do the same. Redtree gave the signal, and Riley wasted no time swinging. I wasn’t skilled in fencing, but I knew the basics, and I had a lot of adrenaline pumping to help aid me.
“The swords aren’t spelled,” Xander said from the sidelines, referring to the precautions usually put in place to keep the students from accidentally killing themselves during training sessions. No one out here wore any armor, because the swords prevented killing blows. But I didn’t care. Every cell in my body wanted to fight.
Riley was good. Better than good. She had obviously trained before, saw my every move coming, and managed to block each swing with perfect precision. My only advantage was my anger. I was tired of this. The fighting. The curse. Everything. I put all of my strength into each swing, an endless supply of energy urging me forward.
“Will you feel better once I’m dead?” I screamed. We were gaining a crowd of spectators around us full of curious students, several of them taking bets.
“Absolutely,” she said. “I’ll even dance on your grave.”
The blade of her sword came around to my left. I ducked, then kicked her in her stomach. Riley flew backward into the ground, her sword sliding off into the grass.
“Looks like no dancing for you.” I held my sword to her throat.
“Do it,” she dared me, weaponless. “End it now, then we can both be free.”
Her words startled me enough to pause. Riley never could stand feeling trapped. She would rather be dead.
A great force slammed into me from the side, and the sword flung from my hand. Xander’s arms caged me in, keeping me locked in place. It took me a few seconds to breathe. Partly because the wind was knocked from my lungs, but mostly, because I was stunned Xander was the cause. Sweat dripped from his face—he’d obviously been fighting the urge to stop me long before he did.
“Why did you do that?” Riley demanded, standing. She dusted herself off, circling around us. Her hazel eyes, so like my own, searched our faces for an explanation. “Why did you stop her?”
“Because we don’t train to kill each other at this school.” Xander tried to play off what was actually happening to him. “The two of you took things too far.”
She pressed her lips together. “No, I don’t think that’s why.”
“Detention,” said a gruff voice from behind. It was Redtree. He loomed over the three of us, his stony face scrunched together in disapproval. “For both of you.”
Riley huffed and walked away. As soon as she was gone, the hold the necklace had on me released. It felt as if I could breathe again, the monster inside of me returning to its deep slumber.
Right away, I knew I’d made a horrific mistake. Riley may not understand exactly what happened with Xander, but she saw enough to know something was up. It didn’t make sense for my own boyfriend to stop me when she was the one instigating the fight.
Once the class was over, I tried to apologize. “Xander, I’m—”
“No,” he cut me off abruptly. “You don’t get to make excuses. I told you to leave, but you didn’t listen.”
I felt awful.
If I could dig a grave for myself, I would.
That necklace may have amplified the situation, but I had a choice. I could have chosen not to respond. Instead, I jeopardized everything we worked so hard to prevent. I gave into my own anger.
His blue eyes pierced into me. “Don’t you get it? You outed me, Sheridan.”
I squared my shoulders back, going into defense mode. “Hey, that’s not fair.”
“Neither was what you did.” He stormed away, ignoring any apologies I tried to make. I hated how he did that—avoided me when he was angry. This time I wasn’t letting him get away with it.
So, I marched after him. “Yes, I screwed up, but you can’t put all the blame on me.”
He swung around, tossing his shield aside. “I wasn’t the one fighting your sister.”
“No, you just protected her.”
He blinked, obviously surprised I would go there. “I couldn’t—”
“Help it?” I finished for him, crossing my arms over my chest. “Sounds awfully familiar.”
He let out a long, slow breath. “Our situations are not the same.”
“No, they’re not. I didn’t choose to be cursed, but you chose to take that oath with Selena. Now that you’re facing the consequences, here you are, shifting the blame on me.” Even as the words spewed from my mouth, I hated myself for saying them. I knew