Braith couldn’t feel the connection to Aria, which was making him unstable. Not to mention the rising from the dead thing. That had to be confusing as hell, and apparently Braith didn’t remember the fight or dying. Max had said Aria felt the severing of their bond when Braith had died. It was possible the link wouldn’t be there until they were reconnected. It was also possible she’d died since Max had last seen her.
Jack shuddered at the idea, his gaze moving to Hannah standing near the bottom of the cavern. She was paler than normal, but she held the staff against her chest and eyed Braith as if she couldn’t decide if she wanted to beat him with it or not. Never had Jack considered his brother would harm her, but Braith wasn’t in control of himself right now.
He understood the rage and anguish his disconnection from Aria would cause, but that didn’t matter, not if Braith went after Hannah. Jack would still try to take him down, if he could, which he was pretty sure he couldn’t. He went to move closer to Hannah, to put himself in between her and Braith, but Braith spoke before he could edge toward her.
“Dead,” Braith muttered.
“Yes,” Jack said.
“How?”
“Arrow through the back,” Jack replied and took a couple of steps toward Hannah. Braith closed his eyes as his head fell into his hand and he briefly rubbed at his forehead. Confusion and distress radiated from him. Jack had to help ease some of that confusion, somehow. “Braith—”
When Braith lifted his head, his face was composed into a mask of stone as he focused on Max, but a muscle near the corner of his eye twitched. Jack froze when he realized the scars that had been etched around Braith’s eyes were gone. Not only had he come back stronger, but he’d come back healed, completely.
“You can see,” Jack whispered. In the beginning of their relationship, Braith had needed to be near Aria in order to see, but as he’d grown stronger and the bond between them had deepened, he’d been able to be further and further away from her. Now Braith didn’t feel their link, yet he could still see. Jack had no idea what to make of this development, but he knew his brother had risen from the dead something more.
What that something more was though, he didn’t know. Would Braith be twisted like Atticus and Sabine now, or would he calm when he understood better what had happened and he was reunited with Aria?
Jack’s fingers twitched on the rock at the possibility his brother would never be the man he had been. That he may be as much of a threat to them as Sabine. The idea of killing his brother had never cross his mind, until now.
“Yes, I can see,” Braith said to him before his attention returned to Max. “Where is she?”
“She’s somewhere safe, about thirty miles from here,” Max answered.
“When did you last see her?”
“Two days ago.”
Braith went completely still before all of his muscles rippled and a snarl erupted from him. He dropped Daniel as if he was nothing more than a sack of grain. Daniel stumbled to the side, his hand on his bruised throat as he watched Braith stalk toward them. Jack tensed, his muscles bunching in preparation of getting Hannah out of harm’s way when Braith stopped before them. He and Max tipped back their heads to take him in.
“So she could be dead and you don’t know it,” Braith grated.
Jack rose to his feet, holding his hands out in a pacifying gesture when he suspected Braith was about to snag hold of Max. He edged closer so that he was somewhat in between them, but Braith didn’t so much as glance at him.
Because he knows I can’t stop him.
“She is in an extremely safe place, Braith. Safer than these caves,” Max replied.
“She could be dead and you don’t know!” Braith roared and Max flinched.
“Yes,” Daniel said from behind him, his voice raw from being choked. Red marks marred his fair skin. Some of them were already starting to darken into bruises. “But she’s not. William and Xavier will make sure she stays safe.”
“Take me to her, now,” Braith commanded.
“It will take us some time to get there and with the storm—” Daniel broke off when Braith swung toward him again. “We’ll go now.”
Braith didn’t acknowledge any of them when he turned away and walked into the tunnel the others had entered through. Timber hastily stepped out of his way. Keegan trotted passed them and down the tunnel behind Braith. A young human Jack had never seen before casually stepped aside to let Braith go by before turning to follow him. The girl had to be nuts if she wanted to be anywhere near him right now.
“Who is that and why is she here?” Jack asked.
“Maeve and she followed us,” Max said as he rose to his feet and gathered his bow. “What do we do if something did happen to Aria after we left?”
Jack stared at the tunnel as Hannah walked over to join him. “Pray. Atticus destroyed much of the world. Braith will level what remains of it.”
“Did he come back stronger?” Timber asked.
“Yes,” Daniel croaked out and rubbed at his throat.