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“Malia,” I say, holding out my hand. “Give me the knife. Let’s go downstairs and sort all of this out.”
Malia hesitates for a moment, her grip on the knife tightening. But then she slowly extends her arm, the blade glinting in the dim light. I take it gently from her hand and place it on the shelf behind me.
“Good,” I say, giving her a small smile. “Now, let’s get out of here.”
I take her hand and lead her out of the closet, back into the safety of the bedroom. Cove is waiting for us, a concerned expression etched on his face.
“What happened?” he asks, walking towards us.
“Malia found one of your knives,” I explain, keeping my voice low. “She was scared and didn’t know what to do.”
Cove’s expression softens and he puts a hand on Malia’s shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he says, his voice soothing. “You don’t have to be afraid. We’ll keep you safe.”
Malia nods, her tears finally slowing down. I get the feeling she’s crying about more than just the knife.
“Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself?”
She shakes her head.
“Are you sure?”
She nods and I breathe a sigh of relief. Things would have been a lot more complicated if she’d cut herself on one of our magical blades.
Cove takes Malia into his arms and holds her tightly, kissing the top of her head. I can see the love and protectiveness he feels for her radiating from him. It’s no wonder she feels safe with him.
I watch them for a moment before deciding to give them some privacy. I take a step back, but before I can make my exit, Cove turns to me.
“Thank you,” he says, his eyes full of gratitude.
I nod, offering him a small smile. “Of course. Let’s all go downstairs and sort this out once and for all. It’s time. No more secrets.”
The prof isn’t going to like this, but tough shit. It’s time the truth came out and this discussion, as uncomfortable as it will be, is long overdue.
I don’t even realise I’m crying until Cove wipes my tears away. Fuck. I’m so emotional right now, I swear my hormones are all over the place. This isn’t like me.
Cove keeps his hand firmly clasped around mine as he leads us downstairs a few minutes after Reef.
It’s time. I’m finally going to get the answers I’ve been looking for.
As we descend the stairs, my heart beats faster and faster. I have so many questions.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, I stare in horror at the sight before me. The professor has his T-shirt pulled up around his shoulders, exposing his back to Reef, who’s rubbing some kind of ointment into his skin. I gasp and he jumps, hastily pulling the shirt back down, but it’s too late. I’ve seen it.
“What happened?” I ask, rushing over to him and attempting to lift the material back up to get a better look. Concern for him overrides all other feelings I may have toward him. I don’t want to see him hurt.
“Nothing,” he snaps, jerking away from me.
“That’snotnothing,” I scold him. “Your back is shredded. It looks raw!”
The professor sighs heavily and avoids my gaze, then takes a deep breath before finally responding. “I... This was my punishment for killing Tanimola,” he admits reluctantly. His voice is quiet, but there’s a waver in his tone that betrays his pain.
“I don’t understand,” I say, hearing a tremble in my own statement.
“Malia, the punishment for killing one of our people is death. The only reason why I’m still here today is because when the council went to retrieve Tanimola’s body, it wasn’t there. Without a body, there can’t technically be a crime in our world, but I still had to be punished for attacking one of our own because I confessed to it. It was this or Trial By Fire.”
Trial by Fire? Why does that sound familiar?I shake it off. That’s not important right now. The professor is.
