Page 14 of Broken Shadows (Corrupt Shadows Duet #2)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lorcan

Ezra and I whip our heads to the right and lurch toward the window on the back wall. Two tandem shadows give chase, but mine is faster.

Glass splinters, a web of fine cracks spreading from the point of impact, as I spear a shadow through the window and around Gideon's wrist. Ezra’s shadow joins mine and secures both his wrists at Gideons lower back. A crack sounds under my heal as my boot connects with his ribs, then wrap another shadow around his throat. Gideon’s shadows lash out but it’s too late. He grunts and curses as Ezra and I drag him through the jagged maw of glass between lines of tracery. Blue demon blood splatters the dark velvet drapes.

“Hey Lor, want to redecorate?”

“Not. Fucking. Following.” I pant as Gideon wrestles with our shadows.

Ezra nods to the drapes. “New pattern, I call it Blood Motif at Sunset.” He grins and his pale green eyes twinkle, the madness behind them trickling through, then sighs. “So pretty.”

The air punches from my lungs as I barely miss grabbing Gideon and his booted foot lands against my stomach. I watch temporarily stunned as my brother, the King of War, spins from my path mid-air, then connects his fist with Ezra's face in three quick jabs. Unfortunately for Gideon, Ezra has his unhinged side in his favor. He leans into the blows, allowing his face to become the canvas of a grotesque abstract painting. Ezra laughs like a maniac. I gasp in a breath, before jumping on top of Ezra and Gideon. At this point, I don't give a fuck which one my elbow comes in contact with. They're both assholes.

Shadows cloud around us thickly. Although I can no longer see which body is Gideon’s, I tear into flesh with my serrated teeth while stabbing my claws into anything but myself. I will more shadows to join the fight as someone yanks on my hair. Pain radiates from my jaw to my temple as something cracks the bone.

I lash out blindly, no longer able to discern whose shadows belong to whom. Gideon is a fierce fighter, no doubt a result of endless battles in Hell honing his skills, but I’m sure he never anticipated Ezra and I capable of working as a team.

I tense as agony radiates from multiple wounds, every inch of my skin absorbing inhuman blows from every angle. Shit. My eyes close as I block everything out and search my mind for my brotherly bond with Ezra. I find it, then rocket down its length and spear into his mind. As I roar, someone's body jerks in the fucked up doggy pile.

This fight will continue unless we do something about it.

And how do you think we should do that? Ezra replies.

Ez, fucking focus. Shake off the blood lust and tell me when I find you. I search through the tangle of limbs and other body parts until my fingers find a face in the impenetrable darkness within the shadows, then hammer my fist into the nose.

Jesus fuck, Ezra grows into my mind. Yep, you found me. Great job.

My laughter swells into his mind. Now that’s established, use your shadows to bind his legs together and I'll use mine to capture his arms and torso. We keep piling on layers of shadow ropes until he can't move.

Agreed, he growls.

My claws sink into Ezra’s face, and he hisses. What? It would be a shame to lose you in the melee. With my free hand, my shadows and I work together to locate Gideon. A tendril of shadow finds Gideon’s neck and squeezes until pleasing rasping breaths issue close by. Some of the other’s shadows clear and I catch a glimpse of Ezra curling into himself as Gideon knees him in the balls, heedless of his twin choking him. Ezra laughs, then jabs his thumbs into Gideon’s eye sockets while his and my shadows dip and weave around our errant brother. A grunt rushes out of me as Gideon writhes, testing the strength of my onyx ropes, then stills abruptly. The remaining shadows dissipate, and I aim a glare at Gideon.

Ezra pants, then shakes out his arms and bounces on the balls of his feet. “That was over too soon. Wanna go again?” he asks me, the five perfect lacerations on his face from my claws quickly healing as he speaks.

I shake my head, then stand.

“Look at us, working together and shit.” Ezra’s arms raise, then spread. “Celebratory hug?”

My palm skims the back of his head with a crack.

“That was uncalled for,” Ezra says with mock outrage, rubbing his skull. “Asshole.”

I clap him on the shoulder, then immediately go to my witch. Evie smirks as I cup her cheek with a bloody hand. “Now, where were we?”

