He makes sure everyone in this entire rink sees him point at me.
Claiming me.
Branding me.
That goal was for you.
Heat floods my face and something dangerous unfurls in my chest, something that feels too much like pride, too much like possession.
Harper yanks on my arm. “Holy shit, Tor. Did you see that? He just?—”
“I saw.” My voice sounds strange to my own ears.
The game resumes and Xaden is absolutely everywhere. He's like a different species out there. Faster, stronger, smarter than everyone else on the ice. Every shift he takes, Somerset is on their heels, scrambling to contain him.
It's beautiful and terrifying to watch.
Masen tries to check him at one point but Xaden sees it coming and side steps at the last second, making my brother crash into the boards so hard I flinch.
The clock ticks down.
Five minutes left. Four.
We're still down by one but the entire building believes now. You can feel it, the desperate hope, the rising energy.
Three minutes.
Xaden gets the puck at center ice and takes off. He splits two defenders with a move so fast I almost miss it, and suddenly he's got a clear lane to the goal?—
Then Masen appears out of nowhere and slams into him from behind.
“No!” The scream tears from my throat as Xaden goes down hard, sliding into the boards with a sickening crunch that makes my stomach drop.
The whistle blows immediately. The ref's arm shoots up.
Penalty on Masen.
Around me, people are shouting, some cheering the penalty call, others booing. But I can't hear any of it over the roaring in my ears as I watch Xaden slowly push himself up off the ice.
He's favoring his left side. Moving carefully.
Please be okay.
He skates toward the bench and I see Coach grab his shoulder, asking him something. Xaden shakes his head, says something back.
He's not coming off.
Of course he's not.
This is Xaden Devlin. He'd play through a broken leg if it meant winning.
“Your brother's an idiot,” Harper mutters. “He just gave them a power play.”
She's right. And with Xaden on the ice, with our team having an extra man advantage, Somerset is in serious trouble.
The face-off is in Somerset's zone. Xaden lines up for it, and I watch one of their players lean in and say something to him. Something that makes Xaden's entire body go rigid.
The puck drops.
