Shadows in the Silence
Page 29
Cadan held out an arm and his thin, elegant, rapierlike sword appeared out of a flash of light. Will tilted his head with a derisive smirk.
“Is that all you got?” he asked darkly and held out his own hand. The archangel sword, six feet in length, shimmered into existence.
Cadan’s sneer matched Will’s maliciousness. “Some might say you’re compensating for something.”
Will huffed. “Believe me. I’m not.”
“This is shockingly mature, you morons!” I yelled at them, but they ignored me.
Lauren held my arm tightly with both her hands, clinging to me in fear. I knew what she was thinking. The last fight that happened in this house had killed the man she loved. I was determined to end this before someone really got hurt.
With a roar of rage, Will swung his sword as hard as he could and cut Cadan’s blade in half with a shriek of metal. The tip of Cadan’s sword helicoptered through the air and he took a single step back in shock. Will relinquished his blade and lunged for Cadan. Will grabbed two fistfuls of Cadan’s collar and picked him up off his feet before slamming his back into the ground with a thick thud. Will crouched over him and smashed his fist into Cadan’s face again and again as I screamed uselessly. Cadan wasn’t even fighting back. He was just letting Will beat the hell out of him. I threw myself on top of Will, pulling at his shirt. I grabbed his wrist and held his arm back, using every last ounce of my strength.
“Will, stop! You’re going to kill him!” I shrieked, and pulled him off of Cadan.
We were finally standing and I was still dragging him away as Cadan rolled on the ground, groaning. He spit up a thick gob of blood, his face torn and his eyes already swollen and purple. The bones in his cheeks were working themselves back into their rightful places beneath his skin, fractures mending and sewing themselves. Will yanked away from me but I darted around him, fitting my body against his, blocking him from getting at Cadan again.
“He’s your brother!” I screamed, and shoved his chest hard, knocking him back a step. I gasped for breath and he grew very still while I shook like an earthquake. “He’s your brother, Will. He’s Bastian’s son too, and he saved your life. You’d be dead if it weren’t for him!”
His mouth opened as he stared at me. His arms fell loosely. “What?” he asked in the smallest voice.
“He’s the one who took me to Antares. I couldn’t have saved you without him.”
Will shook his head so slightly the movement was almost invisible. “No. No way.”
“It’s true,” I said breathlessly. “You and I owe him a lot.”
“We don’t owe him shit!” Will cried, casting an angry finger at Cadan. “He is not my brother!”
Cadan struggled to stand, gasping from pain, and he wiped his sleeve across his face, smearing blood. “I wasn’t too keen on the news, either, Brother.”
When I looked back at Lauren, I saw her hands covering her mouth and all the blood had drained from her face. She fluttered back into the safety of the house and away from the angry reapers.
“Are you all right?” I asked Cadan.
He gave me a nod and a shrug. “I’ll live.”
When I turned back to Will, he was staring at me, his green eyes wide and hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you known?”
“I’ve known since Bastian told you that you were his,” I confessed. “Cadan had already told me that Bastian was his father. I’m sorry.”
“Why him?” Will gasped. “Why did you go to him? Marcus could have helped you—Ava or Sabina….”
I stepped close to him and put my hands on his arms to try and comfort him, but he was frozen beneath my touch, unyielding. “Because there was no time and he was the only person I knew who had met a Grigori. Please don’t be angry with either of us. As much as you hate him, Cadan risked his life for you. Please forgive him for what happened between him and you.”
“He touched you,” Will said, the words just an exhale. For an instant, he trembled, and his face filled with pain and vulnerability before locking back up again. It was barely a crack in his composure before he sealed it up with concrete. “He tried to force himself on you. I can’t let that go.”
“He didn’t force himself on me,” I said firmly. “He was a little pushy, yeah, but only for a second. He was a jerk, and I handled it. There’s nothing you need to do now. Just chill out, okay?”
His jaw set tight and he glanced up at the sky before meeting my eyes again. “For centuries I’ve watched you with everyone but me,” he said. “Not him, Ellie. Not after what he did to me, to you. I could have protected you the night Ragnuk killed you, but Cadan and Ivar stopped me. Instead of killing me, they kept me alive so that I would see you dead. That kind of malice can’t be forgiven and every time I see his face, I see what was left of you when Ragnuk was finished.”
My eyes started to burn, but I was determined not to cry. “He’s trying to make up for the things he’s done wrong. I don’t expect you to forgive him right now, but please believe that you might be able to one day. You’d be in much less pain if you stopped trying to hate him so much. Be happy to know that you have family and he’s right here. He’s family, Will.”
Will looked over his shoulder at Cadan, who stood stooped over as his face put itself back together. He’d need to eat a lot very soon to make up for the energy he spent in order to heal. It was possible for him to exhaust himself and run out of energy before he was fully healed, and I wondered if Will was thinking the same. He had a pathetic look on his face, a strange mix of remorse and satisfaction, as he watched his broken older brother heal from the assault. He must have been waiting a long time to beat the hell out of Cadan, but now that he had done it, he seemed ashamed of himself—as he ought to be. He looked down at his hands. Cadan’s blood was splashed across his skin up to his elbows.
