“It’s okay,” I coo as I pull her back in before she can release any tears. Right now is not the time for a load of emotions. We have to be strong. “I understand. I’m so sorry Stacy.”
“No, it’s alright.” She sniffles then pulls away to swipe the tears from her eyes. “As much as I hate that it has to be done, they have to kill him. I can’t do it myself. If anything, I know it will kill Felix to do it as well.”
I nod but just as she says Felix’s name, it occurs to me that he isn’t around. He said he would be back within less than a minute but he there is no sign of him. “Felix,” I breathe frantically. “Did you see Felix when you came down here?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I came through the back gates and took this hallway because it seemed the safest.”
“Oh, no,” I mutter with wide eyes.
“What?” she asks, reaching for my wrists while trying to gain eye contact. “What is it, Alexandria?”
“Felix, he was with me. He said he was going to shut off the power valve but he’s not back yet. He said it wouldn’t take longer than a minute.” My heart thumps with each word and suddenly, Stacy’s eyes aren’t on me anymore. Her sparked pink eyes are wide, terrified as she stares over my shoulder. I see tears building up but they aren’t the same depressing tears that were just being released. These tears are different. They’re worried.
“Stacy—”
“I knew I felt you around here somewhere,” a deep voice echoes from down the hall, at the same time as I speak.
“Braxton,” Stacy mumbles and I immediately whirl around. His large blue wings glow brightly as he makes his way down the hall slowly.
“I told you to leave, Stace. You would have been safer in London. You’ve disobeyed me,” he says, his sapphire blue eyes scorching like blue flames from hell. He takes another step forward as we take a step back. He is a few feet away and if we were to try and make a run for it, we could do it. I know Felix is around somewhere. He’s probably just caught up.
“Who are you?” Stacy’s head tilts but her eyes are still worried. “You are not the mate that I’d first met.” Her hand is shaking in mine but her voice is strong.
He smirks. “Oh, I know I’m not. I love you, Stace, but since you’re here, I may have to make use of you as well.”
Stacy takes another step back, gripping my hand, and then she dashes off, spreading her wings to take us down the hall. Braxton grunts and as I glance over my shoulder, I spot his blue wings getting closer. I gasp as Stacy speeds through with me in her arms. The hall is extremely thin but it is big enough for her to flap through. The cool night air gets closer and my heart beats with relief as I spot the gates. Stacy dashes above them and continues to fly. But we obviously aren’t fast enough because Braxton flaps quicker until he is above us. He growls then kicks us down with one heavy foot.
Stacy screams as we plummet towards the ground. I skid and land face-first against the dirt and rocks. The rocks scrape at my cheeks, my nose, my forehead until I come to a complete stop. I groan heavily, clenching my eyes shut as I roll onto my back but as I do, I am yanked up rapidly.
“You can’t run away from me!” Braxton yells, tugging me up by the U of Jules’ sweater. I gasp with wide eyes before he tosses me away from him and my body collapses and crushes against a large boulder. The edges dig into my ribs, my stomach, and my hands. I try to get up but I’m too weak. I can’t feel a thing in my body but I do feel something warm trickling against my forehead.
“Leave her alone, Braxton!” Stacy screams, flapping her wings and rushing for him.
“Stace, you don’t want to do that,” Braxton warns, remaining in his place before me. She ignores him and tries to tackle him but Braxton lifts up in the air to meet her, grabs the fist that was about to punch him, and then slams her body on the ground.
“Stacy!” I wail with the energy that is left within me.
I hear her choke and gasp at the same time, knowing that it is a painful feeling because the slam of her body made the ground shake. I could feel the impact. Braxton growls as he stands to his feet while watching her choke for air. He slammed her by the throat. She can’t breathe. I crawl forward quickly and try to get around him but he yanks me up by the back of my sweater. “Leave her! She didn’t listen to me!”
