Soulbound

Eran regarded Grayson closely, determining if he was okay or not. After all, he'd just lied to his friends. "Are you sure it's wise to go see him?"

Grayson crushed the note the guard had given him in his fist, not knowing the answer to his dragon's question. He wanted to see his brother, to watch him wallow and rot in that cell, but he knew Darius was up to something, wanted something out of him. Grayson didn't want to give him any satisfaction, but he needed peace of mind. He needed to confirm that Darius was indeed locked up and was not going anywhere anytime soon. He had to make sure there was no chance of him getting his filthy hands on Eva.

So, with that thought in mind, Grayson turned on his heel and followed the guard down to the dungeon. It reeked of piss, shit, and decay, something he'd unfortunately gotten used to after spending so much time torturing people in his father's dungeon. This time the stench was different, though; maybe because, despite everyone down here being the lowest of criminals, the Kain family bothered to have the cells cleaned every now and again. Or maybe it was because his brother was down here, and it felt good to force him to live with his filth.

He stopped in front of his cell. Darius sat casually in a pile of hay, still given the courtesy of wearing their family sigils. His hair, while combed by his fingers, was greasy and matte against the torchlight. A slow smile crept up his lips--Grayson hated that smile. He did it every time he was up to no good. Most of the time, someone ended up dead.

"I'm glad you came, brother," he said civilly, yet there was nothing but animosity in his eyes. He peered over Grayson's shoulder to see who else had joined them. He was about to be sorely disappointed. "The little rider didn't come? She afraid?" At the thought of her fearing him, his smile grew to his eyes. Grayson saw it in his brother's eyes, the fantasies he conjured as he imagined Eva's fear of him.

The nerve of him to suggest she was scared of him after the beating she'd given him. Grayson still didn't understand why she didn't kill him. He wouldn't have hesitated--and he didn't even murder his entire family. She was quick to follow her heart, but when it came down to it, she had more self control than he could ever have. He admired her for it.

She still should have killed him, though.

"I didn't tell her you also wanted to see her," Grayson confessed, reminding himself to keep a level head; though, it was hard to when it came to Eva.

Darius frowned, slinking out of the hay pile; he limped toward the cell bars and gripped the bars, eyes unyielding with a hidden rage. "Why didn't you tell her, Dex? Are you afraid? Of what I'll do to that bitch when I get out of here? Or of what she'll see in you?"

Grayson resisted clenching his fists and ground his teeth instead. He couldn't show him how much his threat affected him. He couldn't know what Eva meant to him. It'd only give him more reason to go after her, to hurt her.

Only if he gets to her, he reminded himself. Of course, he wouldn't be going near her; he was stuck in this cell. If he did get out, Grayson would make damned sure he never touched her.

Darius tapped Grayson's chest, tauntingly, like he used to do when they were kids. He hated being poked. On instinct, Grayson grabbed his wrist and twisted it to the side, snapping the pathetic bones in his hand.

Used to having his bones broken--and rather disappointedly--Darius didn't make a noise, only shook his hand in the air to indicate he was in any pain. He tsked at him. "You're still the same little brother I grew up with. The Slayer of Souls." The thought seemed to please him.

"I'm nothing like you, Darius. I'm-"

He rolled his eyes, bored. "Please. Save it for someone who cares. They're not here, you know. You can be yourself."

Grayson whipped out his sword, thrusting it through the bars, hovering the tip over his adam's apple. "I am not a monster. . . anymore."

Darius' eyes flashed. "Oh, I bet the monster is still there. I'll bring him back. I want my brother back. We used to have so much fun, tormenting so many worthless people." He laughed, no doubt thinking of one of the many times they'd ganged up on people, beating them to a pulp.

Grayson closed his eyes, wishing the memories would go away. He wasn't the same man anymore. Hurting people gave him no pleasure. . . not innocent people anyway. He didn't care to admit to anyone just how good it felt to get someone who deserved it, to watch them squirm and beg for mercy. Now that was divine. But innocent people didn't deserve that kind of treatment. That's where they differed.

Darius more than anyone deserved the slowest, most painful death. He wanted to give it to him, so bad the sword trembled in his grasp. But Eva had spared him and he had to respect that. She had a light inside her he would only ever dream of grasping. After everything she'd been through, she still had mercy in her heart. He wanted to keep her that way. He wouldn't let his brother take that away from her.

Darius smiled. Again, with that stupid grin! "Go on. Do it. I know you want to. Kill me." There was a flare in his eyes that Grayson only saw when Darius wanted something, something so bad he'd kill happily for it.

Suddenly Grayson knew why Eva let him live, though he doubted she fully understood how cruel it was. He was sure she only wanted to torment him, not knowing how their father could be. The scars on their backs was a testament to what Sylus thought of their failures.

"Kill me!" Darius demanded, running at the bars, shaking them. Grayson sheathed his sword before he threw himself at his blade.

"No," he said calmly. "You're going to live. You're going to have to face Father, tell him the storm dragon rider is stronger than you thought, tell him that a woman kicked your ass." He loved that Eva had beat him. He wished he was awake to watch. However, as he thought about it, he probably wouldn't have given her the opportunity she deserved to prove herself. A mistake he wouldn't make in the future. Eva could handle herself just fine without him.

Darius roared, smashing his head against the bars. "He'll never take me back!" he screamed. "You might as well kill me!"

They both knew Sylus would take him back. Eventually. He would make Darius suffer here first. Dravyn was too young--too weak, in his father's eyes--to rule just yet. He had to break him in more. It was Grayson's only regret: not taking his younger brother with him. Dravyn was better than both of them put together--which didn't say much comparatively to other people, but he was the fairest in the family, the kindest.

Darius smashed his head again. He was going to kill himself.

Grayson called for the guards. They came running in. As soon as the door was open, Darius broke away from the bars, grabbing the first guard and throwing him into the wall. Two other guards tried to restrain him, but he was fast. He kicked one in the knee, breaking it. He twisted around the other's grasp, hooking his arm and yanking it out of its socket.

Off handedly wondering how these men could be charged with protecting their king when they couldn't overpower his brother, Grayson rushed in and grabbed his shoulders, tossing him away from one of the guards he was ruthlessly pummelling. Growling in frustration, Darius headbutt him in the nose. Ignoring the pain shooting up his face, Grayson held him firmly against the wall until more guards came in to secure him.

"I don't care what Father wants anymore," Darius growled in his face, "When I get my hands on her, she's going to beg me to let her join her family. She'll scream until all the fight in her is gone-"

Grayson only saw red. He grabbed his brother's hair and rammed his face into the wall, dragging it along the rough stone. Even as the guards pulled him away, he had time to kick his stomach so hard he collapsed and heaved.

"Stay away from her!" he warned, yanking his arms free of the guards' grasp. He remained where he stood, however, lest he wanted to have another talk with King Renkon about his behavior in his kingdom. At least this king actually had a conversation with him instead of shouting and beating him. "If you lay one finger on her, I'll remind you why I was Father's favourite!"

And then he realised his mistake. The words had poured out of him before he knew what he was saying, and now there was no taking them back.

A nasty, conniving grin split Darius' face, despite how roughly the guards chained him to the wall. "Oh, brother dearest," he snarled. Blood oozed out of his mouth and dripped off his chin, "I'm counting on it."

To be continued...

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