Family Tree: (just so you have it again)
Mor + Azriel: Blake, Adrien, Nate
Cassian + Nesta: Baylor (Adopted)
Dominic (OC) + Unnamed female: Mazekynn (OC)
Unnamed mother + Unnamed father: Kapriel (OC)
unnamed mother + unnamed father: Zevakyn (OC)
unnamed mother + unnamed father: Ezekiel (OC)
[Bay's POV]
The bitter cold rose the skin on his arms, its cruel wind blowing his hair into his face and numbing his rounded ears. But still, Bay stood, feet apart, hands clasped behind his back, eyes forward.
This is it, this is it.
Years of preparation for this one week. The one week of his life where he would go into that mountain and fight his way out, become a true warrior and earn his wings. This week, he was going to become a full-fleged Illyrian who had won his stripes without anyone's help. He was going to squash the rumors of him only getting this far because of his status as Cassian's ward. He deserved this. He earned this. It was his turn.
"My name is Cassian. I am not only the King of Hybern but I will most likely be your commander in the Night Court aerial armies. Should you survive the Blood Rite, that is." Bay kept his face forward, alert. "Your magic is banned. No siphons. Wings bound. You will enter that mountain with nothing besides the clothes on your back. You will be tested, physically, emotionally, mentally. Only if you are the best of the best will you make it out." He stopped in front of him, his face hard and unyielding. "Are we clear?"
He kept his eyes forward. In unison, the males and Maze, the first female to brave the Blood Rite, voiced, "Sir, yes, sir!"
He continued to pace, "It is my job to train up the best and brightest of your generation. Both male and female alike will show the world what it means to be an Illyrian. We fight the wars, we protect the people, we die for our people. We are the greatest threat against adversary. Lay nlt only our lives but our wings down in battle if need be."
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Make our court proud!" he stopped in front of them. "Dismissed."
[Maze's POV]
Her fingers dug into Adrien's tunic, her body betrayed her fear. He can do this, she can do this. They were two of the greatest warriors at this camp but still her body betrayed her and trembled, memorizing each curve of his chest, his lips. The greens and browns in his hazel eyes. Him. Just him.
"I'll find you," he promised, his calloused thumb brushing her cheek. "I'll make my way to you even if I have to kill every last person under that mountain. I will always find you, Mazekynn." He said her name like a prayer.
Leaning up, she kissed him on his lips, savoring the scent of mountains and embers, ingraining it to memory. "Stay alive, Adrien. That's all I ask."
He grinned at her, "You almost sound worried, Maze. Should I be insulted?"
"I've put too much work into you," She patted his cheek," I don't want to start all over on someone who isn't as pretty as you." Mine. She wiped it away. "You fight your way to the center and I'll find you. And we fight our way out. Together."
"I love you," He said softly into her hair, his arms solidly around her.
I love you, too. "I know."
[Bay's POV]
The binds didn't hurt. Not really. But they did feel unnatural, constricting. Bay had gotten used to the wind against his wings. Not they just felt suffocating. Stupid large ass wings needing to be bound. In seven days, he will be ecstatic to have the binds removed so he can stretch them, fly. He didn't like being tethered to the earth.
"Are you ready?" Nate asked. The Shadowsinger's slender fingers thrummed his sides as his wings were being bound, fighting the urge to rip out the male's throat for touching them, binding them. "I'll be relatively close to you. I'll find you and we'll fight our way through it." A heartbeat of silence. He grinned, "After all, I need the infamous Baylor to protect me against my many adoring enemies."
Come out and see. That was what Maze had told him the night before. If a warlord's daughter could be so open about who she was, who she loved, couldn't he find his own happiness? To crawl and fight for it?
"Nate," He began, fighting the through the rising panic in his veins. Ten seconds of incredible courage was all he needed to get the words out of his mouth. Once they were out, that was all it took. "I want to talk to you about something." The words tumbled out before he could drown them again. "About me."
"Not now," He shook his head. "Tell me after we survive this."
His heart was pounding so hard, as if it were to just jump right out of his chest. He nodded, "Of course. You don't need to be distracted. Forget I said anything."
As he turned away, Nate grabbed his hand, forcing him to look, "When we survive this, and we will, we'll have that talk, Bay."
He looked down at their hands still together, warmth radiating through him. Looking back up, he met Nate's eyes, "I look forward to it."
[Blake's POV]
Blake paced in front of his mother, in front of the desk and the paper and the secret he carried. Write it , don't write it, write it, don't write it. Fuck it.
