Chapter 35

Nina sort of looks like a constipated puppy when she fights. Her beautiful face is scrunched in concentration, arms raised, as those blind eyes survey everything and nothing.

Damien considers her with a tilt to his head. There’s a permanent bend to his lips that gives him a cruel, haughty look.

“You can do it, Bambi!” I cheer supportively from the side. “Kick some mage ass!” She gives me a look. You all know the one I’m talking about—like she can’t decide whether she wants to roll her eyes, knee me in the crown jewels, or laugh. I tend to have that effect on people, particularly women.

We’re currently in the throne room while the rest of the inner circle moderates another fight. The guys insist on keeping Nina in the dark, but I know my Bambi. She’s made of tougher stuff than you’d expect.

We arrived earlier that morning to find Kai and Nina in the room carved into the far wall of the throne room. Both were naked, Nina’s head resting on Kai’s chest as she slept soundly. Even the memory of her serene expression, heaving breasts, and toned stomach causes heat to rush straight to my cock. Misbehaving bastard (my cock, that is). The air in the throne room stank of sweat, sex, and cum—my three favorite things.

Bronson took one look at the sleeping couple and mumbled something inarticulate before storming out of the room. He’s been in a mood ever since we found Nina. At first, I thought it was just the stress of losing someone his wolf obviously cares about. His mate, if I am to believe the rumors.

But now, I wonder if it’s something else entirely. He eyed Nina with a mixture of anger, pain, and suspicion. When she tried to talk to him, he muttered an excuse and stalked away.

Something had transpired in those tunnels before Braelyn kidnapped my girl, but I can’t put my finger on what.

“Fight like your life depends on it,” Braelyn cuts in, pulling me out of my thoughts. The shifter is leaning against the wall with her mate, Jenny, eyes intent on Nina sparring with Damien. “It might at some point.”

Damien scoffs, his face impassive. “No one will touch her. They’ll have to get past me first.”

“I seem to remember kidnapping her quite easily,” Braelyn muses, tapping a nail to her chin. “And, funnily enough,” she says, sarcasm clear in her tone, “I don’t recall seeing you there.”

Damien goes still, eyes chips of ice, but Nina’s hand on his arm recaptures his complete attention. “Braelyn’s right. I want to learn everything I can. Let’s start from the beginning.”

Her thick black hair is haphazardly tied in a ponytail, and sweat coats her skin in a silver sheen. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more beautiful. There’s a confidence to her gait that wasn’t there before.

Damien critically examines her face, searching for any deceit, before he nods once, stepping away. Only when his back is turned does Nina wince, shifting her weight to alleviate the obvious ache between her thighs. My eyes are automatically drawn there. What I wouldn’t give to be Kai, that lucky bastard. To have her pussy squeeze my cock like a glove…

Okay, Abel, remain in the present. Please and thank you. Kay. Thanks. Byeeee.

With that mental pep talk, I lean against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. “You got this, girlfriend!” I do an enthusiastic fist punch. See? I can be supportive and shit. Hell, I was even willing to write her name in blood on my chest for her first fight, but Cain warned me that she would find it a “little odd.” His words, not mine.

Her lips twitch, but she schools her features as Damien begins to instruct her on how to escape a backwards hold.

“We’ll run through it a few times,” he says curtly, “before moving on to other things.”

They’ve been working for nearly an hour now, but Damien is miraculously sweat-free. In his impeccably tailored tuxedo, he looks as if he’s on his way to prom instead of partaking in fight training. Granted, I don’t think the psychopath serial killer would ever step foot in a school, but you get the analogy.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Nina drawls, twirling a piece of black hair around her finger. “Why do you use knives when you’re a mage? I mean, obviously, you’re immensely powerful. I can practically feel you radiate it from here, yet you prefer other methods when in a fight. Why?”

Oh, god. Damien’s going to start getting teary-eyed because Nina showed an interest in his deranged hobby of stabbing people.

“Because it’s more fun,” he deadpans at last, and Nina nods her head seriously. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t understand the extent of his obsession with knives and sharp things. Oh, well. Ignorance is bliss and all that shit.

“Now, I’m going to wrap my arms around you from behind. We’ll walk through, step by step, what you have to do.” Without waiting for acknowledgement, Damien steps behind her and takes her in his arms. I notice that his nose brushes the top of her head, nostrils flaring as he takes in her scent. I also notice that his body is much, much closer to hers than necessary, her soft curves pressed against his hard ones.

Fuck.

My cock jumps in my pants at the enticing sight before me.

Even knowing that Kai slept with Nina doesn’t lessen her appeal to me. I’ve never felt this way about a girl before. Usually, they’re new and exciting for about a day until I get bored of them. With Nina, I yearn to memorize the shape of her body, listen to her addictive laugh, and confess all my secrets to her always-listening ears.

I could try looking for my balls, but I’m pretty sure they’re inside her dainty palm, alongside Damien’s knives.

I’ve suspected for a while that Nina is Kai’s and Bronson’s mate. The Rion thing? Didn’t see that coming, but I can’t complain. It’s better to have him as an ally than an enemy, especially when it concerns her. Currently, the little shit is with Kai and the others, getting him acclimated to this area: particularly, the fighting ring. If he is to stay with us, he needs to know his place.

Namely, getting the shit beat out of him by our gang members. It’s a rite of passage, one we all had to take.

