Unwanted Blood (Harper) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ryder’s POV

Harper’s words were final, they felt like a series of sharp and relentless needles, driven deep into my skin, hitting nerves and embedding themselves. I stood there, my hands hanging uselessly at my sides, watching the girl we had spent sixteen years breaking look at us with nothing but disregard.

Don’t bother her again…?

But we just found her. How can we just to let her go? We had spent a year mourning her, and now that she was standing in front of us, the thought of walking away felt like a second death.

But before the air could even return to my lungs, she turned on her heel and walked straight toward the hallway. The soft click of the door behind her sounded louder than it should have, it was like a slap on our face.

For a second, none of us moved. The silence stretched tight, pressing against my chest until it hurt to breathe. It left behind was heavy, a physical weight that pressed down on Logan, Grayson, and Colton. I could see it in the way Grayson’s jaw trembled and the way Logan stared at the empty doorway as if he could manifest her back into the room by force of will.

Grayson lunged forward, he tried to follow her. “Harper! Wait, just-”

I caught his shoulder before he could take another step, my fingers digging into the fabric of his jacket. “Stay here, Grayson.”

“Let go of me, Ryder,” he hissed, jerking and twisting in my grip. His eyes

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were still fixed on the door. “We can’t just let her leave. Not like that. We have to explain. She can’t just-”

“Explain what?” I asked, my eyes pinned on him. “Which part of the last sixteen years do you want to start with? She can leave.” I added. “And she did.”

Ethan stepped forward quietly, he glanced at the hallway where Harper had disappeared, guilt crossed his face, then he looked back at us, the guilt turned into hard edge.

His gaze moved from my hand on Grayson’s shoulder to Colton’s clenched fists “I think you should leave,” Ethan said. He didn’t yell, but the authority and protectiveness in his voice was unmistakable. “She’s made it clear she doesn’t want this right now. You’re only going to hurt her more.

“You don’t get to tell us when to leave,” Colton snapped, stepping toward Ethan. His face was flushed, arrogance flaring up as his shoulders stiffened. “I need to talk to her. I have to fix this.”

“Fix this?” Logan let out a bitter laugh as his voice was a whip-crack of sarcasm. He stepped between Colton and Ethan, his face pale. “After what we did? Her well-being matters more than whatever guilt you’re trying to scrub off yourself, Colton. Look around. You think dragging her back into our mess is fixing anything? We’ve done enough damage.”

“You think I don’t know that? I’m not the only one who did things, Logan!” Colton yelled, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. “Don’t act like you’re the martyr now! You poisoned her food and now you’re lecturing me?”

Colton and Logan’s words attracted attention, I saw a few students by the reception desk stop and stare. A group of girls in the corner whispered to each other, their eyes darting between us and the hallway where Harper had vanished. Some of them didn’t look friendly.

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“Enough,” I cut in, but the damage was already spreading. Voices climbed over each other, uncontrolled.

Grayson tried to push past me again, muttering. “She’s still our sister.”

Logan fired back. “We never treated her like one!”

“I said back off.”

As I was about to lose control over Logan and Grayson who were about to fight each other, a male student appeared from the side hallway, his expression hardening the moment he saw us. He planted himself firmly between us and the exit Harper had used. “I don’t know who you people are, but you’re done here. Get out.”

“This is a family matter, punk” Logan started, trying to regain control.

“It’s not if it has to do with Harper,” he countered, his eyes narrowing. He glanced at the crowd forming behind him. “Does it look like a family matter to you guys?”

The shift happened fast. Within seconds, more students gathered, some stepping closer, others simply standing in the way. They protected Harper like a shield, watching us with wary eyes. There was no way we can go through them and found Harper.

“Leave Harper alone!” One of the students yelled at us with anger. Then followed more of them.

“Jaylan is right! Harper is ours!”

“Don’t your dare hurt her, I will protect her! We all will protect her!”

“Just leave!”

Grayson looked like someone had punched him in the stomach. He stared

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at the students, his face crumpling.

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Logan stepped forward, lifting a hand slightly. “You’re misunderstanding the situation. We’re her brothers…and have been looking for her since.”

Jaylan didn’t move. “She didn’t look like she wanted you here.”

Logan’s jaw tightened. “We’re not here to hurt her.”

A quiet voice from the back said, “Then why did she leave?”

Logan pushed on. “There were things we didn’t know before-”

“So you treated her like that?” Jaylan cut in.

“We’re trying to fix it.”

Jaylan glared at him. “By showing up like this?”

Silence.

There was no way forward. We were not welcomed here.

“Let’s go,” I said, my voice cutting through the growing whispers around us. My gaze moved between my brothers and the strangers protecting my sister. “There’s no point staying here. Let’s head back first.”

The walk back to the hotel felt longer than it should have. When we reached the lobby I stopped and stood by the glass, watching the rain streak down the pane.

“Go home,” I said, not turning around. “The three of you. I’ll stay here alone.”

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The silence between us sat heavy.

“What?” Grayson’s voice was sharp. “We aren’t going anywhere until we figure out a plan.”

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