Anger hissed through my blood. Power raked along my bones and danced upon my palms. With a punch of might, I shoved hard enough to yank myself free from Graysen's grip.
He rocked back, caught off-balance, almost tumbling from the tree.
"Don't you think I understand?!" The silver layers of my dress blustered with the unnatural wind coiling about my body. "Don't you think I've lived with this my entire life? I understand. I fucking understand!"
He glared at me with flinty eyes.
I poked my chest with a forefinger. "It's all I live with, every single day. Keep hidden—keep us safe! One misstep and my sisters will die. My mother. My father. Every single cousin and aunt and uncle—all our servants. Every single person connected to Great House Wychthorn will swing by the noose, or perhaps you Crowthers will behead us. Just because I was born different, just because I'm other. And I don't even know what I am!"
My anger faltered, as those words I'd just uttered spiraled through me.
"I don't even know..." My voice broke with anguish, spoken more for me, than him.
Graysen stared down the length of his nose at me, the shadows of the forest rippling around his formidable figure. "Then get your fucking head together, Wychthorn. We're going back in there, and you'll have to deal with seeing your sister with Corné, and you'll have to sit your pretty little ass right next to mine the entire night!"
He lunged fast, grabbed hold of a fistful of my hair at the back of my head, and craned my head back. I bared my teeth at him, bracing my hands against his forearms to keep my balance.
Fury sparked in his black eyes as he bowed his head, close enough that his breath kissed my lips. His voice was soft but deadly. "I get why you tripped me up. Set me on fire. And only Zrenyth knows what you were going to do to me outside that marquee—maybe choke the life out of me, incinerate me, bury me beneath the earth. But you've got to stop trying to blast me to Nine Hells. You've been lucky so far no one's caught you out, but that luck will run out. So you keep your godsdamned temper under control. Do you understand?"
My nostrils flared.
"I need to hear you say it." His fingers tightened on my hair. My scalp flared with pain. "Do. You. Understand?!"
"Yes," I hissed through clenched teeth.
His grip around my hair relaxed, and a moment later he let go, jumping down from the fallen tree. His shoes made a heavy thud as he struck moss.
Sawing my jaw, I massaged my scalp with a hand, and gingerly rolled my neck and shoulders. Readjusting my dress, I swiped away the dirt and tiny hooks of grass that had embedded themselves in my skirt, just to give me something to do, a way to avoid his stony gaze.
I could do this. I had to, for my family's sake. I'd keep myself on a tight leash and keep my temper under control.
Drawing in a deep cool breath, infused with the smell of mildew and stale woodland air, I brushed my hand down my torso, the same way I'd seen Evvie do to compose herself.
I meant nothing to him.
He meant nothing to me.
Liar—the creature hissed.
I refused the hand Graysen offered, glaring at it as if he were offering a handful of snakes instead of assistance, and clambered down from my perch on the tree trunk to stalk past him. Bending my waist, I slipped through the gap between trees, their branches hovering low. Cobwebs caught in my braided crown and I swiped the sticky threads free of my wild and wind-blustered hair.
Behind me, I heard Caidan's footfall making a rustling noise on the thick carpet of wild garlic as he followed, while Graysen walked by my side. It infuriated me he continued to ignore my desire to be left alone and pissed me off when he held spindly branches out of my way. I was quite capable of doing it myself. I practically lived in these woods.
My eyes slid sideways, and I finally noticed Graysen was wearing a slim-fitting black tuxedo that hugged his body in all the right places. "How many fucking tuxedos did you bring with you?" I asked spitefully.
He arched a brow. "If you don't mind," he said, running a palm across the satin lapel of his jacket, "I'm rather partial to this one. It matches my—"
"Cold black heart particularly well?" I cut him off with, stepping over a cluster of red-capped toadstools.
He shot me an offended look. "I was going to say my eyes."
Behind him, Caidan, snort-laughed. Graysen swung around, taking in Caidan's appearance, and frowned. "Where the fuck's your shirt?"
"Getting washed, dumbass," he snapped back. "After I got blood all over it, no thanks to you."
Graysen came to a sudden halt, grabbing hold of my arm to stop me too. My traitorous nerve endings burst into life at that innocent touch. His thick black eyebrows had risen almost to his hairline. "You were in the laundry with him, like that?"
Caidan's laugh was bitter soft. "Yeah, just like this, big brother." Then I suppose he remembered Evvie and the bruises encircling her wrist because his brows slashed forward over his eyes darkening with anger.
Graysen's gaze sharpened on me.
"Go away." I shook my arm free, cursing my body for the heat strumming in my blood. I felt as cruel as an asp and I wanted to strike back, hard—vicious. "Go back to Corné's mistress. Go back to your brothers and have a good laugh at me." My glance cut to Caidan, who had his hands braced against a birch, his head hanging low. He breathed deep, ragged breaths. He looked torn as if he wanted to reassure himself and find Evvie or tear down the entire woodland with his bare hands.
