Page 23 of Twisted Souls (Twisted Souls #1)

Xavier

The stone corridor loomed before me, damp and dark, the faint drip of water echoing off the walls as I descended the winding stairway to the dungeons. The cold air clung to my skin, heavy with the smell of mildew.

Much to Aria’s annoyance, I hadn’t been down to see him all week. She's been itching to talk to him, but I wouldn’t let anyone near him until I'd spoken to him first.

The truth was, my fury had been too raw, too unstable to face my brother. I needed time—to make sure Zara was alright, to hear her side of what happened before I confronted him.

The memory of that night haunted me. Julian and Gunnar had still been in my room when Jaxon appeared, clutching Zara’s limp form. Blood had soaked her shoulder, pouring through his fingers like sand. I had ripped her away from him in a blind panic, and Julian and Gunnar had taken her swiftly, working to heal her while I stood by, never leaving her side.

Jaxon had been injured also, though nowhere near as gravely. His face was pale, his eyes hollow, and when he finally spoke, his voice had been barely more than a whisper. “Morgana,” he had said, his expression one of defeat, like a bird too wounded to fly.

But even then, my rage wouldn’t allow me to feel pity for him. I hadn’t wanted to see the remorse… the regret in his eyes, and I had shadowed him down here without thought.

Julian had looked in on him and his injury, gathering the information we needed on what had happened, but the thought of losing Zara—of losing Jaxon—to her , twisted something deep inside me. I had already lost enough loved ones because of her .

Reckless. The word echoed through my mind as I descended deeper, my boots clicking against the damp stone floor.

The air was thick with silence, save for the rhythmic sound of my steps, until I reached a heavy wooden door. Its hinges protested with a shrill creak, and the bottom scraped against the stone floor. We hadn’t had prisoners down here since the war, but memories of us playing down here as kids tugged at the edges of my mind.

I passed rows of barred cells, each one more shadowed and foreboding than the last until I finally reached his cell.

“Brother,” Jaxon’s voice echoed from the dark recess of the cell. His figure was barely visible, hidden among the shadows, until he stepped forward, his golden eyes meeting mine.

“You know,” I said, letting out a cold and hollow laugh, “I thought I was ready to talk to you, but I can’t even stand the sight of you.” My voice cut through the silence like a blade, and I turned away from him, fists clenched at my sides.

“Xavier, please,” Jaxon’s voice cracked, fragile and pleading.

I paused, turning back around to face him.

“Zara… is she…” His words faltered, but I knew what he was asking.

“She’s alive. No thanks to you,” I growled, my words harsher than I meant, but the anger burned too brightly to care. Jaxon recoiled, retreating further into the dark corners of the cell, where the shadows seemed to curl around him protectively. My gaze drifted downward, catching sight of his clothes—torn and dirty.

I glanced toward the corner of the cell, where the clean clothes Julian had brought remained untouched, folded neatly beside trays of uneaten food. “You need to eat and put on proper clothes,” I snapped, my voice a cold command.

“I'm a dead man anyway; what does it matter?” Jaxon muttered, his shoulders slumping, the exhaustion etched into every line of his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. “But she’s alright? Zara is safe?” His voice cracked as he rubbed his face with trembling hands. “I need to see her, please,” he begged, dropping to his knees in front of me.

My brows furrowed, and I almost felt bad for him—almost. But he did this to himself. I was unable to hide the contempt twisting across my features. “Your soul is twisted, brother.”

“Please,” Jaxon repeated, his voice ragged as he clutched the barbed bars of his cell, the metal digging into his palms as blood began to seep from the cuts. “I just need to see her.”

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to an icy whisper. “You feel it, don’t you?”

Jaxon’s grip tightened on the bars. “She is my mate,” he breathed, the words barely audible, more a plea than a statement. “Please.”

I shook my head slowly, a bitter weight settling in my chest. “Again, your soul is twisted, brother. It is not your soul that calls out for her,” I said firmly, but my words seemed to drift past him.

“She’s my mate,” Jaxon breathed again, his eyes distant.

“No, brother. She’s MINE ,” I growled, my voice rising with an intensity I couldn’t contain. The declaration felt final, absolute, and I watched as anger, pain, confusion, and then understanding flickered across his face.

