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I'm halfway out of the box when Kali's scream hits my ears, my powers already working to erect a barrier between Liv and the soon-to-be-dead man behind her. Osias’ hand on my shoulder distracts me, pulling my gaze momentarily away from my mate below. He gives me a terse shake of his head, motioning for me to look back down.
My entire body stills at the flames billowing up behind Liv, spreading like a curtain just in front of the man's outstretched hand. He flinches back as the flames lick across his skin and throws the dagger from his mangled hand in one last-ditch effort. I hold my breath, readying my power to block her from the knife's edge, but it clatters to the ground, bouncing against the blades of grass to land at her feet.
I sigh a breath of relief, letting my shoulders relax a fraction. My chest lifts at the sight of the flames behind Liv, casting orange and yellow hues over her skin. The mastery she has over it is amazing. My mind is struggling to reconcile that this is the same girl who had to have my brothers dissipate her here out of fear of her own powers just this morning. She now wields them as though they’re an extra limb, keeping the flames firmly in her control.
Despite my hesitancy towards Liv, I've been keeping an eye on her. Tracking her training progress, hiding in the shadows. Seeing the moments of pure joy light her eyes as well as the seemingly random hurt looks that mar her gorgeous face, pulling down those sea-green eyes. Agony slices through my chest, hating that my actions have caused her any pain. But no matter how much I wish to just wrap her in my arms, kiss those plump red lips and tell her everything will be okay, I can't.
I can't tell her that, not when I’m unsure of it myself. I haven't felt like myself for the past month since I found her at that beach bar, that man’s hand clasping her thigh, acting as though it was his job to protect her, take care of her. I've never been good at doom and gloom. That's more Maximus’ domain, hell even Mateo’s sometimes.
The pained look on her face as I dissipated away still haunts me to this day, my inability to stay to catch her before her knees collapsed under her, as she fell into the fine sand.
After seeing her strength and bravery today, I look up at the woman before me, how she fought tooth and nail to defeat her opponents despite the cards being stacked against her. I struggle to reconcile the two images in my mind.
A look of determination sharpens her gaze, and before I know what's happening, Liv launches the blade mere fractions of an inch from Helene's head. Stray strands of her sleek black hair flutter to the ground as the blade embeds into the stone wall behind her, causing pieces of debris to clatter to the ground. Mateo chokes on a laugh beside me, and I narrow my gaze on him, taking in the stoic look his face morphs into as he tries to hide the pure delight he’s taking in this entire interaction.
She smothers the flames behind her, the resulting smoke momentarily shrouds her in a thick black cloud. It thins out, coiling around her lithe form and curling around her as though it doesn’t want to leave its master so soon.
Osias inhales sharply at the sight, but I tune him out, my gaze firmly glued on Olivia. She turns on her heel, and the smoke finally clears. Her strides are even and controlled as she struts to the exit, dissipating out of sight as she clears the archway.
The air filling my lungs leaves in a rush as she makes her exit, as though she takes a piece of me with her. I stand abruptly, almost forgetting the council members beside me, but pause at the growl rumbling from Maximus’ chest. My need to follow Liv and make sure she's okay completely eclipses the looming confrontation.
“I'll go after her.”Kyros projects to my mind, catching me off guard, and I glance down, seeing him watching me, catching my look of hesitation. I nod in assent, my stomach twisting as I tell myself it's for the best. He's the best equipped to help her if she’s injured.
My spirits lift at the soon-to-be-dead demigod rolling on the grass, his cries of agony echoing through the nearly silent arena. Glad that my kind-hearted brother hasn’t run to his side to ease his pain. He deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labor for a few more hours. He’s getting off easy compared to what he planned for Liv. Judging by the blade I barely even saw him produce in the ring.
I huff out a breath of irritation as Maximus and Mateo climb over the partition. I would like nothing more than to join them in the crusade, but a god war in the middle of an arena full of demigod students is probably not the wisest decision.
I meet Osias’ gaze and I see the same indecision warring on his face. Begrudgingly, we both step forward at the same moment, needing to get between the two factions.
“I'm going to crush your bones into tiny toothpicks and use them to clean my teeth every night,” Mateo announces, starting towards Victor, violent delight sparking in his hazel eyes.
Victor balks at the statement, taking a few uneasy steps back, his eyes flitting to Mateo’s, and away. His mouth works as though attempting to find some sort of excuse for his actions. His skin pales. Mateo stalks him like a wild animal preparing to strike its prey.
I clap a hand on Mateo's shoulder, and to my surprise, that's all it takes for him to pause. Most likely since both of our gazes move to Maximus, whose hulking form is looming closer to Helene.
Maximus picks up the discarded stones and lifts them before Helene's face, crushing the large chunks of stone before her eyes. His fingers splay open, showing her the remains. A breeze eases through the field, sending a cloud of dust billowing up into her face. She shields a moment too late, inhaling the dust deep into her lungs. Hacking, she attempts to cough up the finely crushed stones. Maximus doesn't wait for her to finish, clasping his dirty hand around her chin, and spilling the crushed stones into her hair and white gown. She forces herself to stop, choking back her coughs. A tinge of fear clouds her vision for the first time in I’m not sure how many centuries.
“I’ll make sure not to leave any part of you that's recognizable in the slightest, and crush your bones into a pile of ashes. You'll be no more than a spec of dirt on someone's shoe.” Maximus pauses for her acknowledgment, but the only reaction she gives is a slight tremor of her limbs.
“Do you understand?” Maximus snarls. His face mere inches from hers. She nods hurriedly, and he releases his grip on her. His lip curls in disgust as he wipes his hand on his black jeans.
Maximus steps in Agathon's direction, about to throw an equally menacing threat in his direction. I don't miss Osias pocketing the blade before reaching for Maximus and pulling his shoulder to halt him.
“I’m sure they got the point, friend,” Osias says jovially, all too happy to have some allies against the council now. I purse my lips at that, for the first time I'm grateful that I have not only my brothers but Osias on my side too. It seems trouble follows my angel around like a dark cloud.
"How about we go check on Olivia?" Osias asks, and Maximus immediately stops fighting against his grip. Instead, he jumps back over the partition, taking the steps two at a time on his way down the stairs.
Mateo huffs out an indignant breath before following after, his shoulders slumping now that his fight has been taken away.
To my surprise, the council stands in shock, not saying anything to our retreating forms. Although I’m sure this won't be the end of this discussion, nor the end of their retaliation. If a few well-placed threats were enough to make them back off, we would’ve done that from the beginning.
I follow behind the others, feeling the students’ assessing gazes on us, obviously not seeing everything that occurred in their ring. I catch Kali’s eye on the way out. She and the rest of Liv's friends’ faces are pinched with concern. I give her a reassuring nod, the only confirmation I can give her in the crowded arena, not wanting the hundreds of bystanders to undoubtedly listen in.
She mouths the words thank you, clasping a hand over her heart as I walk by, and I give her a tight smile. We pass the archway. Mateo, and Osias already dissipated back to the manor. Not wanting to waste any time, I pull my powers around me, preparing to make my way back.
I see the looming shadow a moment before a towering figure slams into me. I’m smashed into the outer stone wall, and pain radiates along my shoulders and spine from the impact. His massive fist clutches my shirt tightly, lifting me up against the stone wall.
Maximus stands before me, looking at me through his lowered brows, his lips curling up into a snarl. I blink in surprise at the sudden turn of events. Having thought Maximus had long departed back to the manor. He eyes me with so much disdain, I glance around to see if he perhaps grabbed the wrong person. My brother has never looked at me with this much hatred in his eyes.
