16. Brax

SIXTEEN

BRAX

What in the backwards Basilica Realm, shifting Drakes, and family drama is today? Because it sure as hell has me fucked over a barrel with no lube and a spiked dick. I don’t think I’ve ever been so mentally drained in my entire life, and I’ve been through some shit. I don’t even have the brain function to eat the food laid out before me.

I’m not usually an emotional eater. I see food and shove it in my mouth. Not today, though. My head is firmly lodged up my ass, and I can’t even comprehend what Raven must be going through.

Glancing in her direction, I catch the smallest glimpse of the new chain that hangs around her neck that she’s slipped beneath her blouse. It rests firmly against her chest, just above the valley between her breasts. If anyone else saw it, they would assume it’s just a piece of fashion jewelry, but in actual fact, it’s far more significant than that.

Not only does it harbor magical abilities that my fucking woman somehow snipped from Sebastian and Lyra, but the two pictures inside, those children, hold sentimental value too. It feels like a peace offering from Sebastian to Raven in some ways. I don’t know how to feel about that, and I know that ultimately, as much as I want to steamroll the entire situation, I can’t. So until she talks about it first, I’m going to keep my lips firmly shut.

Or try to, at least.

More than that, it’s not the biggest piece of information he gave her.

No.

If I thought the surprises were going to stop at the locket, I was truly mistaken.

Picking up the fork in front of me, I use it to nudge the food around on my plate, still unable to lift anything to my mouth as I remain deep in my thoughts.

How are we always the last to know things like this are possible? The snippets of magic, the merging of realms? Where the fuck do people find this information, and where do we go to join them?

I don’t like the fact that the important information we keep stumbling over is coming from others. It’s not easily accessible to us, and being reliant on other people pisses me off more than anything else.

Glancing at Raven’s plate to my right, I watch her play with her food like me. I instantly want to demand she eats, she’s going to fucking need it, but I’m not a hypocrite, not today at least, so I can’t call her out on it unless I get a grip on myself too. Which isn’t proving likely right now.

Instead, I opt to keep down the train of thoughts that have consumed me since we were in Lyra’s office this morning. Lunchtime or not, the hours since everything happened have done nothing to dull my racing mind.

Raven’s father being controlled isn’t a surprise, but I’m not going to broach that subject with her until she’s ready. Not when she has Sebastian on top of that, along with a new ability to comprehend. Fuck, I really need her to take the lead with this conversation shit. I won’t be able to keep everything bottled up forever.

Acutely aware that my thoughts are all awry, I take a deep breath and circle my contemplation back to that fucker of a brother she can’t seem to shake.

She shook his hand.

Shook. His. Hand.

Sealed the fucking deal.

His life is in her hands now, and if it’s true that he dies for the binder going missing, then I’ll be more than happy for Raven to bring him back to life so that I can get the chance to send him all the way to the Realm of Shadows. Although, I’m not sure he’ll stay there for long if what he says about the binder is true.

Fuck.

I hate that these facts are coming from Sebastian. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. My hold on the fork tightens so hard I feel it bend under my grip.

I let it clatter to the plate before wiping a hand down my face.

“I still can’t understand why he would hand it over,” Raven murmurs, purposely keeping her voice low even though it’s only the two of us at the lunch table. I have no idea where Leila is but I’m glad she’s not here. We need a moment, just the two of us.

Sighing, I admit the truth that grates on me the most. “Because despite the control, he knows you’re the savior of the Elevin realm and everything else that comes with it.” I watch as she grimaces, not appreciating my honesty. “Not to give you any more pressure or anything,” I ramble, hating that one of the other guys isn’t here to soothe her after my words.

To my surprise, she shrugs. “I said from day one I’m not a hero. I’m selfish and defensive with a mean-ass resting bitch face. That’s not going to change, no matter what anyone expects of me. The only reason I’m doing anything at all is because it’s affecting me and those I love. Otherwise, I’d happily live under a rock with my head buried in the sand, hiding away from it all.”

I can’t help but smirk at her. That’s not true and she knows it. Yes, she can be selfish, rightly so. Yes, she can be defensive, which is another well-earned trait. And that resting bitch face gets me hard, so I can’t even deny it, but she also can’t just sit around and watch injustice. Not after living in Shadowmoor, suffering at the hands of The Monarchy’s choice to use Shadowmoor as a poor barrier between Haven Court and the Basilica Realm. She’s faced enough to demand better, not for her, but for us. Eventually, she’ll see that, too, but for now, I’ll let her keep pretending that her actions don’t speak so much louder than her words.

