Page 190 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

Shut up!

Aiden took a hesitant step toward him. “Well?—”

“Not another word. I will deal with your bullshit later.” Garrik whipped his head to Jade, then Alora. The ink in his eyes danced in alluring swirls, swallowing up any light shining into them.

Jade cocked her hip and cleaned a nail with a throwing dagger. “Males. What else? They wanted a fight.”

“You know better.” Garrik’s eyes shifted to the bartender cowering behind a pillar. He stalked up to him, Smokeshadows pooling into his hand and revealing a coin bag. “For the damages.” Garrik leaned in close to his eyes and added, “You will not remember who it is from or what happened here in the morning.”

The bartender’s eyes turned cold before he fell to the floor, motionless.

“We have somewhere to be.” Garrik gritted his teeth and began to storm past them when his darkened eyes fell to the bruise forming on Alora’s cheek. Murderous—ravenous—eyes drank in the rest of her body as if he was looking at her for the first time since entering. Veins in his arms bulged as he clenched his fists and took a bloodthirsty step toward her.

Garrik’s wrath was barely contained. “Which one?”

Alora pinched her eyebrows, body subtly shaking. “Wh—what?”

“Who put theirfucking handson you?” His voice rumbled, an intensity of ten thousand thunderstorms, enough to level the mountain.

Sapphire eyes scanned every lifeless body. The simple fact dawned on her. She didn’t know, didn’t remember whose hands had struck the awful blows.

“Anyone could have—” Her words fell short as a gentle tingle brushed against her mind. Alora took a heavy step back and speared him with her eyes. Afraid he’d see. Afraid he’d hear?—

“Stay outof my head,” she hissed with fists heating.

And as quickly as the mild irritation was waving through her mind, it wasn’t.

Garrik twisted around with murderous intent.

Thalon stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder with Alora. “Garrik.” No longer the voice of their friend. The Dragon’s swords-master stood square-shouldered and rigid. Thalon positioned himself in the stance he taught her, anticipating an enemy’s advance.

Garrik whipped his head to them, shadow-covered fists balled.

You caused this. You’re going to get Thalon killed. Then he’ll come for you for that death, too.

And suddenly, like so many moments before, Kaine’s figure began to manifest. Began to dissolve Garrik’s enraged form, replacing his blackened eyes with mahogany. Replacing gray hair with the ebony she wished she could rip—burn—from his scalp.

Kaine was there. And he was coming for her.Look at what you’ve done.

No. I didn’t mean to.Liquid lined her eyes as Kaine—Garrik—stepped toward them.

You’re worthless.

Alora’s vision spotted. The room began to spin.

You fuck everything up.

It was too hot in there. Everything was too hot.

You’re pathetic. Weak. Weak. W?—

“Enough!” White flames bursting with dancing sparks filled her palms. Every bit of shame and rage and all the terrible things Kaine had said fueled the inferno raging across the scars of hermind. His ceaseless taunting. Every mocking word. Every truth about what she’d done—and what was to come.

Alora screamed with the impact of her blazing skin to Garrik’s battle leathers. A burning hole scorched into the solid wall of muscles of his chest, over his heart.

“Fuck.” Garrik cried out and stumbled back, clenching his chest. Glowing ash burned around the holes and singed skin.

Thalon prowled forward, a tattooed hand curled with static energy, sizzling lightning strikes in his palm, ready to use his portals as a weapon against the Savage Prince.

---