ordered me to kill the Blooder. He deserved it and Pyke deserved to be the one to do it, but I couldn’t let it happen.
Bringing Kyra home was my mission. I wouldn’t give her any more reasons not to trust us.
Kyra was on the ground, screaming at Pyke to stop. He was going to hate me for this, but killing the Blooder wasn’t going to bring his father back. Keeping him alive might keep Kyra with us.
I grabbed Pyke’s arm before he could strike. “Don’t do it, Pyke,” I said.
Pyke yanked his arm and tried to push me away, but I held on.
“Let me go, Will! I have to.”
I heard the desperation in his voice and I hated to hurt him like this. I twisted Pyke’s wrist and he dropped the icicle. Using my body weight, I forced Pyke into a headlock.
“I won’t let you do it,” I said. “Calm down and stick with the mission.”
Pyke struggled more and more. I leaned close to his ear. “I know you want to do this. He deserves it, but you promised you’d follow my orders and I’m telling you not to kill him.”
Pyke groaned through gritted teeth and went limp. I released him and he slumped to his knees.
I had expected him to disobey me. I thought I’d have to knock him out, but I’d underestimated Pyke. He was putting his Guardjinn responsibilities before his own interests.
He was a better Guardjinn than me.
I had disobeyed Ivan’s orders. It was my duty to do as I was told, but I’d lied.
I’d lied for her.
Chapter Fourteen
Mia pushed up off the ground and stared daggers toward us.
“You good?” I asked her.
Her brows were scrunched and lips pulled in a thin line. I noticed the cut on her cheek and wondered if Kyra had done that.
“I’ll be fine,” she replied.
“Grab Kyra,” I said.
“Get up.” Mia pulled Kyra’s arm and twisted it behind her back.
Kyra’s eyes were locked on Malcolm. He smiled at her. “It’s okay, kiddo. I love you.”
I punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. His words sounded genuine. Did he really love Kyra? Or was it all an act for gaining her trust?
Of course he was acting, I thought. He’s a Blooder.
“Dad!” Kyra screamed, and realised that knocking him out in front of her had been a poor move.
Kyra struggled to break free of Mia’s grip.
“Mia, you’re hurting her,” I said.
Pyke rose, his fists clenched and a dark look in his eye. He was angry with me. I knew it.
“Relax, Will,” he said. “We have to be careful with this one. She’s got fighting skills.”
“Ivan requested she not be hurt,” I said and felt a twist in my gut for throwing Ivan’s orders in Pyke’s face, knowing that killing Malcolm had been one of them.
“I agree with Pyke,” Mia said. “She needs to be hurt a little.”
Had they both completely forgotten that our mission was to save her? I felt Kyra’s gaze on me, but I didn’t want to look at her and be reminded of how she made me feel.
“You won’t hurt her. Either of you.”
“I don’t want to hurt her .”
Pyke was crossing the line again and I gave him a stern look. I knew this was hard for him. I was surprised how well he was behaving.
“She cut my face, Will!” Mia pointed to her bleeding cheek. “My face!”
“If you ask me, it’s an improvement,” Pyke replied.
“No one asked you!” she snapped.
“Enough!” I said. “We got what we came for. It’s time to go.”
“What about him?” Pyke looked at Malcolm with such disgust that I wanted to tell him the truth. “Let’s kill him.”
“No!” Kyra shouted. “You can’t. Please, I’ll go with you, just don’t hurt him!”
Mia smiled. “Darling, you don’t really have a choice whether you come with us or not.”
“Stop struggling.” Pyke stared at Kyra with pity. Did it hurt him to see her believe such a lie?
“Trust me,” he said. “You’ll want us to kill him when you find out — ”
“Quiet, Pyke!” I snapped. “Ivan requested — ”
“Oooh, Ivan requested.” Pyke’s anger was
Bringing Kyra home was my mission. I wouldn’t give her any more reasons not to trust us.
Kyra was on the ground, screaming at Pyke to stop. He was going to hate me for this, but killing the Blooder wasn’t going to bring his father back. Keeping him alive might keep Kyra with us.
I grabbed Pyke’s arm before he could strike. “Don’t do it, Pyke,” I said.
Pyke yanked his arm and tried to push me away, but I held on.
“Let me go, Will! I have to.”
I heard the desperation in his voice and I hated to hurt him like this. I twisted Pyke’s wrist and he dropped the icicle. Using my body weight, I forced Pyke into a headlock.
“I won’t let you do it,” I said. “Calm down and stick with the mission.”
Pyke struggled more and more. I leaned close to his ear. “I know you want to do this. He deserves it, but you promised you’d follow my orders and I’m telling you not to kill him.”
Pyke groaned through gritted teeth and went limp. I released him and he slumped to his knees.
I had expected him to disobey me. I thought I’d have to knock him out, but I’d underestimated Pyke. He was putting his Guardjinn responsibilities before his own interests.
He was a better Guardjinn than me.
I had disobeyed Ivan’s orders. It was my duty to do as I was told, but I’d lied.
I’d lied for her.
Chapter Fourteen
Mia pushed up off the ground and stared daggers toward us.
“You good?” I asked her.
Her brows were scrunched and lips pulled in a thin line. I noticed the cut on her cheek and wondered if Kyra had done that.
“I’ll be fine,” she replied.
“Grab Kyra,” I said.
“Get up.” Mia pulled Kyra’s arm and twisted it behind her back.
Kyra’s eyes were locked on Malcolm. He smiled at her. “It’s okay, kiddo. I love you.”
I punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. His words sounded genuine. Did he really love Kyra? Or was it all an act for gaining her trust?
Of course he was acting, I thought. He’s a Blooder.
“Dad!” Kyra screamed, and realised that knocking him out in front of her had been a poor move.
Kyra struggled to break free of Mia’s grip.
“Mia, you’re hurting her,” I said.
Pyke rose, his fists clenched and a dark look in his eye. He was angry with me. I knew it.
“Relax, Will,” he said. “We have to be careful with this one. She’s got fighting skills.”
“Ivan requested she not be hurt,” I said and felt a twist in my gut for throwing Ivan’s orders in Pyke’s face, knowing that killing Malcolm had been one of them.
“I agree with Pyke,” Mia said. “She needs to be hurt a little.”
Had they both completely forgotten that our mission was to save her? I felt Kyra’s gaze on me, but I didn’t want to look at her and be reminded of how she made me feel.
“You won’t hurt her. Either of you.”
“I don’t want to hurt her .”
Pyke was crossing the line again and I gave him a stern look. I knew this was hard for him. I was surprised how well he was behaving.
“She cut my face, Will!” Mia pointed to her bleeding cheek. “My face!”
“If you ask me, it’s an improvement,” Pyke replied.
“No one asked you!” she snapped.
“Enough!” I said. “We got what we came for. It’s time to go.”
“What about him?” Pyke looked at Malcolm with such disgust that I wanted to tell him the truth. “Let’s kill him.”
“No!” Kyra shouted. “You can’t. Please, I’ll go with you, just don’t hurt him!”
Mia smiled. “Darling, you don’t really have a choice whether you come with us or not.”
“Stop struggling.” Pyke stared at Kyra with pity. Did it hurt him to see her believe such a lie?
“Trust me,” he said. “You’ll want us to kill him when you find out — ”
“Quiet, Pyke!” I snapped. “Ivan requested — ”
“Oooh, Ivan requested.” Pyke’s anger was
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