.

     Perhaps Gabriel or Luca were up for sparring. He needed some form of distraction, otherwise he'd blow. Not even sparing a glance at the dimly-lit hallway, he continued making his way as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. It was a blade he had carried around for nearly three years, a jewel encrusted sword with the form of a wolf on its sheathe.

     It was the mark of his old spirit animal, the one who had been cut down in battle. The pain was as fresh as an open wound and despite it being almost a year ago, he still couldn't get over the fact that he had been careless enough to lose his own spirit animal.

     Gabriel and Pythios were in a similar position as well, but at least they didn't witness first hand their own spirit animal dying out from blood loss on the floor. No, they were given the mercy of merging with them since their bond was formed from the bile.
     
     Ciaran let out a huff of frustration, his steps loud as he shoved his way past the guards and towards the leftwing where he spotted Gabriel speaking quietly to a small battalion of guards. The male spotted him and raised an eyebrow of confusion, waving the guards away.

     "What the hell did you do?" The male asked, his feline-like eyes narrowing as he studied the second in command. Gabriel knew that Ciaran wouldn't ever approach him unless something happened. The male was always too prideful to ask for help for anything.

     "Nothing, just told the new brat off and threatened her. I'm tired of her attitude and how ungrateful she is," Ciaran ranted, pulling his blade out of his sheathe. "I need a distraction, are you up for sparring."