But I didn't care. All that churned through my mind was that damned bet the brothers all had with each other. The fun they'd all had at my expense. My gaze sliced to Graysen. "What did he win by the way? How much was I worth?"
Caidan pushed off the tree. "I'm out of here. I need to find Evvie." He took a few more paces, came to an abrupt halt, then spun around to face me. His head angled to the side and the unruly locks of hair swept across his forehead. "Huh?"
In the corner of my eye, I noticed Graysen swallowing hard.
"What did you just say?" Caidan asked, frowning.
I lifted my chin in challenge. "I know all about that bet you all had. Your brother found great delight in telling me all about it."
"A bet?" he said slowly, his left foot shifting back. "What bet?" His gaze darted to Graysen, to me, and back again, and I could see his mind spinning fast. He slowly blinked, once, twice. And right then—
Understanding lit his eyes. His jaw slackened, and his gaze whipped to mine. "Holy hells-gate, you two..."
I felt heat creeping up my chest, over my neck, threatening to stain my cheeks a guilty shade of red. But I kept my chin up, along with an imperious cold expression.
Caidan faced Graysen, furiously scanning his face.
Graysen's eyes glowed with defiance, his hands were white-knuckled fists at his sides, and every single inch of him vibrated with tension.
"A bet..." The corner of Caidan's mouth curled into a silent snarl as he stabbed a finger at his brother. "This is what you did, you fucker."
"You know nothing," he gritted out.
"Oh, I'm starting to get an idea exactly what happened." Caidan stalked closer to Graysen, his violet eyes sparking with anger. "And then what? You couldn't handle it, pushed her away the only way you know how, by lashing out—so you told her about that goddamn stupid bet!" He kicked out at a gathering of debris, scattering leaves, broken branches, and stones. "Fuck!"
I watched Caidan, warily, wondering what was going on. It was a long moment before he released a pent-up breath. One hand landed on his hip. "Godsdammit, Gray." He wiped a hand down his face, staring down at his feet. Slowly, his body relaxed, and he brought his gaze back to mine. I was surprised to find his eyes were soft and apologetic. "No wonder you're pissed. The death-glares you shot us down with." He shifted his weight, a foot crunching upon a blanket of leaves. "That bet was just Jett being his usual dick-head-self, messing with Gray. We just couldn't help ourselves. Getting a rise out of Gray is the best thing ever. It was stupid and crass, and none of us took it seriously."
I slowly blinked, taking an involuntary step forward. "He did. He took it seriously." I wanted it to come out harsh, instead, it came out weak, wobbling from my mouth.
Caidan's nostrils flared. "He never instigated that bet. He wasn't even part of that bet. It was just between Jett, Kenton, and myself. We did it to wind him up."
"Get the fuck out of here! This has nothing to do with you!" Graysen barked at his brother.
"No, you stay right where you are," I ordered Caidan, before whirling to Graysen, my skirt flowing with the movement. "And you—you keep your godsdamned mouth shut. I want to hear this!"
Graysen flinched.
And I almost did too, when I realized his golden complexion had paled, those few freckles now stark on his ashen skin. He stared back at me, wide-eyed, and I'd never seen him look so unnerved before. But when his eyes shot to his brother, rage ignited in their endless black depth. He looked as if he wanted to shatter every single bone in Caidan's body.
Caidan ignored his brother, focusing back on me. "He was livid when Jett tossed the idea about. He lost the plot, and almost knocked out Jett for even suggesting it."
My head swam and for a long, drawn-out moment I could only stare at him, astounded. His brothers had taunted Graysen with that bet, and he'd...he'd what?
I pointed a shaking finger at Graysen, still trying to make sense of it all. "You made out you'd been part of the bet— "
But Graysen was glaring at Caidan, full of fury. "I said, shut your godsdamned mouth!"
"What are you going to do brother, break my nose...again?"
"I'll fucking do more than that!" Graysen threatened, lunging forward—
Power erupted, flooding through me with the quickness of wildfire. I stamped my foot—
The ground exploded with a powerful quake—
The undulating earth rocked Graysen, and he landed on his ass, flinging an arm across his face as damp earth and moldy leaves sprayed in a wide dirty arc.
I advanced on him. He scrambled to his feet, shock washing over his features. I glared at him. Though I was five foot nothing, right this moment, I seemed to tower over his tall, intimidating figure. Bitterness tainted my words. "You don't want me. I mean nothing to you, just someone to toy with, right?" He hadn't denied that he'd slept with the sleek brunette either. "My kisses were dull and insipid, so why not find release with someone else, why not go and fuck Corné's mistress—"
"Laila?" I heard behind me. "You fucked Laila?"
And panic...utter raw panic swamped those dark eyes of Graysen's.
