Page 351 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

OrIdid.

Kai has been pacing back and forth, his temper rising the longer we’re apart from our mate and brothers.

The beads are charged, but neither of us can shift. The cave must be similar to the room we were in, blocking us from shifting. My basilisk hisses in the background, too far away for my liking.

Whatever spell they’re using to block us from our beasts is powerful. So much so that I don’t feel as connected to my basilisk as usual. He’s in the distance of my mind, masked behind a fog I can’t get near.

It makes me feel hollow on the inside, reminding me of a time when that’s all I felt, the emptiness all-consuming as my parents showed me no care or love.

They left me alone until they needed a killer. Someone they could use to do their dirty work. Being a child didn’t matter to them, and to this day, it never has.

Kai speaks his thoughts aloud, making me snap out of my own somber ones to focus on the task at hand. “They wanted us to charge the beads, then separated us and placed us here, still blocking us from shifting…”

I narrow my eyes at the large arena outside. “They want us to fight.”

Kai nods. “Yes, but why?”

“To test our abilities,” I tell him, my eyes still narrowed on the large arena, waiting for whatever is coming while my mind works through what I know so far, piecing everything together like a puzzle.

We’re being tested. That part is obvious, but who is doing the testing and why is still not clear.

For the first test we needed to be able to control our emotions to charge the beads. Now it looks like it will be a physical test.

As always, it’s like Kai can read my mind and come to the same conclusion. “First test must have been to see if we could charge the beads. Once we passed, we move on to this. From the looks of our surroundings, I’d say they’ll have us fight something. Probably demons of some kind to test our strength. While the beads and the bracelet keep us in line.”

I nod. “They don’t trust us and they also need leverage. Making sure we have some cap on our abilities ensures we don’t lose it and kill them as retribution.”

Kai growls, his eyes glowing red. Something that shouldn’t be possible right now. “That’s still going to happen either way. They took our mate and brothers. They’ll pay for that alone.” His voice grows deep, his eyes pulsing.

“And I’ll help.” I nod, telling him, but my focus is on Kai as he comes close to a shift.

“Kai? Can you shift?”

Kai squeezes his eyes shut. “I think I might be able to push through and force one. Just give me a minute.”

His body starts to grow in size, slightly at first, before lines of black crawl up his body. My eyes catch on his bracelet as his beads start to dim.

“Stop.” The sharp tone in my voice makes him freeze.

Kai glances up at me, giving me a questioning look. I nod toward his bracelet. “Your beads, they’re losing their power.”

“Damn it.” Kai squeezes his eyes tight, pulling back the shift before opening them and rolling his shoulders back. Still tightly sprung, he picks up pacing back and forth as he tries to subdue his hounds.

I glance back out at the arena, wondering how long it’s going to take before something happens. “Let’s wait to see how they’re going to play this out and use your shift as a last resort.”

Kai sighs, closing his eyes as he dips his head. “I hope the others are all okay.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. They’ve put us together for a reason. They more than likely placed us in groups of two. Our mate isn’t alone, and even if she is, she’s more than capable of looking after herself.”

“I know, but it’s ingrained in me to watch over you all. To keep us all together.”

Kai's face is drenched in guilt as he leans against the cave wall. I wish there was some way I could shake him out of it, but he still feels guilty for not keeping us together as kids when Kiarra was taken.

No matter how many times I tell him it isn’t his fault, he never listens.

What Kiarra went through… What happened to Luka and Jax… What happened to Axel…What my parents made me do…

In his mind, it could have all been avoided if we had stayed together.

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