Aiden catches it deftly and waves it at me. “Be my nurse, Briar.”
His eyes twinkle playfully, but I see the dark warning hidden there. Fingers clenched, I kneel in the dirty street beside him. His shirt is stuck to his torso, blood gluing it there. I lift it slowly, exposing the wound. His stomach above his belly button has been shredded by what looks like claws. Blood gushes from it when I expose it. The white, fleshy bits of the laceration tremble with each breath he takes. I bite back a gag.
“Do Nephilim have claws?” I ask, tearing Kane’s shirt into strips of fabric.
"Not so much claws, as sharp nails," Kane says. He eyes Aiden's belly. "Why?'
“Hurry, Briar,” Aiden says, twisting. “I wouldn’t want to die from blood loss.”
“Stop moving,” I mutter, resting the makeshift bandages across my legs.
Aiden is still as I begin to wrap the wounds. He hisses sharply when I pull them tight and fasten them. By the time I finish the last wrapping, blood has already begun to seep through the rest. I tie the last one, tugging on the knot to secure it, and Aiden curses under his breath.
“By the Night, woman,” he snaps. “I thought women were supposed to be gentle.”
“Women can be whatever they please,” I say coolly, rising and brushing off my pants.
Aiden shakes his head and prods at the bandages. “If my guts come spilling out of me, it’s your fault.”
“And then I can boast I killed a Minor God,” I say, smiling teasingly.
Kane barks out a laugh, tossing his head back. Aiden glowers at Kane and me, lips pursed viciously. "I thought we were friends, Briar," he says, feigning injury. "I thought I could trust you."
“We are,” I say quickly, forcing a smile. “I’m simply teasing. The bandages will be fine.”
“Relax,” Kane says as he studies his brother evenly. He turns to Willem. “So, you lost him after the attack?”
"No, we found his hideout." Willem grins wickedly, and I see his black nails have already stretched to lethal claws.
Kane returns the vicious grin. “Then let’s go hunting.”
“What about me?” Aiden sputters.
“You’ll stay with Briar and go back to the Diamond,” Kane says firmly.
I gape at him. “You’re going without me?” I ask. Aiden huffs. “Without us?”
“You’re a mortal, and he’s injured,” Kane says, shrugging. “You’re liabilities.”
“Weak,” Willem chimes in.
“I can help. You know I can fight, and I can distract him,” I protest, ignoring Willem’s cruel tone.
Kane shakes his head. I won’t let anything happen to her, a voice in my head murmurs. “It’s not something I’m willing to risk,” Kane says. “Take Aiden back to the inn, we’ll be back before dawn.”
“And what if you’re not?” Aiden asks.
“Then come looking for us, fool,” Willem says, grinning.
Aiden rolls his eyes and waves them away. "By the Night, Reapers are the most obnoxious creatures."
"We'll be back soon," Kane assures me. Our eyes lock for an instant, and I feel a wave of longing, like an ache just inside my ribs.
Before I can answer, Kane and Willem are gone, racing down the streets into the darkness. They melt into the shadows, and I hear the soft whoop of a gleeful Kane. I stare after them, hoping to catch another glimpse. But I know they're gone. My heart starts to race when I think of Kane facing off against the Nephilim. If it could almost kill a Minor God, could it hurt Kane? My throat is tight at the thought, and I bite my lip hard enough to draw blood. I don't want anything to happen to him.
Suddenly, Aiden breaks the silence with a dark chuckle. "Look at you," he murmurs. My gaze darts towards him. He smiles, cruelly. "You look so concerned for his welfare, it's as if you aren't even trying to kill him."
“It’s complicated,” I say. But he’s right. I’m a hypocrite.
“Go after him,” Aiden suggests, hoisting himself to his feet.
My jaw goes slack. “You were lying.”
“I wasn’t lying,” he says, brows furrowed with offense. “I am hurt. Just not as much as I let on.”
“You could have helped him,” I say, pointing into the shadows.
“And lessen the likelihood of him dying?” Aiden snorts. “Follow him, kill during the battle, and no one will be the wiser.”
"I -" I start, surprise flushing through me.
“You-you can’t,” Aiden says mockingly. He sobers and flashes me a daring grin. “Do it. You know it’s the perfect opportunity.”
I bite my lip, wincing in pain. Gods, he's right. Aiden gives me directions to the Nephilim's hiding place, grinning all the while. I slink into the darkness, guilt weighing heavily on my chest. What I felt when we kissed was not a lie. What I feel when our eyes meet is not a lie. A single tear slips down my cheek. Behind me, Aiden falls out of sight as I take winding turns through Verstad's quiet streets.
The truth doesn’t matter anymore. Only death.
Chapter 17
Kane
Willem and I creep towards the enormous, abandoned opera house in the middle of the city. Long, wide columns grace the facade of the building, and once they might have been painted with gold foil. Now, the wood is peeling from the base, splintering along the surfaces. Empty picture frames hang lopsidedly on either side of the massive, boarded doors. For a moment, I see a flashback to a happier, more affluent time. The opera house would have once been bustling with finely dressed people from all walks of life, climbing the grand staircase to the decadent doors. Music fills the air, filtering from the opera house, and even the streets glow brighter from the lamps hanging on the columns.
But the memory is shattered by a hooting owl. I blink, and the opera house is nothing more than an empty building doomed to rot. “We saw him flee inside,” Willem whispers, crouching beside me.
I peer at the doors, the boards look secure from here, but perhaps we can push them aside without alerting the Nephilim