Evie laughs, a brilliant smile blooming brightly across her face and finally meeting her eyes. There’s my girl. “That was actually entertaining,” Evie says. My heart gallops as a rare, true grin spreads across my face, mirroring her own. If pummeling my brothers makes her this happy, I’ll gladly do it as often as she pleases.

“Damn, Gid. You’ve got yourself into quite the fuckity-fuck of a situation,” Ezra says to his twin.

My hand slowly lifts from Evie’s face, blood smearing down her cheek, then intertwines with one of her hands, my thumb stroking the lush purple rose magically tattooed on the back of it. I angle myself toward Ezra, my brows tilting down. “But more than that,” I pause, raise our clasped hands and kiss the back of hers, then unravel our fingers, “it was suspiciously sloppy.” My boots thump against the floor as I stalk back to Gideon with a measured gate. “How does the King of War get caught?”

Gideon’s face remains impassive. “Maybe that was my intention,” he conveys flatly, like he murdered the emotion in his words before they could form. Damn, I forgot how ragged Gideon’s voice is, shouting orders to his troops daily for centuries rendering his vocal cords permanently damaged.

Suspicion thickens heavily in the air with Gideon’s statement. Then from one blink to the next, quicker that even my demon eyes can track, Gideon tears through his shadow binds and rolls into the shadow behind the couch. My heart takes flight and lodges into my throat as the King of War exits a shadow cast by one of the high back chairs angled toward the couch like bookends—directly in front of Rosa. Fuck. Her shrill scream grates on my eardrums as Gideon grabs Rosa and captures her against his front.

Gideon chuckles. “Did you really think me, of all people, would make a novice mistake like allowing you fools to detect me?”

Out of my peripheral, Ezra’s body shakes violently in direct contrast to the smooth cadence of his twin’s words, seeming to almost blur in and out of focus. I glanced at him, then tense.

He's about to go full beast mode.

Gideon winks at Ezra as he presses his sharp claws over Rosa’s heart, then Ezra simply disappears. I track the slight distortion in the air marking his movements. Although, Ezra’s King of Monsters powers allow him to seamlessly cloak himself like a chameleon. Those abilities, combined with his demonic speed, are essentially akin to teleportation to the untrained eye.

Gideon roars as Ezra reappears behind him and rips the arm crossing over Rosa’s chest clean from the shoulder joint. Ezra lets out a bestial growl and tosses the offending appendage. Aiden’s head as he screams as it flies over his head and curls into a ball on the other end of the couch. Gideon levels his eyes on Aiden and tilts his head to the side, all his attention zeroing in on him like his shoulder isn’t spirting blood all over the living room. Gideon’s eyes blink once slowly, then he spins, drops to the ground, and kicks out all in one move, catching Ezra hard in the kneecaps with the momentum of his descent.

This is getting out of fucking hand. I shake out of the trance their fight compels and cross to Evie. I wrap my arms around her waist and drag her farther away from my dueling brothers.

“Wait!” she shouts, then reaches for Rosa’s hand and pulls her along with us.

Ezra’s body swiftly swells as he wills his King of Monsters powers to rise and blend with his demonic form.

Evie inhales sharply while my eyes widen when a palpable tension brackets the silence, the chiaroscuro of my brother’s ominous shadow spilling across half the room. Blue horns rise from just within his hairline, curving up and back in an arc akin to a giant sable antelope’s as he continues to grow at least a foot taller. Flames rise higher in the hearth, sparks crackling loudly as if in celebration of the bloodshed, casting an eerie tangerine glow on the twins’ profile. Soft looking, black fur sprouts from the back of his hands and wrists, while navy-blue spots appear on the pelt, their pattern an organized chaos of magnificence. The fur spreads up his arms, over his shoulders, and onto his chest, slowly decreasing in length and volume as it grows into barely visible fine hairs along his abdomen. He bounces his weight from foot to foot and cranes his neck to the side as if to alleviate the strain from shifting.

While Gideon operates on strategies and carefully choreographed plans, Ezra relies on his unhinged nature and the numerous monster forms he houses in his arsenal.

“Are you finished?” Gideon growls.

“Not even fucking close,” Ezra snaps through serrated teeth and unsheathes the dagger strapped to his thigh. The weapon gleams in the firelight as Ezra angles the demonic blade along his forearm.

“Did I touch a nerve, Monster?” Gideon says, then bares his teeth in an aggressive display of emotion his twin easily provokes.

