I came to stand beside him, knowing he was no longer a threat, and watched sorrowfully as his form slumped fully to the ground.
The last thing he did before unconsciousness took him wasmeetmy gaze.
And the pure hatred in his eyes nearly knocked the breath from my lungs all over again.
It conveyed everything he was unable to say.
Then, his eyes closed, and the darkness took him.
Matea came to stand beside me as we both looked down at my twin.
“Why didn’t you use that earlier?” Matea asked, shifting her gaze to look at the fresh blood running down my wing and arm.
“I thought…” I trailed off, unable to express myself fully.
The emotions in my chest were so jumbled, Icouldn’tthink straight as I kneeled next to my brother and gently swept his hair out of his face.
“I’m so, so sorry,” I whispered to him as tearsfloodedmy eyes.
Was this what it was like to grievesomebody that was still breathing?
He looked so peaceful now—nothing like the angry, hurt male that had stood before me just moments earlier.
Before the tears could escape,Mateaplaced a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“We found Ezra, but we need to go,” she said. “Hehas tostay in a shadow state with Rayven until we get out of here, though.He’s… really been through it.”
My heart sunk as I thought about leaving Dimitri like this, and about the state Ezra must be into needto stay a shadow.
Leaning over my brother, I studied his face. The beauty marks thathe’dalways hated, the straight nose that matched mine, his long lashes, and especially the look of tranquility on his face.
That was how I wanted to remember him.
“Viva…” Matea urged softly.
“Alright, alright,” I said. Hesitantly, I brushed my lipstomy twin’s cheek in a feather-light kiss.“Until next time,” I whispered to him.
Then I slipped my royal mask back into place. I pushed the complex emotions weighing me down deep into myself, somewhere Iwouldn’thave to deal with them for a while.
Steeling myself, I stood, avoiding Matea’s gaze.
I feltRayven,and who I assumed was Ezra—whose energy felt weak—shoot into the large room, Rayven’s grip on the male tight.
“Let’s go,” I said to Matea. I could see the concern written on her face from the corner of my eye, but I let the shadows conquer me before she could address any of her concerns aloud.
A handful of moments later, the four of us slippedthrough the cracked walls of Gatlyn castle, doing our best to blend in with the darkness of the night.
As we raced for Tammy’s Tavern again, our rendezvous point, Icouldn’thelp but think that if weweren’tat war with Dimitri before, we sure were now.
Chapter Eleven
Once we arrived at the abandoned stable behind the tavern, I dropped the connection with the shadows as though I’d touched something hot. Immediately, my wing resumed bleeding, the thick red liquid streaming down the length of my body.
The pain radiating from my wing was sharp and prominent, but I pushed it aside in favor of helping Ezra.
He and Rayven appeared a moment later, the spy laying the male down on a bed of hay in the corner, under a part of the roof thathadn’tcollapsed yet.
While Rayven settledanunconscious Ezra onto the hay, I headed for the corner thatwe’dleft our bags in, partially hidden under some hay.
