I refrain from rolling my eyes at the man because when I look at Orrtyn and see the clear pain still written across his face, I feel guilty.

  I really didn't check on the man before taking off and he deserves more than that.

  "Every time you took your reckless ass off and went and got hurt, he was always here to check on you and make sure you were okay," Walker spits out, driving the wedge deeper. "And you couldn't even take five seconds to check on him before selfishly taking off."

  'Wali," Orrtyn says slightly and he reaches out for the other man, but winces at the pain which only moves to incense the other man more.

  "No, Orrtyn," he cuts the man off with a piercing glare. "Don't make excuses for her."

  "Walker, she came back, lay off of her," Orrael says, his words much firmer than his twin’s. His eyes are calculating as he stares at Walker and I notice the tension in his shoulders.

  Walker only glances at the man in disgust, his lips turning up in a sneer. "Shut it, Orrael, I don't want to hear anything from you or Elyjah. You two are so easily distracted with snatch that you can't even see how wrong it was for her to just leave Orrtyn here."

  Before I can say anything. Orrael moves from beside his brother. He steps up to Walker, standing in front of the man with his back firm as he squares off with the other man. But he doesn't look even close to backing down. "He's my twin, Walker. So don't you lecture me or try to question my love for him. I know how you feel about him, but don't forget that I’ve been here for him since day one.” His fists clench and for a moment it looks as if he’s actually going to hit the bigger man. “I'm not blinded by snatch, as you so eloquently put it, but I know that being angry and raging aren't going to do shit right now. Orrtyn is okay, Roxanna came back. It doesn't matter how she came back or why, all that matters is the fact that she did."

  I'm so shocked by how effortlessly Orrael squares off with the other man. It's clear that Walker could easily put him down, even if Orrael can defend himself well enough, but he isn't going to back down and I have more respect for that than I'd ever say out loud.

  Walker's jaw twitches and he takes a step closer to Orrael as if he's going to actually hit the other man before he takes a sudden deep breath. Some of the fight deflates out of him but not all of it before he turns away, refocusing on Orrtyn who is holding a piece of fabric to his wound to staunch the bleeding.

  Silence tips through the air.

  "Okay," Elyjah draws out and it's clear from his tone how uneasy the man is as he moves in closer to the other men. He glances at me and beckons for me to move closer to the others but I won't. Not when Walker is reasonably pissed at me and may say some shit out of hand that makes me hit him, no matter how right he is.

  Elyjah blows out a breath but doesn't push.

  "We need to go after Brielyn." Surprisingly this comes from Orrtyn who looks between all of us from his slumped position. "I should have protected him and kept him safe and I didn't, so he was taken, we have to make that right."

  "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you out of this cave while you're wounded," Walker declares, his shoulders stiff as he stares at the other man.

  Orrtyn pushes to his feet and offers the man a playful grin though it's a bit strained. "Well, I guess it's too bad that you don't have a choice, Wali.” He keeps his words light, but his tone leaves no room for argument.

  Elyjah is stiff as he looks between the men as if he expects Walker to tie Orrtyn down and not let the man go anywhere. When my gaze catches on Walker's face, I start to think that maybe the idea isn't so preposterous. He's so protective of the other man, even when he isn't hurt and with him in the condition he's in now, I have to agree with him.

  "It'll heal," Orrtyn says and I have a feeling it's because he can feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him. "I'll be okay," he repeats, taking a deep breath.

  Elyjah shakes his head but nods, "Okay, well it looks like we need to come up with a plan."

  Walker is pissed off, but I don't care. I don't want to look at the man as we make our way through a thicket of trees. I know without looking at him that he's no doubt still hovering over Orrtyn, who isn't pissed like his friend despite his shoulder hurting. He hasn't made any complaint and as long as I don't look at him I don't feel guilty about leaving even though I knew he was hurt.

  More people could have come back to attack and I'd left him with only Orrael to protect him and it's not as if the man actually is a warrior with hard core training.

  But he could have teleported if it came down to it, right?

  Considering the fact that the only reason the twins and the prince are here is because of you, you shouldn't be being a bitch about this at all.

  I turn my gaze in front of me to where Elyjah is walking beside Orrael. Every now and then the men bend their heads together whispering about something and it's taken all the control I can muster not to flash out and ask what in the hell they're talking about.

  It's none of my business.

  Still, the silence that I feel like is aimed at me is disturbing me in a way that I don't really want to admit too. It's as if the men are trying to make me feel guilty and I know that I'm probably just being paranoid but that doesn't stop me from feeling angry.

  I glance up at the men in front of me, again, squinting as I try to come up with something to say, something to get rid of this silence.

  Orrael turn his head slightly and I can't help but to wonder if he felt my gaze boring into his back.

  He raises a brow before he's slowing his pace and it takes me a moment to notice that Elyjah does the same, until I'm standing between the men, and they adjust to my pace.

  "Is there something you want to ask?" Orrael questions, his arm brushing across mine momentarily. "Maybe you want to pick up our previous conversation?"

