Chapter 41 Brother, Rival, Soldier, Friend
~ MELEK ~
My heart pounded painfully in my chest, thrumming in my ears, and making my skin pulse.
Gazes locked and bodies straining, I held a knife to fucking Jann’s throat, and he snarled like a pinned wolf.
Growling, snapping, moving against the hand I used to pin him—but never actually attacking, because he knew the moment he tried to flip me, I’d open his veins.
He’d be dead in seconds. We both knew it.
Fucking submit, Jann… please!
As if he felt my silent plea, his eyes screwed tightly shut, and his lips peeled back from his teeth. His growls became muttered protests that broke my heart, even as they revealed his.
“…You wouldn’t even have that claim to the crown without me!”
“I always gave you that credit. Trusted you. Brought you with me—”
“So fucking arrogant, thinking you can outwit and outplay an immortal? You’re delusional!”
His tone was dark. Derisive—but I saw the tears shining in his eyes and felt the searing gaze of his mate, Diadre, standing to the side, hands on her mouth, tears painting her cheeks.
“Listen to me,” I muttered. “What I’m telling you is true. The grip he has on you—it’s because you’ve entertained him. You’ve listened. You’ve believed him. He’s a fucking liar and a thief—”
“And a murderer!”
“Only by the hands of others. Only those who give him a position he should never have—”
“So fucking noble. So fucking good, aren’t you Melek?
Not all of us have the luxury to choose.
Not all of us carry the backing of fucking armies.
But you’re just as bad as him—here you are, knife to my throat—God curse your soul if you take me from my child, Melek!
What happened to your honor? What happened to your divine favor?
Your visions of building families and healing this land?
You’re just a fucking murderer like the rest of them—just one more betrayer—”
“You’re the one who betrayed that ideal—by giving your power to the fucking Fallen, and helping him corrupt my son!”
“Gall didn’t need my help with that,” he spat.
I panted with fury, my hands shaking with the urge to kill him on the spot for daring to accuse me and Gall of the very things he’d done himself. “I called you brother, I trusted you. I gave you every strength and resources available to me—”
“Except the one that kept my family safe! You walked me under the eyes of our enemy and asked me to play his game, then disowned me the moment he used his power to keep me under his control. There is no winning here for me, Melek, can’t you see that? There are no good options left.”
“Then it sounds like you have two shitty choices. But you have to make one. So which is it going to be—death with me? A heart that’s free and a legacy of light? Or life in the shadow of the fucking devil, and all the power you want… poisoning your veins, your mate, your child… everything.”
Jann shook his head, snarling at me, but I didn’t waver.
‘Melek… surely you wouldn’t trust him now?’
‘The good man I’ve always known is still here. He’s just terrified and giving in to that. When he makes his choice to walk away from that fear and accept the consequences… hell yes, I’ll trust him. There’s no stronger soldier than one who’s faced his greatest fear, and walked away.’
I felt my mate’s unease, but I was sure. I knew. I’d left Jann too alone, I could see that now. I’d let him walk too deep into the dark—but if he walked out now, nothing would stop him.
I let my nails dig into his shoulder, praying he’d see the truth. Praying he’d make the right choice.
Just as Jann’s eyes screwed tightly shut, and he shuddered under my hand, the sound of a door sliding open broke through the room, and in the corner of my eye, I saw Yilan pull a blade and shift, putting herself between me and the bedchamber door.
“Gall?” she said, her voice tremulous as if she wasn’t sure, which confused me. But then a shadow appeared over Jann and me, and the back of my neck went cold.
Yilan hissed as I startled—and to my horror, I drew the blade just far enough away that Jann slipped a hand under my wrist and pushed it away from his throat while he twisted.
We struggled, both grunting. Yet, it was the cold, calculating voice of Lucifer that accompanied the chill on my skin, and turned my stomach.
Jann and I both scrambled to our feet, watching each other, hands up—only I held a blade.
“Gall, have you been watching, Son?” Lucifer asked calmly.
“I… yes.”
“Do you see what happens when you try to outsmart me?”
Gall didn’t answer immediately, which raised my heart—he always hesitated when he feared his words would displease the hearer.
I didn’t want to allow Lucifer time to turn on him, so I interrupted to draw his attention to me—and prove something to Jann.
“This has nothing to do with Gall. This has to do with your bullshit, deceiving all of us into doing your evil for you,” I growled.
I had the distinct impression Lucifer rolled his eyes. He sighed and half-turned, yanking my spear out of the wall where I’d left it, and threw it to Jann, who caught it and swung it up to his chest in a blink.
“This little chat is over. Do it,” Lucifer muttered. “End him.”
I stared into Jann’s eyes and begged my mate to send my words to Diadre so she could pass them to Jann.
‘Did you see that? Did you see how he didn’t kill me himself? How he ignored my claim of using others by pressing you to kill me instead?”
Jann’s eyes never left mine. He licked his lips. I let him see the pleading in me. Prayed the girls could pass it through the bonds. Prayed he’d listen.
I felt the air shift behind me—that had to be Gall—and quickly prayed he’d see the truth here, too.
“Jann?” Lucifer hissed.
Jann nodded and took a firmer grip on the spear. “Are you ready, Melek?” he asked hoarsely, his eyes boring into mine. “Ready to meet your Maker?”
I nodded. “I was born ready.” We talked about this. When we were aligned we made a plan for exactly this moment. You don’t have to listen to him. We can still—
Jann nodded—in response to my words, or my thought? I couldn’t know. All I could do was pray, and bellow as I threw myself into a jab with the knife—and Jann sucked in a breath and whipped the spear into position. With a roar that echoed in my bones, he thrust it straight into my chest.
My heart exploded in searing pain.