Page 388 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

One word and they all freeze. I release more power and narrow my eyes on them. I feel a mental tap as they try to push back, but I push harder and watch as each of their heads dip, baring their necks to me.

Dropping the beast, it walks backward to its kin, avoiding eye contact with me. I pull back my hellhounds just as I sense another presence nearby.

“Not bad.”

I turn around, only to find an older version of myself staring back at me. His dark hair is longer, tied back and he wears more of a laid back, easy-going attitude.

Something stirs inside me; my hounds move to the surface once more.

His smile grows, but there’s nothing but warmth in his eyes making me pause. “Now is not the time for a challenge, little bro.”

Jax’s head whips from mine, to whom I can only assume is Orthis. “Bro?”

Orthis’s eyes pulse as he tilts his head. I feel a brush of energy as it slides over me. “Half. We definitely had the same father.”

“You knew he was your brother?” Ivor's eyes widen, his voice reaching another octave.

“Of course I did. How do you think he’s avoided all of you this long?” Orthis chuckles as Ivor’s face turns beet red. “He should’ve been brought here the minute you found out.”

Orthis shrugs before pinning me with a look. “He deserves to make his own choices.”

I frown, not understanding why he’d help me and wonder if he has a reason for it. If there’s something he wants in return for this so-called protection.

After all, blood means nothing in our world.

A howl sounds out, shaking me from my thoughts.

“Go. I’ve got this covered.” Orthis looks toward me. “We’ll catch up another time.”

I nod before sharing a look with the guys as we follow Soren and Ivor. Soren’s wearing a smile while Ivor is pissed as hell as he curses Orthis out.

I ignore them, my agitation growing the longer it takes to reach Kiarra and Luka. The rest of the guys are in a similar state, with even Jax quieter as he snarls at everything around him.

The labyrinth suddenly opens up, the infinite sky disappearing as we come through another long hall with double doors at the end of it.

Even from here, I can feel the energy pulsing from it. One look from the guys and I know they sense it, too.

Once we reach the doors, Ivor mumbles something in a strange language, and they glow before sliding open.

Like everything in the Underworld, the outside of the room is deceiving as the room opens up to a large circular dome with enough space to fit our entire apartment with space.

The source of the pulsing energy is a large black sphere that sits in the middle of the room. It isn’t until I look closer do I see Kiarra and Luka laid out on the ground beside the sphere.

I make a move toward them when a transparent barrier stops me in my place. I whip around and spear Ivor and Soren with a furious glare. The others try but come up with the same resistance before moving to stand beside me, each ready to attack the two idiots now in front of us.

“What the hell is going on?” I grit out, sounding more beast than man.

Soren grimaces, looking at Ivor as the idiot demon takes a step back from us, raising his hands. “You were all in here. You needed to be close to the core and its power for the last trial. Once you passed, you were then transported to the room we just left.”

“Why can’t I go to them?” I glance back at Kiarra and Luka. They both look serene, as if they’re just taking a nap, but after going through the mental test myself, I know that’s anything but true.

They’re both in fucking hell right now. Their ownpersonalhell.

“If anything happens to them, you're dead,” Axel warns, before moving as close to them as the barrier will let him.

“Let’s give them a little more time.” Ivor shares another worried look with Soren. It doesn’t go unnoticed by any of us.

Minutes pass by agonizingly slow. I’m pacing back and forth beside the barrier when I notice a shift on the other side. Glancing over, I watch as blood starts to leak from Luka’s nose and ears.

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