  I'm puzzled by what in the hell the man is talking about as I look up at him with wrinkled brows. The sun beams down and creates a small glare that disorients the man for a second before his plump lips beaming, blue eyes, and stubbled jaw appear clearly.

  Our previous conversation?

  The last time we talked was right before I abandoned him and his twin which was only moments after we'd... kissed.

  I glance up at the men, but I can't read anything on his face. If he's not going to mention the kiss then neither am I.

  That's seemed to work so far with Orrtyn and Walker. Neither men have brought up the kisses and neither will I.

  They happened and I don't necessarily regret them, but I also know there can't be any repeats. I may have decided not to kill the men, but that's the extent of my generosity. Especially since they're likely to turn against me when they realize that I'm going to overthrow Pamula, but then again... they did say they were part of the rebels.

  But we agreed not to speak on that.

  That was before we came to this island and came up with this alliance though.

  "Roxanna, what's on your mind?' Elyjah questions. He briefly looks over his shoulder and when he rolls his eyes I'm sure it's because Walker is glaring at him.

  The man has decided that the only person he can deal with at this moment is Orrtyn and he seems to be a little peeved with him also since the man agreed to this trip, was a huge advocate of it, despite Walker not wanting to deal with it.

  "The rebels," I say, squinting as I look at him.

  Elyjah pauses and exchanges a look with Orrael. "What about them?" he finally asks.

  "I still don't understand the full extent to which you guys work with them. Clearly, it can't be that much if they haven't actually made any progress. I mean for fucks sake, you guys are literally inside the castle every day. If you wanted to really overthrow the current monarchy, then why haven't you, already?" I don't try to mince my words, so I'm not surprised when I'm suddenly met with silence.

  I glance up but neither of the men are looking at me, they seem to be lost in their own thoughts. I glance behind me, my gaze searching for Orrtyn’s.

  It's rare that the man denies me answers to my questions even if I did abandon him earlier.

  His blue eyes meet mine and he opens his mouth to say something before surprisingly his mouth closes back and he offers me an apologetic look. I glance over at Walker and the man meets my gaze head on. Not going to get any fucking answers from that man. His lips are pulled into a sneer that I'm too familiar with at this point. Ragna is perched on his shoulder, her wings pinched back as those beady eyes stare at me.

  I turn away.

  "Well, revolutions don't just happen overnight," Orrael says. I look up at him, wanting him to expand on his words. "They have to be thought out and well-orchestrated or else they'll be seen as nothing more than people rioting for absolutely no reason. The history of Caelumine has shown that revolutions always get messy and yet the monarchy always wins."

  "Except with the Baernins and the Lokanians," I can't help but to add on.

  "Yes, except for with them," Orrael confirms. "And even then, technically the Baernins lost the war. But they knew what they wanted and they organized and mobilized, they were on the same page, they were ready. They had enough people willing to die for what they believed."

  "And do you have enough people willing to die for what you believe?" I question.

  "If you're asking how many people are part of the rebellion, we can’t say," Elyjah says before his friend can answer my question. His tone is sharp. "It's one of the things that only people in the rebellion know about."

  "Number one rule of fight club, don't talk about fight club," I say, remembering the movie Ru made me watch more times than I could possibly remember while in the mortal realm.

  "What?" Elyjah asks, his brows wrinkling as he turns to look at me.

  "It's a m-" I pause, keeping the words shut. I almost told them that it's a mortal realm movie which would give away too much information.

  The man studies my face for a moment before sighing. "And that's why we can't tell you," he says after a moment. "You have your secrets and we have ours."

  I don’t argue with him because I understand. I have so many secrets that I'm not willing to budge on or tell the men about.

  "Can you tell me why you're a part of something that threatens to destroy what you were entitled to from birth?' I ask instead. I glance between both men because overthrowing the monarchy and taking it down means destroying both of the titles the men were given because of who their families are. The Bae twins were always destined to be advisors to the throne because of their ancestors and their last name. A line of scholars.

  And Elyjah was promised to be the king, because it's a title his family has always held and cherished, one they’ve killed for. The first born gets the crown whenever the current monarchy decides they're ready to retire.

  "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good," Elyjah says, his lips pressed together slightly.

  I don't argue with the man since I know exactly what he means.

  "I heard you and Orrael are working on your gift," he says after a moment which surprises me.

  I give a nod, "Yeah, we have been."

  That's as much as I say about it, but the man decides to continue forward.

  "Have you thought about what was going on every time you got glimpses of your powers?" He asks, pressing his lips together.

  "That's a good question,' Orrael adds on.

  I think about the question. What was going on whenever I used my powers.

  "You see, some people can control their gift by emotion. With me, my gift is something I don't have control over. When it wants to take over, it does and I can't help it. I could be sleeping or eating, and it'll just happen."

  “I was angry and in danger every time it happened,'' I confess as I think about how I'd killed the guard when I thought I was about to die. I also burned Walker when he grabbed me, and I thought he was going to turn me into the royals. "But that isn't always the case,'' I say, thinking of the many other times I've been in anger and the power didn't work. And it surely didn't work while in the mortal realm when I thought I was about to die. Uleb nearly killed me on a weekly basis, after all, and I never set her on fire, accidentally or on purpose.

