Page 122 of Stormhold

I could tell he was truly sorry for what he did. Honestly, I wasn’t angry at all that he tricked me. I was simply sad that we were over before we even started.

And yesterday, I knew it was the end of it. The look on his face told me everything I needed to know. He wasn’t coming back.

“Guess where we’re going today?” Ari signed to me. She did that a lot since talking stressed her vocal cords. Ari was in her gap year, trying to figure out life. I honestly wouldn’t even care if she didn’t go to college. I just wanted her to live her life however she wanted.

“Where, Ari?” I asked, smiling at her.

Before she could sign back, Shouma-kun interjected, not even taking a pause from his L-sit dips. “A place with a lot of pretty girls?”

Ari scrunched her nose. “Eww, no,” she mumbled. “By the way, when are you going to teach me that crescent kick technique?” she questioned him. Ari was an all-things-arts enthusiast, from paintings to music and everything in between. And learning martial arts tricks from Shouma-kun was how they both bonded. I knew, deep down, that her biggest dream was to become a singer, but that was robbed from her, so now she found other ways to feel full. What my beautiful sister didn’t know was that she was perfect just the way she was.

“Ask your sister, she’s much better at it,” Shouma-kun replied, throwing a wink my way.

“Belle?” she whispered in disbelief. “She can’t even hurt a fly.”

It wasn’t like she would know. I did most of my training inside my locked bedroom. My sisters didn’t even know I worked out on a daily basis.

Shouma-kun laughed, jumping to his feet, barely out of breath as he said, “Gullible little Ari,” and walked away.

Ari frowned, watching him disappear into the bathroom. “He’s weird,” she mumbled before turning her eyes back to me. “You still haven’t guessed where we’re going.”

I shrugged. Where could it be? It either had something to do with clothes, museums, or paintings.

“Bellebelle doesn’t speak in riddles, Ari.” Ella approached, fully dressed in her pleated knee-length skirt and buttoned plaid shirt in beige. Her golden hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, accentuating her pearl earrings and blushed cheeks.

“Shopping, we’re going shopping.” And before I could protest, Ella pointed a firm finger at me. “This time, you’re not escaping. We haven’t gone out in a long time, and we’re all in desperate need of a change of wardrobe.”

“Fine,” I muttered. It wasn’t like a new wardrobe was going to do much. I was still going to be wearing my dresses, Ella her pleated skirts, while Ari stuck to her comfort tees. I had a feeling they planned this to make me feel better, so I didn’t complain.

Just as I entered my room to get ready, Shouma-kun pulled me aside, freshly showered with a rare seriousness in his eyes. “I’m going to be out for a couple of days. You’d better take care of yourself.”

“Is it the Surmans?” After what happened with Arkane, I hardly thought about the Covent or the White Hand. It wasn’t my fight. All I wanted was Heath Glen’s life, and even that, I wasn’t concerned much about at the moment.

He nodded grimly. “They were gone, but we got intel that says otherwise. I’m going deep to figure this shit out, so you better watch your back.”

“I will,” I said, remembering Heath Glen’s promise. I knew no matter what, he was coming for me. Only this time, I’d be ready for him.

An hour later, my sisters and I were winding across the Sky Bridge and straight down to Windery Avenue on the Uppers. It was the place to go if you ever wanted to shop in the Twins. Set just after the financial district, the avenue was more like a small village with every possible high-fashion house, chic boutiques, and independent stores.

I didn’t particularly like shopping. Ella usually brought me the dresses I liked because I couldn’t be bothered with the task, but she and Ari loved it. We skipped the expensive stores and walked right up to our favorite boutique, Maely’s, which offered affordable, dreamy pieces.

“My treat,” I said as we entered the store. “Buy anything you want.”

They both mumbled a non-surprised yay, knowing very well I always paid when we went out together. I simply earned more than Ella because of my Valerian job, and I put it all in a joint account for the three of us to share.

Just as I was rifling through a flowery pistachio-colored dress, a cacophony of high howls ripped through the air, followed by a tense energy among the crowd.

Many left their shopping midway and rushed out, while the others cowered, holding their breath in fear of what would happen. Through the glass window, I counted about a dozen motorcycles parked haphazardly right in the middle of the road. On them were men dressed in black, wearing rave masks. Only the one leading them wore a pure white mask with bleeding eyes.

Killian and his entourage. I knew from the grapevine that his antics had been escalating since Kenny’s death.

“God save these people,” Ella murmured, clutching the cross on her necklace. “I thought at least the Uppers was safe from these rowdies, but here they are. What are the Stormhold’s even doing?”

I knew I shouldn’t, but at that moment, I kind of understood the heavy weight on Arkane’s shoulders. No one saw him as a human but rather as a means to their end. Even his own family treated him as a commodity to uphold their duties. No wonder he was the way he was.

My gaze sharpened when Killian got off his Harley, rolling a baseball bat in his hand. I couldn’t hear or see his face, but I could tell he was laughing that annoying laugh of his as he made his way to a car parked by the curb, where his men were forcefully pulling two middle-aged men from it.

But one of them escaped and ran straight into our store.