Running for him, we engage in a battle of fists, each taking blows in turn. His bones haven’t fully healed from moments ago and I focus on the ribs I’ve already cracked. More snaps ring in my ears as I break him down. Glee merges with my anger in a heady sensation.
Delilah pulls at my arm again, and I’m forced to backhand her into submission. She’ll learn her place beside me soon enough. The blow is strong enough that she goes flying, allowing me to return to my brother. He lands a weak punch to my side, but I counter with a kick that sends him to the ground.
Jumping on top of him, my hands go for his throat. I squeeze with all my strength and he claws at my hands. Deep red gouges appear but the stinging pain fuels my convictions. Searching deep inside, I find my magic and force it to suck the air from my brother’s lungs. His face turns an exciting shade of blue and his clawing becomes weaker.
Letting go of my hold with one hand, I reach for a nearby rock. With a strong grip, I bring it down on my twin’s face. Panic shines from his eyes, a desperation to live, holding him conscious for just a little longer. I bash his head again and soul-deep betrayal peers up at me. I’m going to enjoy watching nothingness replace it.
Over and over, I bash his head in. Blood splatters everywhere, painting the world around me in a masterpiece. I revel in the sensation of holding so much power over the person who tried to constantly best me at everything.
Finally, I know I’ve inflicted enough damage to where my brother would never recover. No amount of his precious magic can save him now. Panting from my efforts, I crawl away from him to find my love.
I find her laying on the ground, still passed out from when I knocked her out. Good. Now she’ll know to never try to stop me from doing something again. I try to rouse her by placing kisses on her cheeks and forehead. She stirs, and I preen with the red smears I’ve left behind on her delicate skin.
Her eyes open and my smile falls. There’s a sheen of nothingness covering her gaze, the sparkling joy that’s always been there is gone. She glances around with a blank face and pauses when she finds David. “What did you do?” she asks me. Her voice lacks the happiness I expect at being freed from his vile hold.
“He’s gone now, my love. You don’t have to worry about his influence. He can’t stop you from loving me ever again. I saved you,” I boast.
Her eyes level on me. “Love you? You killed my mate. I feel nothing now. I’m more than empty, thanks to you,” she responds, lacking all the emotion I’m used to her showing.
Rage consumes me once more. Killing David was supposed to eliminate his magical influence over her. She’s supposed to be mine. My mate. The Fates gave us the proof. She shouldn’t spurn me. How dare her!
I lunge for her, a fury like I’ve never felt before flooding through me. “You’re mine! You belong to me! Your heart should only beat for me!” I scream into her face. She does nothing to stop me as I slam her to the ground. Reaching for my magic once more, I find only a hint, like it’s been stolen from me. Grasping onto it, there’s only enough to shift my hand. My wolf claws are enough to do the trick though.
The sharp edges rip through her dress as she lays below me, staring up at the sky. I’ll teach her to ignore me. I rake at her skin and bones over her heart until I’m able to reach it. I pull it out of her chest. This is mine, and I’m going to keep it forever! I stand up and step away from Delilah. “Come along, sweetheart. We need to announce our mating status,” I tell her.
She doesn’t respond, and I turn around. Laying side by side, I find her and my brother sprawled out on the ground, both traitors dead. I cock my head to the side, memorizing the view. The magic my brother held so precious in his life corrupted him and stole the one woman meant to be mine. Anger and vengeance fill me, and I know this is the only sensation I’ll ever experience again. Something else my brother stole from me. I’m going to make sure the magic he coveted becomes mine. I’ll be the most powerful person in the world.
If I’m to be successful, I need to find the parchment I infused with the spell to make everyone forget a person’s existence. I planned on making my Delilah forget about my brother, but I don’t need to do that anymore. I have her heart now. She’ll always belong to me.
Chapter 20
Cecily
The sound of cheerful whistling wakes me up. I don’t think the birds received the memo of today’s somber mood. The clanging, banging, and shouts outside tell me the camp is already bustling. With a quick survey of my surroundings, I find Marcus and William aren’t here. I almost question if they slept last night.
Derrick and Klaus are getting dressed just outside of our bedroom area of the tent, and Alex is carrying a tray of breakfast items over to the bed. “Good morning, my Angel! Rise and shine, Sleeping Snow! Come on! Hup, hup, hup! Get your clothes on, get ready! Got your breakfast for you! Look, you get porridge, and it’s happy to see you!” Alex says, using an unusual-for-him accent, and his cadence reminds me of something... I just can’t put my finger on what it is yet.
There’s two meals on the tray; a bowl of fruit with a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. The other is a bowl of porridge with eggs on top and bacon in the shape of a smile. This must be what he meant by my food being happy to see me. “No time to talk. Now remember, it’s your first day of war, so listen to your training and no dying. Be sure to kick the other kids' butts!” Alex frowns and then drops the accent just as I realize what he’s quoting. “Man, I was on such a role there, but then it started to get too difficult to come up with phrasing to match our circumstances. Oh, well.” He grins again with an adorable wink. “You don’t have to eat the porridge; I only brought it for the prop.”
I take the tray from his hold and place it on my lap before resting a hand on his cheek. “We’ll have to watch Mulan sometime soon. Now that I know Klaus likes to sing along to movies, I’m itching to catch him on video singing ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You.’”
“I’ll sing it for you, Cecily! You just had to ask. Although I think ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’ is more appropriate for today,” Alex teases.
I eat quickly, knowing I’ve already slept in longer than I wanted. Once I finish, I stand up and Alex is once again before me. He grips my cheeks in his hold and stares into my eyes. “Now remember, if they start shooting arrows, you need to zigzag! You got it? Say it after me so I’m sure. Zig. Zag.” I roll my eyes with yet another on-screen reference. It seems he’s going to be funneling all of his nerves into quotes and references today.
“Everyone knows to zigzag after watchingGame of Thrones, Alex.” I smile at him, playing into his topic of choice. If this is what helps him, I’m all for it.
He takes ahold of my shoulders and pushes me to arm’s length, scrutinizing my body with a mischievous gleam. “Now we need to make sure you’re dressed for the part. Something to invoke fear into our opponents,” he pretends to muse, with a finger tapping his cheek, but I know he already has something in mind.
My clothes are replaced with the tingle of magic brushing over my skin. Before I can glance down to see what he dressed me in, I’m distracted by Marcus choking on his greeting from the doorway. “Uh, Babe, we aren’t going to war today if that’s what you're wearing.” There’s a husky threat to his voice, and my eyes go wide with his predatory glare.
I squeak as I dash away when he tries to lunge for me. He lets out a menacing growl as I jump onto the bed, and hold my hands out to stop him from reaching me. The heat in his gaze makes me giggle, tempting me into pulling him onto the bed.
Glancing down, I finally take in what I’m wearing. Black leather straps crisscross my body, hiding very little.That little shit put me in a dominatrix getup!
Alex bursts into laughter when he sees the incredulous expression on my face. As I’m distracted, Marcus makes his move. His hands wrap around my thighs and pulls me into his grasp. My legs instinctively wrap around his hips and he pushes his hand on the center of my back to press our chests together.
“I like the look of leather against your milky skin, baby. Send this outfit to our bedroom, and put something more appropriate on, before I have to punish you for turning me on prior to battle,” he commands in my ear while pulling on my hair.
