My words must’ve pierced the darkest recesses of his brain. With the next punch, he gripped Tavvy’s fist, twisting it with a roar. There was the satisfying crack of bone breaking and Tavvy crying out.
Dair stumbled to his feet. His beautiful face was bruised and bloody, but his eyes continued to gleam with a malicious glint I had never seen before.
Tavvy lunged at Dair, but neither he nor I noticed the dagger held tightly in Dair’s hand. The blade cut through skin.
Tavvy’s eyes widened, shock evident on his pale face. He hadn’t expected Dair to actually do it, to actually kill him. His body lurched forward, and Dair none too gently placed him on the ground.
The dagger protruded from the center of his stomach. Blood pooled on the ground, the color so dark it was almost black.
A strangled laugh escaped Tavvy.
“I didn’t think you had it in you, little brother,” he whispered hoarsely.
No! I struggled earnestly against the ropes, ignoring the pain and the voice telling me that Tavvy wasn’t the one I needed to protect.
Dair moved away, only for a second, and returned with my sword. He held the weapon in a tight grip, the blade pointed at Tavvy’s throat.
“Dair!” I screamed helplessly. He needed to lower the weapon, he needed to…
I let out a scream of agony.
One of my wrists was minutes, if not seconds, from breaking free. I knew, without a doubt in my mind, that the second I was free, I would not hesitate to hurt Dair in order to save Tavvy.
Ignoring my screams, Dair pressed the sword further into the other man’s skin.
“What did you mean earlier?” he asked darkly. “About us not being of royal blood?”
Tavvy’s howl of laughter turned into a guttural moan as blood poured from his lips. He was blinking rapidly, as if struggling to stay awake.
I could sense he was seconds from death. It pierced my heart, this pain I couldn’t understand.
So close…
I wiggled my wrists once more.
“I meant what I said,” Tavvy answered cryptically. “You aren’t related to the King. None of you are.”
“Explain.” The sword dug deeper into Tavvy’s neck, and the psychopath once more released a crazed laugh.
Tension flooded my muscles. All I could see was red. How dare he hurt Tavvy? Threaten him?
One of my wrists slipped free, and I hastily worked on untying myself from the pole.
“I always suspected it, but this only confirms it.” Tavvy’s voice was losing its maniacal edge as death claimed him. He blinked rapidly. “Your mom…” He coughed violently, more blood sputtering from his chapped lips. “She was never pregnant.”
“What?”
“If the rumors are true-” another hacking cough “-you and those men you call your brothersmagicallyappeared. Out of thin air.”
Dair momentarily lowered the sword, face slack with shock and unhealthily pale.
I wrenched my hands free of their prison at the same second Dair lifted his sword and cut off Tavvy’s head.
THIRTY-SEVEN
DAIR
Blood.
It coated my skin, contaminated my lungs, filled my nostrils. I stared down at my soaked hands unable to believe that these same hands, these unremarkable limbs, had been a harbinger of death.
I had killed a man. And not just any man, but my blood brother.
Or, not my blood brother, if I believed the nonsense Tavvy spouted.
I shook my head as if that gesture could clear my thoughts.
Slowly, I turned to face my mate. I didn’t want to see the expression on her face - the horror and disgust towards a man willing to kill his own brother.
Her face was spotted in bruises, a fact that only served to enrage me further. If Tavvy wasn’t already dead, I would’ve killed him again.
Z’s wide, terrified eyes flickered from my blood-stained body to Tavvy.
“Stay back,” she whispered hoarsely the second I took a step towards her. The blood drained from my face. I would rather be stabbed repeatedly in the chest, fight a thousand Tavvys, than have her look at me like that.
With fear.
“I don’t know…” She gritted her teeth together. “I don’t know if the spell is going to expect retribution. I don’t want to hurt you anymore, but I’m not sure…” Her face was pinched. “The spell wanted me to hurt you to protect Tavvy. I’m not sure if I’m going to hurt you now that Tavvy’s dead.”
She held up red, bloody wrists and took a tentative step towards me.
Relief filled my chest, this instantaneous buoyancy that had me floating. She didn’t hate me, didn’t fear me.
She feared herself.
One second she was surveying the store, expression pensive and slightly cautious, and the next she was in my arms. I hugged her to me, molding her body to my own.
We were both bloody, injured, and admittedly fucked in the head, but in that moment, we had each other.
The rest of the world didn’t matter.
I DIDN’T KNOW who was more shocked when we arrived home, dripping in blood and holding Tavvy’s body in a bag. The twins were the first ones to see us, and they threw us scathing glares.
They wouldn’t mourn their older brother. They would, however, mourn the power Tavvy’s presence gave them.
Lupe must’ve sniffed the blood, for he came barreling out of the house next, eyes frantic. Ignoring me, he grabbed Z gently, as if she was fine glass seconds from breaking. They began to whisper to one another, voices hushed, and I turned away to give them privacy.
“What the hell happened?” Ryland asked. He hovered just behind Z, shadows continually appearing and disappearing around him in his agitation. A dark hand reached out to touch her, but he pulled it back, granting Lupe the time he needed to get his beast under control.
I mechanically explained to him the fight with Tavvy. How could the best memory of my life, Z’s confession of love and our bodies moving as one, be tainted by my worst memory?
