His back expands with a deep breath, and though I shouldn’t announce myself yet, I suspect I already know whose eyes I meet when he turns around. “Hey!”
My fears are confirmed when he startles and twists his body to look at me, his gaze overtaken by whatever rage has propelled him to this moment. I take in his blood-splattered face, the way I can’t see the color of it on his clothes but can tell he ispaintedin it by the way it glistens beneath the firelight. And itgutsme when recognition flashes in his gaze, clearing the bitter darkness that clouds them.
I take a step closer, avoiding looking at the mess that’s heaped in front of him as I instead hold his gaze. “Nox?”
“Stop.”
His command is given roughly, his voice a shred of itself. But I ignore it and chance another step towards him. “Nox, what happened?”
He shakes his head, working his jaw as he drops his gaze from mine. “I failed her,” he grits out, his shoulders tensing as he drags in a quick breath. “He’s torturing her,touchingher, and I can’t do a godsdamn thing about it.” I get close enough to see the faint tears now gathering on his lower lashes, and gods, he’s never looked so broken. So completelyshattered. “She’s suffering, and I’llneverbe able to forgive myself for that.”
“It’s okay.” I force the tears that threaten to spill from my own eyes away, stuffing my rising sadness down with them as I close the remaining distance between us, sliding my blade back into its hidden spot in my boot. “Nox, give me the dagger.”
“I’ve failed her,” he says again, this time not softly or with anger. But with utter devastation. “Andhewas the only one who had information and I—” The dagger shakes in his trembling hands, and though I can’t sense magic, though I know his is currently too weak to be felt regardless, I swear the air thickens withsomethingas it causes the hair at the back of my neck to rise.
“There is nothing we can do about that now.” I keep my tone light and my words gentle as I hold my hand out. “But we can figure out what to do nexttogether, Nox.”
“You shouldn’t be here, Bahira. I never wanted you to be dragged into this mess. To suffer from my own failures.”
I blink back my surprise at his words, even though they break my heart. Iknowmy brother has been suffering, but taking in the scene around me—the way Nox can’t quite seem to let the rage that led to this go—I’m ashamed to admit that it’s worse than I imagined.
I kneel at his side, watching as utter turmoil lays claim to every inch of his face. “The dagger, Brother,” I say again, stillreaching a hand out. Hoping he knows it symbolizes more than just relieving him of the weapon. But Nox is lost, his gaze distant. He doesn’t fight me when I reach out and pry it from his hand, tossing it out of reach before helping him up to stand. Uncertainty fills the space between us and I do the only thing I can think of to try and pull my brother from the darkness threatening to drown him: I wrap my arms around his torso. His body is stiff at first in my hold, but then he embraces me back, his fingers digging into my sides.
“It’s going to be alright.” It’s the only reassurance I can offer, even if it doesn’t quite feel like the truth. I wish there was anything else I could do to unburden him of his anguish, but instead, I hold him, letting him grip me like he might descend back into the chaos I found him in if he lets go. “We’ll get her back,” I whisper, swallowing when he stays silent. “She’s strong, Nox, you told me yourself.”
“Bahira! You promised only a few minutes, and it’s been a lot more than that!”
Fuck.My brother pulls away and looks for his discarded dagger, but I shake my head as I release him fully. “Don’t worry. He won’t be a problem.” At least, I hope that’s the fucking truth. Nox looks as unconvinced as I probably sound but doesn’t protest when I order him to stay put. Stepping back out into the aisle, I walk forward as I call Max’s name out.
“Bahira…” Max nearly gasps when he sees me, lowering his sword. “What are you doing down here? I thought you said—” He abruptly stops when he takes me in, not even the darkness of the dungeons can hide what stains my body from hugging Nox. “Is thatblood?” He lifts his sword again, eyes darting side to side. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No.” My hands come out in front of me, pressing at his chest when he tries to walk past me. “I’m completely uninjured.”
“But…” He looks down at me again, brows furrowed deeply. “Then whose blood is that?”
I sigh as I drop my hands. “I need to ask for your help again. But I can’t tell you why—not because I don’t want you to know, but because it could be dangerous foryou.” Pressing my lips together, I weigh my next words carefully. “There’s been an incident, and I need you to help me cover it up.”
Trusting someone hasnevercome easily to me, and with Haylee’s betrayal fresh on my mind, thelastthing I want to do is make the wrong choice here. But Nox… I will not be another person that lets him down. And if Max doesn’t want to help him, then I will do whatever I must to ensure my brother remains safe.
Tense moments pass between Max and I as we stare at each other. I certainly would not blame him if he told me tofuck offand attempted to strike me down. But the behemoth of a man just groans, as if I’ve asked him for the hundredth time to pick his shirt up from the floor. Resheathing his sword, he pins me with a look that I’m fairly certain is meant to be menacing but just comes off as petulant. “What do you need me to do?”
Chapter Eighty-Eight: Bahira
Iwantedtolingerbeneath the hot water of the shower for the entire night, as if the steam would hide me from the truths that were waiting beyond the bathroom door. But while the idea was tempting, I had done enough avoiding of my reality lately. And when it came down to it, I was unwilling to let Nox handle whatever had happened this evening alone.
Max did everything I asked him to without question, managing to quell his questions and shock when I showed him the remains of the man Nox had killed. He disposed of the body,citing an incinerator that was attached to the dungeons. It too was guarded, but Max said he would handle getting past them, and he did.
While he took care of cleaning up and staging the scene so the two sleeping guards—I had learned that Nox drugged them with lavendaris—would appear to have just fallen asleep on the job, I worked on bringing Nox up to his rooms. A job that, unfortunately, required the help of both of our parents. While my father could have chosen to leave the palace for a quiet life away from the very politics that had turned against him, he instead requested to be one of the instructors that oversees the training of the Mage Kingdom’s army. This put him in a prime position to ensure that guards within the palace would be limited, leaving points for us to pass through undetected on our way to the third floor. My mother took care of the palace aides, enlisting Sarai to help conceal and destroy our bloodied clothing. It was an unfortunate family affair but one that ensured no one saw or suspected anything.
I wait in Nox’s sitting room now, having heard his own shower turn off a while ago. He had been silent on our way up, leaving me to answer any questions our parents had. But my information was limited to what I had seen with my own eyes, and after they both assured me they would tell the council that Nox was not feeling well and resting in his room, I decided that today would be the day that we revealed everything we had been keeping from each other. Admittedly, the list of secrets is likely longer for him, but I am holding on to one that I haven’t found the right time to bring up. I suppose that time will have to be now.
When he finally exits his room, dressed in a black shirt and matching trousers, he doesn’t look at me as he all but collapses on the sofa across from me, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and causing the small pile of black stones there to shake.Leaning over, I pick one up and examine it. “Did you get into rock collecting while I was gone?” I ask, my thumb running along the smooth edges. “Is this dragon stone?”
“They’re Rhea’s. She used them to practice imbuing her magic.”
Turning the egg-shaped stone over in my hand, I make out the faint glow of gray at its center. Goosebumps break out over my arm, and my scalp prickles before I place the stone back down on the table with the others, and fold my arms over my chest. “It’s time to tell me what is going on.”
“You know most of it.”
