Blood Purple Read Free Page B

words as she walked off, shouting at them, “You both can go to hell!”
    Nikole entered her bathroom, stripped her clothes off and tossed them into her hamper. As she walked to the tub, she caught a glimpse in the mirror. Her brown hair was full of leaves and her skin covered in dirt. Why couldn’t she just enjoy normal things girls do like getting her nails done and shopping? Fighting the emotion, she tried to not get upset as she turned the water on hot, letting the stream start to mist on her hand. Once the water reached the right temperature, she stepped in, standing under the stream. The water ran down her body, washing away the filth. Its warmth engulfed her, helping to calm her nerves. Rubbing the soapy washcloth together in her hands then across her arms, the soft cotton dragged along her skin as it pulled the dirt away. Her mind drifted to the fight. Stupid! Why couldn’t she remember to count? “Damn it, I know better!” Laying her head in the steam, smelling the dirt that ran out of her hair, she grabbed the shampoo and started massaging it into her scalp.
    “I know I will prove my point. I am not just a princess; I am a warrior. I control fire and can fight better than most Ghuls in the army.” She shook back and forth, working the soap through her hair, washing it out. Finishing up, she stepped out and pulled the towel off its peg to run over her body. Drying off and looking in the mirror again, her olive skin was clean, hair shinning, the brown complimenting her eyes. She wrapped the towel around her and hopped up on the counter. She brought her right hand up to her face, staring at her fingertips; she mentally lit one on fire and watched the flame dance around the different fingers, playing with the flame like her siti Afaf taught her to do when she was a child. Nikole had only been around her a hundred years, but her siti helped her through her development of magik. She’d taught her how to play with the fire and how to control it, making it powerful and intimidating. She remembered looking into her eyes as she made the flames bigger with just a thought. Siti Afaf could mesmerize everyone. Nikole’s hair glowed and shimmered as the flames cast a shadow over it, onto the white walls of the bathroom.
    Hearing the clock chime seven pm, she blew the flames out and hopped off the counter to dress for dinner. She did not want to see Zayn tonight. He was just going to gloat that she lost the simulation. He would, of course, conveniently forget that he himself had been taken to the ground and held at knifepoint. Slipping into her blue jean capris and a sleeveless blouse, she stepped into her shoes. She dried her hair and styled it accordingly; she was going to go out tonight and blow off some steam. They had been here long enough that she had a few people she could call up to enjoy a night on the town with, but only one she could call a true friend. Maybe that’s what she needed, more friends, not an akh. After grabbing her cell phone and sending a text message to her friend, asking her to meet at the local club, Impact, she stowed the phone in her pocket and headed down to face that infuriating akh of hers.
    Making her way down the hall, she noticed the painting on the wall; this caused her to think about her parents and what wonderful Algula they were. They would have liked what Zayn and Nikole had done with this home and what they were trying to do with their legacy. Her attention was pulled back to the hallway when she heard Zayn moving around in his office. She tried slipping passed his office undetected, but he always knew when she was near. “You know little okht, if you stopped and thought about it, I am doing you a favour,” Zayn said as she tried to pass his office door.
    Walking into his office, she shook her head while grinding her teeth. “No, you actually are not. You are making me want to leave and start after Haydar on my own.”
    Zayn stopped writing and set his pen down, looking at her