Page 25 of Twisted Souls (Twisted Souls #1)

Xavier

I shadowed away from Zara and reappeared back in Jaxon's room. The darkness was dense, almost tangible, but I knew every corner of this space by heart. My steps were soft as I moved, and I settled into one of the worn chairs in the far corner. The leather creaked under my weight, and Jaxon shifted on the bed.

Jaxon gave a barely audible sigh that told me he was aware I was there. He had been a mess; all my brother had ever wanted was a mate, and this twisting of our souls tricked him into believing he had finally found her. Except he had found mine instead.

I think that after all the betrayal he committed, it comforted him to know he had someone on his side, a mate. Someone who would truly understand him and stand by him. But to have that taken from him…I think he was punishing himself, and Zara in the process.

Today wasn’t the first fight he had picked with me, and despite how angry I was at him for what he had done, he was still my little brother. I would never cause any actual harm to him, and in time, I could forgive him, but he also had to forgive himself.

He had been depressed and holed up in his room, barely eating, drinking, bathing. The first few days, Aria had tended to him; he had allowed it until I think he snapped out of whatever daze he had been in and realized she was there. Realized who it was.

Aria didn’t deserve his anger, and she stormed from the castle soon after. We had taken shifts looking in on him since.

“Does she hate me?” Jaxon’s voice called out in the dark.

“She’s confused and hurt, but she does not hate you.” I sighed, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“She should.” His words were a bitter murmur as he shifted on the bed. “You all should.”

“You need to stop wallowing in self-pity, Jaxon,” I said gruffly. “Yes, you messed up. Yes, everyone is angry. But Zara doesn’t hate you, and Morgana is still out there. We need to start preparing.”

“She is out there because of me,” he whispered, his guilt coating his words.

“She was apparently always out there,” I shot back.

Jaxon didn’t respond, and I huffed in frustration. “Don’t leave your mess for others to clean up. Fight. You wanted to find her, you did, now do something about it.”

Jaxon flung himself out of his bed, power lighting up the room—my power. Jaxon grabbed his nightstand and threw it across the room, the wood splintering against the stone. I stayed in my chair, not rising or reacting to his tantrum. “I wanted to find our mother, not her,” he spat, and my chest tightened.

After centuries, a rumor sparked so much hope in my brother of our mother being alive that he had risked it all. My eyes softened as I looked at him.

“Do not pity me, brother,” Jaxon hissed angrily. “Nothing good has come from me helping. Nothing.”

“Are you done?” I said coolly, and Jaxon stood in front of me, breathing heavily with rage. “Your problem, brother, is that you did it alone. You aren’t alone anymore.”

Jaxon scoffed and started to turn away, but I stood abruptly, grabbing his throat. “Look at me!” I demanded my words, a guttural commanding growl. Jaxon flinched back, meeting my gaze.

“I could have let you rot in the dungeon; I could have killed you. I could have burned the entire fatesdammed realm down and dragged you straight to hell myself.” My grip on his throat tightened. “Do you know why I didn’t, Jaxon? Do you?!”

Jaxon stayed quiet, his eyes narrowing on me with malice. I threw him backward, and he stumbled from the force.

“You want to wallow? Do it after you help us take down the enemy. If you don’t care about your life, then care about theirs! The men, women, and children who will die if we don’t do something about it.” I shook my head at him in disappointment, but Jaxon only turned and went back to his bed. “You can’t hide in here forever, Jaxon.”

Silence.

“We are leaving for Niverrian tomorrow. You can come willingly, or I can drag you there myself. Whether you like it or not, you will fix this—all of this. You owe me that. You owe Zara that.”

More silence.

“I’ll see you at dawn.”

*

To my surprise, I found Jaxon dressed and seated at the dining table for breakfast when I came down. He had been at the farthest end of the table, facing away from everyone, but he was at least out of that damn room and eating—good.

Julian, Theo, and Dedra were at the table, but Zara still wasn’t down yet. They all were quiet, probably trying not to say the wrong thing to set Jaxon off. I took a deep breath before entering the room.

