Page 46 of Blood and Thorns (Twisted Ever After #1)

Sebastian

I couldn’t relieve the pressure on my chest, the nurses shouting as I ran through the corridors as fast I could move.

I’d never felt panic like when Caden had called.

His voice had been tight, urgent, barely holding it together as he’d explained what had happened.

By the time I’d hung up, the ambulance had already arrived, and I diverted towards the hospital.

I couldn’t lose Langdon. Not when he’d been with me through every dark corner of my life, and I sure as hell couldn’t lose Arabella. Not now. Not yet.

She didn’t have my fucking permission to leave.

I quickly located the room, Arabella immediately jumping to stand from where she’d been perched on Langdon’s hospital bed, and just like that the crushing weight in my chest eased. My lungs able to take in a breath at seeing her unharmed.

“Are you okay?” I asked, already crossing the space so I could just touch her. Reassure myself that she was here. That she was whole.

“Langdon’s fine,” she whispered as I smeared my thumb through the soot on her cheek. “There was an explosion, but he’s okay.”

It took me a moment to realise I’d barely given Langdon a glance, my concentration on her. “I was asking about you.”

Her brows drew together, a flicker of confusion crossing her face at the weight of my concern. “I’m okay,” she said softly, like she wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to me. But it did. She did.

I’d already been informed about the restaurant, but I didn’t give a shit about the loss of my powder.

It was replaceable, whereas Lang and Arabella were not.

I finally tore my attention away to check on my longest friend, who was much cleaner and had a small cut across his cheek, as well as a fresh black eye.

“Your girl has a nasty right hook,” he signed, winking at me before wincing.

I checked her hands, finding her right red and swollen.

“It’s not broken,” she explained, wincing slightly. “I’ve already been checked. It’s just bruised.”

“Remind me to teach you how to throw a punch,” I muttered.

She laughed, the sound huskier than normal. Scratchier, and that pressure renewed beneath my ribs, but it was no longer just panic. It was something else.

Something just as crushing.

Just as consuming.

“Bas?”

I turned towards Caden, reluctantly dropping Arabella’s hand. “How bad?” I asked, finding she’d returned to sitting on Langdon’s bed.

“It’s gutted.”

I nodded, expecting as much.

“Then there’s this.” Caden threw something on the table, and Lang stiffened, his eyes glazing as he recognised one of his lighters. It was slightly warped, the gold tarnished. “A firefighter found it tossed where they suspect the fire started.”

“Langdon didn’t do this,” Arabella commented, her chin lifting as she glared at Caden. “I was with him.”

“We know,” Caden said without hesitation. “Someone is going out of their way to frame him.”

I grunted, watching Langdon as he began to dissociate. Arabella placed her hand on his arm, talking quietly as he stared blankly at the lighter.

“Was anyone hurt?” I asked Caden, who was watching Arabella try and bring Lang back with an unreadable expression.

“One of the runners was killed in the initial explosion, and Mrs Zhao has sustained some serious injuries. She’s currently in surgery.”

“She going to survive?”

He shook his head slightly. “They’re not sure.”

I nodded once, forcing a slow breath into my lungs to keep the pressure from tightening further across my chest. “Make sure the deceased’s family gets a generous condolence package, and let Feng know we will cover everything until she recovers.”

Caden agreed, exhaustion lining his face. “If Ara hadn’t been there…” he hesitated, swallowing. “We could’ve lost him, Bas.”

I didn’t reply, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility. “When’s the next fight?” I asked instead, knowing Lang would need a different way to anchor himself to reality rather than flames and destruction.

“In a couple nights, why?”

“Put him down.”

Caden nodded. “I’ve already called in a private team to investigate the incident,” he continued quietly. “Feng mentioned a ticking noise before the explosion. He said he also heard a second bang but was already outside at that point.”

A whistle, Langdon lifting his hands to sign. “It was a bomb?”

When Arabella turned with a frown, I translated.

“So, it planned to go off for when Langdon arrived?” Her eyes widened, horrified.

“We don’t know yet,” Caden said quickly, clearly only just realising the possibility. “Langdon wasn’t even supposed to be there. I was.”

“Make sure they prioritise this investigation,” I growled. “We need to know who the fuck was able to get in and plant those explosives.”

“And what?” Arabella asked, her tone uncharacteristically harsh. “Kill them?”

I moved closer, cupping her jaw when she tilted her chin up to look at me. Even as she glared, I took my time to let my eyes trace over her, grounding myself in the fact that she was okay.

“Does it bother you?” I finally asked.

She swallowed, her eyes searching mine. “I… I don’t know.”

“Tell me, what would you do?” Her lips parted to answer, but there was no reply. “There’s no mercy here, Ara. They made that choice when they attacked. That bomb killed one of mine, maybe more. Do they not deserve justice?”

“Justice is not the same as vengeance,” she whispered, fear a fine thread through her words. “You’ll start a war.”

I wanted to laugh, but found the sound stuck in my throat. “ My beautiful little rabbit, the war has already begun.”