“No!” I scream as he clutches me in his arms. Stacy grips her throat, and turns on her side, still gasping for air. She chokes, wheezes, scratches at the dirt. Tears prick at my eyes as I watch her writhe in pain. She’s going to die if no one saves her. She can’t breathe! I try my hardest to scramble out of Braxton’s arms. I put up a struggle as he grunts and grips onto me. He’s strong but I know I can be stronger. I just have to try. My wings are around somewhere. They have to be. I have to save her. There has to be some kind of trigger in order for them to sprout.
“I said leave her!” he finally roars, tossing my body across the field. I scream as I fly through the air. I plan on hitting a tree this time but instead of a tree, I am caught in a pair of firm arms.
“Braxton!”
A familiar voice continues to yell Braxton’s name but the yelling isn’t coming from the person that is holding me. I glance up and look into to the furious gold eyes of Jules. He places me on my feet and then pushes me beside the tree that I would have hit if he wouldn’t have caught me. “Stay!” he commands before dashing away from me.
I shake my head, refusing to stay because Stacy is still on the ground. I watch as her face turns from purple to blue. Her pink eyes are back to their normal shade of brown now but she’s still scratching at the earth, begging for at least one breath. I rush away from the tree and land beside her. I lie her down and plant my mouth on top of hers, blowing in as much breath as I can until she’s able to catch it. Her nails claw into my back and I wince but I blow again and again until her grip loosens. I pull away as she does and she finally inhales deeply, sputtering out her last choke. Her eyes spark pink again then she sits up quickly to face me.
“Alexandria! Oh, thank you!” she breathes, holding onto me. I grip onto her and hold back on the tears that are scratching at my throat but as I spot Felix being pinned down by Braxton and Jules lying on the ground helplessly, my eyes broaden.
“Stacy!” I jerk away as I pull her up to her feet. “You have to help!”
Nodding, she watches as Braxton snarls with his hand gripped around his half-brother’s neck before dodging forward. She clashes into Braxton with a loud thud and they both tumble away as Felix hops to his feet. Jules pounces up and they both begin to rush for Braxton and Stacy but their run comes to a quick halt as they spin around to look at me. My face twists, confused on why they’re stopping or why their blazing eyes are so wide.
“Alexandria, move!” Jules screeches before rushing towards me. But he is too late. A strong pair of arms hook around me and grip onto me tightly and just by the feel of the big arms, I know they have to belong to a Hellion. The Hellion chuckles as he tries to drag me away while Jules flaps forward with wide, gold wings. The Hellion holding me lifts his wings as well and takes lift with me in his arms. “Let her go!” Jules roars, reaching his arm out to punch the Hellion in the face.
The Hellion grunts from Jules’ blow but he doesn’t release me. He begins to plummet towards the earth and I scream because he has no other option but to land on top of me. He’ll crush me. Jules grips the Hellion by the shirt and yanks him upward. He then grabs my arm and holds me but he tosses the Hellion towards the ground with one strong fling. The force is so strong, so powerful, that the Hellion has no other choice but to thud and pass out against the earth.
We land and Jules rushes forward with my hand still in his. He grips the Hellion by the head and cracks his neck swiftly without any sign of remorse. “Are you alright?” he asks, spinning around to cradle my face in his hands.
“Yes,” I nod.
“Goodness, Alexandria, they got you good.” He rubs my cheek and wipes away the blood from my bleeding forehead.
/> “I’m alright, Jules. Really.”
Stacy’s scream shuts us up and we both turn to face where it is coming from. I gasp as Braxton grips her by the throat, threatening to end her life at any given moment. Felix steps forward slowly with his hands in front of him, trying to compromise, but Braxton refuses.
“You should have just stuck with me!” Braxton barks furiously, his sapphire blue eyes sparking up into blue flames that are even worse than they were before.
“You know I couldn’t do that!” Felix yells back. “You know why! This isn’t you, Braxton! This isn’t either of us!”
“Don’t tell me what I am,” Braxton spits, taking a step back with one hand still gripped around Stacy’s throat.
