Chapter 7
OMARI
The air went still.
Kael’s chest rose again, slow but steady, his eyes glowing faint amber through the blood and bruises. Not human. Not the Kael I had always known.
“What… the hell?” Aston’s voice dropped to a whisper.
Leighton’s grin slipped, unease flickering across his sharp features. “That’s impossible.”
Paxton stepped back, his hold on me loosening for the first time. His eyes narrowed like he was calculating something. “No. Not impossible. Hidden.”
My hands trembled as I touched Kael’s cheek. “Kael?” My voice cracked. “What’s happening to you?”
His eyes locked on mine burning, wild, unfamiliar. “Stay… behind me.”
He moved.
Not clumsy. Not broken. Fast. Too fast.
One second he was lying at my feet, the next he had slammed into Aston with a force that shook the walls. Aston’s body hit the floor, the wood cracking beneath him.
Leighton hissed, his green eyes flashing. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Kael’s voice came out rough, deeper than before. “I told you to stay away from her”
Paxton lunged. Kael caught his arm midair and twisted. The sound of bone cracking echoed, and for the first time, Paxton snarled in pain.
I froze, shock burning through me. Kael my sweet, bookish Kael with glasses and shy smiles wasn't Kael anymore.
He was something else.
Leighton’s lips curved into a slow grin, his earlier fear twisting into thrill. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
He rushed forward.
Kael met him head-on. Their fists collided, the impact sending shockwaves through the room. Dust rained from the ceiling.
My ears rang.
“Stop it!” I cried, clutching my head. “Please, stop fighting!”
But none of them listened.
Kael’s hand wrapped around Leighton’s throat, slamming him into the wall so hard the frame cracked. Aston was already back on his feet, blood at the corner of his mouth but his hazel eyes blazing.
He grinned. “Finally. A challenge.”
They surrounded Kael. Three against one.
My heart pounded, watching them circle. Kael bared his teeth, glowing eyes sharp. He wasn’t backing down.
Leighton licked the blood from his lip, smirking. “You’re not human, are you, Kael? What are you hiding from us?”
Kael’s glare didn’t waver. “I don’t owe you answers.”
“Wrong,” Paxton growled, his arm still stiff from the earlier twist. “You owe us your life.”
They attacked together.
The room became chaotic. Blurs of fists, bodies slamming into walls, the sound of breaking wood and ripping fabric. Kael moved like someone possessed, blocking, striking, dodging.
He wasn’t perfect at it but whatever he was doing was effective. Leighton’s fist split his lip again, Paxton’s kick sent him staggering but he never fell.
And when he hit back, they felt it.
Aston’s nose broke under Kael’s punch. Leighton coughed blood when Kael slammed him against the dresser. Paxton swore as another twist nearly dislocated his shoulder.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. My Kael, the boy who carried my books, who laughed too loud, who blushed whenever our hands brushed was tearing into the triplets like he was born for it.
But they were still stronger.
Leighton’s claws raked across Kael’s side, blood blooming dark against his shirt. Aston’s kick caught him in the ribs, sending him crashing into the bedframe. He gasped, clutching his side.
“No!” I screamed, running toward him.
Paxton caught me, yanking me back. “Not so fast, little mate.”
“Let go of me!” I kicked and struggled, desperation clawing at my chest.
Kael staggered to his feet again, wiping blood from his mouth. His eyes found me instantly, glowing brighter than before. “Omari… run!”
“I can’t!” My voice broke. “Not without you!”
He gave me a look I’d never seen before. Fierce. Final. “Then stay behind me.”
Leighton snarled, wiping blood from his chin. “I’m done playing.”
Aston’s grin widened, sharp and feral. “Then let’s end this.”
The three of them lunged at once.
Kael met them head-on, a roar tearing out of him that shook me to my bones.
The clash was brutal. Bodies slammed. Blood sprayed. The room became nothing but violence and sound, too fast for my eyes to follow.
And then, A crack.
A scream.
Kael dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his side. Leighton’s claws were buried deep in his flesh.
“No!” My scream shattered the air. “Kael!”
Leighton yanked his claws free, smirking as Kael crumpled. “Looks like the little hero isn’t so invincible after all.”
Aston grabbed Kael by the hair, yanking his head back. Paxton crouched low, his voice a venomous whisper. “Say goodbye, little mate. He won’t rise again.”
I thrashed in Paxton’s grip, my throat raw from screaming. “No! Please, don’t kill him! Please!”
Leighton’s grin curved wider. “Begging again? Darling, you’re making this too easy.”
Kael coughed blood, his glowing eyes dimming but still locked on mine. His voice was a ragged whisper. “Don’t… give in… to them…”
“Stop talking,” Aston growled, raising his fist.
“No!” I shrieked, fighting so hard my nails tore at Paxton’s skin. “Stop it!”
Leighton leaned close to Kael’s ear, his voice low and cruel. “You’ll die knowing she belongs to us.”
My heart broke.
Something inside me cracked wide open.
The air shifted.
Cold, sharp, electric.
Every candle in the room flickered, then snuffed out. Darkness swallowed everything except me.
My skin burned. My chest glowed faintly, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
The triplets froze. Their glowing eyes snapped toward me, sudden fear flashing across their faces.
Leighton’s grip faltered. Aston stepped back. Even Paxton’s breath hitched.
And Kael, bleeding, broken, still managed to smile faintly through the blood.
“There you are,” he whispered.
The floor trembled beneath us. My body burned and stung, light spilling from my chest like fire.
And then everything exploded into chaos.