“Morning,” I greeted everyone, and everyone but Jaxon looked up at my approaching footsteps. I sat at the opposite end from my brother and piled my plate with food. Preparations had already been made for our journey, and everything was packed on our horses outside the gate.

I saw my brother go rigid, and I knew why a moment later.

Zara appeared at the door and froze at the entrance, her smile faltering as she spotted Jaxon at the end of the table. She stared at his back, and Jaxon squirmed in his chair.

Jealousy rose in my chest. He could sense her, knew when she was near. I pushed down my emotions as I often did and continued to eat.

Zara set her face in determination, raised her chin, and continued walking into the room. She had on a simple black and white dress that slit on the skirt on all four sides, allowing her to move her legs freely in any direction. I had Tia make it for her as I knew we could encounter trouble on the road, and I didn’t want something as foolish as an outfit to get her killed.

She wore her chestnut hair braided on either side of her head, which hung over her shoulders. Her blue eyes met mine, and I held her stare, not daring to look away. I would take anything she would give me, even if it were just her attention, however fleeting. Her cheeks seemed to flush, and she looked at Julian, who smiled at her from where he sat.

She sat in the chair beside me, still not saying a word, and started making herself a plate.

A piercing screech from the hall abruptly shattered the silence. We all turned to the door, including my brother, as a snowy white owl swooped into the room. With a graceful flutter, it landed on the table in front of me, its black-speckled feathers ruffling slightly.

Zara emitted a sharp, high-pitched cry that sent my heart leaping into my throat, and everyone instinctively reached for their weapons. “Is this your owl? Can I pet him?!” Zara asked, standing and hurrying to my side. Her eyes werewide with excitement as she stared at the messenger owl.

“Err—yes,” was all I managed to say before she lunged for it, her hand reaching out too quickly.

The owl screeched, its wings flaring as I yanked her hand back just in time, the bird snapping its beak dangerously close to her fingers.

“Watch it; you frightened him,” I said, feeling a familiar jolt shoot up my arm from the contact with her hand. She must have felt it, too, as her hand twitched in my grip, but she didn’t pull away. I slowly guided her hand back toward the owl, positioning it under its beak. She gently scratched its neck, and the owl relaxed once more, settling on the table. It extended one leg, and I found myself reluctant to let go of her hand.

I slowly withdrew my hand from hers and took the parchment from the owl’s leg. The owl, now content, leaned into Zara’s touch, and she looked as if she might burst with joy.

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and smile at her reaction. The owl chirped, hopped back, and then soared into the air.

Zara watched it intently, her eyes wide and a smile on her lips. She turned to me, her grin widening. “I’ve always wanted to see an owl up close. That was the best thing that has ever happened to me!” she squealed, throwing her arms around my neck in a spontaneous embrace. I went rigid, still seated and cursing myself for not being able to wrap her in my arms. I grinned back as she pulled away, and she returned to her seat at the table, still beaming.

My smile vanished instantly when I saw the wounded look on Jaxon’s face as he watched us from across the table, now fully turned in our direction. I refused to let his disapproval spoil the moment and ignored his piercing gaze as I unfolded the letter.

The handwriting was unmistakably my uncle’s, and I froze. I read the letter once, twice, then a third time. Flipping the page over, I found nothing more than a single cryptic sentence scrawled inside.

“What does it say?” Julian asked, rising from the table. I handed the letter to him as I stood up. Julian examined the page, his brows furrowing. “What does this mean?”

“I’m not sure,” I replied.

Jaxon stormed down the table and took the parchment. “I’m sorry for not telling you the truth,” he grumbled. “What truth?”

“I don’t know.”

Zara recoiled as Jaxon approached, and to my surprise, Dedra stood and positioned herself protectively in front of her. I glanced around at everyone; their eyes were fixed on me, waiting for an explanation.

“My uncle is now presumed to be their prisoner, and we have to assume they denied our request for a meeting. Our journey just became much more dangerous. We need to hurry.”