Wicked Bite (Night Rebel #2)(41)

Ashael’s gaze slanted to Ian before it settled on me. One look, and I knew every word was true.

“Understand,” Ashael said in a vehement tone. “I’ve known Ian for decades. He loves only himself. I will allow no one to take advantage of you, especially a man who will use and discard you the same way he’s used and discarded so many others—”

Ian shoved the horn’s sharp tip into Ashael’s eye. Ashael shuddered and smoke poured from the blackening hole. My vision burned and my throat felt like it was trying to choke me. I wanted Ashael dead for what he’d done, but . . . I had always longed to have a sibling.

For a while, Tenoch had been my family, then his loss devastated me and sent me further into my shell. Now, suddenly, I had a brother. A twisted, chauvinistic brother, but in his way, Ashael had believed he was protecting me. If Ian killed him, he also killed any hope I had at seeing if there could be a real family bond between me and Ashael that went deeper than our secret blood tie.

“Ian.” My voice was strained. “Let him go.”

Maybe Ashael realized how much he’d fucked up. That would explain why he hadn’t ripped the water out of Ian to stop him. No, Ashael was leaving what happened up to me, proving again that there was more to Ashael than his attempt to get Ian arrested and imprisoned so he’d stay away from me.

Ian looked at me in amazement. “You want this sod to live? Don’t tell me you return his obvious interest.”

“Asheal is interested in me, but not how you think.” I cleared my throat to ease its tightness. “I’m his, ah, sister.”

“You’re what?” The horn’s tip froze.

“His sister.” Saying it out loud somehow made Ashael’s betrayal hurt worse. I drew in a breath to get the rest of it out. “He realized that when he saw my father’s lineage in me with his ability earlier. He . . . my father is his father, too.”

Ian lowered the ram’s horn and shoved Ashael away. The demon caught himself before he stumbled, a humorless smile curling his mouth. “Once again, you show more honor than I thought you capable of. She must bring out the best in you.”

“Or you have no idea who Ian truly is,” I corrected at once. “You believed the mirage, which caused you to underestimate Ian so much, you failed to imprison him with your horn retrieval trick. Instead, he almost killed you twice today.”

Ashael inclined his head. “Point taken.”

“Glad that’s settled. This isn’t.” I landed a kick in Ashael’s groin that doubled him over. Then he snapped back at the uppercut I delivered to his jaw. Bone crunched and my hand burned, but blood flew from Ashael’s mouth. Worth it!

“Try to get Ian arrested or imprisoned again, and you’re dead,” I snarled. “You’re only alive now because I always wanted a brother or sister, plus in your twisted demon mind, you thought you were protecting me. But you don’t get to choose who I’m with, so I will kill you if you so much as plot to give Ian a stubbed toe in the future—”

Ian caught my next punch in mid-swing. “Think he gets it, luv.”

I stared at him. “You were going to kill him two minutes ago! Why are you protecting him now?”

A grim smile flitted across Ian’s mouth. “I’d still like to kill him, but if I had a sister, I wouldn’t want a bloke like me near her, either. Can’t murder my new brother-in-law for something I’d do myself, can I? Besides, he’s not even fighting back.”

I’d noticed that, and it only made me angrier. “Come on, you sexist demon, fight me! You think I can’t take it?”

“I know you can, but I, too, have always longed for a sibling,” Ashael replied, dark eyes now blazing red. “You are my only family this side of the veil. I’ve had twice your lifespan to feel abandoned, abnormal, and alone, so some blood and pain are nothing if they’re the cost of my sister’s forgiveness.”

Damn him, damn him, damn him! How could I keep beating him after he said things like that? And how could I disown him when he was the only person who truly understood what I’d been through, since Ashael had lived it for twice as long as I had?

But he’d set Ian up to be imprisoned or worse. I couldn’t overlook that, even if Ashael had acted out of a supernaturally demented sense of big-brother protectiveness.

Ian’s arm slipped around my shoulders. “Family,” he said in a conversational tone. “Can’t live with ’em, can’t kill ’em unless you really, really mean it.”

A choked laugh escaped me. Ian should know; he’d killed his biological father over a far more terrible betrayal.

“I want you to leave, Ashael,” I said. Pain flashed in his eyes until I added, “I need some time before I can look at you without wanting to smash your face in.”

“Time as in decades, or a century?” he asked warily.

Now my laugh was even more ragged. To him, either probably didn’t seem long. Guess I was still too young to measure time that way. “I meant a year or two. We’ll see.”

By then, I’d have tracked down the other resurrected souls and killed Dagon, or I’d be dead. Either way, my schedule would be clear.

Ashael’s gaze flicked to Ian before he looked back at me. “Whenever you want to see me, raise a glass and call my name in any of the places I frequent. Ian knows where they are.”