“I am warning you, Arin,shut up!” I growl.
He widens his stance, his sword held out in front of him as his knees bend. “You failed her twice that night, didn’t you? And now you’rebothgetting what you deserve.”
The movement is quick, a flash of black and silver from the corner of my eye as Nox lunges towards Arin, sword raised and anger radiating off of him. Arin is knocked back as Nox attacks, their movements parrying each other. But Nox isn’t his normal self, and we’ve already spent time sparring this morning. When the adrenaline fueled by his anger begins to wane, Arin capitalizes, sending a punch right into Nox’s ribs.
My brother lets out a grunt, gasping for air as Arin kicks out, hitting Nox square in the chest. I rush over, spear aimed directly at the asshole, but Nox holds his hand out, my feet skidding to a stop. “Don’t” is all he says before he pushes himself back up, and he and Arin begin fighting once more.
Haylee stands opposite me, her stance readied to step in, but I can’t imagine who she’d rescue first. Perhaps she can’t either, because when Nox finally lands a decent punch on Arin, sending him stumbling towards the ground, her fists twitch at her sides, but she stays put.
Nox brings his sword down hard, the guards at the edge of the training grounds edging closer as they watch the two duel. I’m torn between letting this play out—letting Nox show Arin that even weakened as he is, he’s still a better opponent thanArin willeverbe—and remembering that the council will likely use this against Nox when they hear of it.
“You need to end this,” I yell, wincing when Arin’s hips buck and he throws Nox off of him, my brother’s back slamming into the ground. He loses the grip on his sword, and Arin kicks it away before he can grab it again.
Nox growls as he rolls to his side, but it isn’t fast enough to avoid the tip of Arin’s boot, the kick landing near his hip. Arin tosses his own sword before he drops to his knees, forcing Nox onto his back with one hand while the other begins to rain punches down.
“You’re such a fucking prick!” he shouts, accentuating each word with well-aimed hits. Nox is only quick enough to block some of them, his arms too sluggish to keep up. “All that power, and what has it gotten you?” Chest heaving, Arin sends another punch towards Nox’s head. And another. And another. “You’re nothing without it now!”
My gaze lifts to Haylee’s, her eyes blown wide and her cheeks growing red as she bears the brunt of my ire. “You fuckingtoldhim?”
“I—I didn’t.” She gives a curt shake of her head, as if chastising herself for the way she stumbles over her words. “I didn’thaveto tell him. Anyone watching Nox close enough can see the difference. Can—canfeelit.” I snarl at her, but the moment is short lived when Nox screams at something Arin says. The fine hairs at the back of my neck rises, and Haylee’s lips part in shock as she looks at me. “Arin’s magic—”
The crack of bone colliding with bone sounds, and Arin’s head snaps to the side brutally. Nox rolls, taking Arin with him as they flip positions. He doesn’t bother throwing punches. Instead, he wraps his hands around Arin’s neck. Haylee and I both take a step closer, Nox’s shoulders tensing as he hears us near.
“Nox,” I murmur, mindful of the guards and the small crowd of people beginning to head our way, led by Dilan.
But he persists, his arms shaking as Arin claws at his forearms, his entire face flushing red.
“Brother, not like this.”
As the moments pass and Nox doesn’t relent, I fear I will have to intervene. Especially as Arin’s magic begins to glow around him, dark green crawling up Nox’s arms like vines in a last-ditch effort to get my brother off of him. But then Nox leans forward, his voice soft but not gentle. “Don’teverfucking speak of her like that again, or I willkillyou.”
He releases Arin unceremoniously, standing up and stepping over his body like he’s no better than a wayward piece of garbage. Bending over, he picks his sword up before righting himself, his expression grim as malice gleams in his eyes. He looks crazed, driven to this point by his love for Rhea and the guilt that I know is destroying him from within. Behind him, Haylee works to help Arin up.
“Well, fuck,” I say on a sigh, looking Nox over to ensure he wasn’t seriously hurt. “This is going to be fun explaining to the council.”
He doesn’t answer or follow me when I step forward, instead wobbling on his feet as his eyes flash to mine. “Are you o—”
Green light pours over Nox, rooting him in place. Arin barely draws his arm back as he swings it towards Nox, the glint of silver flashing beneath the sunlight forcing me to gasp. I reach for Nox, gripping his forearm as I yank him towards me. But it isn’t fast enough. His body arches, his mouth wrenching open with a shout before the magic disappears, and he stumbles into me. I look to where Arin stands, Haylee tugging on his tunic harshly, her eyes wide with fear. But it’s what Arin holds in his hand that makes me lose all composure, white-hotrageblinding me at the dagger covered in Nox’s blood.
Arin takes a single step towards us before two guards are on him, tackling him to the ground and pinning him there. With him apprehended, I return my focus to Nox, my hands trembling as I grip onto his forearms.
“I’m going to kill him,” I snarl, watching Nox wince in pain, his skin growing pale. “It’s not a threat but a fuckingpromise.”
“You’ll have to get in line,” Nox retorts through gritted teeth, his chest heaving. Dilan reaches us, my old instructor glancing from Nox to me in shock.
“How can I help?” he asks, gesturing with his hand to Nox’s back.
I force my brother to turn around, my heart beating a discordant rhythm as I lift his shirt. The cut from Arin’s dagger is long, spanning the entire width of his back. It’s deepest to the left of his spine, blood seeping more heavily from there. “Fuck,” I whisper, pulling his tunic up higher. “It’s bad, but—” My gasp cuts off my words, my eyes widening as I stare at the space just beneath my hand, at the expanse of exposed skin there.
“Fucking hell,” Dilan blurts, his hand framing his jaw.
“What?” Nox asks, turning to look over his shoulder at me.
But I can’t quite find the right words. Instead, I push his shirt all the way up his back until it’s bunched at his shoulders, and my blood runs cold. Black lines stretch over his upper and middle back, like the sickly roots of a tree. The skin around them is more pale than the rest of him, and when I lean in to get a closer look, another breath gets caught in my throat. “Gods above,” I whisper, turning to meet Nox’s concerned gaze. “You’ve got somethinglivingin your back.”
Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Bahira
“You’regoingtohaveto repeat yourself,” Nox says slowly, his words almost slurred. “Because Ithinkyou’ve just said I’ve got something living in my fucking back.”
