Page 172 of Wings of Destruction

Blood streams down my face, but I force myself upright, wiping it with the back of my hand.

“Keep your apologies,” I snarl. “They won’t bring her back. They won’t bring any of the people I lost back. Your boyfriend demolished an entire village.”

“Pathetic. You really believe you’ll be able to honor your fallen family this way? You react when you need to stop and settle. You blunder when tact is required.” Astrid squints at me. “What are you when you take the rage away? You’re hollow, and that breeds self-righteousness.”

Ouch.

Her words hit like a blow to the chest, almost as painful as the broken nose. The corners of her mouth downturn now and her brows draw together as she waits for me to answer.

“Maybe I don’t have what it takes to make it here,” I tell her. “Is that what you want to hear?”

“You are missing the point.” She tilts her head, the gesture smooth. “Typical.”

She doesn’t just doubt me. She hates me.

I attack. Astrid’s composure is unflinching and her muscles flex as she drops my wrists and rounds the wooden pole to avoid my ambush.

“Do better. What are you waiting for?” She ducks her head around the wood. “Another invitation? Your first one is gone and you’re already squandering the second.”

“I thought you didn’t want me here. I thought you said it was a mistake.”

“Again, focusing on the wrong things, Morgan.”

I grit my teeth, shooting Astrid a murderous glance. She laughs and draws in a deep breath like she’s reacting to the promise of violence in the air.

Closer. I need to get closer to her and make her think I’m going down, then tap her before I do. It’s inevitable.

A chill creeps over me and a moment later, Astrid laughs loudly, the sound cruel.

“I get it now.”

“What do you get?” I take a step toward her then pull myself back.

“Desperation. Ambition. All rolled up into one.” She pauses. “I get what Kieran sees in you even though his trust is misplaced.”

“Misplaced?” I search for a better word. “I never asked for his trust. I don’t want it. I don’t want anything from him.”

Or her. Or this place.

Maybe I am pathetic and desperate and self-righteous. Maybe those things have been blossoming into fully formed blockages since my mother died but I wasn’t able to see them because the only thing I felt was fury.

Anger is a part of my soul. It whispers to me at night when I need to sleep, and the haunting melody isn’t one I can easily drop.

My legs are unsteady, and I press the heel of my palm to my racing heart. But that doesn’t help the rhythm go steady.

“Kieran might trust me but he’s a fool.”

“Well. It’s the first intelligent thing I’ve heard come out of your mouth. Good.” Astrid dips her head in another curt acknowledgement, and I’m irrationally happy to see it. “Trust no one. Be fearless.”

“So why would I trust the offer to be a part of this school?”

“Hmm. You’re finally focusing on the right thing.”

Astrid turns her back on me. The opening is a trap, and I walk into it regardless. Tears of fury scald my eyes when she turns with me, sending me hurtling onto my stomach on the mat with a well-placed push to my ribs.

I catch myself before I land fully, but my wrists protest violently and my knees crack.

Air hisses through my teeth.