“She’s mine,” I repeated, softer this time, the words carrying a possessiveness I couldn’t shake. Jaxon’s face crumbled, devastated, and I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. I turned my face away, my gaze sweeping down the long, empty hallway.

“Although I think you deserve it, I won't keep you in this cell.”

I turned back to face him, my words echoing in the cold, silent space, but Jaxon didn’t respond. He remained kneeling, gripping the bars with white-knuckled hands, his head hanging low in defeat.

“You are spelled to remain inside the castle,” I continued, but my stomach twisted at seeing my brother like this. “We will leave for Niverrian when Zara is fully healed to fix what you’ve done,” I snapped, turning on my heel and walking away.

I didn’t stop until I reached the heavy wooden door at the end of the hall, and only then did I release the lock on my brother’s cell. The faint click reverberated through the dungeon, followed by continued silence. “Do what you must,” I added, my voice low and strained. “But don’t let her see you like this.”

With a final glance back, I shadowed away, leaving my brother alone in the dark.

*

Laughter floated down the hall as I neared the door to my room, and the sound warmed something in my chest.

Dedra stood outside sulking, but she was positioned like she was guarding the door rather than not wanting to enter.

I smiled softly as I took in her stubborn expression. “Dedra,” I called as I approached. “Is everything alright?”

She straightened as she met my gaze, and her scowl twisted into a faint smile. “Everything is fine,” Dedra said with a weary sigh. “I just came from Aria’s room. She’s in quite a state—she wants to return to Territan but won’t leave until she’s spoken to Jaxon. She’s acting like I can do something about it.” Dedra scoffed, giving the air a dismissive kick with her toe. “You might have another enemy to face if you don’t let her see him soon,” she said, meeting my gaze with a knowing smirk.

I gave a curt nod in response, and Dedra raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re going to have to let her see him at some point, you know.”

“I just released him,” I replied, rubbing my face with my hands. “She can go see him now; she needs to get back to her territory.”

Dedra’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I admitted, slumping against the wall beside her. “This war is bigger than his crimes. As terrible as those crimes are, we now know Morgana is still alive. Which has now given us an advantage in a war that would have blindsided us, but he also created so many more problems in the process.”

Dedra nudged my shoulder. And I met her warm brown eyes. “We all know he is an idiot,” she said with a smirk, and I let out a sharp laugh. “But you’re right. Morgana is out there, and the realm is open. Until he can give you your magic back, we will need him more than ever to help stop her. He has the intel we need about the human realm and on her. We need to focus on one problem at a time,” she said, giving me another nudge with her shoulder.

I let out a long sigh, not bothering to respond.

“I’ll get Aria and keep you informed on how it goes,” Dedra said, leaning off the wall and turning away with a determined stride down the hall. She flicked her hand in the air in farewell and turned, disappearing around the corner.

I stayed outside the door, listening to Zara’s laughter—my mates' laughter.

I had sensed something when she had fallen into my tent, though I wasn’t quite sure what the feeling had been at the time. But when she and Jaxon had appeared in that ballroom, and I had caught her scent on him…I had known instantly. Something primal roaring in the very essence of who I was.

My mate.

I doubted she knew what a mate was or understood what she was feeling, especially given the entanglement of my soul with Jaxon’s and their now-shared history.

Just the thought of it twisted something dark and violent inside me, and I let out a growl of frustration. The power he now wielded must be clouding his senses. It was the only explanation for this and his inability to detect Morgana, who had been right under his nose the entire time. He should have been able to sense her.

I growled low in my throat again at the knowledge and shook my head. One problem at a time.

I swung open the door to find Zara surrounded by Julian and Theo. They were still chuckling at whatever they were talking about, but they all seemed to fall silent as I entered the room.

Zara's gaze dropped to her hands, which were nervously wringing in her lap.

“I’ll be back later to check your injuries,” Julian said with a smirk, grabbing Theo by the arm and towing him toward the door.

“Let go of me, you ass; I know how to walk,” Theo retorted, yanking his arm free. He flashed me a playful grin. “Your Majesty,” he said, bowing dramatically.

I responded with a swift kick to his shin. Theo yelped, clutching his leg and hopping on one foot, his face a mask of exaggerated pain. Zara’s muffled laughter filled the room, and Theo winked at her before exiting with Julian, who struggled to suppress a grin of his own.