She pinches the bridge of her nose, exhaling slowly. “How are we going to get through afternoon classes when all I want to do is rip into the damn thing?” she grumbles, referring to the binder just as she has in every class we’ve had so far today. It’s burning a hole in her bag, desperate for her attention, and she can’t seem to shy away from it. “And if you say some shit joke about delayed gratification, I’ll kick you in the shins,” she adds, giving me a pointed look as I lift my hands up in the air defensively.

Fuck. This woman has me on point.

Still smirking, I decide to go easy on her as I place my hand on her thigh in a gesture of comfort. “I’m more intrigued to know if we can get this to the Realm of Shadows with us so there’s more of us who can dive into it or whether we’re going to have to sift through the pages ourselves.”

Her eyes widen as she nods. “Damn, that’s a good idea. Who knew you had those?” She winks, making me glare at her poor joke, but she proceeds before I can throw anything back at her. “Maybe we should take the rest of the afternoon to figure it out.” There’s hope in her voice, hope I can completely relate to. The thought of continuing classes for the rest of the day has me ready to scratch my eyeballs out, too.

“Maybe you’re right,” I offer, and she gapes at me in surprise.

“I am?”

I don’t bother answering. Instead, I shrug before standing, leaving a full plate of food to go to waste. Raven grabs her bag and rises, and as we push our chairs back, Leila suddenly appears with Grave at her side.

My back stiffens at the sight of him after Rhys mentioned his name earlier. My instinctive reaction is to cut the distance between us and slaughter the motherfucker here and now. I’ve had enough information today to last a lifetime, and if I can relieve us of one issue, then I will. Despite my knee-jerk reaction, Raven’s hand on my shoulder seems to keep me rooted to the spot.

“Hey, aren’t you guys eating?” Leila asks, her gaze flicking between the two of us and the plates on the table.

I lift my hand, my lips parting, but Shadow squeezes my shoulder and speaks before I have a chance. “I’m not feeling too good.” Frowning, I glance at her, catching on a little too late to the white lie that falls from her mouth. “Brax was just taking me back to the house before the nausea gets any worse.”

Leila’s face is an instant mirror of concern, while Grave’s lips purse just the slightest bit, setting me even more on edge.

Clearing my throat, I wrap my arm around Raven’s waist, pulling her against my side as her fingers stroke from my shoulder to my neck. “We should go,” I murmur, speaking into her hair, and she nods.

“I’ll catch up with you later, okay? When I’m not feeling like this,” Raven states, and Leila nods.

“Of course. I’ll make sure the professors know why you’re not there if you don’t make it back,” she offers, and Raven mutters her thanks before we turn and head for the door.

I sense them still tracking us, their eyes burning holes into our heads until we exit the dining hall and walk toward the main exit. This would be a lot easier if I were able to create a gateway, but luck still isn’t on our side with that.

The hallways are quite empty since it’s lunchtime and we manage to make our way toward the large double doors with ease. Raven glances around us before turning to look up at me as we walk.

“We probably should stick around them more to spy on him.”

“Nope,” I grumble, not agreeing with her in the slightest.

“No? Why not?” she argues, and I give her a pointed look.

“You’re in enough danger with everything else. We’re not adding that on top, as well. Rhys said to keep an eye out for him, not actively seek him and his bullshit out.”

She rolls her eyes at me but I let it go over my head. I’m going to stand by my point, and the fact that she declines to argue any further tells me she knows it’s going to be a losing battle.

Stepping out into the cool afternoon air, I glance up at the sky, wishing I could feel the sun on my skin again. The sky has been like this since Erikel arrived, a weird mirage of colors intertwining that lightens in the day and darkens at night. Another mark of his presence that pisses me off.

We barely make it to the bottom of the steps when six Shadowgrim students appear out of nowhere, creating a wall in front of us.

I really don’t have the time or patience for these fuckers right now. “Move out of the way,” I grunt, a bored hint to my tone as we come to a stop in front of them. They smirk, each shaking their head, making my tolerance of their presence fall even lower. “I. Said. Move.”

