Amberley

I didn't waste anytime. I sprinting through the bodies and gore straight to were I had left Alexander. The Reapers followed suit. I turned to them and shook my head.

"He wouldn't want you to see him like this. Those arrows are going to hurt like hell. Search the bodies and tie the one I knocked out up with ropes. I will take care of Alexander."

Micah was star struck as he stared at his brother. He stepped forward and rolled over his body. He looked horrified.

"You don't think...that he was with these soldiers?"

I scowled. "I know he was." Ignored the fact that he had saved my life... he owed me that.

I jogged over to where Jasmine sat hunched over Alexander's convulsing body. I pounded on her shield a she looked at me with wide eyes.

She dropped the shield. "Go help the others, Jasmine. Everything will be fine."

I fell to my knees besides Alexander. He looked horrible. I rolled him onto his stomach. It seems as if I was wrong before. Only four arrows had connected with his body. Thankfully, none had hit his wings.

He coughed in pain and looked up at me with his intense obsidian eyes. He tried to lean away from me as I reached for his shirt. I also ripped the shirt off of a Unfeeling's body. Alexander eventually gave up and let me tear his shirt off his body.

His muscular torso greeting me. Alexander growled in pain and his eyes found mine again. His obsidian eyes

"If you kill me, Amberley...I swear to god!" He said in between gasps for air.

"Just shut up and let me help you!"

He huffed and put his forehead against the ground. He was so dramatic.

I scanned the arrows. And reached for the dagger in his pants.

"This is going to hurt," I warned.

"You're presence hurts me every second of the day!"

I glared and snapped the first arrow in half. I was satisfied with his manly scream.

"You'd think being near death would humble you. Are you not going to confess your love to me? Or tell me to remember you when you die?"

"You wish! Even the people who love you, don't love you."

My stomach dropped. That stung. I snapped the second arrow. He screamed again.

"You're the biggest asshole I've ever met!" I exclaimed, thinking of Evan, unconscious on the battle field. I couldn't process how I really felt about it with adrenaline still pumping through my veins.

I snapped the third and fourth arrow within seconds of each other. Surprisingly, Alexander only groaned and slammed his head against the ground repeatedly.

"That was the easy part...I have to cut them out..." I started, placing the tip of the blade against his first wound. He gasped.

"No! In the canteen on my pants his alcohol. Clean the dagger!"

I raised an eyebrow but did as he said. I sniffed the liquid in the canteen and scrunched my nose.

"God...you're a drunk too?"

Alexander growled but didn't respond. I poured the liquid on the blade and wiped it on the clean shirt I had retrieved from the Unfeeling soldier. I regarded Alexander's sour expression for a second before shrugging and pouring the rest of the alcohol on his wound. He hissed and tightened his hands into fist.

"I hate you with a burning passion."

I smiled as I started cutting away. "I know."

Soon, all of the arrow heads were cut out of his body and Jasmine had handed me her sowing kit. I had carefully stitched his wounds together, grateful for this part of my Clandestine training. I tore fabric into strips and managed to bandage Alexander to the best of ability.

"Can you stand?" I asked quietly. The winged boy had been unnervingly quiet for the past hour but I was glad for the distraction of healing him. I couldn't think about him.

Alexander only shook his head shamefully. I sighed and took the extra fabric to wipe the blood off my hands and face. I felt nauseous at the sight of it.

I sighed, suddenly exhausted. I felt tears running down my face. I collapsed onto my back besides Alexander's body.

I covered my face with my hands. My body shook as I cried silently. Alexander didn't say a thing. I wasn't surprised, he was a heartless jerk. And he hated when I cried.

"Sterling's here...he's really here. I want to kill him so bad but I hate killing people. I want to be kind and gentle but just the sight of him makes me want to bash his gorgeous face in."

Alexander sucked in a breath. He was probably surprised. Hell, I was still stunned.

"Screw kind and gentle. You're not in Adana anymore. Trust me, you'll get your revenge soon."

I nodded reluctantly and continued to cry. I savored Alexanders presence until he was strong enough to stand.

I tensed, too weak to move, as he reached over and took and hooked his finger with mine. Soon, his hand moved over mine. It was only a brief touch, a few minutes before he squeezed my fingers once and pulled away.

He lifted himself up and walked away without a word, leaving me to dwell in my past, present and future.

~

Night fell. I heard the Reapers preparing camp a few yards away. I was numb as I stared at the starry sky. Almost the whole group except one had told me to come to camp and talk to them. I ignored every voice.

I knew I was wrong for this, that I was being dramatic but I feared if I moved, everything would become real. That he would really be here.

Night passed quickly in my unfeeling state and soon the sun started rising.

"Should we make her get up? She hasn't moved since yesterday." Micah whispered.