“No—I’m going to tell you exactly who you are because this is not it,” Felix argues, shaking his head with wide, glowing hazel eyes. “We were best friends, Braxton—brother’s ‘til the end. You promised me that you would give up on this—that you would forget about our father and just let him rot until he reached his death.” Braxton shakes his head, his eyes softening just a bit. “Don’t you see what he is doing here? He is turning you against the ones that love you most. We actually care for you—Stacy cares for you.” She whimpers as Braxton scuffles back with his hand still tight around her neck. One yank and she’s dead. “Look at you. He’s made you into a monster. He’s using you! He was only using us. Our father doesn’t care what we do with our lives as long as we accommodate to him. It shouldn’t be like that.”
“No,” Braxton says, his shaggy hair swaying with broad eyes. “No, dad is actually proud of me now. He’s never been this proud of me in my entire life. He’s always looked up to you! It was always about Felix. No matter what I did, no matter how happy I tried to be, I couldn’t be because I was worthless to him. And ever since you gave out of this, he’s taken me in like a real son—”
“He’s using you, Braxton,” Felix grumbles but it is loud enough for us all to hear.
“No, he’s not! Shut the hell up or I’ll rip her throat out right now!” His grip tightens around Stacy’s neck again. Tears stretch along her cheeks but her eyes are squeezed shut, as if she’s preparing for her death.
“Alexandria,” Jules whispers, dragging me towards the trees. “I want you to stay here. Please, don’t move. I’m going to sneak behind Braxton. Felix planned it this way. The only way of stopping him is if his guard is down.”
“I’m scared, Jules,” I whisper back. “What if another Hellion comes?”
“They won’t. We slaughtered them all. That’s why it took so long for Felix to get back. I ran into him and we finished them just as Braxton went after you and Stacy.”
I nod slowly. “Okay—okay. Go,” I murmur, gripping his wrists. “Just . . . be safe please.”
He glares at me with his blazing gold irises. He then cups his hands around my cheeks and pulls my lips in to meet his. He kisses me softly at first, but then the kiss grows harder, more passionate. I can feel that he doesn’t want to let go, but he has to. “I love you,” he breathes before pulling away. He then rushes through the line of trees and I watch until he disappears within the shadows.
I turn to look at Felix, Braxton, and Stacy again but things still look rough. Braxton looks guilty, ashamed. I know that he feels terrible about all of this but he can’t stop now. He’s come too far with this. Either way he’s going to end up being killed.
“Braxton, just listen to me,” Felix pleads, reaching his arm out and, surprisingly, Braxton doesn’t jerk away. “We can run away together, okay? Any shit that you’re in, I’m in it with you. The Leaders will search for us until they find us but I won’t let you go through any of this alone.”
What? Is he insane?
“Felix—” Braxton chokes as he gazes at the hand that his half-brother is offering. “I can’t. The life of a Guardian is not the life for me. Don’t you see how much I hate it? I hate protecting and I hate fighting. I don’t care for the humans, I could give a shit less if they are safe or not. Their problems shouldn’t be of my concern. We aren’t super heroes. We can’t save the fucking day every bloody time and if we are late by even a mere second, we get punished for it—put on probation just because one human soul has been lost. People die every day, Felix! We cannot control life! The Leaders are fucking idiots and I will not tolerate any more of them. I have to do this.”
Braxton’s grip fastens around Stacy’s throat, this time out of anger for the Leaders. His eyes spark into a brighter shade of blue as his eyebrows stitch together. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as Felix rushes forward and grabs Stacy while a pair of arms grip around Braxton from behind. Jules’ gold wings flap wildly as he struggles to get his grip on Braxton’s head. Braxton spins around and pushes Jules away and Jules crashes against the tree behind him, breaking it in half.
“Screw all of you!” Braxton yells to the top of his lungs, his eyes blazing even brighter now. He spots me underneath the tree and immediately rushes for me, spreading his large blue wings quickly and flapping them so fast that I can’t even see them anymore. His blue eyes are glued on me and they are furious, deadly. I gasp, wobbling to my feet to try and make a run for it but there is no need because Felix rushes forward, tackles Braxton, and lands on top of him. It all happens so fast, the thudding, the flapping, the blur of the silver and blue. It was too quick, yet my eyes have captured it all.
