“Magic is forbidden in the ring,” he told me. “It’s a test of strength, not of blood.”
I didn’t have time to respond before Taurus punched upward, sending his opponent reeling, and then drove down with his other fist, pummeling him into the dirt. He did not move again. Not even when Taurus strode over to the untouched weapon’s rack, lifted a dagger from the display, and went back to slit his throat.
Horrified, I closed my eyes and looked away as the crowd went berserk.
“It’s done,” Rook whispered kindly but the intent in his tone was clear. I needed to look. I couldn’t appear weak. Not in this crowd.
So I opened my eyes and turned forward again in time to find Taurus now stalking straight for us, a wicked grin on his lips as his opponent bled out in the sand behind him. Rook shot to his feet in the same instant that he hurled the dagger toward us. It stuck in the wood of the stands just in front of Lark, blood dripping from the blade and onto his shoes. To his credit, Lark didn’t even flinch.
Taurus’ gaze darkened as he nodded his head briefly in greeting and spoke, his voice low and gravelly.
“Brother.”
Chapter fifteen
A Fool's Bargain
Wewaitedbelowthearena in an open room that seemed like it used to contain cages of some sort. I shuddered to think what those cages might have contained and didn’t have the stomach to ask even though I knew Rook would probably tell me. I just stayed in the shadows, standing near the wall, close to where Rook stood. No one had said outright that he was to guard me but I understood his attention for what it was and allowed myself to be guarded, thankful for the protection for the first time.
“Brother,” Taurus announced in his booming voice as he entered the room they had instructed us to wait in, having finally torn himself away from his adoring fans. “Tell me, how is exile treating you?”
Rook tensed but Lark only tapped his fingers on the table that he and Cass were seated at and frowned.
“It hasn’t been the vacation father promised it would be,” he answered in a low tone.
“You seem to have brought back a souvenir anyway,” Taurus replied, dropping into the seat across from them and reclining easily, his eyes flicking up to where I stood. The corner of his lips quirked upward and Rook took a step in front of me.
“Speaking of father,” Lark drawled, ignoring his brother’s unasked question regarding the strange mortal in the room, “is he recovering well?”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Taurus snapped, his gaze darting back to his brother fast. Too fast.
Lark raised a brow and Taurus’ jaw snapped shut. He leaned back in his seat again, this time folding his arms across his chest.
“What happened, Taurus?”
“Maybe you should ask Ursa.”
“Why?” Cass intervened then, narrowing her eyes to a glare. “Because she stayed by his side while you ran away to these dreadful pits?”
“I did not run away,” Taurus snarled. “And if you’re pissed at me because of what I did to our sister, you might remind yourself that it was she who came for me first. Besides, I’m not the only one who ran.”
Cass’ lips curled, her glare intensified, and I could feel the heat of their combined power thrumming throughout the room.
“Alright,” Lark interrupted their stare off with a tone of attempted mediation. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Just tell us what happened, Taurus.”
Taurus’ eyes flicked to Rook and I where we stood in the shadows.
“It’s family business,” he growled.
Cass barked a bitter laugh.
“So now we’re a family?” she asked, collapsing back into her seat with a huff and a roll of her eyes.
Taurus gritted his teeth and cast a glare in her direction.
“Fine,” he snapped. “It’s Morningstar business. Court of Blood and Bone royalty business. Children of our father business. Take your pick.”
“Whatever it is,” Lark began, “you can trust them with it.”
