Free Wingless And Damned (The Damned Series) by Dawn White

tears that fall upon the blood of my youngest brother are going to change anything! Gather up every fucking piece of my little brother so we can bury him whole at nightfall!”
    When he is done addressing the Neuri tribes people he takes off his thick black leather trench coat and places it over his brothers head. Placing his hand on his brothers head tenderly, and leaning over so only he can hear, he whispers something to the lifeless remnants of his baby brother. Turning he looks at me with eyes so dreary from the pain he is in and turns to his only living brother and walks off without even a backwards glance at the rest of us.
    Still standing in sheer shock staring at the once vibrant, handsome young man that’s head is now on a stake in front of us, I feel a gentle hand brush my back in a comforting motion. Knowing the smell and the feel of the hand I turn quickly and throw my arms around Zari’s neck, she squeezes me lightly and hums a Fae lullaby into my ear to calm me as my lungs start burning and the tears sting my eyes. Zari leans back brushes the hair from my face with concern, but when our eyes meet I see the horror written all over her face. Disturbed by the look Zari is giving me I start rubbing my face only to feel the same features I have recently been blessed with, other than the features my tears are the only thing new. When I pull my moist hands back from my wet cheeks I notice they are stained in crimson, not just a few streaks of crimson, my whole damn hand is cover in blood. Zari slowly guides me towards our cabin in the far back corner against the mountain, soothing noises are coming from Zari whether she realizes it or not just her presence is a comfort to me.
     
    Zari and I walk in troubled silence into the cabin and hear Alex and Gaius in the suite talking loudly about Luke being gone. Silence all of the sudden breaks through the rooms and captures both Zari and I. Directing me to the sofa she rushes to the sink to wet a wash cloth and brings it back to me to wipe my face as to not cause any more alarm then already raised by Luke’s death. Silently I mouth the words, “I’m sorry” to her as she brushes her hand down my left cheek in a quiet companionship. The double doors open to the suite and Gaius steps into the sitting room, eyes wild in a silent distraught fury he moves across the room as he stares at Zari in an unspoken understanding as he turns left and leaves quickly slamming the door on his hasty exit. Alex steps into the room and makes eye contact with me as Zari stammers for the right words but manages,
    “I’m going to step out while you two talk about what transpired this evening. Alex ander I’m sorry you know the pain of losing a sibling, we will get them, every last one of them!” Zari exits hastily after she finishes talking; Alex stares into the fire to the right of me. I quietly contemplate what I need to say to him to make him feel better. But I am still left with the stark reality of how I am ever going to make him feel better after losing his little brother. I just cross the distance of the sitting room to Alexander’s side to wrap myself around him as much as humanly possible. Melting into his strong broad body I feel him melt right back into me, when I glance up he is staring at me kind of like Zari did the only difference is he has an alarmed look as he clears his throat he asks,
    “ Have you been hurt? You have blood all over your face?”
    Pulling back I stammer as he looks me over, “umm, no I’ m not hurt I was crying. Apparently when I cry, I cry blood I think.” Stepping back another step Alex rushes to the mirror on the wall behind the sofa and looks at his face but has a questionable look in the reflection. I interrupt the silence by saying, “I see no blood on your face, have you cried blood?” Alex responds by shaking his head yes and replying, “I don’t even want to pretend I know what is going on, but we will figure out what is going on with you