When Jasmine vanished.
Julien said to be patient, Sai tried to distract me, Kane nearly lost control. And I—I don’t remember breathing.
Now I’m here, in the Council building, and the second I feel her—Kane’s fist connects with my jaw in a sharp, punishing hook.
“Fucker,” I grunt, stumbling back. My fingers find my lip, split and bloody.
His mouth twitches. He knows it was a cheap shot, he felt her too. So I smile back.
We hadn’t sparred like this since Jasmine arrived. There hadn’t been time, or a need.
But after she flitted this morning, and we both lost ourselves, almost levelling the district in our urgency to find her… it became painfully clear to everyone—Sai especially—that we needed a release. Something to bleed the dark from our bones.
Julien finding her, hearing her voice, it eased some of the madness. But the damage had already been done, and we’re still too tightly strung to see her.
The need to touch, to hold, to claim—
I shake my head.
Sai dragged us here, to the desolate enforcer gym that hadn’t been touched in weeks. A vast, echoing chamber of reinforced obsidian stone, ringed with weapon racks andtraining platforms. Half-lit, half-shadowed. Like everything here.
Like us.
For the past few hours, we’ve been beating the restraint back into each other. Taming our darkness.
But now… she’s in the building. The one laced with my darkness and light, and the pull of her hums beneath my skin, louder with every breath.
I turn to the door—
“No,” Kane says, already reading me.
I scowl. “I’m not one of your trainees, brother.”
“You hit like one.”
I swing—exactly like he wanted, proving that I’m not ready to see our bond just yet.
We last another hour. By the end, we’re drenched in sweat, bruised and bloody, our darkness surging to heal and keep us upright. But even while we fight, she’s always there. A whisper beneath my ribs.
“Feeling grounded now, boys?” Sai cuts through the silence, smug and far too amused. “Back on your leashes?”
He’s sprawled on a bench by the wall, legs wide, chewing one of those shit protein bars he bullies the trainees into eating, watching us like we’re here for his amusement.
“No longer want to destroy the district?” he asks,socondescendingly my teeth ache. “Have the doggies finally calmed down?”
“We’re good,” I mutter, jaw tight as I glance at Kane, who gives a brief nod.
Sai rips another bite from his snack, grinning. “You sure? Maybe keep swinging till one of you drops? Finally prove who’s the better brother.”
Kane doesn’t answer. I roll my eyes, and Sai raises his brows in menace while he chews.
Then Julien strolls in from the shadows of the room. His gaze sweeps over us, studying our trembling and bloodied forms, but makes no comment.
“What happened?” I ask, wiping sweat from my brow. “How is she?”
“We talked,” he says calmly, folding his arms. “She was worried about her past, about who she used to be.”
“And?” I push, a little sharp.
