Chapter 134 134- Do Not Get Close Enough To Smell Him
BLAKE
This is going to take a lot longer than thirty minutes. I realise it the second I step inside the house. At first glance, everything looks immaculate. Spotless. Perfect, even. The kind of clean that most people would find reassuring. But I don’t. Because it’s not the look that matters, it’s the smell. It hits me almost immediately, sharp and unmistakable, stinging my nostrils. Bleach. A lot of it. Enough to burn. Enough to try and cover something else. It doesn’t work. Underneath it, faint but undeniable… Blood.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, the word low and tight as my instincts sharpen instantly. I move further inside, closing the door quietly behind me, my attention focused completely now. The scent trails down the hallway, subtle but clear if you know what you’re looking for. I follow it without hesitation, my steps measured but quick, tension coiling in my muscles. It leads me to a bathroom. I push the door open and… Well, damn. For a second, I just stand there, taking it in. The scene is… bad. Really bad. Blood everywhere. Too much of it. Smeared, pooled, half–cleaned in places where the bleach has been used but not well enough to erase what happened here. I assume someone was trying to hide something specific, but I have no idea what because it wasn’t the blood… not to mention Matthews who is on the floor, unnaturally still, his body twisted slightly like he fell and never got back up.
“Poor bastard,” I mutter, more out of habit than anything else. It looks like he wasn’t just framed. He was silenced. I step closer, crouching slightly as I study him, looking for something, anything, that might tell me what actually happened. Cause of death. Wounds. Signs of struggle. Then I pause. Did he just move? I go still, my gaze snapping back to his face. Was that a twitch? For a second, I’m not sure. It could have been nothing. A trick of the light. A reflex.
But something in my gut says otherwise. I shift closer, slower this time, more cautious. There’s a lot of blood. Too much. If he’s alive, it’s not by much.
Carefully, I reach out and hold my hand in front of his mouth, watching, waiting. Nothing. For a second, I think I imagined it. Then… The faintest whisper
of air brushes against my skin. Barely there. But there.
“Well…” I exhale quietly, leaning back slightly.
“That’s inconvenient.” I comment. He’s alive. Barely. And that changes things. The problem is, I can’t do anything about it. Healing isn’t my thing. Never has been. I can stop a threat, eliminate a problem, break bones if necessary, but putting someone back together? Not my skill set. I could call an ambulance. But in his state? It won’t be enough. He needs magic. Which means I need someone who can actually heal him. Layla, maybe? Or that nurse who looks like she might faint every time I walk into the room. Either way, I don’t have their numbers. I don’t exactly… socialise.
“Great,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair as I glance around for anything useful. Contacts. The SCRI app? That might work. I pull out my phone and flick through it quickly, navigating to the app and scanning the available contacts. It takes a few seconds, longer than I like, but eventually I find a number that will do. Principal Istvan. Good enough. I hit call. It rings once. Twice.
“Hello?” she answers, her tone wary. Probably because it’s me.
“I went to Matthews‘ place,” I say immediately, not bothering with any preamble.
“Found him bleeding out. If you don’t want him to die, you should probably get a healer here as soon as possible.” I inform her bluntly. There’s a sharp
intake of breath on the other end.
“WHAT? Shit… okay. Wait there with him. We’ll be there soon.” She says. Before I can respond, before I can say anything about needing to get back to Lexi, the line goes dead. I stare at the phone for a second. Then sigh.
“Of course,” I mutter. So much for thirty minutes. I glance down at Matthews again. Still breathing Barely. Fine. I’ll stay. For now, But Lexi… My grip tightens slightly on the phone as I straighten up. I should call her. Make sure she’s okay. Let her know where I am, what’s going on. No… Not call. She likes A text? Just enough. I Matthews. If he dies, that’s not something I should tell her over the phone. That’s a conversation that should happen in person. So.
type quickly, then hit send.
Blake: Had to leave campus briefly. I’ll explain later. Are you alright?
I stare at the message for a second longer than necessary before lowering the phone again, my attention snapping back to the situation in front of me. Come
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12:29 pm P P P
Chapter 134 134- Do Not Get Close Enough To Smell Him
on, Lexi. Answer.
I wait a minute. Then two. Then three. Nothing. No reply, no read receipt, no anything. My grip tightens slightly around my phone as a familiar unease starts to creep in. Lexi usually answers quickly. Not instantly, not always, but she doesn’t just ignore messages. Not like this. Not after everything that’s happened today. I exhale slowly, trying to keep my thoughts rational. She’s with Ellorie Rae. She’s probably distracted. Talking. Venting. That’s what she said she needed. Space. I said I would give her that. Still… This feels wrong. Should I text again? I hesitate, my thumb hovering over the screen. I don’t want to push. I don’t want to undo the one thing I’m trying to do right by giving her space. But this is important. I’m off campus. Matthews is half–dead on the floor in front of me. This qualifies as something she should probably know. Maybe I’ll just call. I tap her contact and lift the phone to my ear, listening as it rings. Over and over. It keeps going. No answer. Now I’m actually worried. That tight, restless feeling in my chest sharpens, turning from unease into something closer to alarm. My mind immediately starts running through possibilities, none of them good. She could just be busy. She could have left her phone somewhere. She could… Or something could be wrong. I lower the phone slightly, staring at it like it might give me answers. Maybe I should just go. I’m not doing anything useful here anyway. I called for help. They’re coming. I don’t need to stay. Lexi- A choking, wet, rattling sound cuts through my thoughts.