“Braxton, I didn’t want to do this!” Felix grunts, pinning his brother down by the throat.
“Then don’t,” Braxton chokes.
“I have no choice.” Felix’s eyes lose a shade of their hazel as he studies his baby brother. They may only be a few month’s a part but he really loves him and to have to go through with this is killing him. Jules staggers to his feet while Stacy helps him up but as soon as he’s up, they remain still. The field becomes silent and my breath hitches as we all watch Felix glaring into Braxton’s eyes. The flap of Felix’s wings break the silence as he swings them in and they disappear beneath his ripped suit. “I love you, Braxton,” Felix murmurs as one of his tears lands on Braxton’s cheek.
Braxton’s eyes stretch as his hands grip onto the hand that Felix has secured around his throat. He struggles to get out, whimpers and chokes until he realizes that Felix is stronger and that he can’t go anywhere. He’s trapped.
Tears build up at the rims of Braxton’s eyes and I glance up at Stacy who has her head buried in Jules chest, refusing to watch. Tears begin to prick at my eyes, blurring my sight but everything is clear. I know what is about to happen. Braxton’s eyes meet mine and as I stare into them, they plead everything.
“Please, just put me out of this misery. I can’t live like this anymore, Felix,” Braxton begs, his voice raspy. “He’s controlling me—I can’t control myself anymore. I’m sorry.” All of Braxton’s features fall, his body loses the tension and he drops his hands, refusing to struggle or fight any longer.
Felix nods as another tear inches down his cheek. He stares at his brother and I want to tear my gaze away but I can’t look anywhere else. I don’t want to watch, but I can feel the pain that Felix is feeling. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to kill Liam—even if he were evil. It would be impossible for me because I love him too much and because we have a connection and bond that only we can understand. I can’t imagine how Felix feels at this very moment. I cared for Braxton—we all did. But we all know that if it doesn’t end it now, he will continue to cause havoc. Braxton isn’t satisfied with life and he knows that he’ll be better off wiped away than still on the face of this earth.
Felix bends down to press his lips against his brother’s forehead. He pulls away with more tears, heavier sobs that he forces himself to control, and then he places his hands around Braxton’s head. He yanks as hard as he can until a loud crack of bone and Felix’s anguished grunt seizes our silence. Braxton’s body shudders then falls, losing all of the tension but his eyes are still open wide. His blue wings fade in color then crumble into blu
e ashes. His eyes finally lose their spark, turning back into their original blue. It isn’t until Felix stands to look down at his brother that I realize that my entire face is wet from tears and I am gripping onto dirt and grass, wanting to hold onto something that will ease the unbearable grief.
“I’m so sorry, Braxton,” Felix whispers, his eyes still glued on his now dead brother. He buckles back down to his knees but Stacy pulls away from Jules to rush for him. She bends to lift Felix’s head up, her brown eyes wet and filled with anguish.
“You had to,” she whispers, sniffling as she holds his face in her hands. “This is what he wanted. He didn’t want to live anymore. We all know it.”
Felix nods but it isn’t too long before he falls against Stacy’s chest. My sniffling grows worse. My chest tightens, just by watching them grieve over their loss. Stacy said he was a great lover. He always protected her and I could tell that Felix loved Braxton with all of his heart. They grew up together, shared things with each other that I couldn’t understand—even if I tried to. I could tell that Braxton made Felix happy. He brought out the youthful side of Felix—the fun side that I would always see whenever we were around Braxton. But now, that is all gone. None of that can happen anymore because he’s gone.
Jules steps to my side slowly to pull my fingers from the dirt. He then lifts me up from my knees and I immediately wrap my arms around him while burying my face in his chest. I can’t control my tears any longer. The sobs begin to pour out of me uncontrollably. I break down, sniffling and squeezing my eyes shut as he clutches me in his arms. The tears are hot and not even this winter night air can freeze them. “It’s alright, Alexandria,” he coos softly, gripping onto me tightly. “It’s all over, now. It’s all over.”
OBTAINED (Book One) Page 26