Page 58 of Lies That Bleed
“Stand down, Cadet!” an admiral barked from behind me, and realizing I still had my blade to Sahiri’s throat, I slid off her back.
Kohen was covered in blood, his nose having exploded onto his lip and chest, but he looked alive and conscious, which was miraculous considering agiant gorilla had just pounded him in his beautiful face.
Sahiri spun, glaring at me with a menacing gaze, and all I could think was that my father was going to kill me when he heard of this.
One of the admirals, a female, walked right up to me, jaw set and eyes blazing. Her tawny wolf creature stalked around us in a slow circle, and I prepared for her to do her worst.
This was Admiral Caruso. Her gift was being able to tell if you lied.
Some said she smelled it, others that she heard the lie, but either way I was so screwed if she was about to interrogate me in front of everyone.
“Throw them both in the brig!” she snapped, and I sagged in relief.
The next thing I knew, Kohen and I were being hauled by the armpits and dragged out of the room. The last thing I saw was the terrified look on Tetra’s face.
Chapter
Sixteen
They put Kohen and I in different cells but we were right next to each other. I could see him through the bars, lying on the bench with a rag pressed to his nose.
The soldier had just left and we were all alone in the dimly lit room with four cells, two currently empty.
“You okay?” I finally asked.
He sat up slowly, pulling the rag away to reveal puffy eyes and a purple cheek, but the bleeding had stopped.
“I’ll live,” he muttered.
I frowned. “Why did you attack the admiral like that?”
His eyes practically glowed. “He hurt you.”
Heat rushed through my entire body then, and I couldn’t get my heart to stop pounding.
“So? That’s none of your business,” I snapped.
I watched as he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“You’re welcome,” Kohen finally said, and I sighed.
Point taken.
“Thanks. Now, don’t do anything stupid like that again. I had this handled.”
Sort of.
Kohen laughed. “Really? He was about two seconds from forcing you to one knee and revealing your powers in front of everyone, which would probably have gotten us both killed because I would have been next.”
I frowned. That was oddly specific. “So that’s why you took him down.”
Kohen’s eyes blazed across the space, searching for me, and I felt them like a physical caress when they landed on mine. “Hehurtyou. That’s why I knocked him out. And I would do it again.”
“Why?” I pressed. “Why do you care if someone hurts me?”
Kohen’s jaw pinched and he stood, beginning to pace the cell. “I hate this,” he said, causing me to frown in confusion.
“Hate what?”
