Page 11 of Thorn of Sorrow

“You’ve been holding out on me.”

Rage threatened to consume me. “I’ve been holding out on you? If you’d bothered to spend a single goddamn moment getting to know me, this wouldn’t have surprised you.” I bared my fangs. “Fuck you, Malachi.”

Another desk hurtled toward me, the sharp corner angled for my ribs. Thrusting out my palm, I bent time just enough to get out of its path. The clock on the wall vibrated, its hands jerking backward for a brief second before correcting themselves. His gaze shot to me, realization dawning.

His next strike came faster. His knee slammed into my abdomen, driving the air from my lungs, but I retaliated with a hard elbow to his side. We went for blows, the space between us a chaotic blend of raw energy and animosity. His wings snapped outward again, feathers brushing the ceiling and scattering debris. One desk lamp exploded in the chaos, plunging half the room into dim shadows.

A faint line of blood trailed down Malachi’s temple, smearing as he wiped it away with the back of his hand. His gaze burned, but his breath came harder now, each inhale deliberate as we stared each other down. My jaw ached from the blow he’d landed, but I didn’t care. This was deeper than pain and a long time coming.

I darted forward, faster than his next attack. My fist collided with his ribs, the crunch of impact satisfying, but his retaliation was immediate. He spun, his boot catching my knee and driving me back, forcing me to stumble. My shoulder hit the wall, cracks spidering through the plaster as I steadied myself.

Centuries of pain, anger, and frustration were the driving force in every powerful strike I landed. “I’m tired of living in your fucking shadow.”

“I never put you there.” Another surge of energy exploded between us, shattering what remained of the furniture, but it had bent around the humans, leaving them untouched. I reached for the void, my hands trembling as it drew in his rage like a black hole syphoning a distant planet. It swirled brighter now, its power weaving between us like living shadows. I hurled the energy back at him, striking his chest and sending him skidding across the floor. He hit the far wall, wings folding protectively around him.

We stood there, both panting, blood staining our clothes, the room around us a battlefield of destruction. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, slowly, Malachi straightened, brushing debris from his shoulder as if it were nothing. The aloof movement of his hand caused everything inside of me to grow quiet before disbelief lit a fuse, then everything I’d ever held back blasted outward as I shouted, “You’ve never trusted me, never returned the loyalty I’ve shown you!”

“You’ve tried to kill me numerous times!”

“And why is that?” My voice cracked, unable to hold back the raw emotions that hit me like a punch to the gut. “You’ve never been there for me, Malachi. You’ve been my prince, my commander, and even my betrayer, but you’ve never been my brother.” My jaw tightened as I turned away, furious at the blood-red tears I hastily swiped at. “We’re monsters, Malachi,” I said softly, my tone hollow. “Bred to be the stuff of nightmares.” I turned back to him, slowly shaking my head. “We only have each other, and yet, instead of being allies, you’ve always treated me like an enemy. And that, I will never understand.”

Malachi averted his gaze, his features tense and guarded. His upbringing had been even more brutal than my own. Any trace of compassion had been viciously beaten out of him, until he’d become a merciless warrior who destroyed everything in his wake. Even our sibling bond had fallen victim to his ruthless nature.

But Dane had softened him in some ways, and a part of me was jealous he’d never given me even an ounce of what he’d shown the human.

“I’m not asking you to give me bro hugs, but at least chill with the hostility toward me.” I braced for attack when Malachi closed the distance, ready to continue our battle, but I froze when his arms coiled around me. At first, I thought he would try to crush me, to break ribs, but… My brows furrowed when his arms held me in a warm embrace.

I wasn’t sure if I should hug him back or shove him away. For as long as I could remember, all I’d wanted was for him to see me as his little brother, but the hug was… frightening. “I think the blow to your head rattled your brain.”

“Will you shut the fuck up and stop making this even more awkward than it already feels?”

“The human has definitely…” I curled my lips in, telling myself to stop using levity as a way of coping with his… This shit was just bizarre. “You can let go of me now. I’m pretty sure there’s a five-second hugging rule.”

Malachi took a step back, glaring at me. “You’re a hard son of a bitch to please. You criticize me because I don’t treat you like a brother but complain when I do.”

I glanced around, focusing on something other than my normally stoic brother hugging me. “We need to clean up our mess.”

The room had been demolished. All three metal desks had been crushed to some degree, papers and office supplies were strewn everywhere, and there were large holes in the walls. The only thing untouched were the humans, who we, thankfully, had avoided injuring.

My gaze landed on Harrington, and my blood boiled. “You should’ve let me rip him apart.”

Malachi glanced at the deputy, his eyes glowing red. “As badly as I want to let you, we can’t afford that kind of attention. His father is the mayor, a prominent figure with connections. His son’s death would bring Whitmore too much heat.”

The sheriff had covered for mistakes made over the years. Ashwood’s population had declined significantly since the mill closed, but for some reason, the town was appealing to demons and even vampires who had no qualms about draining humans and carelessly discarding their bodies.

While I viewed humans as nothing more than my food source, I was vehemently against killing them. Their deaths not only risked exposing us, but since meeting Kyson, I felt protective toward at least one of them.

Maybe two, since Dane seemed to make Malachi happy.

All right, three. Whitmore was a decent guy, even if he had horrible taste in cologne.

“It would also place suspicion on Dane and Kyson,” Malachi pointed out, his jaw clenching. “Since they like taking off without telling anyone, we can’t place that kind of heat on them.”

He used his powers to clean up the mess, and I watched, a little fascinated, as the metal desks un-crushed themselves.

“Is that all you can do, or are you hiding more secrets?” He arched a brow.

With a smirk, I repaired the large holes in the walls, remembering to leave behind the dirt and scuff marks. Though I was sorely tempted to shove Harrington into one of the holes before sealing it.

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