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Coen must have been expecting the reaction because, without skipping a beat, and while the rest of us are still staring shocked at Kylen’s actions, Coen dives over the side of the cliff after Fetrick.

I don’t even bother to control my reaction as we all rush to the edge to look over, and see if they’ve survived the fall. My eyebrows rise as I see Coen, his sword jammed into the rocky side of the cliff, as he holds onto it with one hand, and Fetrick with the other.

“What the fuck are you playing at!” Rupert explodes at Kylen.

Kylen just smirks and shrugs, like it’s not a big deal. He really doesn’t care that he nearly killed a teammate, and it would have been death. The drop is far too far, and despite what was suggested earlier the water is definitely deep, really fucking deep from what I can tell. I’m pretty sure that if Kylen hadn’t thrown Fetrick off the fucking cliff, Evander would have been able to tell everyone that it’s really deep.

Coen

“Are you hurt?” I ask Fetrick.

“No,” he replies, sounding shaken up, which is more than understandable since his leader just pushed him off a fucking cliff.

“Okay, I’m going to swing you close to the cliffside, just like last time. I won’t let go until you’ve got a good grip and can go up by yourself, okay?”

“Got it,” Fetrick replies.

Fortunately for both of us, he manages to grab hold of the wall on the first try.

I shift my claws and dig them deep into the rock, before I pull out my sword and put it in the harness on my back. As I begin to climb though, his quiet voice stops me.

“Thank you for saving me again,” he says barely above a whisper. Most likely worried that Kylen is going to hear.

His words surprise me, so my only reply is to nod and begin climbing again.

“It’s a ring,” he says, somehow even quieter, and stops climbing as I glance over at him in confusion.

I can hear Rupert and Kylen screaming at each other, and while I’m aware that they need to shut the fuck up before they bring unwanted attention to us, it means that they are less likely to be aware of what is happening down here, especially since I can’t see Jamie, which means he’s most like watching the drama unfold.

“What’s a ring?” I ask, as equally quietly.

It’s silent for a moment, and I contemplate starting to move again. It’s rare that he ever speaks to me, keeping to himself as much as I do really, when I can get away with it. Just as I think that he’s not going to reply, even though he’s still hanging there and not climbing any higher, he finally speaks.

“You have a necklace, I have a ring,” he replies.

It instantly clicks, and shock floods through my system. I had absolutely no idea that he was being controlled in the same way that I am. He’s been with Kylen from the first year at the academy. They’ve been together since the second day at the academy. I think they were roommates.

“Fuck,” I reply, remembering at the last minute to keep my voice quiet. We begin climbing. I don’t want anyone to get suspicious. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

The look that Fetrick gives me shows a spark of amusement, and I realize that I haven’t seen that look very often. I knew that Kylen had something over the others, but I had no idea that he was being controlled by him like I am. Now that I’m thinking about it though, it does explain why his personality has seemed to clash at times. He’s always been the one who was the nicest to me.

“One, I haven’t been able to speak about it before now. I don’t know why I can now, and two, I helped to,” he pauses before he finishes his sentence, his eyes clouding with regret and anger.

I remember that we’re being filmed, hopefully everyone is focused on what’s happening up top, but either way, he has been really careful about how he’s wording what he’s saying. I also realize that he’s referring to the fact that he’s been present and joined in on the torture sessions that Kylen likes to give me.

I study his expression, he’s pissed and grimacing, to be honest he looks disgusted and that’s not the face of someone who wanted to take part in that kind of thing.

“Huh, well, at least you didn’t want to. Besides, if he told you to, then you had no choice. I get that more than anyone,” I say.

“Seriously?” he asks in shock.

I just shrug, we’re getting closer to the top now, and I want to know one more thing, “Are the others as well?”

Fetrick shakes his head, “Nope, just us.”

I nod.

I want to ask questions, like how, and has he been controlled right from the beginning, and all of that, but I can’t do that not right now, not without risking being heard by the rest of the Draconian team, or all of the supernaturals watching.