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I need it out.

This pain—this poison flooding my system.

Landers moved in front of me with one quick step, blocking the man’s line of sight as a snarl erupted from his lungs. “You are supposed to be dead, Cain.”

“Ahh, but alas, I am not. I do thank you, though, for freeing me—for bringing me mymate.”

Landers moved toward Cain with such rapid speed as the word fell from his mouth that I could feel the air vibrate where he’d been standing. A roar flung itself from his mouth as his sword cut through the air, the sound of steel hitting steel ringing through the valley as it collided with Cain’s.

Cain chuckled as they began to circle each other with slow, threatening movements. “Jealous are we, little brother?”

Violet magic began to crackle between Landers’s fingertips, snaking its way up his blade and sparking against the metal. Dukovich lowered himself behind me as another scream tore from my lungs and he slipped his hands underneath my arms. He pulled me back against him, dragging me to my feet as he whispered in my ear.

“Breathe, Hyacinth. The pain will dim if you stop resisting the bond.”

My head twisted toward him, pain contorting my features.

“I’m not bonding with him.I can’t bond with him.Landers . . . Landers is my mate. He’s my person. I . . . I can’t.” The words came out in a frantic stream as I clung to Dukovich’s arm to keep my legs from giving out again.

“The mating bond is not a choice, Hyacinth. The pain will only grow the more you resist it. You need to let it in before the Fallen Ones step from that opening,” Dukovich said, the words sharp and commanding as my eyes flickered to Landers.

His skin was . . .glowing.

No, it wasn’t a glow—it was a reflection. A reflection of the sun shimmering off the scales that were slowly breaking through the surface of his flesh. A scream left my lungs as their swords slammed together, magic exploding from the connection with such force that we were thrown backwards.

My body flew through the air and I yelped out in pain as my back connected with sharp rock. A ringing sang between my ears as I gasped for breath, my body pulsing with adrenaline and pain as I frantically pushed myself from the ground.

They were going to kill us before the Fallen Ones even had a chance to wake.

I took in a heavy breath, closing my eyes and slowing my breathing as I let the pain consume me.

It only took a second, one fleeting moment for the bond to snap into place.

My eyes shot open, the pain dissipating from my limbs as my gaze locked onto Cain from across the clearing. I could see the gasp that left his lips as his hand flew up to his chest.

It was as if the world had halted as he slowly dragged his eyes toward me and grinned.

“Enough!” I snarled, taking a step toward them.

Landers’s head twisted toward me and I could see pain and fury flashing in his eyes as he realized what I had done—the bond I had accepted. Cain took a step toward me and I threw my hand up, shadows flowing from my palm and wrapping around his limbs to keep him in place. His eyes momentarily widened before, slipping back into his arrogant gaze.

“Who are you? How did you get inside that tomb?” I growled the questions as I prowled to Landers’s side, leaving no question as to where my loyalty fell.

No mating bond would rip me from him.

“How rude of me,” he said, placing a hand over his heart as he bowed in mockery. “My name is Cain, and I am Landers’s older brother. And as for how I am here, you do not need to know that—yet.” Landers’s hand fell to the small of my back at his words, the pressure there tense, ready to pull me away from him.

I had never heard Landers speak of any other siblings. But if I had passed him on the streets of Nethkar, if I had seen him out in the world, there would be no mistaking their relation.

The resemblance between them was striking. Landers stood a few inches taller, but they had the same build, the same sharp jawline. Cain’s hair was longer, streaked with silver and slicked back but it was their eyes—the eyes that were so incredibly opposite. Cain’s were the darkest black I had ever seen, as if I was looking into a black hole that threatened to consume everything they fell on.

“Half brother,” Landers hissed, the sound snapping me out of my thoughts as I looked between them. “Something so vile could never come from my mother.”

Cain rolled his eyes, groaning in annoyance at Landers’s words. “The bitch has been dead for centuries; you really should stop clinging to her.”

I could feel the hatred pulsing underneath Landers’s skin as I slid my fingers around his wrist.

“Neverspeak of her again.” There was a threat braided into Landers’s words and it hung between us as Cain smirked.