Page 87 of The Last Aether

I inhaled sharply and pulled back on Aiden’s arm. I felt the snap of bone before I heard his scream. It killed a piece of my soul. But maybe it should have. There should be a price for inflicting this kind of pain and I needed to pay it.

I released him, moving to the other side of the circle so that the healers could attend to him. Atlas was in front of me in a flash. “Shit, Aura.”

Then Sariah was there, wincing. “I thought I told you I didn’t want to keep doing this.”

I laughed and instantly regretted the decision as pain flared in my face and ribs.

“Lean back on me,” Atlas ordered.

I let my body go lax against his as Sariah worked. A few minutes later, the only thing I felt was the telltale sign of bruising.

I climbed to my feet and smiled at Sariah. “Thank you. Again.”

She grinned, leaning forward. “Keep giving ‘em hell.”

Atlas frowned at me. “How do you feel?”

“Fine, honestly.” I glanced over at Aiden. He was breathing heavily, but the healers had obviously dealt with the worst of his injury. “I need to do something.”

Without waiting for an answer, I strode over to where Aiden was sitting in a chair and extended my hand towards his uninjured one. “Good match.”

He stared down at my offering as if it were a snake. Then he took it, his eyes meeting mine. “You know this isn’t over, right?”

A shiver ran down my spine, but I kept my expression light. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. I’ll be ready the next time we meet in the rotation.”

Something flashed in Aiden’s eyes, but he nodded and released his grip.

Atlas pulled me back into his hold and guided me away. “You didn’t have to do that. Going for your hair like he did isn’t against the rules, but it’s fighting dirty and frowned upon in class combat. And not tapping out? That’s just childish. He hasn’t earned sportsmanship from you.”

Maybe not, but I was giving it anyway. “I think he wanted me to hurt him. It was like he was testing me to see if I would do it.”

“And you did what you had to do.”

“But I didn’t like it.”

“I know. But you did it even though it was hard. That’s a leader.” Atlas pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “How about we soothe away the day with some ice cream sundaes?”

I melted into his side. “That sounds perfect.”

Kerry stood to the side looking from me to Aiden and back again, chewing on her thumbnail.

“Hey. We’re going to get some ice cream back at the dorm. Want to come with us?”

She looked back to Aiden as he winced, testing the rotation of his arm. “I think I better go back to my room. I’ve got a lot of studying to catch up on.”

Kerry was gone before I could get another word out, but I noticed she hadn’t said our room. And there was something in her eyes that had nausea sweeping through me. Something that said that maybe she saw me as a monster now too.

49

“Do you want some more?” Atlas asked hopefully.

I swirled the spoon around in my melting sundae, feeling like a jerk. They’d gone to so much trouble to brighten my mood after the combat class. Kai had run me an epic bath with the most amazing oils. Phoenix had massaged my shoulders while I soaked. Atlas had made an incredible dinner. And Riven had sent the guards out with a ridiculously long list of sundae ingredients for dessert. But even sated and cozy in my pajamas, my funk lingered.

Phoenix lifted my legs and placed my feet in his lap. “There’s weight to hurting someone. It doesn’t do any of us any good to pretend there isn’t.”

My gaze rose to meet his, my chest giving a painful squeeze. It helped to call out the elephant in the room. And I knew Phoenix understood that weight more than most. I let my spoon fall into the bowl. “How do I make sure I don’t become a monster in all of this?”

Kai frowned at me. “You could never be a monster.”