Pulling the quill out of the well, Blake began to write his letter:
Dear Aurora,
I know you probably hate me, considering I am from a court your father despises. And I know you'll probably get one sentence into this and burn the letter. Or maybe this letter won't get to you, but I'm hoping that my mother does get this to you and that you do read this. So here I go.
I am entering the Illyrian rite of passage known as the Blood Rite. It's where I go seven days beneath the mountain with no weapons or magic and I fight my way out. There's a slim chance I might die, very slim. Almost nonexistent. Yes, I am that good. (But you knew this too, didn't you? Just like you knew my side was open that day. Oh yes, I know you knew.) But still, I wanted to tell you this, just in case I did die.
Aurora, you are my mate. I promise you, I am not lying. I realized this during the Bellum Armis when I cut your throat. I heard the snap and I panicked. And when I thought your father was going to kill you, I almost killed him. And when I appeared in your rooms, I swear to you, I am not a stalker. I had a feeling deep within myself that I needed to make sure you were okay. And when I saw that bruise on your shoulder, it took everything to not slaughter your father.
The reason I'm telling you this… I don't like secrets. Ironic really, considering I'm a shadowsinger. But I am also a fighter and if I was one, then my mate, who was my equal in every way, she would be one too. You are a fighter, Aurora. And if I died and couldn't help you, I just wanted you to know that you need to keep fighting no matter what. If you need a place to go, my mother, the Morrigan, she will shield you if you need it.
Please, keep fighting.
-Blake
Sighing, Blake let the hot golden wax, for the dawn court, the color of the bindi on her forehead, seal the letter. Handing it to his mother, "Thank you."
She brushed back his bangs, kissing his forehead, "I'm proud of you, Sunshine."
" Mother," he groaned. "Do you really need to call me that?"
"Yes I do."
He sighed.
With his wings bound, his siphons gone, Blake joined his brothers and the others. It was time for the Blood Rite.
[Maze's POV]
Shelter, water, food, fire. And weapons. She needed these things to stay alive. First one was relatively already taken care of. Being beneath a mountain prevented the elements from reaching her so she didn't have to worry about getting wet and sick. Maybe a little though, with the dampness from the condensation. But, with no sunshine, the inside of this mountain made it cold. Frigid down to her bones even.
With her back flesh against the rock, she peered over the corner. There were six males. They had already acquired weapons. Some were stalagmites sharpened to a point. Most likely from the dampness or they were sharpened against the wall or rocks. With their formations, she could detect that these males were allies. Number one rule of the warcamps: Find the biggest baddest male and become best friends. Too bad that didn't work for her. She was the smallest female there. She grinned. She didn't need to ally herself with the baddest male because she was already the baddest female.
Straightening her spine, she stepped around the corner, "Hello Boys."
The males stiffened, their growls reverberated around them, echoing off the walls. The broadest male there, was taller than Blake even. He stepped forward. Ah. He must be the leader. "No weapon, Mazakynn? I thought you were smarter than this." The males started to close in around her. "Perhaps not, though. You let yourself get surrounded."
She smiled, "Oh Ely. I don't need a weapon." She rolled her shoulders, taking in each of the males and how they moved together. "Not when I was born one."
The male's smug smile disappeared, "Kill her."
—-
[Bay's POV]
The outskirts of the mountain had few warriors in it. It was when he got closer to the center, to the thick of it, Bay knew was where the most danger was. With a stalagmite, sharpened to a point, in hand, Bay stood still, listening to a dripping sound. Where there was dripping there was water. Where there was water there was a chance to stay hydrated. But also, where there was water, there were warriors. He gripped his weapon tighter.
Following the incline through the mountain, Bay stuck to the side of the wall, just out of sight. He was only going to get so far without hydration.
Rounding a corner, he crashed into a male. Pushed against the wall, disarming him, Bay held his weapon to his throat. "Baylor?"
He lowered his weapon, just a fraction, "Zev?"
Zevakyn kept his hands up, his eyes darting between the stalagmite in Bay's hand, the one at his throat and Bay's face, "Please don't kill me?"
He considered it. He barely knew the male. He knew that he went by Zev and that he'd seen him a few times talking to Nate or Blake. He was also one of the few who was friends with Maze, who trained with her, who took her as a serious threat. At least he wasn't stupid. "You try to kill me, I won't hesitate."
Relief shot through his face. Giving him a crooked grin, Zev said, "Ally?"