Shit. I reach for Ezra's mind only to come face-to-face with an impenetrable shield—a solid barrier of uncut black diamond. My brothers are the only beings able to block me out like this, Lucifer teaching all of us simple mind shielding as adolescents, but I sense madness swirling like a whirlpool behind the barrier. I slam a mental fist against it. Ezra, let me in . Ah, fuck. I brace myself as a furry, clawed, yet still skeletal hand spears over the wall, then flicks me out of his mind, while continually circling his twin.

Gideon chuckles darkly, nodding at Gomez who is hiding his face against Evie’s chest and my palm, his new plushy tucked securely under his wing. “I’m surprised you haven’t adopted the bat into your pack of rabid Hell monsters yet.” Gideon’s lips twitch downward. “Those mutts were always the most important things in your life. Weren’t they, Brother?”

I growl as my demonic powers creep from the depths of my magic. I might not like Fluffy Fucker, but no one threatens him but me. The air shimmers over Ezra like a second skin, then dissolves into nothingness as he uses Gideon’s lapse of concentration and cocky overconfidence to his advantage. I angle my head and track him through our brotherly bond. Ezra darts from one side of Gideon to the other in an irregular pattern as Gideon slowly turns in a tight circle.

“Don’t hide, Monster. We used to have so much fun together,” Gideon growls, then slashes the air with his claws. Ezra appears an inch away from his twin, towering over him. Ezra grunts but shoves forward as Gideon’s claws stab into his chest, however, he doesn’t seem to feel the pain.

My arms tighten around Evie and Gomez squeaks in protest as I watch my brothers, waiting for an opportunity to jump between them if necessary. The twins have always fought, but we always knew they never intended for death to end their games. This fight, however, is swiftly shifting to murderous territory.

Ezra shoves his body further onto Gideon’s claws, arcs his elbow to the side, then slashes the demonic blade across Gideon's throat. Navy blue blood pearls on Gideon’s skin in a thin line, then the tattoo of crossed swords inked onto his neck splits wide, a deluge of the thick liquid pouring onto his chest. Firelight flashes on the dripping dagger as Ezra flips the blade and grasps it upright in his palm, plunging it into Gideon’s gut. I wince as Gideon crumples to the floor before the hearth with a groan.

Fuck. It’ll take Gideon days to completely heal from those wounds.

He flashes a gruesome smile at Ezra, blood coating his gums and bubbling between his sharp demonic teeth as he coughs. “I've taught you well, Ez.” Pride threads through words before his eyes roll into the back of his head as he passes out.

My brows arch as Aiden’s head pops up from the circle of his arms like a turtle peeking from the shelter within its shell. “Shiiit. That was fucking terrifying,” he says, then gulps. “Is it over?”

I disregard his question and eye Ezra seriously, fine hairs raising all over my body. He looms over our unconscious brother, his chest rising and falling rapidly like bellows, one hand white knuckling the drenched demonic blade, the other clenching and unclenching into a fist, his claws repeatedly stabbing through his palm to the back of his hand. A dark puddle of blood blossoms underneath Gideon, viscous drops of the substance steadily feeding the pool from Ezra’s healing chest.

I open my mouth to speak, but Rosa steps away from Evie. “Ezra,” she calls softly. His pointed, softly furred ear twitches in response but he maintains his pose. “Ezra, I really am okay.”

“Human Rainbow,” I warn as she takes a step forward but jerks to a stop as Evie clamps onto her wrist with a shadow.

“Don't go near him. It's dangerous,” Evie implores, then swallows thickly. “We don't know if he's in his right mind yet.”

Rosa smiles gently at Evie, her eyes conveying a world of unspoken communication with her best friend. Her brown eyes flicker to me, then narrow as one of her brows lifts.

“Just let her go. She can make her own mistakes,” I say to Evie.

A shadow tears from Evie’s hands before I can process what’s happening and coils around my throat, my shadows stretching to their breaking point as she pulls me away. Fury whips down our bond as she states, “He’s your brother, you help him.”

I brush a kiss to Evie’s hair as she easily snaps my shadow binds, then I draw back. My eyes fly to her chest as Fluffy Fucker strokes his furry cheek against my hand.

My heart backflips, then my brows bunch together before the corners of my lips fall.

What.

The.

Fuck.

