“Die!” The Nephilim howls, launching himself towards her.
My body spasms with fear at the sight, but it fades quickly until I feel as if I'm floating in comfortable warmth. The lights blind me, and I hiss in pain. I hear a humming sound and a sickening squelch. The fear doesn't touch me even though I wonder if it's Briar. Slowly, the lights fade into comfortable darkness again. Footsteps pound towards me, shaking the weak floors. The Nephilim, I think numbly. Oh, Gods. It killed Briar.
The other half of my soul.
I try to murmur Briar’s name, but the sound is nothing more than a garble of syllables. My body aches, but it has nothing to do with my injuries. Unwelcome tears stream down my cheeks, cutting through the dried blood and spilling into my gaping mouth. It’s been hundreds of years since I cried. I almost forgot the sensation – forgot the relief that it is. I roll onto my side, arm hanging limply over my body. I open my eyes, intent on crawling towards Briar’s body if the Nephilim doesn’t stop me first.
Vibrant blue fills my vision, like a turquoise gem. “Don’t move,” Briar whispers, her voice cracking.
I mumble, confusion sweeping through me as Briar gently pushes me flat on my back.
“I followed you,” she says, fingers dancing over my broken body. Her eyes glow in the dim light, nothing like the grey they always were. “Kane, how do I?”
Her voice breaks, and she drops her head to my chest. I wince as pain flashes through my broken ribs. Briar's head snaps back up, and her brows furrow apologetically. "Gods, I'm sorry."
I tilt my head towards the aisle behind her, questioning her with my eyes.
“No, the Nephilim,” Briar trails off. “He’s dead.”
Dead? How?
“I don’t know. He just exploded,” Briar mumbles, shaking her head vigorously.
A laugh bubbles in my chest and blood spurts from my gaping mouth. I knew it. The lights emanating from Briar, her eyes, the wings I saw – all of it points to the translations being incorrect. And now the Nephilim is dead by her hand, whether she knows it or not. Briar fusses around me as more blood leaks from my unhinged jaw. It truly is Briar. I’m soul bound to one of the most powerful beings in the three realms. It truly was her this whole time.
“Kane, tell me how to fix this,” she says desperately.
I shake my head, flinching as pain sears through my jaw. Suddenly, the doors to the theatre slam open, banging against the wall with a deafening sound. Briar whirls, eyes flaring with light again before fading to dull grey at the sight of Willem and Aiden storming towards us. Her fingers clutch at my tunic, and I brush her leg with a finger weakly, trying to reassure her. Her shoulders relax slightly, and I feel a thread of warmth in my chest.
“What in the Night happened?” Willem demands, his eyes drifting over something I can’t see in the background.
“Kane is hurt,” Briar says before I attempt to speak. “He needs help.”
“Fuck,” Aiden breathes, eyes wide at the sight of my jaw and broken arm. He limps closer, keeping his torso straight so as not to aggravate his wounds. “You look like shit.”
“Move,” Willem says sternly. Briar crawls aside, avoiding looking at whatever it is in the distance that caught Willem’s eyes. He kneels beside me and carefully slips his arms around my shoulders to hoist me up. “Come on, get up.”
I narrow my gaze at the floor as Willem helps me to my feet. I sway, head light, and jaw aching. Gingerly, Willem supports me. We walk slowly up the aisle, towards the door. For once, I'm looking forward to returning to the Diamond. We won't be able to return to the Underworld until I'm healed enough to withstand the pressure of the magic. Briar trails behind us, on my heels. I'm glad to have her close. I grunt, blood spurting from my mouth.
Briar inhales sharply, and I feel fear sweep through her. I follow her gaze towards the pile of flesh and scraps of bones coating the chairs mid-way through the theatre. Red, wet, flesh and blood hangs limply from the once luxurious fabric. The smell of fresh blood and death hangs over the area like a cloud. My gaze flicks toward Briar, but she refuses to meet my eyes.
I wish I had been able to see it; my bride’s first kill.
Chapter 18
Briar
Images of the pale, white-haired man erupting into a cloud of blood and muscles and skin and bones flash continuously through my mind. Every time I blink, his bloated body bursting with light is all I see. Pieces… of him flew towards me, but none of them touched me, burned by the bright light all around. I wonder if there are angels from the Lands of Light that may have been protecting me, but the thought seems absurd.
“Briar,” Aiden’s voice cuts through the oppressive humming in my mind.
My eyes snap up from the grains in the table. “Yes?”
“You had the perfect opportunity,” Aiden muses. “Why didn’t you take it? I even stalled Willem outside for you.”
"You followed me?" My eyes widen, and my heart clenches. I don't want anything to do with Aiden anymore. Not know that I know I could never fulfill my vow to my father.
“Of course. Why didn’t you do it?” Aiden leans forward.
I glance at the patrons around us, but they’re lost in their drinks or opium, or distracted by the women of the Diamond. “There wasn’t time. The Nephilim was attacking, and I was frightened.” It’s not entirely a lie.
“If you want to kill him, you have to take more risks.” Aiden shakes his head and then points towards the ceiling. “You missed the perfect chance now that he’s healing.”
I follow his finger to the boards of the ceiling. Kane is up there, in our room.