“Is that all you got?” he asked darkly and held out his own hand. The archangel sword, six feet in length, shimmered into existence.
Cadan’s sneer matched Will’s maliciousness. “Some might say you’re compensating for something.”
Will huffed. “Believe me. I’m not.”
“This is shockingly mature, you morons!” I yelled at them, but they ignored me.
Lauren held my arm tightly with both her hands, clinging to me in fear. I knew what she was thinking. The last fight that happened in this house had killed the man she loved. I was determined to end this before someone really got hurt.
With a roar of rage, Will swung his sword as hard as he could and cut Cadan’s blade in half with a shriek of metal. The tip of Cadan’s sword helicoptered through the air and he took a single step back in shock. Will relinquished his blade and lunged for Cadan. Will grabbed two fistfuls of Cadan’s collar and picked him up off his feet before slamming his back into the ground with a thick thud. Will crouched over him and smashed his fist into Cadan’s face again and again as I screamed uselessly. Cadan wasn’t even fighting back. He was just letting Will beat the hell out of him. I threw myself on top of Will, pulling at his shirt. I grabbed his wrist and held his arm back, using every last ounce of my strength.
“Will, stop! You’re going to kill him!” I shrieked, and pulled him off of Cadan.
We were finally standing and I was still dragging him away as Cadan rolled on the ground, groaning. He spit up a thick gob of blood, his face torn and his eyes already swollen and purple. The bones in his cheeks were working themselves back into their rightful places beneath his skin, fractures mending and sewing themselves. Will yanked away from me but I darted around him, fitting my body against his, blocking him from getting at Cadan again.
“He’s your brother!” I screamed, and shoved his chest hard, knocking him back a step. I gasped for breath and he grew very still while I shook like an earthquake. “He’s your brother, Will. He’s Bastian’s son too, and he saved your life. You’d be dead if it weren’t for him!”
His mouth opened as he stared at me. His arms fell loosely. “What?” he asked in the smallest voice.
“He’s the one who took me to Antares. I couldn’t have saved you without him.”
Will shook his head so slightly the movement was almost invisible. “No. No way.”
“It’s true,” I said breathlessly. “You and I owe him a lot.”
“We don’t owe him shit!” Will cried, casting an angry finger at Cadan. “He is not my brother!”
Cadan struggled to stand, gasping from pain, and he wiped his sleeve across his face, smearing blood. “I wasn’t too keen on the news, either, Brother.”
When I looked back at Lauren, I saw her hands covering her mouth and all the blood had drained from her face. She fluttered back into the safety of the house and away from the angry reapers.
“Are you all right?” I asked Cadan.
He gave me a nod and a shrug. “I’ll live.”
When I turned back to Will, he was staring at me, his green eyes wide and hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you known?”
“I’ve known since Bastian told you that you were his,” I confessed. “Cadan had already told me that Bastian was his father. I’m sorry.”
“Why him?” Will gasped. “Why did you go to him? Marcus could have helped you—Ava or Sabina….”
I stepped close to him and put my hands on his arms to try and comfort him, but he was frozen beneath my touch, unyielding. “Because there was no time and he was the only person I knew who had met a Grigori. Please don’t be angry with either of us. As much as you hate him, Cadan risked his life for you. Please forgive him for what happened between him and you.”
“He touched you,” Will said, the words just an exhale. For an instant, he trembled, and his face filled with pain and vulnerability before locking back up again. It was barely a crack in his composure before he sealed it up with concrete. “He tried to force himself on you. I can’t let that go.”
“He didn’t force himself on me,” I said firmly. “He was a little pushy, yeah, but only for a second. He was a jerk, and I handled it. There’s nothing you need to do now. Just chill out, okay?”
His jaw set tight and he glanced up at the sky before meeting my eyes again. “For centuries I’ve watched you with everyone but me,” he said. “Not him, Ellie. Not after what he did to me, to you. I could have protected you the night Ragnuk killed you, but Cadan and Ivar stopped me. Instead of killing me, they kept me alive so that I would see you dead. That kind of malice can’t be forgiven and every time I see his face, I see what was left of you when Ragnuk was finished.”
My eyes started to burn, but I was determined not to cry. “He’s trying to make up for the things he’s done wrong. I don’t expect you to forgive him right now, but please believe that you might be able to one day. You’d be in much less pain if you stopped trying to hate him so much. Be happy to know that you have family and he’s right here. He’s family, Will.”
Will looked over his shoulder at Cadan, who stood stooped over as his face put itself back together. He’d need to eat a lot very soon to make up for the energy he spent in order to heal. It was possible for him to exhaust himself and run out of energy before he was fully healed, and I wondered if Will was thinking the same. He had a pathetic look on his face, a strange mix of remorse and satisfaction, as he watched his broken older brother heal from the assault. He must have been waiting a long time to beat the hell out of Cadan, but now that he had done it, he seemed ashamed of himself—as he ought to be. He looked down at his hands. Cadan’s blood was splashed across his skin up to his elbows.
