Xander made the first swing, his fist barely connecting to Kace’s cheek before he was pushed back, a kick landing heavily onto his ribs. He embraced the force, rolling with it until he was able to solidly land his second punch. Bones crunched, satisfying until a kidney shot brought him to his knees.
“Fuck!”
Xander caught Kace’s fist, using his own momentum to crash him into the wall behind. The reinforced mirrors creaked, but didn’t break as they both climbed back to their feet.
“You feeling better?” Xander growled, knowing his brother needed to expel his excess rage.
Kace panted, irritation twisting his features. With a heaved sigh he nodded, wiping the blood away from his face. “I think you broke a rib,” he said, voice calmer, his beast steadied.
“You deserved it.” Xander’s own ribs ached, but not as bad as his side that felt like it had been vaporised. “Stop being a pussy, it’ll heal in a minute.”
“Like I care whether it heals,” Kace muttered, touching the bruise blossoming on his stomach.
Out of all The Guardians, Kace was the most unstable. Even as kids he had the least amount of control over his emotions, and it only became worse when they were cursed with their beasts. They were born druids, but now they were more. Trained killers who were forced to become monsters, so they could fight other monsters.
“You know you’re not being punished, K. Your control is…” Xander began, letting himself drop to the floor.
“Yeah, fuck you Xee,” Kace interrupted, giving him the middle finger. “I’m not having this conversation. You need to go deal with your own shit rather than get involved in mine. You received another letter today, and I bet you won’t even open it.”
“You have no idea what you’re fucking talking about.” He knew he wouldn’t open the letters, knowing exactly who they were from. He hadn’t spoken to his mother since she abandoned him, and he had no intention of changing that anytime soon.
“Fuck you and your high horse, Xee.”
Xander waited until he heard Kace’s footsteps fade before he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.
Fuck!His brother walked on the edge of sanity, and it was a countdown to see what, or who pushed him over the edge into oblivion. They were all doing everything possible not to let that happen. Kace was one of them, reborn in blood, teeth and fractured souls.
Xander calmed his breathing, concentrating on his body repairing itself. It was one of the glyphs they tattooed, their bodies only able to withstand the enchantment because of their curse, because of their beasts. Druids were of the earth, their magic tied to natural energies, the ley lines. Their curse wasn’t of their realm, wasn’t natural at all. Wounds that would normally kill mortal men were nothing but annoyances to them, their natural magic amplified through the markings on their skin.
Xander heard the new footsteps approaching.
“The cushioned floor we got installed was worth it I see,” Riley chuckled. “As were those specialised mirrors.”
Xander felt the floor shift slightly, opening his eyes to stare at his friend.
“I was going to invite you to spar, but I see you’ve already been beaten the shit out of.” Riley held out a hand.
Xander copied the same gesture as Kace before he gripped the open palm, but instead of climbing to his feet he pulled Riley down to the floor. “You need to put Kace back on rotation, he's becoming unbearable.”
Riley sighed, settling himself as Xander sat up. “His control’s still questionable, he almost killed a civilian last time.”
“He’s been going into the cage at the club. His control is better, and that progress should be acknowledged.”
Riley raised a brow. “He shifted and tried to eat Lucy yesterday.”
“Lucy is a Daemon, so you can’t really blame him. Besides, the key word there istried.” Xander lifted his shirt, checking the bruise that was already turning purple on his ribs. “I don't think keeping him home is helping, we're overwhelmed with activity and The Order are fucking useless as usual.”
“Since when were you the voice of reason?”
“Since Kace just split my liver because of his pent up frustration.”
“Fine,” Riley growled. “You can take him with you.”
Xander narrowed his eyes, turning to his friend. “Don’t say it…”
“Kyra needs protection,” Riley interrupted.
“That’s nice, maybe she can get a dog or something.” Xander groaned, climbing to his feet. He moved back to the weights when Riley reappeared in his vision. “I fucking hate black witches, and no way am I dealing withher.” He was created to help and protect, while she was born to sacrifice innocents.