  "Maybe it's not consistent, but it certainly sounds like deep emotional reactions can trigger it," Elyjah agrees with a nod of his head.

  We don't talk more about it as we walk until night falls. As much as I want to push forward, I can hear the little huffs of pain that Orrtyn lets out every now and then, that makes me fill with guilt.

  He can't keep up for much longer and that's my fault after all, so the least that I could do is stop.

  We set up a location to sleep for the night and Walker, surprisingly declares that he'll be keeping guard. No one tries to argue with the man since he's still in a bitchy mood anyway.

  I drift off quickly, but it feels like I'm also woken up just as quickly as I'm pulled out of a dream about the time I once let Ru drag me to a club.

  I jerk up and move to open my eyes and it takes a second for me to realize they're already open but I see nothing but darkness. Something is covering my eyes.

  My heart pounds in my chest as I try to move my arms. I’m met with resistance as I pull and my muscles flex in agony. No matter how hard I pull, I can’t get free of whatever is binding me.

  Holy hell, what is going on? Have Samir and his men found us?

  Panic takes over as I try to figure out what's going on. I struggle to my feet, unsteady. Pain explodes in my jaw as something blunt smacks against it with force. I try to fight but I'm useless as someone keeps attacking me, smacking me around. I kick out with my feet, but the person quickly pushes me away and then I feel a sting in my arm as something cool and sharp digs into my skin. When it trails from my shoulder to my chest, digging in deeper and deeper, I have the feeling that I'm about to die. That someone is about to kill me.

  My skin grows hot and the pain in my chest worsens.

  I'm about to die and I can't even defend myself.

  My skin continues to grow warmer until there's a buzz under my skin and nothing that I do stops it. My body feels jittery as I push out a ragged breath. There's a low grunt coming from in front of me and I swear I recognize the sound but I can't exactly figure out why.

  There's a startled scream and then curses and I hear a lot of branches and twigs snapping as feet pound against the ground. People are speaking quickly but I can't quite make out what they're saying, and it only frightens me more.

  Suddenly as I grow hotter, my hands are free, but I don't calm as I hurriedly take off my blindfold. There's the sound of rustling as my eyes adjust to the darkness and then I'm staring at a flame.

  My eyes try to figure out where I am. There's a ring of fire and it lights up the dark. In the middle, someone is trapped.

  I continue to watch, and my breath catches as I recognize Walker as the man standing in the ring of fire that’s seconds away from disintegrating him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  "What the hell did you do?"

  I think the shouted words are aimed at me until I look up to find Elyjah looking at Walker in shock. Somehow the flames that were surrounding the man a moment ago have disappeared. Walker doesn't seem to care one way or another though, not moving from his space.

  I inspect him for burns, and wince when I see the small blisters that have formed along his wrist. Otherwise, he seems to be fine though.

  The asshole attacked me.

  I know it without a shadow of doubt. Not only is there not anyone else here, but the way that Elyjah throws accusing words at him. The way the burly man isn't fazed in the least bit says it all.

  "You wanted to set her gift off, well I did it," Walker says, his words full of arrogance as he strides past the charred circle on the ground. The moonlight catches on his burned skin and I refrain from wincing at the sight. He turns around and holds out his hands as he stares at all of us. "None of you would have the balls to do it, so I did, don't bother to thank me."

  The arrogant jerk.

  My heart starts to pound in my chest again and my head throbs as anger forces its way to the surface.

  "She could have killed you," Elyjah says as he steps in Walker's path. His jaw is clenched and I watch as he shoves at Walker's chest. The man doesn't even stumble, only tilts his head slightly to the side. "You dumb piece of shit," Elyjah spits out and he sounds nothing like the regal royal that he usually does. "Do you have a death wish? If so, tell me, and I'll put you out of your fucking misery now, since you've seemed to have lost your mind."

  "Get your hands off of me, Elyjah," Walker says low and even in the darkness, I can see that the green orbs are brimming with anger as he faces off with Walker.

  "Guys, stop," Orrael says as he pushes his way between the two men. "Elyjah, if Walker wants to be a dumbass and nearly get himself killed, then let him be. Walker, if you want to continue to hurt Orrtyn by doing shit like nearly getting yourself killed then know that I will put a dagger in your chest while you sleep." Orrael's words are low but promising and it surprises me.

  Did he just threaten to kill one of his best friends and his brother's lover?

  Walker lets out a humorless laugh. "You two, forever the anti-Walker task force, and over what? Some girl that you both have googly eyes for," he accuses. “You don’t even know anything about her other than how much of a nuisance she is.”

  Orrael lets out a growl but he only narrows his eyes at Walker before moving Elyjah back and then they both move away from Walker completely.

  The man can incite rage in even the calmest of people, and he’s pushing his friend’s past their boundaries tonight.

  Walker looks at me before his gaze moves over to Orrtyn, who is huddled over by a tree, basked in darkness. Walker's eyes move back to me and he tilts his head to the side slightly before a cruel smile takes over his face. "Well, since the show is over, how about everyone go back to bed, since we do have a stupid mission to continue on in the morning."