Bay studied his sharp features, looking for any hint of deception. Handing him one of his weapons he said, "Ally. And it's Bay."
—–
[Blake's POV]
Weapon. He needed a weapon. Blake's eyes trailed up the side of the mountain, past the ridges to the drooping rock. Perfect.
Rubbing his hands, Blake gripped the ridges and began pulling himself up. He had done this numerous times. Ever since he was little he climbed on everything. He just hasn't climbed this high without his wings.
Don't look down, dumbass, he thought.
Grunting, Blake pulled himself over the ledge. With his back flesh against the stone, his hand wrapped around the nearest stalagmite. With a sharp jerk, the stone snapped off the ceiling of the cave, sending the sound echoing through the mountain. He needed to move before the others knew where he was.
Lowering himself, he carefully let his foot grab into a ridge. One at a time, Blake lowered himself. His ears picked up rustling fifty meters away. He lowered himself faster. He needed to get out of there.
His foot slipping, Blake fell backwards, falling to the ground far below. Twisting himself to land on his side, Blake pulled his arms over his head to protect them from impact.
At impact, Blake passed out.
—
[Adrien's POV]
Pulling backwards, Adrien brought his knee up, connecting to the male's crotch. Instantly letting go, the male stumbled backwards, groaning. Gaining his footing, Adrien grabbed his fallen weapon and descended on the male.
"That looks painful," he winced. "You really should have protected your cock better. Wouldn't want to miss out on the chance to have children, Kane."
The male growled at him. Gripping his weapon he launched himself at Adrien. Falling backwards on impact, Kane's fist connected with Adrien's shoulder. Pain shot out as it dislocated.
Black and white sparked across his vision. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Just for that, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you."
Kane sneered down at him, "You're at a disadvantage, Adrien." His fist hit his cheek. He could feel the skin start to bruise. "You're down an arm." He smirked, "And your good arm at that."
Rolling on top of him, Adrien growled, ignoring the shooting pain that passed through his shoulder and arm, and ignoring the dizziness in his head. His hand wrapped around the male's throat. "Any last words, you prick?"
The male spat blood at him, and grinned. He knew he was going to die, no matter what he did. It was written all over his face. "You and that bitch aren't going to make it out of here alive. Neither is that fag of a-" Fear shot through him.
Grabbing the male by his hair, he slammed the back of his head into the ground. A crack sounded through his ears on impact. He growled, "Goodbye, you prick."
Picking himself up, he ripped of the male's shirt in strips, binding his arm to his chest the best he could. The male didn't need the shirt if he was dead. And if he wanted to stay alive, he needed to find an ally soon to pop his shoulder back in or else he'd be dead from the pain or internal bleeding within the twelve hours. Twenty-four tops.
—
[Nate's POV]
Nate cocked his head and grinned widely at the three males. Two he didn't know. But the one in the center… his mother was some kind of priestess to the Illyrians. Always yammering on about how an Illyrian should be. The Mother's Plan for them. He knew Kapriel very well. And he had a suspicion that his mother knew about them. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Leaning against the wall he sighed, "Oh give me a break, Kapriel. Do you seriously want me dead? Or is it your mother who wants me dead?"
The male shifted, clenching his fists. Looking as if he would rather be anywhere else but in front of him. "Does it matter?"
He felt loose and wound at once. He crossed his ankles. "Well, I should hope so. I don't make it a habit to sleep with people who want me dead."
The one on the right rose his brows, "You slept with his mother?"
Nate rose a brow, "Hello, I'm gay. Have we met?" His eyes flicked back to Kapriel who looked pale.
It took a minute for realization to dawn on the males' faces. What idiots. The males looked at Kapriel in surprise, "You're gay?"
Pulling the attention away from him, Nate said, "As much as I would enjoy having a lively debate about the pro's and con's of being gay, I have a talk I need to get to. So, if you don't mind, gentlemen, try to kill me so I can kill you and be done with it." he shrugged. "Or you can be smart and turn and walk away. Your choice."
Silence beated around them for a solid minute. Nate loosened his arms, prepared to fight his way out. The males looked to Kapriel for the next step. They were friends, Nate realized. Good ones, if they weren't turning on him. The left and right one glaced at each other and nodded. The left one said, "What do you want to do, Kapriel?"
Conflict warred across his face. "I don't want to kill you, Nate."
"Then don't."