Footsteps echo from behind us and I recognize the clanging of the metal on the floor in time to turn and find the golden warrior approaching, with his treacherous leader a step behind him. It’s clear the Shadowgrim barrier was to hold us in place in anticipation of Erikel’s arrival, and I’m already over whatever bullshit is going to come out of his mouth.

His floor-length fur cape drapes around him like a protective shield, the jagged scar seeming even more prominent today as he takes a step toward my woman.

My nostrils flare as my hands ball at my sides. I want to stand between her and this fucker, but he’s the last person I want her to seem weak in front of, so I use all of my pent-up energy to remain as still as possible.

“Why is my Potens Ruby in the Realm of Shadows?” he snarls, his lip curling as he bares his teeth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Raven grumbles with irritation, which only seems to piss him off.

“Don’t try me, Shadow Dancer.” He inches closer and it takes everything in me to stay still.

“I. Don’t. Know. What. You’re. Talking. About,” Raven bites, holding her ground when he moves rapidly, backhanding her across the face.

That motherfucker.

I lurch forward, ready to pummel him into the ground. Shifting from flesh to stone as I travel through the air, I’m held back by the golden warrior before I can connect with Erikel’s skull.

My body tenses, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I try to break free of his hold, but it’s impossible, even in my gargoyle form.

“Let me the fuck down. Now,” I spit, barely able to breathe properly as I rage with every gasp.

Neither the golden warrior nor Erikel pay me any mind as Erikel wags his finger in Raven’s face. “You have two choices. Tell me why it’s there, or take me to it.”

My jaw aches from grinding my teeth, unable to bottle up the anger building inside me. If this is Burton, he should be able to visit the Realm of Shadows like me. Why doesn’t he fucking go there and find it for himself?

I’d rather he didn’t, not wanting to put my parents in danger, but surely that should be a tactic instead of pushing harder on Raven.

Fuck.

Raven sighs, lifting her fingers tentatively to the red mark deepening on her cheek. He’s going to fucking pay for that. “I can’t do either, you fucking fool, because I don’t know why and I don’t know how to get there,” she grinds out, eyes blazing as she glares at him.

Erikel tuts, shaking his head in disapproval. “You’re a necromancer; communicating with the shadows is your primary ability.” Raven rears her head back slightly as I continue to wriggle in the warrior’s hold to no avail. Erikel’s eyes narrow as he assesses my Shadow before a flash of surprise burns deep in his irises. “You haven’t communicated with them.”

He inches closer, lifting his hand toward her, but she slaps him away. “Keep your fucking hands away from her,” I boom, frustrated beyond words with being restrained.

Erikel continues to ignore me as he leans closer to Raven, but he doesn’t try to touch her again. “Why?” he bites, peering deep into her eyes, but she doesn’t falter under his proximity. “Why?” he repeats, and I watch Raven’s face scrunch in distaste before she answers him.

“I don’t know how.”

Erikel stands back to his full height, sneering at Raven. “If I hadn’t seen you bring people back from the dead, I wouldn’t even believe you were a necromancer,” he snaps, making his disapproval more than known.

Raven gapes at him, unsure what she’s expected to say or do, but before Erikel can continue his tyrannical display of belittling her, Fitch appears.

“Erikel, there’s an important call awaiting your attention. I’ve been sent with great urgency to collect you,” he explains, not looking at Raven or me as he speaks to the fucker holding everyone’s attention.

He growls, irritated with the interruption, but before he steps away, he makes sure to glare at Raven once more. “This isn’t over,” he promises, turning away with his fucking cloak fluttering in the wind.

“No, but it will be soon enough,” Raven promises, her words too quiet for him to hear, but the warrior holding me back catches them and his hold on me loosens.

In a swift move, I break out of his grasp, spinning to connect my stone fist with his face, even though I know he can deflect everything we throw at him. To my surprise, my move connects with force and he tumbles back, landing with a crash on the ground.

Raven gasps beside me and the Shadowgrim audience that is still here watching chuckles before sauntering inside without a backward glance.

“I deserved that,” the golden warrior mutters, making no effort to get back up.

“You deserve more than you’ll ever receive,” I bite, towering over him, and when his dark eyes collide with mine, I deliver my promise. “If you ever get in the way of me defending Raven again, the woman I love, the woman yourson loves. I’ll kill you with my bare hands, whether Creed cares or not.”