“You know,” I said, letting out a cold and hollow laugh, “I thought I was ready to talk to you, but I can’t even stand the sight of you.” My voice cut through the silence like a blade, and I turned away from him, fists clenched at my sides.
“Xavier, please,” Jaxon’s voice cracked, fragile and pleading.
I paused, turning back around to face him.
“Zara… is she…” His words faltered, but I knew what he was asking.
“She’s alive. No thanks to you,” I growled, my words harsher than I meant, but the anger burned too brightly to care. Jaxon recoiled, retreating further into the dark corners of the cell,where the shadows seemed to curl around him protectively. My gaze drifted downward, catching sight of his clothes—torn and dirty.
I glanced toward the corner of the cell, where the clean clothes Julian had brought remained untouched, folded neatly beside trays of uneaten food. “You need to eat and put on proper clothes,” I snapped, my voice a cold command.
“I'm a dead man anyway; what does it matter?” Jaxon muttered, his shoulders slumping, the exhaustion etched into every line of his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. “But she’s alright? Zara is safe?” His voice cracked as he rubbed his face with trembling hands. “I need to see her, please,” he begged, dropping to his knees in front of me.
My brows furrowed, and I almost felt bad for him—almost. But he did this to himself. I was unable to hide the contempt twisting across my features. “Your soul is twisted, brother.”
“Please,” Jaxon repeated, his voice ragged as he clutched the barbed bars of his cell, the metal digging into his palms as blood began to seep from the cuts. “I just need to see her.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping to an icy whisper. “You feel it, don’t you?”
Jaxon’s grip tightened on the bars. “She is my mate,” he breathed, the words barely audible, more a plea than a statement. “Please.”
I shook my head slowly, a bitter weight settling in my chest. “Again, your soul is twisted, brother. It is not your soul that calls out for her,” I said firmly, but my words seemed to drift past him.
“She’s my mate,” Jaxon breathed again, his eyes distant.
“No, brother. She’sMINE,” I growled, my voice rising with an intensity I couldn’t contain. The declaration felt final, absolute, and I watched as anger, pain, confusion, and then understanding flickered across his face.
“She’s mine,” I repeated, softer this time, the words carrying a possessiveness I couldn’t shake. Jaxon’s face crumbled, devastated, and I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. I turned my face away, my gaze sweeping down the long, empty hallway.
“Although I think you deserve it, I won't keep you in this cell.”
I turned back to face him, my words echoing in the cold, silent space, but Jaxon didn’t respond. He remained kneeling, gripping the bars with white-knuckled hands, his head hanging low in defeat.
“You are spelled to remain inside the castle,” I continued, but my stomach twisted at seeing my brother like this. “We will leave for Niverrian when Zara is fully healed to fix what you’ve done,” I snapped, turning on my heel and walking away.
I didn’t stop until I reached the heavy wooden door at the end of the hall, and only then did I release the lock on my brother’s cell. The faint click reverberated through the dungeon, followed by continued silence. “Do what you must,” I added, my voice low and strained. “But don’t let her see you like this.”
With a final glance back, I shadowed away, leaving my brother alone in the dark.
*
Laughter floated down the hall as I neared the door to my room, and the sound warmed something in my chest.
Dedra stood outside sulking, but she was positioned like she was guarding the door rather than not wanting to enter.
I smiled softly as I took in her stubborn expression. “Dedra,” I called as I approached. “Is everything alright?”
She straightened as she met my gaze, and her scowl twisted into a faint smile. “Everything is fine,” Dedra said with a weary sigh. “I just came from Aria’s room. She’s in quite a state—she wants to return to Territan but won’t leave until she’s spoken to Jaxon. She’s acting like I can do something about it.” Dedrascoffed, giving the air a dismissive kick with her toe. “You might have another enemy to face if you don’t let her see him soon,” she said, meeting my gaze with a knowing smirk.
I gave a curt nod in response, and Dedra raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re going to have to let her see him at some point, you know.”
“I just released him,” I replied, rubbing my face with my hands. “She can go see him now; she needs to get back to her territory.”
Dedra’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I admitted, slumping against the wall beside her. “This war is bigger than his crimes. As terrible as those crimes are, we now know Morgana is still alive. Which has now given us an advantage in a war that would have blindsided us, but he also created so many more problems in the process.”
Dedra nudged my shoulder. And I met her warm brown eyes. “We all know he is an idiot,” she said with a smirk, and I let out a sharp laugh. “But you’re right. Morgana is out there, and the realm is open. Until he can give you your magic back, we will need him more than ever to help stop her. He has the intel we need about the human realm and on her. We need to focus on one problem at a time,” she said, giving me another nudge with her shoulder.