"My mother-"
He uncrossed his ankles, "Your mother can kiss my ass. Liking males is not a sin or unpure or whatever the fuck she told you. And even if it was, the Mother is a pretty relaxed female. She'd have more of a problem with your mother before She had a problem with you."
Kapriel gave him a wary glace, "Do you really believe that or are you trying to save your skin?"
He shrugged, "My skin is saved no matter what. The real question is, do you believe that."
Come on, Nate thought, Don't make me kill you.
A considering look passed through Kapriel's face. It was almost as if a weight pulled off the Illyiran's shoulders. Kapriel said quietly, "Let's go." Tuning on his heel, he looked over his shoulder, "I hope you don't get dead, Nate."
He let out a breath, "Yeah, me too."
[Maze's POV]
Maze hastily scrubbed at the dried blood that had spilled down her face. She needed to get it off before it attracted the other males to her. Some were deep enough, she feared, they would scar. The males had tried to pin her down, tried to undo the binding on her wings to shred them. They tried to disfigure her face. They failed. And now, they were all dead. She refused to break.
A low growl came from behind her. Slowly turning around, a male stood over her, his dark eyes merciless. She could see the blood that had stained his hands and face red. His teeth bared at her as he stalked toward her. She felt herself back up.
She had fought plenty of males but they were all in control of themselves. Had at least one shred of humanity. This male, however, he had gone feral.
He grinned at her, blood in his mouth. She continued to back up. Her back hit a wall. Holding the weapon out in front of her, she looked for his weak spots. But he was built like a battering ram of the strongest stone. That was it. He was slow.
She ran.
—–
[Bay's POV]
The males surrounded them. Blood stained their clothing and flecked their faces. Gripping his weapon, a low growl reverberated through himself. At his back, Zev said, "Come on, fellas. Why don't we all just head out of the mountain together and call it good? Yeah?"
"Shut up, Zev," he snapped. "Now isn't the time for your eternal optimism." The males around them smirked, drawing closer. He could see bloodlust on some of their faces. He rolled his neck, loosening his spine. He was prepared to fight his way out.
"On the contrary," he said,completely unfazed. "Now is the perfect time."
He shook his head, "What kind of Illyrian are you?"
He heard the brightest laughter coming from him, "One of a kind, my friend."
His rolled on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce. Bay said, "On three?"
"Three."
Bay launched himself at the nearest warrior. Fists flew and weapons striked. Twisting, Bay's elbow connected with a male's nose. Pulling forward, his fist connected with another's face, shattering the male's eye socket. Cupping the back of the male's head, he brought it down, connecting the broken socket to his knee, killing him instantly.
Zev smiled, "Who's next?"
—-
[Blake's POV]
"Why don't we just kill him? Blake isn't the one we want. We need Adrien if we're going to get to her." Her. There were only two 'her's' that Adrien could be used against. One was at home and the other one was here. They wanted Maze. Mother help them if she came after them.
"Do you know where Adrien is," a second voice asked cooly. This voice was laced with secrets and hidden agendas. His instincts told him this male had reasons of his own for wanting him. He didn't want Adrien or Maze. He wanted something else. At the silence he said, "I didn't think so."
Blake feigned unconsciousnes, letting his other senses pick up the information around him. The ground was wet beneath him. They were close to water. His wrist had been wrapped in a makeshift brace. Why?
"You might as well open your eyes, Blake. We know you're listening."
His eyes felt like sandpaper as he blinked and pulled himself up into a sitting first male had brown hair and hazel eyes like most Illyrians but the second had dark skin and dark eyes. And pointed ears. He was halfbred too.
Storing the information, he demanded, "What do you want with Maze and my brother?"
The first male sneered, "You aren't in the position to be asking questions."
He glared, "Trust me, the minute I stop asking questions, is the minute I've decided to kill you."
A low laugh escaped the second male, "A honest Shadowsinger. I am surprised."
He gave him a hateful smirk, "Either kill me or let me go. I won't let you use me to hurt my brother and his- and Maze."
The first male smiled cruelly, "It was her mistake coming in here."
The second male sighed. With a swift motion, the male brought his weapon to his friend's throat. Gurgling on his blood the male fell to the ground and convulsed. In a matter of seconds, he was dead. Wiping the blood from his hands onto his pants, the male said, "He was annoying. Always going on about the role of female illyrians." He shook his head, "What drivel. Anyways, Blake. I believe we need to have a conversation."
Fear shot through his limbs. "About?"
"Our mutual friend, Aurora Luxmea."