I yank my hand away, stepping to Evie’s side and secure her with my shadows. I use another shoot of shadow to encourage Evie’s to lift from Rosa’s wrist, her magic squirming in my grasp before it dissipates. “If Human Rainbow wants to try first, I’m not going to stop her. Ezra is more of an asshole than usual when coming down from blood lust and his shift. Plus, I’m fairly confident Ezra flipped the fuck out because Gideon threatened her.”

Rosa takes Evie in, her eyes softening. Nodding at me, she shakes out her trembling hands as she marches over to Ezra. She holds out a trembling hand palm up to my brother as she delicately steps over Gideon and places her spike heeled ankle boots into the pool of blood. “You got him. It’s okay,” Rosa assures quietly.

Ezra’s head slowly twists to the woman boldly standing before him and turns his unblinking black predatory stare on her. Rosa glides forward and places her hand on the center of his chest, seemingly no longer afraid of the monstrous demon she met in the compact mirror.

The room exhales as Ezra shifts from his unhinged state to his regular humanoid form, shrinking inches and collapsing his mass. He shakes his head aggressively, his sweat dampened hair lashing in all directions, then clears his throat. “Well, now that we’ve got him down. What do we do with him?”

And just like that, Ezra’s back to normal. Well, Ezra’s version of normal. I draw shadows over to Gideon and around his unconscious form. “These won’t last for long as you witnessed earlier,” I mention and run a hand through my tangled hair.

Evie steps several feet away from me, the death glare in her eyes promising retribution. “What if I spelled something to secure him with? They’ll be stronger than the temporary shadows, at least. Although, judging by the power he displayed, they likely won't hold for more than a couple of days.”

I sigh heavily. When will Evie understand that I don’t give a shit about anyone else but her? If her friend wants to throw herself at an enraged demon, that’s her choice. “That should work,” I grumble.

Rosa pats Ezra on the arm. “I've got just the thing.” She grins, then shines her amused expression on Evie. “I’ll be right back.”

I pace behind the couch, stopping at invisible markers like its muscle memory. A cold sweat dots my brow. That’s because it is muscle memory. I paced the exact length of my cage, its dimensions carved into my brain matter itself. Fuck, I utter internally and Evie’s attention flashes to me. Panic coalesces sharply in my gut, twisting my intestines in on themselves painfully as if Ezra stabbed me instead of Gideon. Did I accidentally send that thought down the bond?

Yes, you did , Evie replies softly. Are you okay?

Later. I inhale for three seconds and exhale for four, begging my mind to recenter itself on the present. We’ll talk later, I concede, then block my end of the bond, cutting off communication. Rosa jogs into the room, her tits nearly bouncing out of her shirt. Ezra moans audibly, eyes dilating as he tracks her.

Rosa winks at Ezra as he prowls toward her. She ignores my brother pressing against her back as she removes the strap of her leather backpack—I refuse to designate it as a godsdamn purse—from her shoulder and drops it onto the mahogany end table. The blue, purple, and gray stained-glass lamp shade shudders as its new burden jostles its base. My eyes narrow on the pair of them. Ezra inhales noisily at Rosa’s neck and her eyelids flitter briefly, then her stare hardens as if she’s slipping on a mask—a dominant one. Interesting. Rosa dips manicured fingers into her bag of tricks and removes a pair of baby pink…

Fluffy.

Fucking.

Handcuffs.

“You've got to be fucking with me,” I say, rubbing my temple, then stabbing a hand into my pocket in search of my cigarettes and lighter.

Rosa rolls her eyes and cocks her hip to the side, dangling the handcuffs from her fingertips. “I don’t give a shit if you like them or not, Lorcan. My good leather pair is at home,” Rosa claims, raising her chin. “A good sex therapist always has a pair handy for demonstration.”

Aiden laughs boisterously and finally uncurls his body from the floor.

Ezra crowds into her further and drapes his arms over her shoulders while rooting through her bag with curious tattooed fingers. I snort and shake my head as Rosa smacks the back of his hand. “Naughty demon.”

“Ouch,” Ezra says playfully, his voice husky. “Do you have any more of those bat snackies? They were fucking delicious.”

I shake my head and move over to Gideon. “I’ll take him up to one of the spare bedrooms,” I announce, then throw my brother over my shoulder and stalk from the room.