I’m so distracted by my own thoughts that it takes me a moment to notice something is severely wrong with Nina. Her eyes are wide in her face as her breath saws in and out. Damien immediately releases her, his expression changing from focused to concerned, the only crack I’ve ever seen in his apathetic exterior.

“Angel?” he asks softly.

Nina drops to the ground, curling in on herself, holding her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Desperate sobs shake her tiny body as she falls apart before our eyes, thread by thread.

“Fuck.” I drop to my knees before her, being mindful not to get too close too fast. “You triggered her, asshole.”

For the first time since I met him, he looks lost. He takes a step backwards until his back is pressed against the wall.

Ignoring him, for now, I crawl on my hands and knees until I’m in front of the diminutive female. My brother has the same type of panic attack on a monthly basis. It’s less frequent now, thank fuck, but I’m equipped on how to handle it.

“Nina,” I say softly, melodically, using her full name instead of her silly nickname. “Nina, sweetheart, come back to me. You’re safe. You’re not in the Compound. You’re with me. With Damien. You remember Damien, right? The stabby mage? The murderous mage? The mage-with-stabby-tendencies?” As I talk, I continue to move closer and closer to her until my hands are capable of reaching her knees. Slowly, like a man approaching a feral animal, I place my hands on her skin where her dress has ridden up.

“What the hell did you do?” Cain explodes from behind me. I don’t bother pulling my attention away from Nina. I can deal with my asshole brother later. “Abel!”

“Shut the fuck up,” I say to him, my tone still soothing. To Nina, I plead, “Come back to me. You’re safe, Bambi. I’m here.”

“Flashback?” Cain is easily able to put the pieces together. I nod once. “What triggered it?”

“Someone grabbing her from behind,” I fill in, casting a glance in Damien’s direction. He’s still flush against the wall, face ashen.

“We have another problem,” Cain says in a suddenly dark tone. I risk a glance at my brother to see livid eyes, sneering lips, and a clenched jaw.

I don’t like this. Not one fucking bit.

“What?”

“Guards. We have a visitor.” He clenches his hands into fists, eyes spewing fire. Tiny horns protrude from his head as his demon peeks a single eye out.

“We have a visitor?” I ask for clarification. In all the years I’ve been in the prison, I’ve never—not ever—had someone come visit me. My disbelief must’ve been evident on my face.

“I reached out to some of our old connections,” he explains crisply. “About Raphael and Lionel.” His eyes shut briefly at the name of our old tormenter, but when he reopens them, they’re hewn from steel. Ever since Nina helped him with his flashback, he’s been more determined than ever to help her. There’s nothing he won’t do to uncover the truth about what happened to Nina that night.

Even if it means facing his demons. Our demons.

“We need to meet the guards before they come here,” I say, flicking my gaze back to Nina. She’s rocking back and forth, tears trailing down her cheeks. “I don’t want that damn mage using his powers on her.”

“Obviously.” Cain crosses his arms over his chest before glancing at Nina worriedly. “But we can’t leave her.”

I turned towards Damien, the only other person in the room who I trust. Braelyn is staring at Nina anxiously, but I don’t know how Bambi would feel about a virtual stranger comforting her. But Damien? For some undefinable reason, she trusts him. Cares for him, even. If anyone can help her, it would be him.

“Damien,” I call in an unrecognizable voice. None of my jubilance remains; my entire being is focused on comforting this girl.

His head snaps up at being addressed directly, eyes shadowed and haunted, before he takes a step closer. I wait until he’s directly beside me before grabbing the cuff of his sleeve and pulling him to the ground.

“Remain low to the ground,” I instruct. “You don’t want to scare her or startle her. Talk to her. Comfort her. Hell, even sing to her. Anything to get her out of her own mind.” From somewhere down the hall, I hear a flurry of footsteps. I have no doubt the guards had traveled first to the throne room and then to the fighting arena before coming here. It wouldn’t surprise me if Blade and the others are already on their way back, desperate to get to Nina. “Damien!” I shout, snapping my fingers in front of his face.

The cold man turns his stony eyes on me, dark hair grazing his forehead.

“Go,” he says at last. “I’ll handle the girl.” He tries to sound dismissive, like he’s discussing a stranger, but his eyes soften as they stare down at her.

Still, I hesitate, unwilling to leave Nina when she’s in this state.

“Abel, come on,” Cain hisses, pulling at my sleeve. With great reluctance, I stand—being very careful not to startle Nina further—before backing out of the room.

“Fuck, I’m worried about her,” I murmur as we move briskly through the halls, towards the raised voices of numerous guards.

“Me too, brother,” Cain whispers. “But she’ll be fine. Damien is half in love with her already, and I guarantee you that the others are on their way, including the shifter scum.”

“Shifter scum.” I snort. “You just don’t understand his brand of crazy.”

“I don’t understand your brand of crazy,” he counters with an eye roll. Abruptly, the smile from his face fades as he turns to stare at me. “Who do you think is visiting us?” There’s genuine terror in his voice, a wobble that wasn’t there previously.

“Who did you reach out to?” My heart hammers in my throat, stealing the air from my lungs.

“Everyone.”

Before I can reply, the white-haired mage appears from around the corner, arms extended. Behind him, a dozen armed guards dressed in tailored navy-blue uniforms lift their weapons.

Pain explodes behind my eyelids, leaving me incapable of speech. In that state between wakefulness and sleep, I reach for my brother’s hand.

We fall to the ground with our hands intertwined.