Page 33 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“You think I did this without thought? That I was impulsive?”
“Of course not,” Axel scoffed. “That makes it all the worse, Theon. Youdidthink about it. Knowing you, you spent countless hours weighing options, and you still came to the conclusion that this was what needed to be done. Sacrificing an entire realm for her.”
“I would sacrifice every realm for her! She is mine to protect!” Theon bellowed.
“Then you’ll understand that I will slay any Fate or god that comes here to protect what is mine,” Axel spat back. “Even if that means going to war againstyou.”
“He’ll go to war for us. Fight the Fates and the gods, but he can’t be bothered to speak to me or even be in the same room as me.”
They both turned at the sound of Kat’s voice, finding her descending the stairs. His gaze collided with her amber eyes, her anger still glaring back at him, before she moved on to Theon. Her chin lifted as she stared down at them, and gods, she was a vision, despite being in sleep attire. He couldn’t even be upset with her for not staying upstairs like he’d asked. Why would she? She knew Theon wasn’t a threat to her, but Theon didn’t know about…
He turned back to his brother, finding him staring at her. Or more accurately, at her stomach. But even that wasn’t true. His gaze was bouncing from her stomach to her hand to his, as though he had just now noticed the Union Mark and ring on Axel’s hand.
“Kat…” Theon started, but he trailed off, swallowing thickly.
“Hello, Theon,” she said, the edge gone from her voice and a softness to it that had Axel raising a brow. She’d told him she had spent hours researching beside Theon these past months, but apparently they’d also become…friends.
Theon shifted on his feet, and that had Axel even more surprised. He’d never seen his brother be anything but the in-control, emotionless, and calculating Arius Heir. Except when it came to Tessa, but that was an entirely different matter.
“You’re… The two of you are?—”
Theon had taken a step towards Kat, but he stilled, going silent when Axel moved in front of her. Emerald eyes met his, and there was something there that Axel had never once seen in all his years.
“Don’t look at me like you’re hurt,” he spat at Theon. “You just told me you willingly sacrificed this realm. You think I will let you near my wife and unborn child?”
Theon said nothing. He only stared back at him for a long moment before taking a step back, creating more distance between them.
Tension filled the space, thick and heavy, until Katya was the one to break it.
“Theon isn’t going to hurt us, Axel,” she said softly, her hand brushing down his arm.
Her mere touch was everything. Gods, he missed her, but he was as big a danger to her as Theon was.
He stiffened at the thought and heard her sigh as her hand fell away.
“Since you’re here,” she said, stepping to the side so she could peer around him and see Theon. “We were discussing a problem?—”
“Enough, Kat,” Axel interjected.
“No,” she snapped. “You need help, and this is what a relationship is, Axel. Helping each other.”
“What’s wrong?” Theon asked, new concern filling his features.
“Nothing that will matter when the world ends,” Axel retorted.
Kat swatted his arm. “Stop being petulant,” she chided.
She stepped closer to his side, and a low growl rumbled from his chest as he glared at his brother.
Theon arched a brow at the warning. “I was under the impression that the twin flame bond would no longer exist once…”
“Once I turned into a vampyre?” Axel finished for him.
“Well, yeah,” he admitted, pulling on the back of his neck as he studied him with new interest.
“It doesn’t,” Axel said harshly. “We lost that, but we chose each other anyway.”
“I see,” Theon said, waiting for one of them to go on.
