They had a battle to win.
His younger brother whirled, sword lifted between them. The point was leveled at Sebastian’s chest.
Matheo’s eyes flew wide, his blade thumping to the ground.
“Sebastian.” His voice almost had the lilt of a laugh as relief sagged through Matheo, then elation. He took a staggering step, then apparently decided there wasn’t time for walking, because the next thing Sebastian knew, his brother was slamming into him with a heavy, crushing hug.
“I missed you, brother,” Matheo said, voice muffled as he burrowed his face into Sebastian’s shoulder. Sebastian wavered, trying to hold his balance steady, dropping his own sword to the ground. His arms wrapped around Matheo, holding his brother to him tightly.
“I missed you, too,” he whispered, because that was all he could manage. Emotion clogged his already raw and raggedthroat. He hadn’t realized seeing his brother again, battling in the midst of all this, would swell so much inside him.
The guilt was back, too. When had he last even spared a thought for Matheo? Had it been weeks? Months?
He vowed he would be better. From this moment on, he would be better. A better brother, a better friend, and partner, a better Armature.
Just…better.
Matheo released him. A wide grin stretched across his face, one that looked so much like Sebastian’s own but with a youthfulness Sebastian hoped he’d never lose. He stooped down, collecting his bow and sword from the blood-stained grass. The latter he sheathed over his shoulder, the former he nocked with an arrow from his quiver.
Because the screams of themudaewere back. A new wave was approaching. Their reunion was coming to a close.
Sebastian picked up his sword, tilting his head to the sky.
“What do you say?” Matheo asked cheekily. Sebastian glanced at him, a smirk somehow tugging at his lips. “How about a little game, for old time’s sake?”
Sebastian scoffed, but he couldn’t stop his smirk from turning into a full grin. “Is now really the best time for that?”
Matheo shrugged, rolling his shoulders and testing his bowstring. “Sure it is. No time like a life-or-death situation to have a little fun.” His hazel eyes gleamed. “Here’s the bet?—”
He never finished his sentence.
Matheo’s pupils blew wide, the color draining from his face. His hands slackened around his bow, it and the arrow falling back to the blood-slicked earth. His gaze drifted down to his sternum.
Where the sharp, serrated tip of amudae’sclaw protruded brutally from his chest, the ashen face of the beast grinning menacingly over his shoulder.
Chapter 92
Matheo sank to his knees. The world around Mariah paused.
Her sword hung in the air, frozen in space. The dark god she dueled melted into the shadows. The burn of exertion in her muscles, the resolve fueling her, all vanished like smoke on a breeze.
Matheo pressed a hand to his chest, ruby blood coating his fingers. He lifted his gaze up, finding hers across the clearing.
That was when the pain struck.
A blood-curdling scream pierced the air. Mariah supposed it could’ve been hers, if she weren't drowning in excruciating agony. Nothing had ever hurt like this before. It was worse than the first time she’d shifted, worse than the strokes of the metal-tipped whip that had left deep grooves on her skin.
It was like she’d been lit on fire while her skin was flayed from her bones. Like a million shards of glass gripped her soul, tearing it out, piece by piece.
Shefeltevery struggling beat of Matheo’s heart, just as surely as she could feel her own. Could feel the blood filling his lungs, climbing up his throat, pooling in his mouth.
Not him.Not him. Anyone but him.Fuck, take her, and leave her warm, joyous, adventurous guard behind. He had so much ahead of him, so much waiting for him. He’d found happiness,realhappiness. And he was someone who actually deserved to experience it.
This couldn’t be how it ended for him. Itcouldn’t.
This was misery. This was torment. This was ruination. No matter how hard she ripped the grass beneath her from its roots, she could find no escape from it.
Sebastian lurched toward his brother, pulling him into his lap. Another cry pierced the air. This time Mariah was sure it was his.
