Page 36 of Elf

“Impressive,” Ezekiel said, making Alaric spin back around to find Ezekiel holding his knife to Ezra’s neck.

“You move that knife, and your end will be the most painful one you could possibly imagine.”

A flicker of worry tightened Ezekiel’s features.

“That’s right,” Alaric said as he took a couple of steps closer. “You know you stand no chance here, but you might if you let him go.”

Ezekiel’s hand started to shake, and the blade cut into Ezra’s skin. One drop of blood, and Alaric growled and flung a spell so powerful that every bone in Ezekiel’s body broke. He shrieked as he collapsed to the floor, his limbs landing at odd angles.

Ezra’s mother ran into the room and dropped beside Ezekiel. Alaric lifted his hands to take her out as well, but Ezra stopped him with a hand on his arm. His other hand was over the thankfully shallow wound on his neck.

“Don’t hurt her. Please.”

“Ezra, she was in on this. Having you killed.”

“I know. She’ll pay for that, I promise. As it is, I don’t know how we’re going to explain all these injuries to the police.”

“Xavier will send someone here to clean this up. It’s handy having a sorcerer and wizards at your fingertips.”

Ezra’s mother gaped up at them, but she didn’t cry, not even for Ezekiel. The woman was clearly as big a piece of shit as Ezra’s ex-husband. As was his brother. This man he loved had been surrounded by the worst of humanity his whole life.

Alaric was going to change all that. He would take him to his family where Ezra would be loved, and he would spend his very long life showing Ezra every single day that good people existed. “Don’t move,” he told Ezra’s mother. “One move, and you’ll be in the same shape as your eldest son. Do you understand?”

She nodded, though she was obviously in shock and unable to make sense of what had happened. Her son might have known about magical beings, but she obviously did not.

He looked at Ezra. “It’s going to be okay. It’s over. I’m calling Xavier now.” It absolutely broke his heart to see the devastation that completely settled over Ezra’s face. The pain of knowing his own family had tried to kill him. Alaric framed that precious face in his hands. “You will move past this. I promise.”

“I just can’t believe it was them the whole time. I knew they didn’t love me, but—” His voice broke off and he did something that bound him to Alaric’s heart forever. He stepped forward into Alaric’s arms, seeking comfort.

It was all he could have hoped for.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ezra

Ezra stayed in a daze as Xavier himself showed up to the house along with four human-looking men Alaric told him were wizards. The four took the two downed shifters, leaving Xavier to deal with Ezekiel and his mother.

Xavier knelt in an enviably elegant move, cocking his head as he stared at Ezra’s whimpering brother. Apparently, all his bones were broken. Crushed. Ezra couldn’t imagine the amount of pain he was in. It had to feel like being run over by a road roller.

But he also couldn’t believe that his own family had tried to have him killed. His own pain over that knowledge felt like it was hollowing out his stomach and chest. He had a hard time looking at his mother, a woman who’d gone along with the whole thing. Hell, it was probably her idea, too, just like the trafficking had been.

“None of these people deserve an ounce of your suffering.” Alaric wrapped his arms around Ezra, turning him back into that warm, comforting chest. Ezra, desperate for that comfort, took it completely.

“I know,” he whispered. “But it’s like when my father was killed. I’m still sad.”

“Of course you are. But you deserve better. Come with me outside while Xavier figures out what to do with Ezekiel.”

Xavier spoke as they turned to leave. “I apologize for not finding his involvement sooner and will look into just how they managed to mask his part in all this. It was a relatively new investigation, but I still should have found this out sooner.” The corner of his mouth crooked. “This is an interesting thing you did to him, Alaric. Even if he’d fallen over the railing, not every bone would have shattered like this. There’s no way to explain this away to the authorities.”

“He cut Ezra,” Alaric said, anger deepening his voice.

“Did you do that, you stupid man?” Xavier aimed the question at Ezekiel. “You got off lightly, then. Hurting a preternatural’s soulmate usually ends in death.”

Ezra whipped his head toward Alaric. “Your what now?”

“Xavier,” Alaric growled as he led Ezra toward the front door, then outside.

Ezra shivered when the cold air hit, but not much. He was still partially numb from everything. Especially the most recent shock. “I’m your what now?”

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