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Arden’s heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. They were all standing up for him, supporting him. And while he could see the disappointment on some of their faces, he knew that it was warranted. But they still stood there, accepting him.
“Gamble?” Arden asked. “Do you hate me?”
The witch looked around. His eyebrows knitted together and the frown on his plump lips made Arden’s heart stumble and trip.Gamble.He wanted to pull the witch against himself and beg for his forgiveness. Because he couldn’t take that look, he couldn’t stomach them not loving him.
“What I think,” Gamble said. “Doesn’t matter.” He gazed past Arden to Janek. “Because you’re a hypocritical piece of shit,” he growled. “I held two children in my arms and your people almost killed them. They didn’t care because deep down,youdon’t care. You just want him and everyone else to suffer. So, you’re just as bad as he is.”
Janek moved so quickly it was like a blur. A spike of ice shot through Gamble’s shoulder and he slammed against a tree. A shout of pain was ripped from the witch. He tried to pull the ice pick out but his fingers kept slipping. Blood dripped down his pinned arm. He tried to grab it, but he was pinned and his fingers simply slipped against the ice.
Arden growled and shifted despite his injuries. It hurt, but he didn’t give a damn. He’d heard enough of Janek’s bullshit to last him a lifetime. If the man was hellbent on destroying everything and everyone around him, then he would happily end his life.
He would end everyone that dared to try to snatch away what little happiness he had in the world.
Arden’s scales covered his flesh and he charged at Janek. The man shoved Micha away from him and the sound of the nephilim crying out made his anger rise.Hewas the only person that would be allowed to punish Micha for his sins. As Micha fell into the dirt, Arden picked him up with his tail and shoved him toward Bash.
He’d never wanted to be anything other than a dragon when he was younger, but now he envied shifters. They could change more quickly. Once you were in dragon form, that was where you stayed for a while. Everything took time; time to heal, time to shift, time to regain yourself. There were downfalls to being big, powerful, and endowed with magic. His mother used to say it was the universe’s way of balancing the scales.
But right now, Arden hated it.
Janek shifted right along with him and the chaos of the fight resumed. Arden heard them, his men, if that’s what they still were, fighting. But he had to take on the man before him, the one he’d thought was his friend.
Something sharp bit into his scales and Arden thrashed around. Janek’s rebellion was encroaching on him from all sides. He flung someone away and they were replaced with a new set of fangs or claws. Arden bit them to pieces and Janek tore into his flesh, raking through his scales as if they weren’t even there.
Bastard!
Janek was going to take him down piece by piece, but he wasn’t going to do it alone. Shit like honor meant nothing to Janek.
“Watch out!” Eldon called.
“I see him,” Gamble shouted back. “I can’t hold this illusion for long.”
“Trust me, I don’t need long,” Eldon growled.
Bash cradled Micha against his chest as the nephilim slowly woke up again. He groaned and his pink eyes met Arden’s. A sea of emotions rocked inside of Arden. He knew those eyes, the tears, those soft hands and kind words. All of it was so very Micha. When the rest of the world was cruel and unforgiving, he was gentle.
Arden’s brain hurt. He couldn’t stop the images of Micha in his lap, his arms wrapped around his neck as he laughed and the way that he was so naive in his own way. All of them had come along and one by one snatched bricks out of his wall and pulverized them until they no longer existed.
Micha. He couldn’t live without Micha.
Janek’s growl woke Arden up and he turned back to the man as sharp pain filled his chest. One by one, each ice spike pierced him, filling him up with bleeding holes as they ripped through his scaly body and flew out the other side.
You’re weak.
The growls that emanated out of Janek were clear and simple Draconian. It reached Arden’s ears, but he could barely focus. Not when the world was twisting and shifting beneath his feet and every last ounce of energy felt as if it was being drained out of his body. He let out a bolt of electricity, but it was weaker than before. Arden had taken on and taken down countless pawns in Janek’s little rebellion and it was taking a toll on him.
“No, no, no! Arden!”
Micha’s cries filled his ears and forced Arden to move. He picked himself up from the dirt, unaware of when he’d even fallen. Arden growled right back at Janek and charged toward him when he stopped dead in his tracks as Micha appeared right in front of him.
The angel’s right wing was at a crooked angle. It hung awkwardly and Arden knew it was broken. But that didn’t stop him from raising his hands and holding them out toward Janek.
“I said, stop it!” Micha screamed.
Janek shifted back into a human and stood there, panting and glaring at all of them. His hands shook as he raised them, but his palms stayed facing toward him.
“What do you think you’re doing, Micha?” Janek hissed.
“I won’t let you k-kill him.” Micha’s hands trembled. “Even if he throws me away once all of this is done, I can’t.”