“Shit.” I mutter. I spin back toward Matthews instantly. His body jerks slightly, his breathing uneven, strained, wrong. It takes me a second to realise what’s happening. He’s choking. On blood. Great. I step closer quickly, crouching beside him again, my mind racing. Do I move him? Do I leave him? Moving someone with unknown injuries is a bad idea. I know that much. But if he keeps choking like this, he’s not going to last long enough for it to matter. I grimace, jaw tightening.
“Fine,” I mutter under my breath. Lack of oxygen will kill him faster than whatever’s bleeding out. Probably. I shove my phone back into my pocket and lean down, sliding a hand under his shoulder as carefully as I can. He’s dead weight, completely unresponsive as I shift him onto his side. He doesn’t even flinch, which… is not reassuring. But the moment he’s turned, blood spills from his mouth instead of pooling in his throat, and the awful choking sound eases slightly. Better. Not good. But better. I sit back on my heels, watching him closely, listening to his breathing as it steadies just enough to not sound immediately fatal.
“Yeah. That’s progress,” I mutter, though it doesn’t feel like much. I drag a hand down my face, frustration simmering under the surface. I really hope help gets here soon. This is not my area. At all. I’m completely out of my depth here. Fighting? Easy. Strategy? Fine. Threat assessment? No problem. This? Useless. I glance down at Matthews again, his breathing still shallow but at least not actively choking, and something twists uncomfortably in my chest. I wish Lexi was here… She would know what to do. She wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t second–guess every decision. Helping people comes naturally to her in a way it never has to me. Just like fighting comes naturally to me in a way it doesn’t to her. I meant what I told her. People have different roles. They balance each other out. Right now… I’m the wrong person to have here. All I can do is call for help and hope he doesn’t die before it gets here. I don’t particularly like him. Don’t particularly dislike him either. He’s just… there. But no one deserves to die like this. And Lexi… Lexi likes him. If he dies… That will hurt her. My jaw tightens slightly at the thought.
“You had better keep breathing,” I grumble, my tone low and edged with something that almost sounds like a threat.
Finally, FINALLY, help arrives. The front door slams open and footsteps rush in, and I don’t even bother hiding my relief as I step back from Matthews. And,
of course,
it’s exactly who I expected, Layla, the nurse who still looks vaguely terrified of me even in a crisis, and Principal Istvan trailing just behind them, slightly out of breath. She must have driven them here. Driving. I grit my teeth slightly. No wonder it took them so damn long.
“Here,” I say immediately, stepping aside and gesturing toward Matthews with a sharp flick of my hand.
“Deal with this. He’s not dead yet, I don’t think, but he’s bleeding from… somewhere, and he was choking on blood.” My voice is clipped, impatient, already half somewhere else.
“I need to get back to Lexi.” I add. The nurse doesn’t argue, good, and she moves straight in to take my place, dropping to her knees beside Matthews and carefully adjusting his position to keep his airway clear. Layla is already assessing him, hands hovering as she starts working through whatever healing process she’s trained in, her expression tightening as she takes in the extent of the damage. Principal Istvan gives me a brief, sharp look, half acknowledgement, half silent instruction to stay, to explain why I’m here, but I ignore it. I’ve done my part. I step into the bathroom and turn on the tap, shoving my hands under the water and scrubbing harder than necessary. Blood swirls down the drain, diluted and pink against the porcelain, but I can still feel it on my skin. Sticky. Wrong. I rinse my forearms too, watching the water run clear, but the smell lingets, faint, metallic, clinging stubbornly like it’s seeped into me.
“Ugh,” I mutter under my breath, shutting off the tap and shaking my hands dry. Clean enough. It’ll have to do. I pull my phone out again. Still nothing
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Chapter 134 134- Do Not Get Close Enough To Smell Him
from Lexi. No reply. No missed call. No message. My jaw tightens. I’ve been gone almost an hour. Which means it’s been closer to two hours since she last messaged me. That’s… not right. I force myself to think it through logically. There are explanations. Reasonable ones. She could be distracted. Talking with Ellorie Rae. She could have left her phone somewhere. She could be asleep… No. Not this early. Not after everything that’s happened today. And ignoring me? No. That doesn’t fit either. Lexi isn’t petty. Not like that. Something is wrong. The thought lands heavy and immediate, no hesitation, no doubt. Something is wrong. I straighten, slipping my phone back into my pocket, my focus snapping into place with sharp, dangerous clarity.
“I’m leaving,” I say flatly, not waiting for permission, not looking to see if anyone objects. Principal Istvan starts to say something, probably to stop me, but I’m already moving. I need to find Lexi. Now.
I’m enjoying Blake recognising how Lexi would be better suited to the situation he found himself him. I like the contrast of them being a yin/yan couple..
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2 days ago
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