I flinched at the abrupt sound of laughter behind me. So much joyful laughter, it had me swinging around to find Caidan, buckled forward, his broad hands resting on his thighs, laughing hard. A laugh that went on so long, it unsettled me.
Was it really that funny?
"Hells, fuck no," he rasped in between chuckles now beginning to die down. He straightened. The fine skin around Caidan's eyes crinkled as a grin swept over his mouth. "Laila," he snickered, shaking his head at Graysen. "Gods, you're a dumbass. You've never been very good at thinking on your feet."
I remembered one important thing about Graysen. I turned back to face him. "You hate the Pelans."
But Graysen's attention was fixed on his brother. "Caidan," his voice gruffly rumbled.
Caidan took no notice, taking several long strides to stand flush with me. "Of course, that idiot would have said something like that. Gray always takes things too far. Always has, always will."
"Don't do this," Graysen warned Caidan.
Caidan sounded bone-weary when he replied quietly, "I'm doing it for you. It doesn't have to be this way, brother."
"Don't..."
My heart stumbled—I didn't think I'd ever heard Graysen sound so desperate.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Caidan rubbing his mouth with a flat palm. I felt the heaviness of his attention as he regarded me thoughtfully. And it was almost as if he was speaking to himself, rather than me, when he said, "Out of all the women in the world to taunt you with, he picks one he wouldn't even touch with someone else's dick."
It was as if the world paused.
As if the woodland itself drew in a deep breath, leaning, in, waiting to hear what Caidan was going to say.
"My brother would never, never, go near anyone even remotely connected to the Pelans."
I wasn't even sure I was breathing.
He hadn't slept with Laila?
He'd never even considered sleeping with her?
I didn't even know what I felt. So many emotions barrelled into me. Confusion and outrage and elation and relief—overwhelming relief—that melded a small splinter of my broken heart back together again, a tentative promise it could be reforged.
But then my heart faltered, as I remembered—
He'd intentionally said those things to hurt me, to push me away!
"Why did you do it? Why say those things to me?"
Graysen's fury was etched across his face. He let out a bellow of rage, hurtling into his brother with a lowered shoulder. The force knocked Caidan flying backward—
He tumbled through the dim woods, rolling and flipping over, finding his feet.
I cried out in shock, stumbling back, slamming into the scratchy embrace of a hawthorn tree.
Graysen was on Caidan a moment later. His fist smashed into his brother's jaw, a second punch to his nose, and went to strike again—
Caidan lunged, grabbed hold of Graysen, and head-butted him. The sound cracked through the small clearing. He stumbled, cursing, shaking his dazed head.
Caidan spat blood and phlegm and lowered his stance. Glee shone brightly in his eyes. He grinned, his teeth stained red. Darted forward—
Graysen met him—
They were gone in a blur of black speed—
Fearful, I threw myself into short bursts of swifts, tracking their destruction, the bellows, and the curses roared.
They rumbled through the woodland. It was a clash of strength and speed, of rage and flesh, almost impossible to keep track of. Both ducked and weaved, landing blows and kicks, blocking strikes. But Graysen flowed like the wind. He was fast, much faster than his brother.
Caidan surged forward—
Grayson pivoted low, swooping around, and savagely punched Caidan right in the kidneys.
Caidan staggered, curling over, letting loose a string of gasping curses. He swore again as Graysen slammed a boot into his back, sending him sprawling into a blanket of creeping ivy. He rolled, swiftly flipping to his feet, barking a mad crazy laugh. Blood dripped from his chin, splattering all over his bruised chest. "That all you got, brother?!"
Graysen roared—
And then they were locked in renewed fervor—
Trading blows, slamming into trees, smashing them in their wake. Leaves shook free, raining down like falling snow.
I stumbled after them, shouting, "Stop it! Stop fighting!"
They came to a halt. Not because of me yelling at them to stop, but because Graysen had hold of his younger brother.
"Gray," rasped Caidan. One of his brother's hands was pincered around his throat, squeezing hard.
"Graysen, don't!" I shrieked, terrified.
But neither of them were listening. Graysen was too far gone. Too lost to rage. "You just had to open your big fucking mouth! You don't know what you're messing with!"
His fist drew back to smash Caidan—
Caidan's entire body slackened, both of his hands fell limply to his sides, and he tipped his bloodied chin up as if saying—Go on, do it.
Graysen hesitated, and his drawn-back fist vibrated with leashed tension.
Caidan said quietly, "I know you, brother. I know what you're facing. What you're trying to protect yourself from."
"Then you know why I can't." It wasn't spoken with anger, it was laced with pain.
"Ferne may feel whatever it is between you and Nelle. But I see it."
My brows shot up and my breath caught in my throat.
My gaze sliced to Graysen. His open expression, raw and anguished, stunned me. It was him I watched, while I heard Caidan's words spilling through the gloomy woods. "When you forget yourself, I've seen how you look at her when you think no one is watching... As if she's everything."