“You’re in better spirits,” I said, approaching her bed and taking a seat in the chair beside it.

Zara’s lips curled into a small, fleeting smile. “I like your friends,” she murmured. But her smile vanished as she met my gaze, causing a pang of disappointment in my chest.

“I want to see Jaxon,” she said, her voice steady but firm.

I looked away from her. There was no avoiding it, but I didn’t want her to see him, not like that, not after what I had just revealed to him. Her gaze sharpened, and it did something to my heart. It twisted in my chest, and she scrunched her brows as if she could feel it, too.

“I want to see Jaxon,” she repeated, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. I reached out, gently guiding her legs back under the blankets.

“Not tonight. He needs his rest,” I said lamely, but her eyes softened at whatever truth she was reading on my face. “Now that we know Morgana is alive, we need to arrange a meeting with her to try to broker peace between our people.”

Zara’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “You’re inviting her here?!” Her voice nearly broke into a shout, panic flickering across her face.

“No, not here,” I clarified quickly. “It would be somewhere neutralandinvolve a magical bargain between all parties. If accepted, no one will be able to harm the other. This ensures that neither side is at risk during our discussions. The bargain would only end once each party returned to their territories. If someone were to break the bargain, the magic would ensure their death.”

Zara stared at me, her disbelief and awe evident. “And how are you going to reach out to my mother…” She winced at her own words. “I mean Morgana.”

“I was hoping you would be able to help with that,” I said, but her face started to drain of color. I quickly rushed to clarify. “Not in the way you’re thinking. You can shadow across long distances, which means you can also send objects, like a letter, with your magic. I can teach you.”

Her panic spiked, and she bit out, “I can't control it. If I take off the charm, I might vanish. I might end up back with her.”

I could hear the rapid thudding of her heart. And I cursed myself for causing her this much fear. “That won't happen,” I reassured her.

“How can you be so sure? I couldn’t control it before. What makes you think I can now?” Frustration edged her voice.

“Because your magic was—” I started, then hesitated, the words catching in my throat. Admitting what I knew felt too raw. Coward, I thought bitterly. “Because, Zara,” I continued, forcing my voice to remain calm, “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. You have to trust me. Jaxon will tell you the same—”

“Trust you?” She cut me off with a bitter laugh. “The person who threatens me, drugs me, and imprisons me? How can I trust you?!” she shouted, slamming her fists onto the bed.

Her anger was palpable, and I stood from my chair, unable to stop myself. “But you can trust Jaxon?” I retorted, my voice edged with dark humor. “The man who hid his true identity from you? Who put your realm and your people at risk?” I shouted back, the tension between us crackling in the air. “You fell into my life, not the other way around,” I growled, the annoyance and hurt in my voice raw and unrestrained.

She swung out of the bed and stood in front of me, her face inches from mine. Her finger jabbed into my chest, and her eyes blazed fiercely. “At least he did something about it.” She bit out. “At least Jaxon sought the truth instead of ignoring it!” She let out another bitter laugh. “If he hadn’t opened the door and done all this, what would have happened to me? To my people? Morgana would still have been a threat, but one you wouldn’t have seen coming.”

Her finger jabbed into my chest again. “You should be thanking Jaxon for finding out the truth. Now, maybe you’ll have a chance of saving two realms instead of one.” Her finger jabbed into my chest one final time, and it took everything in my power not to reach out and grab her.

“I am grateful for the realm opening, but not for the reasons you think.” My voice was cold, each word measured. “The chance of Morgana breaking through or bringing someone with her was slim. But now, with the door open, she has an entire human army to back her, along with the witches. Who, by the way, feed on blood, and who your people will be defenseless against. Your friends and family will be caught in a war because of my brother's actions, and many of them are going to die. So—” I reached out, gripping her wrist firmly, and with a deliberate push, I sent her tumbling backward onto the bed.

Her eyes widened, and a flash of surprise crossed her expression as she landed on her back.

I leaned over her, my hands landing on either side of her face as a dark laugh escaped my lips. “Don’t be confused about who’s to blame here,” I growled, my teeth bared. Her eyes blazed with fiery defiance, and I pushed away, standing tall, as I looked down at her on the bed. “Save your breath, Princess . I’ll bring you your prince you so desperately desire,” I barked and stormed from the room, leaving my mate glaring after me with nothing but hate in her eyes.