"Let her have her moment. She's not ready..." Alexander replied. I was silently grateful for his input, for once.

A few more hours passed before someone sat besides me. I felt the flap of wings and a breeze blow against my face. I didn't dare look at Alexander's stony face.

"He's awake and demands to talk to you. That's not why I'm talking to you though. I want your permission before I beat his ass. He's a cocky son of bitch who deserves to die. I hate people who have blonde hair, they always have a God complex!"

I furrows my brows as I came to a conclusion. "My hairs really black."

Alexander scoffed and yanked on a piece of the black locks.

"I've noticed..."

I pressed my lips into a thin line. My body seemed to melt after years in a frozen lake. I sat forward and regarded Alexander with a guarded expression. He also looked at me cautiously.

"What should I say to him? I've been thinking about something that would put him in his place but nothing seems to really express how I feel."

Alexander shrugged and stood. He reached down and grabbed my arm. He held me still until my legs steadied and I could stand on my own. I realized how drained my body was from exerting so much power.

"He doesn't deserve to know how you feel. He hurt you, betrayed you. If I were you, I would never let him in again."

~

Alexander led me to the group who were all seated on logs in a circle around something. I made sure to keep my eyes trained on my friends as I sat down besides Micah and Alexander.

"Amberley, look at me." A weak voice whispered.

I looked to Alexander instead. He seemed to understand and held my gaze. I let him see my pain and fear for a few more seconds before he hardened his gaze and turned to Evan with a murderous expression.

"She doesn't have to do shit...why would she look at someone as disgusting as you?" Alexander said harshly. I couldn't look at him... or I would fall apart.

'Are you going to cry, princess? If you cry I might go easy on you. Or maybe I'll take you right here and then slice that pretty face of yours up after I'm done with you, ' I still remember his words from the night he betrayed us.

"Screw you. Who even are you? I only see a bunch of losers who call themselves powerful. Amberley...how could you stand to be around these people?"

Anger surged through me and I finally look up to Evan. He looked like a wreck. His hair was unruly and his wrist were chafed from his bonds. It felt good to see him tied up... now he couldn't do anything.

"I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that not everyone will break me like you did," I responded dryly.

Evan looked pained and reached for me. Alexander growled and placed a protective wing in front of me. This was a shocking development... since when did Alexander protect me?

"Brother... she's here, now say what you want to say," Micah said softly. He also looked pained and disappointed to see his brother. I couldn't imagine how he felt.

Evan was quiet as he stared at me.

Alexander slammed his fist on the ground besides me. He looked disgusted to even be this close to Evan. "You are losing my interest and that is very dangerous."

Evan laughed coldly and regarded Alexander with a amused expression. "Pull the stick out of you're ass, man. Or has Amberley already done that for you?"

It was me who growled this time. I placed a hand on Alexander's chest, pushing him back to his sitting position. It was horrible to hear Evan's cocky words that were usually directed at people trying to hurt me and now we're directed to me and my friends.

"I loved you more than you deserved, fucker. But I'm going to give you a minute and thirty seconds to plead and beg for my forgiveness before I kill you."

Evan sent a pleading gaze my way. "I was wrong, Amberley. You have to believe me! I love you and you love me! I made the wrong decision. I wanted power, I wanted to take over the Iniquitous and change things! But I should of opened my eyes. I could of changed things with you!"

I regarded him with as much poison as I could muster. I shook my head to my friends who were all clenching their fist, ready to beat Evan bloody...

"You put me through hell, and call it love. You don't love me, you only love power. And now that your father finally figured out you're a coward, you crawl back to me, desperate for a name, for a life people will remember."

"Amberley... please understand. I won't love anyone but you! I can't fucking breathe without you next to me! I need you! I don't give a shit about power! You know me..."

I chuckled dryly. "You were never who I thought you were, Sterling Valentino. You smiled and laughed and played and trained and befriended with all those people down there for ten years and then you just let the whole place fall down on top of them. You kill them, your friends, your real family."

A moment of silence passed as Evan struggled for words and my words hung in the air, suspended and waiting. I placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder. He didn't move his eyes from Evan as he leaned towards me, listening.

"He's telling the truth. He's strong and we could use him. Hold him for ransom even."

Alexander only nodded his agreement and leaned away from me. How odd! Now we were a team? This took an unexpected turn.

"You will come with us to Vex. If you really want to prove yourself to me...then you will tell the leaders there everything you know and you will fight with us."

Evan looked relieved and nodded his head, pulling against his bonds.

"Done! I will do anything."

I stood and walked away. I turned and looked at Evan over my shoulder. "If you think of hurting my new friends like you everyone in Clandestine, I will kill you without hesitation. You will get no love from me, you lost that the day you gave up on you're friends, you day you gave up on me. Now this is me giving up on you."