Revenge Served Cold

BLAISE

For the past four days, I’d scoured a quarter of the library. At this point my eyes felt permanently bloodshot, from the way I’d read through more than two lifetimes’ worth of books in less than a week. The tips of my fingers are ashen from flipping past page after page.

Noel was not recovering.

The Beta had been making visits to his room every night. I’d noticed after the third day, after I’d put Christian to sleep and wanted to check on him. I’d noticed the Beta watching over an asleep Noel in the chair set in the corner of the room. And I’d realized that Noel didn’t need me as much as I’d thought he did.

He was wasting away. Just as Beau had.

The sun is high up in the sky. And I’m standing by his bedside, hands tightened into fists by my sides as I look down at his unconscious figure. The dark splotches now completely cover the right half of his face, a poisonous ivy wrapping around his throat and wisping down underneath the neckline of his shirt. He has lost so much wei