Chapter 31

Calen

Azran stands in front of the bedroom door where Vesta is watching over Ela, close enough to hear the slightest flutter in the sheets or her heartbeat. The remainder of his self-control is probably being used to not kick the door in.

He meets my stare, and the crimson retreats in his irises before his eyes scan the kitchen meticulously.

One of his eyebrows shoots up when he realizes it’s just the two of us.

“Stealthy, right?” I say. His jaw is still clenched tight, but a twinkle of admiration shines in his eyes. “One of Ren’s many talents.”

I wave towards the table and the refreshments that have been placed on top of it before letting out a sigh when he doesn’t move.

“You’re holding on by a thread. Please, sit down.” My words have no effect on him so I add, “she’s in good hands.”

After an interminable silence, his mouth parts.

“I can’t—she still needs me. If I stop now, I won’t get back up.”

The shaking in his fingers does nothing to ease my concern, but I keep my voice steady and calm.

“You’re not alone anymore. She will be fine, and so will you.”

The internal debate raging inside him is painted all over his torn face.

“You’re no use to her dead. I promise you are both safe. It’s over, Az.”

He finally takes a step towards the table, reaching for a glass of water he downs in one go before resting his hands on the wooden surface for support.

His shirt is torn apart, revealing a multitude of new scars. The only visible part of the trauma, for I’m sure Airdan didn’t stop there.

He lifts his head to meet my gaze, letting me see the hurt and shame shaking his heart. The sight takes me back to the day we met. He had the same look in his eyes, carried the same hurt. I had hoped never to see him like this again—destroyed, an empty shell, like a pale copy of his true self.

Like he can read my mind, he gives me a small smile, and I swallow the lump forming in my throat. What have they done to you, brother?

“I can’t stay much longer if I don’t want to compromise my position with Airdan.”

“Does he trust you?”

“No, but he’s a gambler. He’s curious to see how this plays out,” I add. “How did you guys get out?”

“Ela.”

My brows draw together in confusion.

“She lost her mind after you came back down, or so I thought, until she started melting the bars of our cells. She can wield fire without Nahtar.” Az turns his hands over to stare at his palms. “She’s so much more powerful than I thought. I underestimated her. We all did.”

“Remind me never to piss her off,” I say with a chuckle, still trying to wrap my head around what he’s suggesting.

Azran’s smile widens and this time it meets his eyes as he opens his arms. I release my first full breath since we all stepped into the safe house and pull him in a strong embrace.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to figure it out.” His shirt is soaked in a mix of sweat and blood, but I don’t care. I only tighten my hold on him, gripping his body with full force.

A gasp tears from his throat and his body tenses before I realize, a second too late, I’m hurting him.

“Shit, sorry.”

He steps back with a cough, reaching for the table again to steady himself before sagging on a chair heavily, exhaustion finally taking over. His features transform in a mask of pain, and he repositions himself.

“Never pull something like that ever again, Cal. I came an inch from killing you tonight.”

I take the chair in front of him. “We need a better signal, that’s for sure.”

The smile tugging on Azran’s lips disappears as his gaze darts to the bedroom door, straining to catch any faint sound coming from the other side. A second later, his shoulders relax.

“So, what’s next?” He refills and empties his glass with one chug.

“A boat awaits us in Ryfa. We rendezvous there. Take a day to rest, let the madness of your escape die down, and leave. Ren knows this city like the back of her hand and will help you.”

Az winces as he leans back on his chair.

“I wish we could all leave now, but there is no way I can sneak you past the patrols with us. I need to maintain my cover as long as I can.”

My brother shakes his head in disbelief at the cockiness of my plan.

“Assuming we make it out of here, then what?”

“We gather the armies and prepare for his attack. He will come after us all the second he finds out. When he does, we will raise hell on earth, together.” I extend my arm towards him and he catches it, squeezing my forearm tightly. “Airdan needs to be stopped.”

“He will be.” A devilish smile blooms on his torn face. “I made him a promise, and you know I never break my promises.”

We both nod, exchanging a knowing look. From this point on, just like we agreed when we met, only death will stop us.

“Just stay alive long enough for us to make it back to Lóna together, asshole.”

“And don’t get double crossed, prick,” he says.

Letting go of my arm, Azran finally caves and starts picking at the food, each slow bite eliciting a wince.

His eyes dart to the bedroom every now and then as he chews on dried meat and cheese.

After a few minutes, he catches me observing him.

“What?”

“What about Amrynn?” I ask.

“You heard me.” He tears a piece of bread from its loaf. “There is a tombstone in Morilanthe with her name on it. She’s spent too many years playing games, and she got caught.”

He goes back to his meal, but pushes his plate aside after another small bite, his stomach probably unable to sustain more food after being starved for months.

“We need to leave.” We can both hear Ela’s regular breathing from across the room, and I would bet my right hand that Vesta is standing behind the door, eavesdropping on our every word. “I’ll go get Vesta.”

Az leans back on his chair and nods, barely able to keep his head up.

“And you need to rest,” I add.

He responds with an unintelligible grunt, but doesn’t move from the chair.

I freeze when I’m halfway across the room, a smile tugging at my lips.

“Nice haircut, by the way.”

His eyes snap to mine, the hurt in it quickly replaced by gratitude.

“Needed the change.”

“It fits the new you.” I shoot him a wink, for I can only imagine how soul crushing it must have been for him.

He tilts his head to the side in question, letting me see the irregular length of the strands above his ears.

I nod towards Ela’s room. “You deserve this.”

He gives me a skeptical look, one of his eyebrows raised.

“You do,” I continue. “Get it inside your thick head.”

An unconvincing nod is the best I get out of him. At least they’re out of those damn cells and together. He’ll have to figure out the rest on his own.

I turn towards the bedroom.

“Vesta.”

She steps out a second later. Her piercing green eyes barely pause on me, but that brief glance is enough to take my breath away.

“Ela will be fine; she just needs to rest.” Her voice has recovered some of its usual cheer. “It’s good to see you in one piece, High Lord.”

Azran gives her a small smile in thanks, and we make for the door. There is much for us to do, but first, we need to make it out of this city crawling with soldiers.

My hand on the door handle, I wait to make sure no sound is coming from the alley it opens to. Satisfied, I turn the knob with a glance back at Az.

“If you plan on staying up all night to guard the safe house, check the cupboard.” I nod to the one on the far right of the kitchen wall. “Brought you a little something.”