—–
[Adrien's POV]
Bracing the side of the wall, Adrien followed the sound. It's dripping keeping him barely conscious. Ten hours with a dislocated shoulder. Ten hours of trying to find an ally and stay alive. Stumbling, Adrien fell to his knees, his hand bracing his fall before his head hit the stone floor.
He wanted to close his eyes and take a break but he feared that if he did, he wouldn't wake up. His Maze told him to stay alive. He gritted his teeth, standing back up. He would stay alive.
He leaned into the wall, letting the stone cool off his forehead. He had a fever. Shit, shit, shit. Reluctantly pulling back, Adrien followed the dripping.
"If you die, I will kill you," said a wry voice.
Slowly, Adrien turned around. The pain in his skull pulsing. Brown skin, braided hair to his chest, wry humor in his black eyes. This was Ezekiel, at least he thought it was. He hadn't actually talked to the male in years. "Am I hallucinating you, or are you actually here?"
The male chuckled, "Does it matter? I'm here."
Tears pricked in the back of his eyes. He didn't know if it was from the pain or the guilt. "Does this mean you forgive me?"
Ezekiel's lips twitched, "For what? We were eight."
Pain cracked through his skull, stars and darkness spilling out, blanketing over his senses. Head spinning, his foot slipped on the damp stone. His head connecting with the ground, Adrien blacked out.
—–
[Nate's POV]
It had been nonstop. Most of the males he ran into didn't attack him but they didn't stop their friends from attacking him. Now he has a cut under his eye and was in a irritable mood. Fucking backwards-ass people. He shook his head.
Back to the wall, Nate peered around the corner. The space was clear, some bodies littered the ground. He squinted his eyes. A figure with braids of midnight hunched over a collapsed body, his fingers to the male's neck. His heart stopped. Adrien.
[Maze's POV]
Horns resonated through the mountain, its sound carrying through the caverns as Maze fled from the feral fae. Day two, she realized. Six more days of dodging males trying to kill her or much, much worse. Her blood pounded through her, she reined in her fear lest he smell her and hunt her down that much faster.
Bodies littered around her, their blood seeped through her boots, squishing between her toes. She picked up a discarded weapon and breathed. She shouldn't be running, she needed to kill the male before he tried to kill or rape her. He had no humanity. He had yielded to the baser animalistic part of himself, the part that took and she was in his crosshairs and would be until either she or he was dead.
Turning, weapon in hand, fear crushed down so far she refused to feel it, she stalked toward the male. Adrien flashed in her mind, unconscious and bleeding; She froze. He was in trouble and she needed to get to him. Stay alive, She thought. I'm coming. She faced the male, ready to kill.
—
[Bay's POV]
Ripping the shirt from a dead male, Bay wrapped strips around Zev's side, staunching the torrent of blood. His fingers were sticky with blood and he knew it would haunt his dreams for long to come. He kept his face hard, refusing to let his concern show, how terrified he was that Zev was going to die. It wasn't like Ash, he couldn't save anyone this time. "You should have listened to me." Kindness would only get him so far in a mountain full of killers fighting their way out. "Now I got to haul your ass out of here."
Zev coughed, blood coating his lips. "Come on, my friend. We both know I'm not making it out of here. Not alive anyways."
He took him by the shoulders, forcing him to look. "Yes, you are. You are going to profess your love to Maze so Adrien can kick your ass. You are going to get over her and find yourself a nice female who isn't as bitchy as Maze and live happily ever after with a bunch of overly kind brats or else I swear by the Cauldron if I die I'm going to kick your ass so hard in the Afterworld you'll end up reincarnated. You understand me?"
He winced as Bay helped him up. "And in this scenario, are you and Nate finally over yourselves and together?" Was he that bad at hiding his emotions? That Zevakyn of all people could see through it?
He took on his weight. "We need to get to Blake. He's better with staunching blood that I am."
—-
[Blake's POV]
"How do you know Aurora?" Blake demanded. He stood a few inches taller, but where he was lean, this male was fight would be between his speed and the male's strength. And if this male was a threat to his mate, he wouldn't think twice before killing him.
"Word around the Dawn Court is that a golden haired shadowsinger almost killed her and her father." He said father with such a burning hatred, he wondered what the High Lord did to him. "Is that true? Did you try to kill her?"
Blake took a step closer, he could see stark scars around the male's tanned neck, almost as if it had been cut open,deeply, and a curved scar through his brow and around his left eye. He paused, "Who did that to you?"
