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He sidestepped me, regaining his footing quickly. “You’re not strong enough to hurt me, dear brother. Why try?”
Oh, I could and I would. Severely.
I ignored his taunting and struck again, this time going for his legs. My claws cut through his thigh, hopefully straight through his femoral artery.
He barely even flinched, then he laughed as his leg buckled. “Is that all you have?”
My chest burned with fire, and I kneeled over him, pressing my knee into his chest as I bent forward to choke him.
Knox wasn’t fighting back, though.
After all he’d done and destroyed, him giving up now made no sense. I wanted to stop and question what was happening—or more accurately, whatwasn’thappening—but Knox twisted as if he was about to roll out from underneath me and I let my wrath get the best of me.
“No!” I roared in his face, tightening the grip around his neck.
His eyes darkened, showing the evil I’d already known he held inside. “Then, fucking kill me, Cillian. What are you waiting for? For Mommy to come back and tell us to be nice to each other?”
“Don’t fucking speak of her.” My heart hammered in my chest. I wanted so badly to end him like I’d come here to do, but something was stopping me. Knox wanted to die. He was begging for this, but why?
Why, after all he’d done?
“Maybe you’re waiting for Dawsyn to come find us,” he taunted. “I’ve been wondering if she regretted leaving me to go back to you.”
A heaviness settled over me, not like a weight to bear, but one to be unleashed, and there was no stopping its power. The moment he’d mentioned Dawsyn, I had no control over my actions. I no longer gave a shit why he wanted to die. All I knew was that he needed to cease breathing.
My clawed fingers dug into his neck, breaking the skin while Knox grinned like a fucking maniac.
Though, he at least remained silent for the few beats it took for me to squeeze the life out of him.
His head lolled to the side, going unconscious first, then his heart slowed until it stuttered to a full stop.
Blood from where my claws had broken the skin coated my hands, and my body shook with unused adrenaline.
“Fuck!” I screamed.
Why hadn’t he fought me, and what had I just done?
My gut twisted as if I was supposed to already know, yet I didn’t feel sorry for taking his life. My mother might have birthed him, but Knox would never have been my family.
I stood up, thinking of Dawsyn next. The need to know she was okay consumed the rest of my thoughts. The consequences of killing my brother could wait until I had my mate back in my arms, safe and sound.
With one last glance at the ground, my eyes took in Knox’s still-lifeless body, half expecting him to not actually be dead. Yet…his skin was already paling, his heart no longer beating, and no part of him even flinched.
He was well and truly dead.
Knowing that I wasn’t going to figure out what still had my stomach churning by standing here, I started walking away, ignoring the uncomfortableness stirring inside me.
My feet began to run back toward the tunnels, toward my mate, and when I was halfway there, I could hear Dawsyn yelling my name from what seemed like too far away.
“I’m right here,” I called back, my heart in my throat. She’d better be okay.
Her glowing form reached me quicker than I’d expected. There was blood splatter on her face and a few cuts and bruises on her arms that I could see, but nothing she wouldn’t heal from. Though, her eyes were wide and full of concern as she struggled to breathe from the intensity of the run.
“You can’t kill Knox,” she said, grabbing my arms.
“Why?” I asked instead of telling her it was too late.
“Darius woke up as we were carrying him,” she said. “All he kept repeating was ‘don’t let my son kill him.’ I don’t know why, but he was frantic.”