His golden eyes darkened. "Not all of us getting loving parents, Blake." He almost lowered his weapon. Almost. "My mother was very beautiful, so I am told. As beautiful as the morning sun. She had caught the eye of a male and he fell in love with her. But he held a firm grip with her and when she learned she was carrying, she feared what he would do to her child. She ran. But he did not rest until he found her, to ask her why she left. But he found her, pregnant, near ready to give birth." Few female Illyrians left the Night Court despite the camps being dangerous grounds for them, but the Dawn Court? What could have happened to go there?
"He begged her to come back that he would change, that he had a daughter waiting to meet his son. She snarled at him, refusing to take me back to that infernal court, that she would sooner leave me to the Camps before taking me back." Bile rose in Blake's stomach. He continued, "My father lashed out, not realizing that she had a difficult pregnancy, that her body was failing. The impact resulted in premature labor that left her dead and me motherless. My father raged in grief and couldn't look at me." He straightened. "Couldn't look at her eyes and relive what he had done. So, he left me to the elements. But I was found by the male my mother was in love with, Rainer."
"The warlord?" That lord was brutal in his camp, no wonder he had such scarring. He blinked, heavy realization began to swirl in him, at the cheekbones, the midnight hair.
He nodded, "he buried her and swore to raise me in her stead, raise me a warrior, keeping me hidden from the dawn court, forbidding me from seeing my sister. He named me Tarus. After her, his Tara, his midnight star. But I kept tabs on my sister growing up. I feared she would grow to be just like him, ruthless and cruel. A tyrant. And I won't let another one of him rule if something happend to the High Lord. I would have killed her before her reign began. But she's like her mother; Cunning, determined, unnaturally kind." his face hardened, "And merciless to her enemies. And I find out a golden haired Shadowsinger tried to kill her. There is only one fitting that description. You. So Blake, I will kill you for attempting to kill my sister. And I will not fail as you did."
"Aurora is your sister."
—-
[Adrien's POV]
The male stood over her, his dark eyes mirthless and savage. She gripped her weapon, stuffing her fear down. Where he struck right, she dodged left. Claws scratched across her chest and she screamed-
Adrien woke with a start, a faint pain shooting through his shoulder and head, Lilacs and rain burning through his nose. He scanned the darkness, "Where is she?"
Nate rose his brows, "Sorry, to disappoint, it's just me."
He tried to stand, "No, I heard her scream!"
Nate brought him back down, "Relax, you almost died, you moron. You're no good to Maze dead." Stay alive, her words ran through him He slowly sat back down, wincing at the pain.
Zeke frowned at Nate, "Who is Maze? Is that the female that entered the Blood Rite?"
A low growl reverberated through him, "Where is she, I heard her. I know I did. I can smell her."
—-
[Nate's POV]
So many things clicked into place, that it took everything to not say it. Not with Zeke here and definitely not when Adrien was unhinged. Nate almost winnowed to find Maze and bring her back to his brother, just so he'd calm down. He was- she was-
"Adrien," He said. "She isn't here. I promise you." He kept his hand on his brother's arm, stopping him before he winnowed to her. Adrien's eyes were near black, his pupils devouring any color, and panic, so much panic was in his face. "You need to calm down."
"I am calm," he growled.
"Then fucking act like it," he snapped. "We are in enemy territory with people out to kill us and I do not feel like saving your ass twice."
He growled, then blinked; his words sinking in. His eyes darted between him and Ezekiel, "What happened to your face?"
"I did," Nate said. Adrien just rose a brow, his breathing starting to even out. Ezekiel tried to glare, his eye swollen from Nate's fist; he could still feel the ghost of Ezekiel's bone against his knuckles. The way he stood over Adrien, he just moved. He didn't know the male, didn't trust him. At all. The last time he had seen him was when he was seven and his father had died. Zeke's mother just up and took him to another war camp, a war camp known for its brutality. And when he had seen him leaning over Adrien he didn't so much as hesitate from almost killing him. A lot can change in eleven years and he wasn't going to hesitate and it cost him his brother's life.
"Who's Maze?"He was too intersted in her. He was close to snapping his neck to protect both Adrien and Maze. Adrien would hesitate and that decision would get him killed.
"She's no one," Nate said. "Just another warrior."
"I see."
He ignored him, "Ade, can you stand? We're on day two. We need to be in the center by tomorrow," he looked at Zeke and gave him a silent promise. "And nothing will stop us from getting there."